I’m not the most experienced in this realm but I’ve been in rock n roll bands that had ‘deals’ and paying up front (for anything) was not a thing. I hate to be negative about something that on the surface seems like an opportunity but this is red flag city. Even if you don’t care much for the song and $69 (why such a Bill & Ted figure?) seems disposable to you, I say don’t feed the trolls.
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Of the legit mastering people/studios I’ve used, the prices range from $30-$50 per track - but it is up to me to release it / promote it / get it to a label if I had one / etc.
My last album I didn’t master myself was with my group Society Burning, “Ready End User” and we used Mark Alan Miller who did an awesome job for us for our Feb 2021 release.
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Is the label releasing artists that you knew about and are inspired by?
Do the other releases on the label seem like albums you would choose to purchase?
Are the artists released by the label people you respect artistically and would normally try to associate with on a personal or professional level?
These are all things I would consider strongly before even thinking about finances or contracts…
Feels like advance fee fraud to me.
“You won this lottery you never entered but you have to pay this admin fee before we can release your prize”
Most worthwhile labels are highly curated in regards to what they choose to put out, and chances are you’re not going to hear from them unless you’re deeply embedded in that scene or are friends with someone on their roster.
These spray and pray operations are more like trolls, picking up the rights to as many artists as they can while offering little to no exposure in return (since they have no coherent brand or audience). Their hope is that you happen to make a bit of money out of dumb luck, at which point they’ll swoop in and reap the benefits. Unless these guys have a credible reputation in the scene, which from the sounds of it is not the case, you’re better off just self releasing.
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This same label just came up on r/EDMproduction, this “label” is a scam. They have nothing of value to offer.
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I’ve released a fair bit of music physically and digitally and I have never been asked to pay for mastering, seems a bit odd, if they like the track they should be taking that cost into account to have it on their label and promote it through the channels they have.
From what I am aware any decent label ain’t going to release a track that’s already on soundcloud for everyone to hear, they want to release stuff that no ones heard except them that’s why they always ask for private links
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Now that’s the way!
Haven’t had one of those in aaaaggggeeeesssss Branston is not on any shelves in Japan despite a Japanese company recently buying the brand. My wife thoroughly enjoyed pickle and I think it would go down a storm out here if marketed in the right way.
Anyhoo, to the OP - steer well clear of this.
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sounds like they’re just after your $69. very scammy. sorry but i’d stay away from them.
i’ve never asked anyone to pay for mastering when releasing on my tiny label. also have never been asked for $$ for mastering when releasing on other small labels.
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$69 is weird price for mastering, I suspect if they do anything any I’ll they’ll just run it though Ozone. I highly doubt they have someone in house that’s taking $69 to thoughtfully master a track.
It definitely sounds scammy to me.
These days you don’t even need a label, the only labels that are interesting are the ones who are passionately curating artists and have a specific set of artists that are similar. Not offering you a contract before moving forward with anything is a strange move too. You have to really think, what could they possibly offer you that you couldn’t do yourself? Labels should be able to have more reach than anyone with an iPhone and an internet connection, if they don’t offer you anything of substance (money, promo that’s not simply social media, connecting you with other artists or getting you gigs etc) then it’s a waste of time and money. I would never pay a label anything ever they’re supposed to be paying you in exchange for making money off of your work
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The Soundcloud spam equivalent of paying for a spot on Who’s Who of Poetry 2023, but you have to buy an expensive copy!
I’m sure they’ll do exactly what was mentioned earlier, render with a stock preset of a cracked copy of iZotope.
Don’t pay any money for a job offer or a “label contract”, there’s flattery but they’re insincere.
I bet if you stay on they have additional fees for marketing, “management”, and a list of other people excited to charge you for live promotions who’ll pay for a list of people willing to pay to be on a label…
Also they are all the other people only with different email addresses 
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Trust your instincts. Small ticket venture but what did you hope to achieve by responding to this offer. If it does what you want at your cost, is there a cheaper, better or faster way. If they had user to pay for mastering, it shows they don’t have that capability or resource for some reason and is acting like a middleman. What will you do with a middleman.
They do this a lot on soundcloud and insta too. Just block the user. It is flattering, but it is just another hustle.
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To be fair, it is pretty enterprising for a 13 year-old.
As others have said, probably a scam. A legit label will take care of this themselves. $69 isn’t far off the mark for a pro master (unless you are dealing with a big name engineer)
My rates are $60 a track or $500 for an album 
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Yeah, it’s not so much that it can cost that low for a good engineer, it’s that it’s a cold sale based on spam, the gimmick sells the vague “product” that nobody would have purchased otherwise.
Selling blank CDs in Times Square level hustle!
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If someone wants the rights to your music, I think they should pay.
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They contacted me too. They didn’t ask for money but I told them I didn’t think my music was a good fit for their label and I was going to pass.
They sent me an email that just said “do you know what kind of opportunity you’re passing up here”?
I never responded.
I just think a label should have a vision or at least a vibe.
I also think if they are requesting you to pay then they just don’t have the desire to support your track. You’re just making them a few bucks and nothing will likely come from it.
More importantly, you don’t feel great about the track. By giving someone else control of the release it could be difficult to remove it from the world later.
What if in a year or two you’re making tracks that you feel are much better? Then this track is sticking out like a sore thumb and you don’t feel like it’s a good representation of you? You might have to pay them to remove it.
This might bite you down the road. Something to think about.
Instead, find a couple labels you actually like and are close to your style. Listen to their discog and see what you could do to make your tracks match their quality. Keep being you but also bend a little if you’re already close. Then just send them tracks until one sticks. Hopefully you get some feedback on what to improve while you’re at it.
Not a massive fan but I think Umek said he sent 50 tracks to Mark Knights label until he got signed.
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100% this. Otherwise, what’s the point?
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