To succeed as an artists or musician in the music industry.
Today, any artist, songwriter, musician,or performer. Even if you have no desire whatsoever to start your own Indie label, Or even if you don't want to learn how to start your own record label, if you are even mildly serious about obtaining any level of success in music, you have to obtain as much knowledge as possible so that you understand the basics of the business.
You absolutley must research, learn, study, and try your best to understand topics such as music contracts, independent music labels, major music labels, music publishers, who does what, where, and when. If you think your just going to put together a few songs, toss them in the mail to a few people from a list, or get noticed playing in some club one night, then I wish you luck!
Nowadays, artists, and musicians must be proactive in developing their careers. Todays artists approach has to be that you will publish, promote, and manage yourself until a better publisher, promoter, and or manager shows up that perhaps has more resources than you do, at which time you decide wether to team up with to expand on what you are currently accomplishing yourself.
This approach is what separates the winners in the game from the losers, or the successful V.S. the Non-Successful.
As an artist, you immediately begin learning as much as possible about every aspect of the music industry, and this is best accomplished by a systematic approach, and having dependable resources with which you can turn to for ongoing advice as you continue to develop yourself into a professional artist.
You will be much more likely to open doors when you are approaching Major Labels, Publishers, and or Indie Labels if you approach them with an goal of wanting to join their team, as a partnership. If your approach is I think my music is cool, I want you to give me a big contract to sign, and a bunch of money with fame and fortune, then again GOOD LUCK!
You will get the attention of music industry players much faster, and with much more respect if your approach is backed up with proof that you have been working hard to establish, develop, and promote yourself, and that you are not looking for someone to dump a ton of cash into you, but rather you are looking for someone that has some resources that you dont have, and that you believe in your music and talent enough to believe that if they can join in and add additional resources to take your product to the next level, that you believe that you and them will both benefit greatly from the partnership.
Heres an example, lets say that you have written and completed a demo of two or three songs, and you have maybe seven or eight songs written but have not yet recorded.
You mail a demo CD to them with your contact information, or you just show up at their office and drop off a CD with your contact information scribbled on the front of it. This approach more or less screams I'M TOTALLY LAZY, AND I WANT YOU TO HANDLE EVERYTHING AND BRING ME FAME AND FORTUNE.
Now lets look at a much smarter approach, an approach that will typically bring great results, or at least real attention.
Say you set up a meeting with the head of a indie music label, and sit down with them let them listen to your demo CD with three songs, and show them the copy written lyrics of seven other songs that have been written, but not yet recorded. Then show them that you have a copyright on the recorded material, as well as a copyright on the lyrics of the other songs.
You then proceed to tell them that you are promoting the three songs that are recorded on various web sites, and that the three completed songs are available for purchase as singles on Amazon.con, Rhapsody, Emusic, and Napster, and that last month there were a total gross sales of $67.00 You then continue to explain your current promotional strategy, and that you are scouting around for an independent label, or team that believes in your music, and can help take your current successes, add some additional resources, and boost the product up substantially.
You then proceed to show to them how you plan to continue self promotion, and working to get gross sales up on a monthly basis, and you truly believe that with your work ethics, passion, and motivation, aligned with their resources that as a team all of you can turn this into a substantially profitable venture.Which approach do you honestly believe would open, and keep the doors open for you?
Even if the small independent label that you are meeting with was not able sign you at that time, they most likely would be so impressed with your level of professionalism, that they would be more than willing to refer you to everyone they know in the industry to help you out.
Again, if you are serious about succeeding in the music business, you MUST take a proactive approach towards developing yourself as a professional artist. - 15359
Today, any artist, songwriter, musician,or performer. Even if you have no desire whatsoever to start your own Indie label, Or even if you don't want to learn how to start your own record label, if you are even mildly serious about obtaining any level of success in music, you have to obtain as much knowledge as possible so that you understand the basics of the business.
You absolutley must research, learn, study, and try your best to understand topics such as music contracts, independent music labels, major music labels, music publishers, who does what, where, and when. If you think your just going to put together a few songs, toss them in the mail to a few people from a list, or get noticed playing in some club one night, then I wish you luck!
Nowadays, artists, and musicians must be proactive in developing their careers. Todays artists approach has to be that you will publish, promote, and manage yourself until a better publisher, promoter, and or manager shows up that perhaps has more resources than you do, at which time you decide wether to team up with to expand on what you are currently accomplishing yourself.
This approach is what separates the winners in the game from the losers, or the successful V.S. the Non-Successful.
As an artist, you immediately begin learning as much as possible about every aspect of the music industry, and this is best accomplished by a systematic approach, and having dependable resources with which you can turn to for ongoing advice as you continue to develop yourself into a professional artist.
You will be much more likely to open doors when you are approaching Major Labels, Publishers, and or Indie Labels if you approach them with an goal of wanting to join their team, as a partnership. If your approach is I think my music is cool, I want you to give me a big contract to sign, and a bunch of money with fame and fortune, then again GOOD LUCK!
You will get the attention of music industry players much faster, and with much more respect if your approach is backed up with proof that you have been working hard to establish, develop, and promote yourself, and that you are not looking for someone to dump a ton of cash into you, but rather you are looking for someone that has some resources that you dont have, and that you believe in your music and talent enough to believe that if they can join in and add additional resources to take your product to the next level, that you believe that you and them will both benefit greatly from the partnership.
Heres an example, lets say that you have written and completed a demo of two or three songs, and you have maybe seven or eight songs written but have not yet recorded.
You mail a demo CD to them with your contact information, or you just show up at their office and drop off a CD with your contact information scribbled on the front of it. This approach more or less screams I'M TOTALLY LAZY, AND I WANT YOU TO HANDLE EVERYTHING AND BRING ME FAME AND FORTUNE.
Now lets look at a much smarter approach, an approach that will typically bring great results, or at least real attention.
Say you set up a meeting with the head of a indie music label, and sit down with them let them listen to your demo CD with three songs, and show them the copy written lyrics of seven other songs that have been written, but not yet recorded. Then show them that you have a copyright on the recorded material, as well as a copyright on the lyrics of the other songs.
You then proceed to tell them that you are promoting the three songs that are recorded on various web sites, and that the three completed songs are available for purchase as singles on Amazon.con, Rhapsody, Emusic, and Napster, and that last month there were a total gross sales of $67.00 You then continue to explain your current promotional strategy, and that you are scouting around for an independent label, or team that believes in your music, and can help take your current successes, add some additional resources, and boost the product up substantially.
You then proceed to show to them how you plan to continue self promotion, and working to get gross sales up on a monthly basis, and you truly believe that with your work ethics, passion, and motivation, aligned with their resources that as a team all of you can turn this into a substantially profitable venture.Which approach do you honestly believe would open, and keep the doors open for you?
Even if the small independent label that you are meeting with was not able sign you at that time, they most likely would be so impressed with your level of professionalism, that they would be more than willing to refer you to everyone they know in the industry to help you out.
Again, if you are serious about succeeding in the music business, you MUST take a proactive approach towards developing yourself as a professional artist. - 15359
About the Author:
Brent Thomason is the owner of a small indie music label, and music publishing firm. Proactive Musicians Music Tool Reviews. Click here for Article Submissions.
