What is Success? (Or: You Tell Me)
So you want to succeed in the music business. That’s great,
but what does that mean? Everyone has his or her own definition
of success. For some people, success means getting a cover
band together and playing for friends at the local bar. For
others, it means releasing their own records, getting some
press coverage in their local magazine, and maybe doing some
touring. And for others (probably most of you reading this),
it means “getting signed” to a major record label, releasing
a string of hit records, and playing to sold-out stadiums
around the world.
Obviously, the higher you set your goals, the harder they
are to attain, and the less likely it is that you will ever
attain them. To make matters worse, the lucky few who do “get
signed” and have substantial careers on major labels, usually
find that the experience is significantly different from what
they thought it would be. My point is not that it’s a bad
thing to want to get signed by a major label.
My point is that if this is your goal, you need to have a
clear understanding of what getting signed will and will not
do for your career. You need to know what you’re going to
have to do in order to get a good deal, and what you’re going
to be up against along the way. And you need to prepare yourself
for the fact that if you do get signed, you’re probably going
to discover that it’s not the magic cure for all your problems
that you secretly hoped it would be. So now that your spirit
isn’t broken, lets give you the answer to the $64 question.
How do I get signed to a major label?
How To Get Signed.
As the consultant to 4 major label Presidents and CEOs and
the sub labels they control, I think I have seen almost everything
when it comes to major labels and whether or not an artist
is successful. The key for most artists to “survive” the major
label experience comes from the foundation they built as an
independent artists beforehand. This is where most artists
either try to go too fast or get lazy about doing the work.
Too many artists believe that if they make a demo tape and
send it in either unsolicited to an A&R rep or have a entertainment
attorney or manager do it, some magic door will open filled
with fame and fortune. Well, I have never known an attorney
who got a successful major label artist a deal where they
didn’t have to do some work beforehand, to prove to the label
their potential future success. I have also heard all the
stories of artists signed off of demo tapes coming in the
mail. Some are true, in that they got record deals. Like $10,000
for the next 5 years at a royalty rate of 3%. Certainly not
fame or fortune and certainly not worth your time.
If you are serious about capturing a major label’s attention,
here is the “secret list” of what they are looking for:
Verifiable record sales in major chain stores, Soundscan
verification of sales at shows (or at least through your
state resellers license) and verifiable sales on the internet
through major web sites like Amazon, CD Now and Music Boulevard.
Telling them you sold 10,000 copies with no proof doesn’t
count, especially if you say that happened at shows and
someone comes to see a show and 50 or a 100 people are there!
You need to have a substantial draw at any club and
any show you play. They want you to have at least 500
to 1,000 people at any performance in your home market.
Do worry, they will ask the club to verify it for you.
Radio airplay on real radio stations. Priority College
and Commercial stations. Not the ones that the college
radio promoters and low level commercial radio promoters
are trying to offer to you in those “enticing” ads.
Press coverage in Alternative Newsweeklies, Dailies
and Monthly publications. The labels need to see that
you are creating enough impact in the market place that
the press is reporting your success through articles, not
reviews.
You have to understand one important point. Major labels
are, first and foremost, corporations. As such, their main
reason for existing is to generate profits for the shareholders.
Shareholders don’t care if the world is filled with beautiful
meaningful music. They care about making money. Plain and
simple.
Because of this, a major label will only sign you if they
think they can make a profit by promotion and marketing your
record. Not because they like your music or because they think
the world needs to hear your music, but because they can make
a profit by selling it.
Welcome to the real music business!
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