Record Labels, What does it take? |
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Aug 18 2012, 01:08 AM
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How to get a Record Deal (A million ways to skin a cat but here's the quick one)
1.)Demonstrate a large following willing to buy tickets/merch/music. 2.)See rule #1. A Record company is essentially a bank in the broad sense. They used to give you and "advance" against future sales. That's mostly over. Now many bands produce their own record and record companies are more about distribution and promotion. However, for most Rock/Metal Artists, the days of "Getting Signed" are something that lives in the days of old. These days you can do all of it yourself. PERIPHERY is a fine example. I posted an article on that just recently. Here it is http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2012/08/per...etal-bands.html But this link is to a post by the singer for XANDRIA about the music biz itself and it's very insightful. https://www.facebook.com/notes/lisa-middelh...150985243797373 --- by Lisa Middelhauve It is discussed everywhere nowadays: The music business is going through changes. We - musicians, managers, promoters, booking agents and everyone from this business - closed our eyes while it was bleeding, or even worse, we held the knives and cut the wounds. It became harder and harder for musicians and bands to get a record deal, a booking contract, or any help one would not have to pay for... more than what one already had. So everybody doubled the efforts, tried to invent new tricks and keep up with the times. Where did this lead us? Rock music, my one true love, has become a whore. Over are the times when you saved your money to buy the albums of your favorite artist; over are the times when you listened to them like you would listen to a friend. The music industry has become a self-service buffet, and we gratefully serve ourselves on fake silver plates. We get cheaper and cheaper in order to make the best offer to an audience that, in large part, isn't willing to pay for our discounted art. And who could take this mentality amiss! Rock music, once the playground of rebellion and the one place in music where every thought was allowed to be spoken out loud, now has laced itself up into the corset of so-called professionalism - and is nothing but pop business in leather pants. I am disgusted. Disgusted to experience Metal bands using playbacks like they would to prostitute themselves on a Chart Show stage. Disgusted and disappointed by how many musicians refuse to have closer contact with their fans for fear of seeming unprofessional. (The mystery, you know.) And I am sad and ashamed, because I took part in this. "Professionalism". I've thought about it a lot these recent days. Professionalism is the scapegoat of the music biz. If you say or do this or that, you're not "professional". Oh well. I am aware of my unimportance in the music business. Whether I'm here or not will not change anything for the business. And the more I think about it, the less I want to change it. It's dead anyway. The one thing that can never be taken from us is the essence of our personality. When I am not a singer, not a composer and not a writer, I am still... Lisa. And when I am a singer, a composer and a writer, I cannot be less than that. So, consciously, willingly, with these words, I quit my professional career... but not my career. Goodbye, music biz - no one will ever be able to accuse me of breaking the rules of this business, because I don't play this game, and I don't accept these rules blindly any more. Hello, Lisa biz. I'm here and I'll stay here. I may be only one, and my act of bravery might look pathetic, but I can assure you, for me this is a big and serious thing. I have given up every chance of a conventional career with this. I've never been less protected or less masked than now. I have no history and an uncertain future. But right in this moment, I am proud to be nothing more and nothing less than Lisa QUOTE (thefireball @ Aug 17 2012, 08:02 PM)  Hey guys. I was just thinking about records labels. How would one get signed on? What does it take to get signed on to a label, such as Solid State Records? And also, what does it really mean to be signed on? What is the status? What does it do for you?
Brandon This post has been edited by Todd Simpson: Aug 18 2012, 01:12 AM |
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Aug 18 2012, 09:30 AM
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Some get signed because there is a lot of buzz about them. That increasingly can be via social networking as Todd says. It can also be via traditional routes such as playing gigs, self-releasing records, getting radio air play and newspaper reports/reviews, and building up a following.
Some get signed beacase they are incredibly lucky and a producer/A&R/whatever stumbles across them singing in the supermarket. Some get signed because they take part in and win/get placed in some 'talent show' competition. Some get signed because they have good management with good contacts. Some get signed because they put together a professional resume package of a properly recorded/mixed/mastered demo, band info, where they're gigging and when, etc. The package needs to stand out from the others and gets A&R attention. A&R tend to listen to a demo for less than 40 seconds before deciding whether or not to bin it. It's not properly recorded, mixed and mastered etc it will probably go in the bin. Some get signed becuase they do a show case gig for A&R. Some get signed because of recommendations from someone in the industry - an engineer, a producer, whatever. Getting signed is partly down to talent but its often more down to hard work, perserverence, doing the right things, acting professionally and networking effectively. ---------------------- Xandria/Lisa's article is largely right but it's been like that for as long as I remember. It's an industry where there are many who use people, some who are used and some who do neither. People need to learn how the industry works and after a while you get to know who you are happy to work with/for, who you want to avoid and what you are prepared to do to make a living. When you know what you are prepared to do keep it mind that you will build a reputation and others will decide whether they will work with/for you land how they will treat and respond to you partly based on it. This post has been edited by tonymiro: Aug 18 2012, 09:34 AM -------------------- Get your music professionally mastered by anl AES registered Mastering Engineer. Contact me for Audio Mastering Services and Advice and visit our website www.miromastering.com
Be friends on facebook with us here. We use professional, mastering grade hardware in our mastering studo. Our hardware includes: Cranesong Avocet II Monitor Controller, Dangerous Music Liasion Insert Hardware Router, ATC SCM Pro Monitors, Lavry Black DA11, Prism Orpheus ADC/DAC, Gyratec Gyraf XIV Parallel Passive Mastering EQ, Great River MAQ 2NV Mastering EQ, Kush Clariphonic Parallel EQ Shelf, Maselec MLA-2 Mastering Compressor, API 2500 Mastering Compressor, Eventide Eclipse Reverb/Echo. |
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Aug 23 2012, 04:12 PM
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Thanks T 'n T!
  I found that first article about Periphery very cool. It gave me some encouragement and ideas for my own production. That first link of Periphery was broken, Todd, but I found it.  Here it is for passers-by.PERIPHERY SETS MODEL FOR MODERN METAL BANDS |
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Aug 24 2012, 09:42 PM
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I'm just saying, what you like to write is more accessible to more people, so just let that encourage you more.
I'm so screwed though 
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Aug 25 2012, 07:25 AM
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A lot of the smaller record labels need you to provide them with the finished product and just help support you as an artist and your record. distributing and some promotion, putting tracks out on label compilations, connecting with radio stations etc
Once I get recording I'll put out at least my first offering for free for a few reason Marketing strategy Building a fan base email list Get feedback from downloaders Help find collaborators for, band members, video creators One of the two projects will always be a free with donation option due to the nature of the music and it's intention (it's good to give back) I like the approach of Comeandlive.com, as a Christian artist it might peak your interest -------------------- My SoundCloud
Gear Tyler Burning Water 2K Burny RLG90 with BK Emeralds Fender US Tele with BK Piledrivers Epiphone 335 with Suhr Thornbuckers PRS SE Custom 24-08 Ax8 Fessenden SD10 PSG Quilter TT15 |
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Aug 25 2012, 05:04 PM
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QUOTE (PosterBoy @ Aug 25 2012, 01:25 AM) I like the approach of Comeandlive.com, as a Christian artist it might peak your interest That is cool. 
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