Should you Cash in on a Big Advance?

As any band who is serious about promoting themselves can tell you, trying to build a music career is definitely not cheap. Recording costs, promotion costs, paying for rehearsal space, driving to gigs that don't pay - the costs just keep on coming. So, when a label starts sniffing around your band, it can be very tempting to get caught up in the promise of an advance check. But while an advance check may line your pockets for awhile, in the long term, that advance can seriously hurt your career. If your label is as cash strapped as you are, then the budget for your album has to spent wisely. Unless you want that advance check to mark the high point of your career, you need to seriously consider the pros and cons of cashing in on your record deal up front.

• Should I Cash in on a Big Advance?
• Does My Label Owe Me Money?
• Q&A with Francis Macdonald