You already create great music, but how do you make sure it is heard too? Record companies exist to offer financial support to the musicians they sign, but also to make a profit. These labels are looking for trained bands or artists who have proven to be able to attract a good following and stimulate consumers. It's not easy to get the attention of a record company, but by developing your music, cultivating your style and trying to prepare a record, you will be ready to take the leap into the professional music industry.
Steps
Part 1 of 4: Developing Your Music
Step 1. Analyze the competition
Enhance your performances by studying the bands and artists you like and who have been signed by record companies. What do they have that you don't have? Think about their image, their music and how they relate to fans. It can also be helpful to learn how to play covers of other bands to understand how they are structured. What works when you perform? What could you improve?
Step 2. Be professional
Make music your life. Record companies are not looking for promising talent to invest in in the hope that all will go well. They want well-trained and professional groups or artists who can generate profits. The investment in your music depends on the professionalism and commitment you dedicate to your art, your product and your image.
Step 3. Practice consistently
You have to rehearse every day and be ready to perform pretty much all the time. Practice with the band until you can play each song with your eyes closed, until the drummer has memorized the lyrics, even if he doesn't sing.
- Make time to rehearse every day and focus on writing new materials. You can buy the most expensive Ray-Bans and the most rock-hard leather jackets you find at the mall, but the record companies won't be interested in your band if no one wants to hear it. First, make high quality music.
- Record the tests and review them to see how you could improve. Perfect live concerts in the privacy of the space where you practice. You take risks when you are alone and no one else can notice the mistakes. Make sure the shows reflect your professionalism, commitment and seriousness.
Step 4. Consider the commercial outlets for your music
Purist punk and experimental jazz with eight-minute long bassoon solos certainly offer a wonderful artistic direction to explore, but, from a commercial point of view, they are not salable. If your goal is to get yourself cast based solely on music, you need to make sure that your art reaches as many people as possible, that it generates a desire to be heard. Would your grandfather appreciate your music? What about your friends? And a person who doesn't speak the language you write in? Reflect on the audience.
Make music that interests you, but be realistic about your goals. If you want to get signed by Sony or Warner, probably a major of the genre has no intention of offering a niche music that few would listen to. If your style consists largely of psychedelic exploration, go this route, but don't aspire to sign a deal with a major record company and work to cultivate a following
Part 2 of 4: Cultivating a Retinue
Step 1. Start setting concert dates in your area
Once you have a good amount of material to offer, start wandering around places, such as pubs, bars and other places where musical evenings are organized. First, go see a few shows in the places you are interested in to make sure the regular audience can welcome your performance. It is not really the case to present an acoustic and whispered duet in a bar frequented by rowdy bikers. Try an open mic night in a pub and see how it goes.
In the early days, throw a couple of shows a month until you can have a steady following in your area. Once you have achieved this, you can increase the local concerts (maybe do them weekly), and then rehearse at the regional level. Don't set up a national tour until you're sure you can play every week unhindered
Step 2. Play with similar bands
The best way to develop a large following that goes beyond your circle of friends is to connect with other bands in the area, or access an existing music scene. Attend concerts by artists you like and plan to be a supporter one night. If you don't have any records to offer, invite them to attend rehearsals.
- Alternatively, arrange your own gigs and ask other bands to play with you. They might return the favor. Just make sure you are nice and polite: proposing to an experienced and popular group to support you might be considered rude because you are not yet known. Let them play last, or offer the opportunity to choose when to perform. They will interpret it as a sign of respect.
- Getting involved in a music scene has many benefits. Other bands will be much more willing to share resources and tips with you. If you need to borrow a bass amp or PA system for a gig, it's hard to do when you don't know other musicians in the area. When you register, you will also have a good point of reference for finding the study and obtaining recommendations.
Step 3. Advertise the band using social networks
Announce concerts and post songs you've recorded to keep in touch with new fans. Before a record company hires a musician, they want to make sure they already have a loyal following.
Also, advertise other bands and stay active on the music scene. Encourage people who frequent your page to check out a band you've played with in the past. By cultivating a good presence in the industry, people will be more likely to listen to your music. It's hard to get co-workers and other viewers to go see you play if you've never been to their shows and you're always on your own
Step 4. Create eye-catching t-shirts
T-shirts are an incredibly popular and relatively inexpensive merchandise item to produce, especially when compared to a professional recording. Viewers often want to buy a souvenir after attending a concert, and ordering some shirts to sell is a great way to earn some money and keep the band afloat. Plus, you'll advertise for free whenever someone wears one.
When organizing a concert, swap t-shirts for other bands, and then wear one on stage. Cross marketing benefits all members of the same music scene as you. If the bands improve overall, you will all be closer to signing a deal with a record company
Step 5. Go on tour
It's easy to saturate a music scene. Your friends will drop five euros to go see your band in a bar only once in a while, so you should start looking for other clubs and places to work your way up in an effort to increase your popularity locally.
- Book a short tour with other bands. Visit some cities where you have friends who can host you between sofas and spacious cellars. Another option is to take a summer tour, when everyone has some free time, and camping outdoors is convenient and cheap.
- Call the festival organizers in your area and find out if it is possible to support an artist. Enter a band contest sponsored by a radio station or concert hall. Ask someone to film the shows and then try to get them broadcast on television and the internet.
Step 6. Save a nest egg
It's exciting to earn 100 euros after playing for the first time: you did it! You're making real money from your music! It can be tempting to split your earnings with other group members and spend it all on throwing a big party, but resist the temptation. When the band starts pocketing something, you open a bank account specifically designed for improvement and promotion. Try to set aside as much money as you can.
