Tag: music education

  • 5 Mistakes That Keep Artiste from Getting A Record Deal

    5 Mistakes That Keep Artiste from Getting A Record Deal.

    Mistake 1, Stay Away From Scammers! So Called Music Industry Insiders Claiming They Can Get You A Record Deal For A Small Fee… 90% Of The Time The People Claiming They Can Deliver This Type Of Help Never Stand Up To Their Promise.

    Mistake 2, Thinking Your Music Is The Best It Can Be, When It Really Isn’t. Take The Time Out To Evaluate Your Self As A Artiste And Be Honest With Yourself. Take The Time Out To Have Others Give You Constructive Criticism On Your Work. A&Rs For Record Companies Are Extremely Picky, So You Need To Bring Forth Your Best That You Can. Master Your Songwriting Ability, So You Can Be Consistent in Making Hit Songs. Practice Singing and Delivery Patterns That Will Make You Look Impressive Talent Wise.

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    Mistake 3, Not Being Mentally Prepared For The Business. Not Having The Proper Discipline And Work Ethic To Get You Through The Levels Of The Business. If You Don’t Have The Proper Mindset You Will Loose. A Artiste Will Not Make It Only On Talent…

    Mistake 4, Not Understanding The Current State Of The Music Industry. Study The Changes In The Music Business. The Days Of Shopping Your Music To Record Labels & Landing a Record Deal Are Pretty Much Over. The Business Model Now Is Building Yourself Up Independently Through Performing, Social Media Presence And Fan Base Building. You Need To Make The Record Label Chase You.

    Mistake 5, Not Being Consistent. By Far This Is The Most Important Aspect Of Perusing A Music Career These Days. As an Artiste You Need To Be Consistent With Your Music, Videos, Performances And Interviews.

     

     

     

  • 5 Steps to landing bookings as a unknown artiste

    5 Steps to landing bookings as a unknown artiste

    We have spent years in the music business learning about lots of tricks, do’s and dont’s that can help artiste achieve specific goals. Like the 5 steps to landing bookings as a unknown artiste, that we are about to share with you.

    One area that we seem to get consistent questions about is in regards to performing. A lot of artiste have trouble getting
    promotional shows these days.

    Below i have listed 5 things you can do, to land promotional bookings as a unknown artiste. Everything that we are about to tell you worked for our artiste.

    First you may have that same question as many artiste may have. Why is it so hard to get promotional gigs, when you are basically performing for free?

    The answer is promoters and stage managers like to work with artiste who have something to bring to the table. Pretty much you need to ad value to your self.

    Here are 5 steps to landing bookings as a unknown artiste.

    1. The first rule of thumb would be to build a strategic way to get well known in a 50 mile radius of your local market. Build a local buzz and make the event promoters come to you.
    2.  Offer to help taking on the expense of the promotional flyers. The promoter will be able to wash his hands clean of any duties of spending money on artwork for the event.
    3. Offer to help promoting the show to people you know. When doing this you will create a incentive to adding you on the show. The promoter will see you as a tool to free promotion of his or her show.
    4. Provide a DJ or band for the event, this way the event promoter will not have to worry about extra expenses. When you provide a DJ or band it really allows the promoter more time to spend on promoting the event.
    5. Many artiste don’t want to hear this but paying to perform is the last resort but a good choice if it is worth it. Analyze the situation before doing so. Make sure you are getting the best out of what you spend. Make sure you will get on every promotional flyer, radio and video media ad. Make sure you will get to perform with in the prime time slot of the show and only do it if big acts are on the same show that will boost your stage presence.
  • Getting A&R Attention

    Today we want to give you some insight on how you can be proactive in getting a&r attention. Surly you know their are lots of artiste out their, that want to know how to get signed to a record deal, some do music as a hobby and some want it to be a career.

    The best way to get to the top of the massive pool of artiste is to stand out from the rest. Create the best marketable package you can. We have written down some key notes that can help you out.

     

    1. BE THE BEST – What do we mean by be the best? be the best in your style of music. It wont be easy but consistent work and building your self up as a artiste over time will allow you to climb over the rest. It’s not so much the talent that makes you the best, its the consistent show’s, song releases, music videos and publicity that will give you the edge, this alone can help you land a record deal.
    2. BUILD A REAL FAN BASE – Please separate your self from the average artiste that says they have a fan base but has no proof. Having a fan base is much more than a few Facebook, Twitter and Instagram followers. Having a fan base means song sales, shows and generating press independent of a record label.
    3. SOCIAL PROOF – Get real social proof organically, stop buying likes, shares, plays and retweets. Gone are the days when this fooled record label reps. The reps at record labels are younger now and are just as computer savvy as you. They know the tricks ans lies and look into mush more than a couple likes. Social engagement is what they look for and even that is starting to be compromised with paid comments. The idea is to have cold hard proof, through download stats, song purchase stats, concert video’s and analytics.
    4. RELEASE GOOD MUSIC – Consistently release good music, don’t put out music just to have something new out. An a&r would rather hear 5 great songs than hear 20 songs and only 3 of them sound descent. Make sure your music is at the best it can possibly be. You don’t have to put out a whole album, and in many cases a&r’s don’t care. They just want to know you have great material, that can be marketed to the masses.
    5. RELATIONSHIPS – Music relationships are hard to get into and easy to break. What does that mean? You need to be slightly diplomatic. Don’t burn bridges you never know who is who, so don’t speak badly about someone because you never know who they know. Your in the business of music to build a career and all your pears are like co workers. Would it look good to speak bad about your co worker? no it wouldn’t look good at all, so stay focused and maintain your relationships the best way you can.
    6. SHOWMANSHIP – A good performance can say it all when getting a&r attention. Own the stage build a experience with your audience. Be engaging, look the part and take control over the people who came to watch your show. A a&r can tell when a artiste conveys influence on people and your live show is the optimal place to show you have what it takes to be a star.
    7.  BUILD THE RIGHT TEAM – Create a team of people who are just as passionate about your music as you. Get yourself a manager, publicist, agent or attorney. Not just anyone though one that has some kind of clout. One that can help you in getting a&r attention, just by them simply knowing a&rs and record executives. Find someone with experience, one who has great relationships with their connections.
    8. NO TRICKS – Please remember their are no tricks or special overnight strategies on how to get signed by a A&R and get a record deal. It boils down to building a work ethic, planning and having a consistent approach to your music.

