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The hell there isn't a risk. Record company estimate on Fragile was that it would sell 5,000 copies, there was no possible way they'd make back their money had it sold the way the expected, but they released it anyway, and it went multiplatinum and ushered in Yes as a huge band. Which isn't saying that the industry is nice to the artists, but there are risks involved, don't pretend otherwise.

LMAO!!! Record companies STOPPED TAKING RISKS 20 years or more ago. Your example of the YES album is terribly out of date (killer album though) with what takes place now. Recording contracts are NOTHING more than high interest bank loans where if the product doesn't sell, the ARTIST is on the hook for EVERYTHING. If the product does sell then the artist get's a pittence of the profits.

You might wanna get up to date with your info regarding recording contracts. The days when record companies were legally on the hook for *marginal artists* vanished a long time ago. If you don't have the $$$ backing you up you will NOT get a record deal these days. However, you can drive to Nashville tomorrow morning with 250k in your pocket and get signed to a record deal almost instantly....even if you can't sing and don't know how to play an instrument. They'll gladly sign ya and take your money, pick out some songs from their song factory and throw you into a studio with people who know how to do what you can't. Sheesh, if you have 500k behind you they'll even do a huge national PR schtick for you and you might even break even. Odds are you won't and then you will either declare bankruptcy or go even deeper into debt (assuming you can borrow more $$$ of course) and try again.

This is also why acts are never brought along slowly and allowed to develop a following as they were back in the days of Yes and their album Fragile.

Take some time and do a search on that silly Cobain woman, who for all her faults, wrote a very good article a few years ago regarding the modern day recording contract.