Use this account for band expenses only. It is up to you to decide what to do with them, but usually you need to buy guitar strings, upgrade equipment, or rent space to rehearse. New leather jackets and fake gold teeth? They are not really that useful. Remember: to get signed to a record company, you need to have high quality demos first, and you know they aren't free
Part 3 of 4: Burn a Demo CD
Step 1. Find a studio and book it
Recording a good demo CD is a great way to get noticed by a record company, but it's also great for continuing to win fans and delivering some songs they love to hear live. So, it's important to do this when you have quality songs and people want to hear them. Furthermore, it is an investment for a possible record deal.
The costs of the study can vary quite a bit. They range between 10 and 150 euros per hour for initial recordings, and usually increase when it comes to mastering. It is expensive, so you have to limit the length of the demo CD and only include the best songs, maybe a couple. Plan how to register them quickly and effectively
Step 2. Plan your time in the studio
Each sound engineer or producer fine-tunes the recording sessions in their own way, so you need to make sure you prepare your work - the songs - as best you can. You have to know the material inside out to only record once, don't try and try again. By knowing every single song perfectly and making a perfect recording on the first try, you can save money and then invest in a better studio.
- Some bands are stunned when an engineer asks the drummer to play his part without the other musicians, or puts each band member in a separate recording booth, where he can't see anyone else. Similarly, there are unwilling technicians who tell the band to get the equipment ready, hit the record button and that's it. Before booking a place, be sure to inform yourself about the process, get to know the facility and prepare everything you need.
- Do not record with equipment you are unfamiliar with. Many studios have state-of-the-art guitar amps and pedals, and you may be tempted to try them out. Do not do it. Wasting time (remember that time is money) to make an outro in which the sound of the guitar resembles that of a helicopter is not the best use you can give your money, and it is irrelevant to produce an accurate and representative demo. If you then fail to reproduce that particular sound, you will have wasted a lot of time, with no progress in recording. This is not the right time to try untested things.
Step 3. Record the songs that work best for you and that you wrote yourself
Don't include covers in a demo, or pieces that are significantly different from most of the material. Imagine it is your resume. What are the most representative songs of your music? What's the fan favorite song? This session isn't the best time to try out a brand new song you haven't worked on yet, or try to freestyle on a beat you don't know. Record what is already working.
Step 4. Try creating an album without a recording studio
With a good quality laptop and a few inexpensive microphones, you can make fairly professional recordings and post them on the internet within an afternoon. More and more bands are self-producing in order to avoid the high costs of studying and save to make other investments, such as going on tour or buying better equipment.
Also explore the cheap or free options on the scene. Make arrangements with some friends; if they lend you the recording equipment and help you do it for free (or master the recordings you paid for), you'll let them support your band on a future regional tour. Check around to find out if other groups have signed a contract. Musicians are generally willing to share information with people who are open and who in turn want to offer something
Step 5. Share your music
If you've managed to record some songs on rewritable CDs (which are cheap), start giving them away at concerts. Publish songs to YouTube or SoundCloud and start sharing your music with the world.
For now, don't worry about the earnings. The more people know and listen to your music, the more popular you will become in the field. The industry is now abandoning the old industry models (like the classic album), and writing artists based on popularity on the internet. If you upload a video to YouTube and it gets a million views, the record companies will consider you
Part 4 of 4: Taking the Next Step
Step 1. Prepare a press kit
Imagine it's some kind of professional candidacy, only in the music business. Generally, it consists of a photo, a demo CD, a biography of the group or artist, some reviews, interviews or other pieces.
- At this point, you can start thinking about your image. When all the purely musical aspects of the project are booming, focus on the style, accessories and other elements to be evaluated to be able to stand out among all the other groups. Does your band have a certain symbol or aesthetic? How would you visually represent your music?
- Try shooting videos or editing footage taken when you played live, and upload them to YouTube. It is an increasingly popular way of listening to music, and relatively less stressful for a musician. Just make sure you offer quality materials.
Step 2. Contact the record companies
Research labels that specialize in your genre. Do they accept unsolicited demos? Find the address of the record companies where your music could be welcomed, and send the press kit. Call to confirm your interest and make sure your package has been delivered.
Step 3. Consider hiring a manager
If you've started to succeed, cultivate a following and register, an experienced manager who understands the industry is a great asset. This professional may also be able to schedule concerts and guarantee you the assistance of an attorney specialized in the world of entertainment at the right time.
Advice
- Make sure this is your dream. Is it your calling? Dedicating yourself to such a project takes a lot of time and effort.
- Try not to give the impression that you have been randomly picked up by the crowd and taken to the stage by mistake. Spend time and money on the look. It's not about selling out, it's an investment.
- There are people who are not very photogenic or telegenic. If you are one of them, accept it. Experiment with the look, and find out what you need to do in order to improve your appearance in photos or on screen.
- Running a band looks a lot like running a business. Sometimes it is necessary to shed a dead weight to make room for a person to help you progress.
- Don't be discouraged if they don't hire you. Record a demo CD and send it to various record companies, or opt for self-production, at least for some time. If the following is substantial enough, there will be someone who will listen to you.
- Take advantage of the theory of the six degrees of separation. Who knows, maybe an acquaintance has contacts in the industry. This can help you in a number of ways, such as finding a manager.
- Don't overlook the possibilities for improvement. Listen to the opinions of others and respond constructively. Optimize your performance when needed; artistic integrity should not be confused with the lack of desire to progress and improve.
- You could audition for a TV talent show. It is a good opportunity for musicians who want visibility. Even those who don't win often get a lot of attention from record companies.
- Don't overlook any possibility that presents itself to you.
Warnings
- Do not sign a contract without first thinking about it and seeking legal assistance.
- Remember that a manager is not necessarily also a friend. There are certain rules, terms and conditions to be respected. Being the main attraction doesn't give you the right to bully or think it's all yours. Learn to be humble and make wise choices.
