The company said more than 50, 000 albums, including titles from every major record label, are available for AutoRip.

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He and several colleagues were laid off as their employer, a major record label, adjusted to the economic challenges facing the country.

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That said, since he is the head of a major record label, he actually does have some power over how all this stuff plays out.

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When most artists sign record deals, they hand over these rights in exchange for an advance payment, a smaller royalty of 10-15% on music sales and the prestige of recording an album for a major record label.

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The band soon found a fan in legendary BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel and were then signed to the major record label Sire Records by Seymour Stein, the man responsible for signing Madonna a few years later.

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But the Sony package shows that the composer got his act together in a concise, businesslike way whenever he had the opportunity to record for a major label.

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But while independent record companies face losses from HMV's woes, at least one major label is potentially on the hook for a great deal more.

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