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GMC Forum _ PRACTICE ROOM _ Record Label
Posted by: Nemanja Feb 8 2008, 11:45 PM
Hi guys...well if you have a band,or you wanna be a solo artist how hurd is to get your record published...in your country...
ofcourse it is a lot hurder when it is a first record...but that is what I am interestid a bout...
....I will start....
first it all dipends on what kind of music are you playing...I can bravely say that rock music is dead in Serbia..ofcourse not intaerly...ther are maybe 3 or 4....very popular bands..but they all are older generation...that means that their fame was acompished earlyer 1970,1980,1990....but now it is very hurd to pablish a record as a young band...moust published records are Folk music(ethno elements combiend with techno/rave/house) and lyrics worst then Vogon poetry(hitchhikers guide trough galaxy)....so if you are an Metall band...uf....allmoust inposible.....my band was a winner of one of the biges competitions of demo bands in Serbia...and that was not inofe...then a year latter some 60 old rocker help us with his conections..and we had a first record...but that woud never hapend if that man did not helpt us.....so you have to fight very hurd for rock album in our country.......please tell my your expiriance or if you have any stories a bout this subject....
Posted by: FretDancer69 Feb 9 2008, 12:26 AM
in my country is almost impossible to have an opportunity due to the fact that they are not interested in real talent, its a poor country, and they only care about reggaeton or rappers or idiots.
Posted by: Nemanja Feb 9 2008, 12:56 AM
"or idiots".... well how many yong rock or metall bands are there..is there any chance to create a rock/metal/punk....scene....there must be some lesseners of that kind of music...Whant I mean is is any body fighting for your "rock rights"....for example we have only one man who organized bands(demo) and thake a bout 10 bands a week in all citys a round Serbia so they can have chace to play... and later if some one "fight up" to the top he helps them record an album and latter to publish...
Posted by: MickeM Feb 9 2008, 01:06 AM
One of my friends used to be semi-big in the 90's but I don't think record sales were that great and I know they invested money themselves to have CD's printed. Income from gigs and radio were better.
Another of my friends have their records printed and sold in Germany. We don't have too much contact these days so I'm not sure how that goes. We're in Sweden by the way.
And finaly there's someone who's doing great with record company today. It's my brothers friend and I've seen him on stage since he was like 14 yrs old, oh boy he's been working hard on the guitar and it's nice to see he's up there ripping now 
But prior to Scar Symmertry (the band he's in) I belive he's been struggeling.
Summing it up I think there's quite a number of possibilities to have a record made, only that it will cost you your peronal savings in the process.
Posted by: coffeeman Feb 9 2008, 01:10 AM
same here in Colombia , with a few exceptions , but the labels look at popular music.
Posted by: Nemanja Feb 9 2008, 01:16 AM
Another of my friends have their records printed and sold in Germany. We don't have too much contact these days so I'm not sure how that goes. We're in Sweden by the way.
And finaly there's someone who's doing great with record company today. It's my brothers friend and I've seen him on stage since he was like 14 yrs old, oh boy he's been working hard on the guitar and it's nice to see he's up there ripping now
But prior to Scar Symmertry (the band he's in) I belive he's been struggeling.
Summing it up I think there's quite a number of possibilities to have a record made, only that it will cost you your peronal savings in the process.
and how a bout big record labels....is ther a way...for young artists to publish for them and not to give any manny(but having finishd record in their hands)...?or they just pubilsh the well known names....
Posted by: MickeM Feb 9 2008, 01:25 AM
I'd say it's the well known names. I guess, just a guess since I havn't been close to a huge record lale myself but have two buddies who have their own studios and I see where their music end up, in the hands of already well known artists. No large record wants to take a chance on someone unknown unless it's a safe card like an "Britney Spears" or a "Christina Aguilera" that they can promote with loads of commercial.
What has to come out in the end is one thing only, money. For good and for bad but at least very understandable.
Posted by: Pavel Feb 9 2008, 01:29 AM
Being in Croatia i have the same problem you have buddy 
BUT - as i pursue the solo carrier as a solo composer/performer/arranger -> the internet provides a lot of ways to advertise your stuff and even sell it without the record labels
If we talk about touring and stages - yeah, that is a HUGE problem. Only folk stuff gets the attention here.
I am not even thinking about making a CD under the Croatian record label. There are a few labels in the world which are shred/instrumental oriented and they gladly accept material for rehearsing - than they decide about your future.
Right now i put the composing aside and am concentrating on building technique and finishing the university. Music is all cool but too hard to make something out of it 
Posted by: Nemanja Feb 9 2008, 01:40 AM
BUT - as i pursue the solo carrier as a solo composer/performer/arranger -> the internet provides a lot of ways to advertise your stuff and even sell it without the record labels If we talk about touring and stages - yeah, that is a HUGE problem. Only folk stuff gets the attention here.
