The track to success for todays musicians and artists is quite different than it was even five years ago.
For any artist, songwriter, musician, and or performer. Even if you don't have a strong desire to start and or manage your own Independent label, if you are even remotely serious about experiencing any level of sucess in the music industry, you absolutely MUST gain as much knowledge as you can get your hands on so that you understand the industry in which you have a desire to succeed.
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!
Artists, musicians, and performers absolutely MUST be proactive in advancing their careers. Your attitude MUST be that you will manage, publish, and promote yourself until a better manager, publisher, and or promoter comes along that has more resources than you, at which time you may decide to partner with to expand on what you have already accomplished yourself.
As an artist, you must immediately begin learning every aspect of the business, and this is best done by a logical and systematic approach, and having well experienced, and dependable resources with which you can draw from for ongoing advice as you develop yourself into a pro level musician.
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 gain the attention of music business players much quicker, and with far more respect if your approach is backed up with proof that you have been working hard to develop, and promote yourself, and that you are not looking for someones small indie label, or publishing company to dump a cash investment into you, but rather you are looking for someone that maybe has resources that you dont have, and that you believe in your music and talent enough to show them that if they can join in and add additional resources to take your product to the next level, that you honestly believe that the both of you will greatly benefit from the partnership.
For example, say you have written and completed a demo of a few songs, and you have say nine or ten songs written but have not yet recorded them. What do you think would look better when you meet with a small but somewaht successful Indie music Label. Lets look at the first, not so favorable introduction.
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.
You mail them a demo CD with your phone number, or you go to their office and drop off a CD with your cell phone number written on the front of it. This approach more or less screams I AM LAZY, AND I WANT YOU TO HANDLE EVERYTHING AND MAKE ME FAME AND FORTUNE.
You set up a planned meeting with the A&R of a indie label, you sit down with him, let him listen to your well recorded CD with four songs, and show him the copy of written lyrics of twelve other songs that you have written, but not recorded.
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 explain to them that you plan to continue self promotion, and working to get sales up on a daily basis, and that you truly believe that with your work ethics, passion, and drive, and their additional resources that as a team all of you can turn this into a profitable venture.
Now you tell me, which approach do you think would open, and keep the doors open for you?
Again, if you are serious about succeeding in the music business, you MUST take a proactive approach towards developing yourself as a professional artist.
For any artist, songwriter, musician, and or performer. Even if you don't have a strong desire to start and or manage your own Independent label, if you are even remotely serious about experiencing any level of sucess in the music industry, you absolutely MUST gain as much knowledge as you can get your hands on so that you understand the industry in which you have a desire to succeed.
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!
Artists, musicians, and performers absolutely MUST be proactive in advancing their careers. Your attitude MUST be that you will manage, publish, and promote yourself until a better manager, publisher, and or promoter comes along that has more resources than you, at which time you may decide to partner with to expand on what you have already accomplished yourself.
As an artist, you must immediately begin learning every aspect of the business, and this is best done by a logical and systematic approach, and having well experienced, and dependable resources with which you can draw from for ongoing advice as you develop yourself into a pro level musician.
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 gain the attention of music business players much quicker, and with far more respect if your approach is backed up with proof that you have been working hard to develop, and promote yourself, and that you are not looking for someones small indie label, or publishing company to dump a cash investment into you, but rather you are looking for someone that maybe has resources that you dont have, and that you believe in your music and talent enough to show them that if they can join in and add additional resources to take your product to the next level, that you honestly believe that the both of you will greatly benefit from the partnership.
For example, say you have written and completed a demo of a few songs, and you have say nine or ten songs written but have not yet recorded them. What do you think would look better when you meet with a small but somewaht successful Indie music Label. Lets look at the first, not so favorable introduction.
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.
You mail them a demo CD with your phone number, or you go to their office and drop off a CD with your cell phone number written on the front of it. This approach more or less screams I AM LAZY, AND I WANT YOU TO HANDLE EVERYTHING AND MAKE ME FAME AND FORTUNE.
You set up a planned meeting with the A&R of a indie label, you sit down with him, let him listen to your well recorded CD with four songs, and show him the copy of written lyrics of twelve other songs that you have written, but not recorded.
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 explain to them that you plan to continue self promotion, and working to get sales up on a daily basis, and that you truly believe that with your work ethics, passion, and drive, and their additional resources that as a team all of you can turn this into a profitable venture.
Now you tell me, which approach do you think would open, and keep the doors open for you?
Again, if you are serious about succeeding in the music business, you MUST take a proactive approach towards developing yourself as a professional artist.
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.
