--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Make sure you know what you are signing…" description: "\"Make sure you know what you are signing when you sign a recording contract.\" — Tommy Shaw" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a0/tommy-shaw-16595_contract_make-sure-you-know-what-you-are-signing_886799.png" --- # Make sure you know what you are signing when you sign a… ![“Make sure you know what you are signing when you sign a recording contract.” quote by Tommy Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a0/tommy-shaw-16595_contract_make-sure-you-know-what-you-are-signing_886799.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a0/tommy-shaw-16595_contract_make-sure-you-know-what-you-are-signing_886799.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a0/tommy-shaw-16595_contract_make-sure-you-know-what-you-are-signing_886799.png) > “Make sure you know what you are signing when you sign a recording contract.” [Tommy Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-shaw/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Understanding contract terms prevents unintended obligations and protects artistic rights. **In simple terms:** Know what you sign to avoid trouble. Key Takeaway Read contracts carefully before signing. Themes legal awareness artist rights music industry Mood cautious informed Type advisory practical When to use this quote - signing a record deal - negotiating royalties - seeking legal counsel Key Concepts contract law intellectual property risk management Questions to Reflect On - Do you fully grasp the contract language? - Who can you consult for legal advice? A Different Perspective Contracts may have hidden clauses that are hard to detect later. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Recording](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recording/) ## Related quotes > [By the age of 17, for me, we had got an recording contract, and, boom, I was gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-lee/by-the-age-of-17-for-me-we-had-got-an-recording-contract-and-boom-i/) [Tommy Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-lee/) > [I worked a long time to get good at what I'm doing, and nobody handed me a recording contract because of who my father…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexa-ray-joel/i-worked-a-long-time-to-get-good-at-what-i-m-doing-and-nobody-handed/) [Alexa Ray Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexa-ray-joel/) > [It's no secret that my process is a little bit loose and can be a little bit infuriating to a studio if they don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-liman/it-s-no-secret-that-my-process-is-a-little-bit-loose-and-can-be-a/) [Doug Liman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-liman/) > [I've been with Def Jam Records for five years and they gave me my first recording contract so for that I'm forever grateful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-durk/i-ve-been-with-def-jam-records-for-five-years-and-they-gave-me-my/) [Lil Durk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-durk/) > [I had a recording contract with Capitol Records. I loved recording and being in that studio. I made four albums.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-chakiris/i-had-a-recording-contract-with-capitol-records-i-loved-recording-and/) [George Chakiris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-chakiris/) > [When I first came to New York I was a dancer, and a French record label offered me a recording contract and I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/when-i-first-came-to-new-york-i-was-a-dancer-and-a-french-record/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) > [Piper took me one step further in that it got my first real recording contract but the band just didn't quite mature. It didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-squier/piper-took-me-one-step-further-in-that-it-got-my-first-real-recording/) [Billy Squier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-squier/) > [At 17, I signed a recording contract right out of high school, so I started touring and traveling the world. I sort of missed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-lee/at-17-i-signed-a-recording-contract-right-out-of-high-school-so-i/) [Tommy Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-lee/) > [We won a contest at the teen fair in Vancouver and the first prize was a recording contract and we recorded at a radio…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-chong/we-won-a-contest-at-the-teen-fair-in-vancouver-and-the-first-prize/) [Tommy Chong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-chong/) > [Before signing any contract, you have to assume that the guy on the other side of the desk is handing you a shifty piece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bun-e-carlos/before-signing-any-contract-you-have-to-assume-that-the-guy-on-the/) [Bun E. Carlos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bun-e-carlos/) > [I mean when was the last time we had one of these contract signings... that didn't end... in some sort of horrible physical calamity?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cm-punk/i-mean-when-was-the-last-time-we-had-one-of-these-contract-signings/) [CM Punk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cm-punk/) > [I came close to signing Elvis Presley. I offered $25,000 for his contract and they asked for $45,000 and I just didn't have the other $20,000.