I am not even thinking about making a CD under the Croatian record label. There are a few labels in the world which are shred/instrumental oriented and they gladly accept material for rehearsing - than they decide about your future.
Right now i put the composing aside and am concentrating on building technique and finishing the university. Music is all cool but too hard to make something out of it
yeh I know your music scene very well(Gibo kralj
)..and we have the same problems(je..ni narodnjaci)....but you are great guitar player dont give up on your solo carier...mabe not for Croatia Records but a smaller one...music is like water allways finds the way....
Posted by: Milenkovic Ivan Feb 9 2008, 01:45 AM
It is hard to get to the record label, often bribe or even sexual bribe is in stake.
Posted by: holoshreder Feb 9 2008, 01:48 AM
Actualy i think i have a way to sucess i will be sure to share it with you guys but first i wanna put it in motion
but to all of you who have already in the way to stardom good luck
Posted by: Nemanja Feb 9 2008, 01:53 AM
"sexual bribe"
sadly my firiend you are very wright 
.....the biges dissapointmen is when you realise that the music buisnes is actualy MUSIC BUISNES..and that some one who is redy for any thing(but witouth talent or as are friend sad earlier is an idiot)...gets trough to the top leaving behind all the good things...
Posted by: Muris Feb 9 2008, 04:32 AM
It's hardest in small countries,specially where english isn't prime language,
that way you have small market,too small actually.
Of course there are MAJOR record deals even in those countries but
I'm gonna discus about it,there isn't much of music involved there.
For larger markets there's is more chance to do something,
you can pick your level,underground,mid fame or top star.
To be a star,well,hope you are good looking ladies...guys
BUT we have internet,God bless his souls.
Posted by: Tuubsu Feb 9 2008, 05:01 AM
Well, I don't have anykind of experience, but I think here in Finland if you want to do metal or rock music NOW would be the time to strike, because I've noticed theres a lot of young metal and rock bands here. And especially Metal I think is getting more popular as we speak... I could be wrong, but I don't think I am. 
Posted by: FretDancer69 Feb 9 2008, 05:19 AM
"or idiots".... well how many yong rock or metall bands are there..is there any chance to create a rock/metal/punk....scene....there must be some lesseners of that kind of music...Whant I mean is is any body fighting for your "rock rights"....for example we have only one man who organized bands(demo) and thake a bout 10 bands a week in all citys a round Serbia so they can have chace to play... and later if some one "fight up" to the top he helps them record an album and latter to publish...
yeah im sure we have people that listen to rock and metal, but its drowned by the huge amount of attention, publicity and opportunity that "rappers" and "pop singers" are given.
Posted by: Nemanja Feb 9 2008, 06:05 AM
yes that is one of the bigest problems...I can speek only for what I knowe...Metall bands in Sebia(more than a rock bands..bicouse there are mother languige popular bands,bands whos lyrics are in serbian)have a lot of trouble with publishig..bicouse every influance thye have was from America or UK..or bands from a nother countrys but their songs are in english...so to them singing metall in serbian is stupid....but record labels(major ones)will almoust never publish an english singing metall record in Serbia.....one exeption...band Eyesburn who play some thing like regge/metall/hardcore/rock and with english lyrics is publishing for major labels...but they all so have publisht a single with Soulfly and go with them on a world tour..:)exeption confirms the ruels......
Posted by: Robin Feb 9 2008, 07:58 AM
My band play black metal, not so easy to get a record label
We just recorded a new demo though, so we got our fingers crossed.
Posted by: Vinicitur Feb 9 2008, 09:12 AM
Where I live (Quebec, Canada) we really have only 2 options. If your band sings in French, you have access to a lot of opportunities. There a lot of festivals and contests where you can showcase your talent. There is even a yearly competition where you can win financing to make your first album. If you sing in English your choices are a lot more limited.
In the metal genre you have only one choice: the indie route. We have a fair amount of indie labels here. There are good venues to do shows and the metal scene is pretty active. Still most of the bands that I know started by making their own independent CDs and selling them at shows and creating a buzz for themselves. This is exactly what uneXpect did. Their first CD (Utopia) was independently released and marketed very successfully on the web.
I think that this could be a viable option to those living in smaller countries and cities where there isn't a large market for the music that they make.
Posted by: Fsgdjv Feb 9 2008, 10:27 AM
We just recorded a new demo though, so we got our fingers crossed.
Isn't Norway still one of the best places for that?
Posted by: Robin Feb 9 2008, 10:28 AM
Sure I guess, but there are soooooooooooo many black metal bands here.
