ABSTRACT
Music Connection interviews record producers, label personnel, entertainment business attorneys, and music publishers on a regular basis. TV shows like The Voice or America's Got Talent lead to record deals, not only for the winners but sometimes for contestants who make a clear impact on the audience. A relatively new source of record deals or promoting new albums is the placement of an artist's songs on TV shows or national commercials. The influence of regional record sales and promotion people, or radio station personnel depends on the label's opinion of their ability to spot talent. The record company guarantees to record a certain number of songs during a specified period. Despite high hopes, few bands receive royalty income from recording, whereas the major labels are shielded from much loss by the many "deductions" they can take against royalties. File sharing is the illegal duplication of recordings on the internet by consumers.
