Get signed

The music business is un-like any other. It is a marriage of art and commerce that takes complex business concepts and cuts them into small digestible chunks for the public to consume. It is one of the few professions where creative people can reach extraordinary wealth, without ever developing even a minimal expertise in the business end of their profession. It is very fickle and uncompromising, unstable and confusing at times, but it can also be a very lucrative and rewarding career if the right path is taken and success is achieved.

Many job seekers simply gradate from college and take the first paying, and sometimes non-paying job in their field of interest that they can get. They work their way up, network and usually the right doors open eventually. But aspiring artists, musicians, songwriters or producers need to forge their own path to succeed in their chosen career, because there is no one “right” way. The ultimate goal is usually to land a record deal to become a hit solo artist, get their name out there or earn songwriting royalties. Each successful person has climbed his or her own road for many years, so trying to follow too closely in another’s footsteps won’t work for most.

Aspiring artists will need make themselves as creatively and uniquely skilled as possible, by studying their area of interest from a young age, honing their talent, performing in public and networking with as many people in your field as possible. Becoming comfortable with the performing circuit on the side is crucial if the artist wants to achieve some level of fame and fortune. If the artist happens to be a singer, songwriter and musician, it is important to get as many people as possible to know your face and hear your music, to raise your chances of attracting the attention of the music industry “big-wigs” in the New York, Nashville and Los Angeles.

Brand new artists, who don’t yet have a record deal, can only hope to start out by playing in local clubs until a steady following and enthusiastic audience attracts more attention. Singers and Songwriters can look for sponsored events in the local newspaper for “open mic nights”, or “demo derbies” to get their material heard by playing face-to-face with an A&R executive or publisher. There are also multiple online options for shopping your demo, such as music-promotion sites and online labels that offer access to music executives at bigger labels.

Finding an agent or manager to represent you and find you paid gigs to perform is important in getting your name and sound to the public. Usually with successful packed houses and clubs, over time the record executives will find you, but your job is to first get your own face out there so you can be found. Picking up the yellow pages or surfing the Internet for small town or local agents never hurts, but it rarely leads to solid, long term results or to anyone who will take you seriously until you’ve proven yourself first. The music business is what experts call a “Catch 22” meaning, you can’t get any important people to hear you until you’ve proven yourself, but you can’t usually prove yourself until someone important gives you a break. It’s a matter of networking and having real talent, persistence and confidence to keep going. The industry is set up to keep the general public out and labels hire receptionists to screen your calls so you can’t get through. They are set up so you have to already know the name of an A&R, or Artist and Repertoire person working for a record company, who would hear your music and then upon liking you, submit you to the higher levels within. Good managers constantly look toward the future and everyone in the business wants to discover the next “big thing” in entertainment. Ambitious artists can win a manager’s support by nurturing a casual relationship based on increasingly commercial demos. Some music attorneys aspire to be artist managers, record company executives and even producers, so they are good people to contact in the early stages. Making such a big career change usually requires finding a hot, marketable, “flagship”, or new marketable artist who will put their name on top with them.

It’s important to remember that performing music because you love it and not just so you can be rich and famous, usually takes years and years of hard work before that one door is open and more important, career-making people will listen. But have faith that if you do it long enough and really have the talent and passion, someone somewhere will see and hear you, and give you some kind of a break. Music tastes are always changing and fads come and go, so one year your style might not be the interest to labels, and the following year it could be the next big thing, so don’t give up!

Careers in the music business fall under the Creative Arts job category and is also one of the most popular major in colleges. Every State University from New York to Hawaii offers some kind of major relating to the entertainment business. The major choices include a broad range of areas, encompassing everything from music business, contracts and law, to recording production and instrumental, with many sub-categories and minors to choose from or combine as well. A problem of this however, is that State and University schools require a student be accepted into a major, before they are allowed to take classes in that department. But junior colleges are way ahead of them and have a wide breadth of programs that any student can take. Community colleges such as Berkeley, Diablo Valley, Long Beach and San Francisco City, have academic and vocational certificate programs that are more specialized in particular entertainment related careers. They offer 2-year programs in fields such as Digital Multi Media, Music Industry Studies, Video and Music Production, Television and Radio. Most people interested in working in the general field, should attend college and major in business, marketing, music, media arts or communications, but the classes usually only cover the business side skills of the music business. It is usually a good choice for those who want to work as managers, artist and repertoire people, radio station programmers or even talent agents
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If you are a new artist with a record deal, the purpose is to let people know you they will buy your records, so there’s no need to tour until your record is out. The major touring season is May through September, when kids are out of school and can go to concerts every night. New bands have started touring in the fall when there is less competition for concertgoer’s dollars.

There are many music organizations and performance rights societies that offer many services to independent musicians and are easily found on the Internet. They are extremely beneficial to starting an artist’s career and have legitimate, valuable knowledge and contacts available once a member. They include Grammy.com, The Association for Independent Musicians, ASCAP, BMI, SESAC and the West Coast Songwriters Association. Many require minimum yearly membership fees to join and in return, they help the artist in promotions, networking, recording, packaging and submitting demos and even offer free health insurance. An even better way to get a record deal, and the most overlooked one, is to go through a publishing company. They are always looking for new singers and musicians to enter into their databases that they can use to record songs submitted to them by their big name songwriters or stars. Many companies do not accept “solicited” material, which means from people off the street whom they don’t have a prior reference for. But even if a company has this policy, being polite and courteous can usually open doors.

Before submitting a demo, always make a phone call to get permission and request nicely that your demo be accepted. Once allowed, get the person’s full name and compile a well-documented package including a brief, typed cover letter thanking the contact for his or her interest. Include a black and white, 8 x 10 glossy photo of yourself; usually of head shot style, and your demo in a CD form. Make sure all contact information; name, address, phone number and email, is written on the CD cover. Follow up no less then two weeks after you mail the package, calling the contact person to be sure package was received. If they haven’t received your package, politely say you will call back in a week. Do not “shotgun submit” to every label in town. Get 5 or 10 real names of people who say they are willing to accept your demo package and wait a few months before you send some more out. Music Entertainment companies usually get at least 300 demos a day and it can take up to 6 months for them to listen to yours. Perseverance is critical so keep writing, improving and submitting your work.

The business is always in need of new sounds, refreshing new faces and interesting new talents, so it’s one where you can’t take no for an answer. It takes someone who is incredibly resilient and patient, confident but not cocky, persistent but not pushy and humble but not cowardly. It is an incredibly cold and fickle business where doors will slam in your face for years and then suddenly you’re the next “big thing”, only for some new up and comer to take your place soon after. So the point is, you have to love what you do and do it no matter what!