Posted by: Fsgdjv Feb 9 2008, 11:42 AM
Yeah, of course. I was jut wondering, since the black metal scene there is the most famous and important, so I was kind of wondering if that made it harder (because of the fact that there must be a lot of bm bands) or easier (since there must be a somewhat large crowd for it aswell).
Posted by: Pavel Feb 9 2008, 12:07 PM
To get signed today you must really deliver something EXTRA. It must be something big and great sounding and technically well played. Browsing the guitarists on myspace i found hundreds of guys who really CAN play so the competition is enormous. Self-advertising and self-selling stuff is the way to go in my opinion.
Posted by: Milenkovic Ivan Feb 9 2008, 01:18 PM
But Pavel you can't self advertise and self sell if you don't have money and connections that record labels provide man. That's what they are for. Record label publish you cd and do all the work to get it sold, cause they need the money too. It is hard to get to the labels, but it is even harder to do it yourself trust me.
Posted by: Pavel Feb 9 2008, 01:32 PM
Having Internet solves half of the problems. Advertising on internet is too simple. If you take Record Labels than you get in another portion of troubles because a label wants to OWN you. They don't need your music - they want to OWN you from scratch so in the end they earn 90% and you earn 10% out of your music.
If you ask me - no, thank you! I wrote it and i'm not selling cheap just because i want to be in music industry. Muris is doing just fine without a record label and so do thousands of guitarists. If you have a BAND than it's a bit different but being a SOLO musician is a different story.
I don't want a band - i want to write and produce my music alone where nobody will tell me what to do and what not to do. If you watch Dream Theater's Bonus DVD (i think it is from "Live In Budokan") they tell their story from the beginning and record labels almost destroyed them during years. It also depends what label you get signed because some of them will do their job and some will just sign you and forget about you.
It's a really tough question and you should not just accept ANY deal that gets in your way because you might get in major troubles.
EDIT: selling today is pretty simple using online CD sales like mp3 downloads, whole album downloads and similar stuff.
Posted by: Fran Feb 9 2008, 02:18 PM
At least now a days we have internet, so hopefully a good band will one day be able to bypass all this non-sense called music industry.
Posted by: Nemanja Feb 9 2008, 03:42 PM
well I don think that they can bypass music intudstry entaerly.....that all come dow to a endless adwertising....when you ar on intrnet in 90% you click on some thing that you are interest so you gain some knolage a bout it...but when you wach the tv or listen to a radio...they deside when to click and there is no choice...so that is advantage of tv and radio as a media....I am not talking a bot Aquilera...Spears comertials..no I am talking a bout rock/metall thing...so the bands who had publishd for a major record labels who hawe monopoly on te media will come to a biger awdiance and a lot faster then bands trough the internet....
Posted by: Iluha Feb 9 2008, 04:18 PM
Well here in Israel the chance of making a successful metal band is, well, 0%!
However there is a high demand for talented musicians, there's still much appriciation for virtouse use of instruments! so if you'r a really good guitarist or at any other instrument, you can make quite a good living here.
Posted by: Nemanja Feb 9 2008, 04:36 PM
However there is a high demand for talented musicians, there's still much appriciation for virtouse use of instruments! so if you'r a really good guitarist or at any other instrument, you can make quite a good living here.
A sopouse that that demads are that musicians play for other popular artists.....wich is the case in whole world......bilding a carier as a virtuos guitar solist(or any other instrumen) is wery hurd...very few of them sucside(wich mens that you dont need to give up)...but playing for the popular stars and by the way good musicans is great...bicouse stars bring only the best around them ....that is not susch a bad thing....:)even Slash play with Michael Jackson
Posted by: Iluha Feb 9 2008, 04:52 PM
Yeah you play with the popular styles, but unlike in the USA for example, where the guitarist might be good, but he will only power chords on the song, here there's much less management and involvment from the "big bosses" so when the guitarist is good you'll hear a solo in the song, or atleast a creative rythm pattern.
Posted by: The Uncreator Feb 9 2008, 05:09 PM
Well, where im from (USA) Making certain types of bands wouldnt lead to a quick record label. Sure, you can make a pop punkish/ alternative rock band and try to call it metal, But everyone knows its not. But to make a band a produce music that i would want, which would be like Progressive Melodic Death Metal i guess, i wouldnt get anywhere soon.
Won't stop me though
Posted by: MickeM Feb 9 2008, 06:25 PM
I read several people say here that there's Internet today whick gives good possibilities and that's the way to go. I disagree, sure it makes things easier... for hundereds of thousands of bands and solo shredders it does.
The downside to that is quite big and you really have to stick out to get noticed.
