Which statement best captures the core meaning of recoupment in the described arrangement?

• A. The artist can repay the distributor at the end of the contract.
• B. The distributor can recover the upfront payment before sharing revenues further.
• C. The distributor can increase the advance mid-term.
• D. The artist must give up rights to royalties after one year.

Answer: (B)

Recoupment is the process by which a distributor recovers the money it upfront paid to fund a project from the artist’s future royalties, so the artist doesn’t receive royalties until that advance (and related costs) have been earned back. In practice, the label provides an advance to cover recording, marketing, etc., and that amount is recoupable against the artist’s royalties as they accrue. That is exactly captured by the statement that the distributor can recover the upfront payment before sharing revenues further. The other ideas miss the timing or purpose: recoupment isn’t solely about paying back at contract end, nor does it involve automatically increasing the advance mid-term, nor does it entail giving up royalties after a fixed period like one year.