 In November 1968 , Grant secured a $ 143 @,@ 000 advance contract from Atlantic Records , which was then the biggest deal of its kind for a new band . Atlantic were a label with a catalogue of mainly blues , soul , and jazz artists , but in the late 1960s they began to take an interest in British progressive rock acts . Record executives signed Led Zeppelin without having ever seen them . Under the terms of their contract , the band had autonomy in deciding when they would release albums and tour , and had the final say over the contents and design of each album . They would also decide how to promote each release and which tracks to release as singles . They formed their own company , <unk> , to handle all publishing rights . 