     

  • what record labels are looking for

    what record labels are looking for

    What record labels are looking for and social media!

    For those artistes who desire a label deal, trying to figure out what record labels are looking for these days can be a very real challenge. The main reason it’s difficult to figure out their formula is because on a whole, music just isn’t what it used to be, artiste are not what they used to be, the business is not what it used to be. Don’t get me wrong there are plenty of talented artistes out there who deserve every bit of success, however, in my opinion the rags to riches artiste story line has changed dramaticallywhat record labels are looking for. The responsibility of the record label has changed.

    Back in the day it seemed all you needed was raw talent and a chance for the right person with the right connections to see you in action. There was a desire to grow and mold talent, a desire to create quality music with impressive vocals, creative lyrics and melodies, with real instruments and make lots of money doing it. This desire is exactly what caused the birth of shows like Showtime at the Apollo, Star search, American Idol and many other shows and events geared towards searching for talent. Then social media happened…..

    Anyone who dares to say that the whole technology /social media era has not greatly impacted what we make popular and what record labels are looking for, is not qualified to have this conversation! It’s not that you need social media, but you NEED social media. That being said, record labels are looking for acts that will make them not just money but easy money, It’s a business, so unfortunately in this day and age it’s not just about talent and what you can potentially do, but more about what you have already done. In these times you cannot expect for anyone to be willing to groom you, you must be ready. They want artiste who are the full package, artiste who will allow them to invest as little as possible, artiste who have convinced other people to love them, follow them, and BUY FROM THEM. The less work the label has to do the better for them. What this means is, it’s not just about singing or rapping. It’s about marketing, networking and utilizing social media to the fullest. It means throwing yourself out there and becoming a master at marketing you. It means being willing and able to INVEST in your own career before anyone ever offers to cut you a check. It’s about bringing something more than just singing and dancing to the table. You must prove yourself If you desire the backing of a record company.

    Obviously there are many factors surrounding what record labels are looking for and this is just skimming the surface. The unfortunate truth is no matter what some people may do it won’t result in a major record deal. However, keep in mind that the most important thing before anything else is loving what you do. Have a passion for music, not just fame and money. If you are a singer study what made the greats great and be the best singer you can be. If you are a rapper study what made the greats great and be the best rapper you can be. Be innovative, be creative, be you and success will follow. Remember, a major deal is great for some but there is nothing wrong with finding success in your own way. Whatever route you take, you must work very hard to get people to believe in your vision, believe in you talent and support you.

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  • Booking Agents

    Booking Agents

    How To Find Booking Agents

    Booking Agents

    Every artist eventually wants a booking agent. Musicians get to a point where they want to begin performing, but not just perform at parties or bars. They want quality venues and events with decent crowd numbers so they can show case their talents. When a artist gets to this point the best place to look is the booking agent directory. Finding a booking agent is rather easy, but gaining their interest may be hard. Lets go through some ways to gain the interest of a booking agent.

    The first place to start when searching for a booking agent would be google or any reputable music business directory. Google and music directories will position your search to booking agents. During your search you want to make sure the booking agent works with in your genre or obviously it wont make sense.

    When you have established interest in a booking agent, the next thing to do is call or write to them. See if they are interested in working with any up coming talent and ask them if you can send them some material to listen to, with a portfolio. You will also need to express to them that you are not a new artist and that you have a growing fan base, and people desire to here you. You will need to have proof of this through your social media and any other form of demographics.

    Booking Agents

    One of the best ways to land a deal with a booking agent is to invite them to your next show, this will prove to them everything that you have stated in your first correspondence with them. Invite them to a show with a good turn out, that will show how many people you are drawing independent of a label. Make sure you interact with the audience and you bring out reaction from the crowd, booking agents love crowd response.

    In the beginning you may have to perform for free or for little money when working with a booking agent. 9 out of 10 times you will begin as a opening act for a star artist, but this is still a good step. You will be given a plat form to build your audience among a bigger name and that will only make you more of a brand as time goes on.

    Getting in contact with a booking agent can take some time, gaining their interest may not happen at your first attempt. Don’t become discouraged if you don’t spark their interest, just continue working at performing and spreading your music to the masses. Just be persistent continue to build a relationship with them and update them on your progress. Many music professionals like consistency they want to make sure the artist they are going to work with will be a success.


    Music Business Directories

    1. Musical America, www.MusicalAmerica.com
    2. Pollstar, www.pollstar.com
    3. The Musician’s Atlas, www.MusiciansAtlas.com

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