JPF Home Page Forums General Messages Industry Message Forum castle records

Has anyone heard good and/or bad on Castle Records?
It appears they are taken unsolicated material. For todays world, it seems odd. But, if they are reputable, it is an opportunity. I did a search and didn't find much-only their website.


Thank you for your help.

Monica

From time to time Castle Records as well as others seek songs for Artists they are working with. If they can place your song they will offer you a Publishing Contract. If you have your songs demoed, a guitar and vocal is OK, and have it Registered with the Library of Congress and have a song that may fit the request it is OK to send it. If you don't belong to a PRO yet you will need to join one if you get a song placed.

Castle has affiliations with BMI and ASCAP the last time I checked Good luck.

I'm currently under a cease and desist order from them. PM me.

I think the note from Bob tells me all I'd need to know about them.

Brian

Ya know what? I'm incapable of backing down from a fight, and they don't have a {legal} leg to stand on...So Monica, run away now! {Just the fact that they lurk on these boards waiting for myself or others to say something derogatory about them so they can sue us or JPF for "libel" says all you need to know.

Bob,
I know you posted a less than happy experence with Castle Records. I have never seen them advertize for artists so can you tell us how they found you. I haven't pitched to them for some time but I think they have their Artist Contract posted on their Web Site as I have printed it out a few years ago.

There are many of the exact same type Record Labels doing the same thing that Castle does. True, an Artist needs to be ready to go if the decide to go with such a Label and it may be better if they did it themselves if possible

I did receive a Publishing Contract on one of my songs some years ago but nothing came from it.

I will say it again. Let the Artist beware and check a Artist Contract out carefully before signing.

Ray,I sent them my press kit, and they contacted me. They were interested in me as an artist as opposed to a writer. I paid $6,500 to record a 4 song demo of what the thought were my strongest songs to supposedly be shopped to the majors with the option of doing an album at Castle if there were no takers. No-one held a gun to my head to sign with them, and nothing was promised to me.The musicians were first rate and have played on albums by the likes of Ringo Starr, Neil Young, Joe Walsh, Merele Haggerd and Hank Jr to name but a few. My problem with them started when it came time to cut the backing vocals. I'm not the most proficient harmony singer in the world, and there are a million harmony vocalists in Nashville, so I left it to them.
I was supposed to come down to oversee the session, but they cut the vocals before the date I was supposed to be there and sent me the demo. The vocals on 3 of the 4 were fine, but the vocals on our "money" song were lacking and even contained a blatent "clunker" When I expressed my displeasure I was told that it "wasn't in the budget" to recut, so they left everything as is and just erased the clunker! I thought for $6,500 I should have been totally satisfyed with the finished product. Everything I just stated here is 100% factual, so you folks at Castle shouldn't bother with the "libel" thing. In fairness, they also took the time to free up my publishing which was owned by a man who had passed away. My advice is to just be cautious with dealing with them and have an attorney look everything over.

Oh yeah, and stupid me...I didn't have a reversion clause put in, so they still own the publishing to those 4 songs! Live and learn folks.

Bob,

I am sorry to hear of your bad experience. Thank you for sharing it though. There has been a lot of good said about you on this website and truly respect your input. Thank you.

Monica

I have had unsolicited emails from online record companies even though I don't have anything marketable.
If Castle Records does not operate that way, I would take them a lot more seriously, even though I would still be leary.
I always figured from people I know locally with music that things are done through connections and already reputable sources.
But the net has changed the dynamics.
I just hope that these people don't control what you do musically or defraud you.

Matt

I have received offers in the past from Capitol Management of which they wanted twice as much to do a 2 or 4 song demo.

Since I am only a songwriter I tossed it out but can call the offer as extremely absurd.

A few years ago I talked to a small producer, of which I had sent some songs who told me he could produce an album with 1000 copies and I think a publicity photo for between 7 to 9 thousand dollars. That was with studio musicians.

Junction Studios say around 13 thousand dollars on their Web Site. If you were looking for a studio it would pay to shop around and see if you liked the deal they offer.

I would not recommend an Artist do a CD unless they are playing and booking dates and can promote the CD.

I would not pay for a publishing company to do a demo. If they think they can make money off you, then they can pony up the Demo costs. (a lot of companies have studios they work with) If they are charging you to do the demo they are going to promote you with. (on the other side of the coin odds are they will have input to your recordings)

Bob, i hate to hear you got "got", John Braherny discribed something close to a situation like that, as a "song shark".

-steve

p.s. i forgot There are a couple of books that have literally hundreds of companies that accept unsolicted material.

Steve, try to keep us up on things over there if you can. We can't rely on news shows over here.I hear the surge should be in high gear by mid-summer. Hope to see you back in NC very soon. Ben

Great to hear from ya Steve, stay safe!

Ben and Bob,

Hope you guys are doing great. They tell us we are winning. that the Sunni's are on our side, and the insurgents are on the run. Thanks for the well wishes should be back mid to late September.

-steve