Yes, let this be a warning to trap metal artists everywhere: the quarter million dollar record deals are a smokescreen. Solar panel sales are where the real action is.
That cool quarter million is an advance, and will end up being used to offset the logistical and marketing costs of recording an album and going on tour, which are both organized by the label. So really, the artist is just temporarily holding on to money that will be paid back to the label.
b) Still sounds better than selling solar panels, to me at least
The top record labels haven't changed places since the bad old days. You know why Spotify's never made a profit in 15 years? It's because all their revenue goes to pay licensing fees to the big 5. Spotify can't make its own music a la Netflix, which is why they're desperate to build podcast revenue.
Why not? Why not be their own label?