While a huge record lable can offer commercial, play lists on the radio channels and more to that while would of course help both them and the artist.
So while we're drowning in internet music, youtube etc the ones who break are discovered and supported by record lables. And certainly they will not do it for free, there's two sides of a coin here but my supportive side to their work is that they take a risk by promoting a record or an artist so of course they must earn money and own the rights to a contract. They are not blessed angles doing it for free and for amusement.
Posted by: Pavel Feb 9 2008, 06:36 PM
I'm an active member on Outworld's forum (for those who don't know -> that's a heavy/prog metal band of guitar master Rusty Cooley) and they have their new album ready and recorded a demo of it. Guess what --- they can't find a record label -> how stupid is that???
They have their first album on Replica Records but the label did nothing for them so they are not making the second album on that label. They are killer players and musicians and can't get signed --> so much about labels!
Posted by: Pavel Feb 9 2008, 06:39 PM
The downside to that is quite big and you really have to stick out to get noticed.
While a huge record lable can offer commercial, play lists on the radio channels and more to that while would of course help both them and the artist.
So while we're drowning in internet music, youtube etc the ones who break are discovered and supported by record lables. And certainly they will not do it for free, there's two sides of a coin here but my supportive side to their work is that they take a risk by promoting a record or an artist so of course they must earn money and own the rights to a contract. They are not blessed angles doing it for free and for amusement.
Yeah i agree about that BUT we are talking about the 'how to start' thingy....i sure can't pay for promotion so i have to START with internet. Label's managers have their people searching internet for upcoming musicians so it is a way to start for sure
Posted by: Nemanja Feb 9 2008, 07:12 PM
yeh Pavel...there is a situatinon similar like that here...we have one of the moust popular bands here(rock)old generation...calld Partybrakers(Pavel you shoud here for them)and they strugled with the record label as wall..band who playd with Jony Depp and Jimm Jarmush on stage...so that can give you an idea how rock and metall is wellcom for publishig....I agree theat the internet is good...but for serius buisnes you need record label to suport you...
ther is an example...young sebian girl(blues)send trough the internet here demo tapes I think in Sweaden...or Norway....and they sad:come here wright know we will pay you what you want..just come....so she went...and now she publish for the major labels..............and yeh her name is Ana Popovic.....so any thing is posible..
Posted by: Robin Feb 9 2008, 07:19 PM
It's not that expensive to burn CD's at home and send them to all magazines and webzines that do reviews and all other kinds of places. You could go to a local store that sells music and ask them to sell it for you really cheap. There's tons of things you can do that doesn't cost much. And internet is of course fantastic.
Posted by: Nemanja Feb 9 2008, 07:29 PM
yeah man you a are right..but you cant cover the wholl countr with that..but if the audiance is iterested aand you make a good impesion one magazin is enofe for to be seen by the wright people...but the trouble is that non rock and non metall hawe te advatige...
Posted by: Pavel Feb 9 2008, 07:41 PM
Yeah that's exactly what i mean - you can start advertising through internet and get attention from a record label, and also you can easily send your CD to ANY record label just to try if you can get their interest
Posted by: Nemanja Feb 9 2008, 07:47 PM
from that point of view yuo are right 100%...and that shoud be taken in options...I know I will.....
Posted by: Pavel Feb 9 2008, 07:55 PM
Yeah i am glad i finally managed to make it clear - i guess i put it wrong together in my first post so i brought some confusion in!
Posted by: MickeM Feb 9 2008, 10:55 PM
Yes true
Posted by: Juan M. Valero Feb 10 2008, 08:15 AM
here in Spain is really difficult if you have a metal band, but if you play pop is not too difficult if you are a singer, hehe.
Of course if you are a guitar player who record instrumental albums is almost imposible...
Posted by: Milenkovic Ivan Feb 10 2008, 06:14 PM
I agree, guitar instrumental albums, even from the biggest stars end up on gas stations CD&DVD shelves and that's it. That's terrible but hey, that's reality.
Posted by: Pavel Feb 10 2008, 07:34 PM
Unfortunately that is the truth...but still that won't make me change my music approach and style
I stay true to the shred 
Posted by: Juan M. Valero Feb 10 2008, 07:53 PM
yeah, Pavel I'm with you. Money is important but the most important is play want you really love
Posted by: Nemanja Feb 10 2008, 08:37 PM
always follow your heart....but...there is allways but....when your existention is only your consern...you have to provide safe life for your self...opinions allways change about the subject....speaking only from personall expiriance...
Posted by: Juan M. Valero Feb 10 2008, 09:17 PM
Well, that's true, most important is to have money enough to pay renting, food and to live decently but then I prefer working in what I love than in anything else.
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