So You want to get a Record Deal?

There’s no rulebook on how to get a record deal. However there are some things that Artists can do to help increase the likelihood of such a goal.

If you’re a new artist or more established artist, the name of the game is the same.

Promotion, Promotion, Promotion.

Yes, quality music counts. But when you get into the professional realm, just about everyone has quality music. And frankly, you can have the best music, production… in the world, but if no one knows about it, it’s unlikely you’re going to get signed.

So with that being said, the question remains, how do I promote myself? Well there are a few things that one can do to achieve some positive results.

• Get a MySpace site (this is a start, I’d grade it overall about a C- as far as promotion goes – see Blog form 1/8/08).

However, the nice thing is, it gives you a free website and a spot to point people to, to hear your music.

• Perform live as often as possible.

If you have to for free and it’s not going to cost you $’s out of pocket, then do it. Make sure you have pluggers, pamphlets…circulated so that people know where they can find your music. Also make sure to announce to people where they can find your music. This is a simple thing, but I’ve found so many artists forget this because of the high from the performance.

• Get a Fan Club

Make sure you have some way of tracking people who are supporters of your music.

• Create a Blog outside of Myspace.

Blog’s are wonderful tools to keep your current fan base informed and to obtain new fans. It’s important to create it outside of MySpace because it will increase your presence on Google and Yahoo. Again, you can reach a lot more people through the major search engines than just relying on MySpace’s internal marketing mechanisms.

• Reach out to Record Labels.

Yes, you have to take the initiative. Often times a friendly e-mail requesting advice can pay dividends. If you’re sincere in looking for advice or information, often times small to mid sized labels like ourselves will look upon yourselves favorably and be more accessible. DO NOT SEND UNSOLICITED MP3’s as an attachment! In today’s environment, we have to assume it’s a virus and treat it as such. So, if you want to send your music, please send it as a link to your myspace site or other site. It’s also more professional and courteous.

• Put your music out on as many free download site’s as possible.

This is a change for me. However, the name of the game is promotion. The more people who hear your music, the better off you will be. For example, on our download site Mp3 Music Store, some of our Artists get over 10,000 downloads a week. They’re being exposed to new people who have never heard their music before, and frankly that’s a good thing.

There’s a lot more, but I’ll save it for another Blog. And I know, there's nothing really new here.

But here’s the bottom line. If someone is actively promoting themselves and reaching an audience (via blogs, performances...) then it reduces the risk to the label, and makes the prospect more attractive!

And once you achieve that audience, you have to shout it out to the labels, and make sure they know about the buzz.

As always, if you found this Blog helpful, informative or entertaining, help support Independent music and visit our websites: Act 2 Records and Mp3 Music Store

All the best,

RAH