To succeed as an artists or musician in the music industry.
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 must find the drive to research, study, and try your best to understand topics such as standard music contracts, Indie labels, the majors, the publishers, who does what, when, and where. Don't think your going to throw together a handful of demo songs, throw them in the mail to a some people on a list, or get spotted playing in some club one night, and become a huge star, it just doesn't happen that way anymore.
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 gain much more ground when you are approaching Major Music Labels, Music Publishers, and or Independent Music Labels if you approach them with an attitude of wanting to join their team, as more of a partnership. If your approach is I think my music is good, I want you to give me a contract to sign, and a bunch of money and fame, 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.
Which do you think would look better when you approach a small but fairly successful Indie Label. Lets look at the first, not so favorable approach.
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.
Now lets take a look at a more favorable approach, one which will most likely yield success, or at least open the door for more discussion and or dialog. Lets say you set up a meeting with the head of a small indie label, and sit down with them and tell them that you have a demo CD with three songs, and seven other songs that have been written, but not yet recorded. Then you inform them that you have already gotten a copyright on the recorded material, as well as a copyright on just 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 continue to show to them your plan to continue self promotion, and working promotional efforts geared to get increased sales up every week, and you believe that with your passion, motivation, and work ethics, aligned with their high end connections, and resources that as a team all of you can turn this into a highly 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 absolutely MUST take a proactive approach towards developing yourself as a true professional artist, performer, and or musician. - 16492
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 must find the drive to research, study, and try your best to understand topics such as standard music contracts, Indie labels, the majors, the publishers, who does what, when, and where. Don't think your going to throw together a handful of demo songs, throw them in the mail to a some people on a list, or get spotted playing in some club one night, and become a huge star, it just doesn't happen that way anymore.
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 gain much more ground when you are approaching Major Music Labels, Music Publishers, and or Independent Music Labels if you approach them with an attitude of wanting to join their team, as more of a partnership. If your approach is I think my music is good, I want you to give me a contract to sign, and a bunch of money and fame, 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.
Which do you think would look better when you approach a small but fairly successful Indie Label. Lets look at the first, not so favorable approach.
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.
Now lets take a look at a more favorable approach, one which will most likely yield success, or at least open the door for more discussion and or dialog. Lets say you set up a meeting with the head of a small indie label, and sit down with them and tell them that you have a demo CD with three songs, and seven other songs that have been written, but not yet recorded. Then you inform them that you have already gotten a copyright on the recorded material, as well as a copyright on just 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 continue to show to them your plan to continue self promotion, and working promotional efforts geared to get increased sales up every week, and you believe that with your passion, motivation, and work ethics, aligned with their high end connections, and resources that as a team all of you can turn this into a highly 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 absolutely MUST take a proactive approach towards developing yourself as a true professional artist, performer, and or musician. - 16492
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.
