Producer and studio in full and own their masters outright

Should an indie artist pay a producer and studio in full and own their masters outright? Should an artist pay a producer and studio in full and own their masters outright? Or should you consider entering into an agreement for royalty share and joint ownership (not necessarily 50/50) of the recorded work ? In my experience most independent artists are of the belief that owning their masters outright and 100% of their publishing rights is always the way to go. In the rare cases where the artist owns their own studio, is a capable producer, a great songwriter and has the time, determination and focus to get the projects finished in a timely manner this may be true. But it has also been my experience and observation that the majority of good songwriters do not fall into this category and I don;t believe that's necessarily a disadvantage. Forming an allegiance and entering into some sort of partnership or production agreement with a good indie producer can have nay advantages for any artist (even these who have a home studio and basic production skills).These advantages include: Reduced up front cost to the artist, Shared work load resulting in Faster completion of the project. More time for the artist to focus on songwriting and the in studio performance of the material. And an objective opinion or the material, performances and sound or the recording. All these things are important but I feel the one that is most often overlooked is the last point. I cannot stress enough how vital a trusted objective objective opinion from a producer on the song and perhaps even more importantly the studio performance is! The overall vibe, energy, passion and conviction that constitutes the take, the performance that stands out, the version that has that undeniable and often intangible alchemy that makes a great record. This is the prime reason I feel entering into a partnership with a producer and jointly owning the recorded works is something every indie artist should not only consider but welcome. Of course I don;t recommend entering into any such agreement with any producer without first establishing a good working relationship. Until then just pay the studio cost and producers fee and keep 100% ownership of your masters. If any indie producer pulls out a production agreement before doing any work together I recommend walking away immediately. In addition even after entering into a good artist/producer arrangement with someone you click with I would still only recommend signing agreements on a project by project basis; avoid agreements that tie you up for a number of releases/albums over a number of years.