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmet-ertegun/i-came-close-to-signing-elvis-presley-i-offered-25-000-for-his/) [Ahmet Ertegun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmet-ertegun/) > [Fame came quickly. I was only 19 when I secured my initial recording contract and my first two hit records - 'Are 'Friends' Electric?'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-numan/fame-came-quickly-i-was-only-19-when-i-secured-my-initial-recording/) [Gary Numan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-numan/) > [I am thrilled to be signing for City and can't wait to get started.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-walker/i-am-thrilled-to-be-signing-for-city-and-can-t-wait-to-get-started/) [Kyle Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-walker/) > [In other restaurants you'll see employees signing to each other, since we also hire many deaf men and women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-karcher/in-other-restaurants-you-ll-see-employees-signing-to-each-other-since/) [Carl Karcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-karcher/) ## More by Tommy Shaw > [I love the idea of stepping out of the band situation into a solo world with no boundaries, no expectations, where nothing is out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-shaw/i-love-the-idea-of-stepping-out-of-the-band-situation-into-a-solo/) [Tommy Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-shaw/) > [When you sign with a label, they do insist upon certain rights, and if you have a competent attorney, your rights will be protected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-shaw/when-you-sign-with-a-label-they-do-insist-upon-certain-rights-and-if/) [Tommy Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-shaw/) > [I soon gave up instruction for self-teaching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-shaw/i-soon-gave-up-instruction-for-self-teaching/) [Tommy Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-shaw/) > [I'm not the kind of guy who deserves to play a vintage guitar because I'm too rough on instruments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-shaw/i-m-not-the-kind-of-guy-who-deserves-to-play-a-vintage-guitar-because/) [Tommy Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-shaw/) > [We were playing popular music, but we were doing our own arrangements because we were too lazy to sit down and figure out the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-shaw/we-were-playing-popular-music-but-we-were-doing-our-own-arrangements/) [Tommy Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-shaw/) > [Songwriting is the other weight on the opposite side of the scale from touring. They balance me out creatively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-shaw/songwriting-is-the-other-weight-on-the-opposite-side-of-the-scale/) [Tommy Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-shaw/) > [When it stops being fun, stop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-shaw/when-it-stops-being-fun-stop/) [Tommy Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-shaw/) > [There were some older guitarists on my side of town, and I got to know many of them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-shaw/there-were-some-older-guitarists-on-my-side-of-town-and-i-got-to-know/) [Tommy Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-shaw/) > [If music became extinct now, I dont know what Id be good for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-shaw/if-music-became-extinct-now-i-dont-know-what-id-be-good-for/) [Tommy Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-shaw/) > [I have always been a sucker for the big, upbeat chorus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-shaw/i-have-always-been-a-sucker-for-the-big-upbeat-chorus/) [Tommy Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-shaw/) > [When I became 16 I started thinking seriously about singing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-shaw/when-i-became-16-i-started-thinking-seriously-about-singing/) [Tommy Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-shaw/) > [You can have fun, but you also have to put on your thinking cap every day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-shaw/you-can-have-fun-but-you-also-have-to-put-on-your-thinking-cap-every/) [Tommy Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-shaw/) > [If music became extinct now, I don't know what I'd be good for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-shaw/if-music-became-extinct-now-i-don-t-know-what-i-d-be-good-for/) [Tommy Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-shaw/) > [Once you start thinking about it in a mercenary frame of mind, then you're finished. You're a joke, because there are too many mercenaries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-shaw/once-you-start-thinking-about-it-in-a-mercenary-frame-of-mind-then/) [Tommy Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-shaw/) > [I don't like looking back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-shaw/i-don-t-like-looking-back/) [Tommy Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-shaw/) [Explore all 39 Tommy Shaw quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-shaw/) ## More Contract quotes > [I am very convinced that I did not contract Ebola in the isolation unit, because our process is so safe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-brantly/i-am-very-convinced-that-i-did-not-contract-ebola-in-the-isolation/) [Kent Brantly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-brantly/) > [A contract is an ask game, and if it asks for an hour, and I submit to an hour, then it's an hour. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-berry/a-contract-is-an-ask-game-and-if-it-asks-for-an-hour-and-i-submit-to/) [Chuck Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-berry/) > [I love Scott Coker and I love Bellator and I love what we have built together and it's a little uneasy to think that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chandler/i-love-scott-coker-and-i-love-bellator-and-i-love-what-we-have-built/) [Michael Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chandler/) > [I signed my first book contract without paying much attention to what it said. I didn't know at the time that the book would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-land/i-signed-my-first-book-contract-without-paying-much-attention-to-what/) [Stephanie Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-land/) > [I work seriously with complete integrity. I never, never, never have offered a part to anyone who didn't deserve it, and I've never not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-toback/i-work-seriously-with-complete-integrity-i-never-never-never-have/) [James Toback](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-toback/) > [Nowadays, in the contract that actors sign, you have to agree that you're going to do a certain amount of publicity-the hard part they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bridges/nowadays-in-the-contract-that-actors-sign-you-have-to-agree-that-you/) [Jeff Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bridges/) > [Society is indeed a contract. It is a partnership in all science; a partnership in all art; a partnership in every virtue, and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/society-is-indeed-a-contract-it-is-a-partnership-in-all-science-a/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [“A prisoner is imprisoned by the crime that he has committed. A jailer is imprisoned — in the very same prison — by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/a-prisoner-is-imprisoned-by-the-crime-that-he-has-committed-a-jailer/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“When we are quiet and still we contract and settle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/when-we-are-quiet-and-still-we-contract-and-settle/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [When you sign a contract, that's your deal. Everyone has different deals anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-duggan/when-you-sign-a-contract-that-s-your-deal-everyone-has-different/) [Toni Duggan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-duggan/) > [When you need to renew your contract, you must demonstrate why they are renewing your contract.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manuel-pellegrini/when-you-need-to-renew-your-contract-you-must-demonstrate-why-they/) [Manuel Pellegrini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manuel-pellegrini/) > [“You don't know with who you are having to deal with... you just sign the contract to die”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deyth-banger/you-don-t-know-with-who-you-are-having-to-deal-with-you-just-sign-the/) Deyth Banger > [Even if you have a contract you can be sold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teemu-pukki/even-if-you-have-a-contract-you-can-be-sold/) [Teemu Pukki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teemu-pukki/) > [I worked in three local news markets and in every single one of them, they said: 'You're a lousy anchor. We would love to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-vargas/i-worked-in-three-local-news-markets-and-in-every-single-one-of-them/) [Elizabeth Vargas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-vargas/) > [A group is as healthy as its 'social contract' is clear; a congregation as faithful as its covenant is mutually understood; a pastor as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-group-is-as-healthy-as-its-social-contract-is-clear-a-congregation/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) Browse all 518 Contract quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Make sure you know what you are signing when you sign a recording contract.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tommy Shaw" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-shaw/make-sure-you-know-what-you-are-signing-when-you-sign-a-recording/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Contract" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-shaw/make-sure-you-know-what-you-are-signing-when-you-sign-a-recording/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a0/tommy-shaw-16595_contract_make-sure-you-know-what-you-are-signing_886799.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a0/tommy-shaw-16595_contract_make-sure-you-know-what-you-are-signing_886799.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a0/tommy-shaw-16595_contract_make-sure-you-know-what-you-are-signing_886799.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Make sure you know what you are signing when you sign a recording contract.” — Tommy Shaw", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Tommy Shaw", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-shaw/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Make sure you know what you...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-shaw/make-sure-you-know-what-you-are-signing-when-you-sign-a-recording/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-shaw/make-sure-you-know-what-you-are-signing-when-you-sign-a-recording/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```