Your demo tape is the key to opening doors in the music industry. You can only be discovered by showcasing your talent to music industry professionals and talent scouts.
When recording your demo tape, a lot of effort must be taken so that the end product is of high quality. For example, if you are showcasing your vocal talents, it is of absolutely no value if your demo tape sounds like you are singing though the telephone. If this is the case, you have wasted your time, money and chances. So invest some time in a professional demo studio, get the services of a sound engineer there and spend some time getting a good demo recorded. Understandably, these studio sessions are not cheap, so you should try to optimize the time spent there. Instead of trying to figure things out there, you should pick a few of your best songs, refine and practice them extensively and then head out to the studio. This way you will not end up wasting valuable studio time.
Once you have an acceptable demo, get around to sending these tapes to prospective labels. Keep in mind that this is a saturated market. Like getting into the college of your choice, getting the label that you like might not happen. In fact, it may not happen at all. Do not get discouraged, just keep sending out your demos to whatever record labels you discover. Indie labels are a great way for new artists to make their debut, so you should consider that option as well. In the end, your success is a direct result of your effort so give it your best and strongest shot and things will work out for you.
Songwriting is partly a skill and partly a gift. Some people are born with the talent required and some figure a way to write great songs. Even if your first attempts seem to be useless, do not get discouraged. As with any other skill, it has to be worked on and eventually, you will start producing great material. If you are interested in carving out a career as a songwriter, there are many paths you can follow.
Composer - This requires some extensive knowledge in music and instruments. It mainly involves creating instrumental music. Lucrative careers can be found in composing music for TV show themes and movie soundtracks.
Jingle writer - Jingles refer to the music played for TV and Radio commercials. This generally involves some composing, arranging and songwriting skills but also involves understanding the client well.
Lyricist - It is a lucrative career if you manage to sell your songs to the right artist. Lyric writing does not require any composing knowledge; however some ability with a musical instrument will be beneficial.
Performing Songwriter - Commonly known as the Solo Artist, performing songwriters can be found in bands as well. Of all the songwriting careers, this is the most rewarding financially as it enables the artists to receive payment for singing/playing as well as writing.
Producers - In addition to songwriting, they manage the production of the sound as well as the final mix. Perhaps it is the most nerve wracking job of all, as it involves decisions that will determine how the final product will sound.
We have all heard the terms, “his album has gone gold”, “her single has hit platinum” etc, but what does it mean?
Silver, Gold, Platinum and Diamond are names give to the various levels of achievement an artist reaches in the sales of his or her album or single. The RIAA governs these standards, which have been adopted by many countries in order to ratify their own music industries. The standards are generally percentage-based meaning that the number of sales an artist has to make to get Gold in the U.S. is not the same in the Philippines. This is fair and accepted by all parties involved.
The first ever Gold was awarded to Glen Miller for his hit single “Chattanooga Choo Choo” all the way back in 1942. As was the custom at that time, the award was bestowed to him by RCA, his own record company. The first Gold for an album only came in 1957, given to Harry Belafonte for “Calypso”. Both these achievements came as the artists hit one million records in sales.
The RIAA’s involvement came into being only in 1958, and their first award of Gold went to Perry Como that year for “Catch a Falling Star”, his hit single. In the same year, “Oklahoma” was the first Gold-certified album. The measurement by which the awards are handed out has fluctuated over the years between the number of units sold and the total value in retail sales. However, it seems to have settled on total volume shipped in recent times. Certification these days takes into consideration many new media including Ringtones and so on and so forth.
A solo singer has more of a chance to be discovered for obvious reasons than most other musicians do. However, this also means that the saturation of solo singers is also very high. As solo singers are “a dime a dozen” these days, this ultimately brings down your chances. There are ways to boost your chances and you would be well advised to follow them.
Identify your range - Do not fool yourself into thinking you can hit notes and sing in keys that are out of your vocal range. Get an honest, reliable, outside opinion as to where you really stand. Do not be discouraged if your range is not comparable to Whitney Houston’s, as there is a solution.
Write it to suit you - Whatever material you are singing, get it arranged so that the song suits your range. Let it complement and enhance your voice. After all, marketing is 70 % of the music business these days.
Do it right - Get the recording done properly. Do not cut corners in an effort to save money. What you are recording in the studio is your calling card, and if it does not sound good, a busy producer will not give it a second listen.
Grab everything - Do not miss an opportunity to perform. Self-promotion has to be done on a daily level so that people start recognizing you and your music. You can be selective once you hit stardom.
If you carefully sculpt your image and your sound, when the opportunity comes knocking it will be easy for you and the producer to work out how you are going to go about things, Therefore, do not be afraid of hard work, as the success is worth it.
Actually, there is a significant difference between the two. While many people confuse the two professions the functions performed by Managers and Agents are very different but intertwined.
Managers are big-picture oriented. They are concerned with the artistes future, where they are headed, what image is projected now and in five years time, where they should be playing, etc. The manager is the front man of the artiste or band when they are off stage. Record labels, talent agencies, literally anyone in the music business who wants to interact with the artiste has to go through the manager. More often than not, the manager becomes so essential to the artiste that they get involved in their personal lives as well. From taking them to the doctor’s to sorting out their insurance, managers need to be almost everywhere at all times. However, this is compensated by the commission that the managers receive which can range from 20 % to over 30 % in some cases.
Agents perform a simpler task; they find the gigs. Agents run around and aggregate locations, events, etc. that they think the artistes they represent should perform at. Then they communicate with the artiste’s manager to decide which opportunity suits the artistes most. Once the manager (not even the artiste) makes the call, the agent proceeds to book the gig. Agent commissions range from 10 to about 15 %.
Both Agents and Managers are essential in the careers of artistes as the functions they perform are impossible for the artiste to handle on their own.
So, you have a band. You think you sound good and want to be the next Metallica, Dave Matthews Band or the Jonas Brothers. The good news is that you have the hunger and the dream. However, that is not enough to get you to the top or anywhere near the top.
Before you get started with promoting your band, be realistic. Do you sound good? Is the band music sound ‘tight’? Does the music appeal to more people than just your friends? If the answer to any of these questions is a no, then you should work at it until you get a resounding yes. Once you have got that sorted, develop an image for the band, which should match the music. After all looking like The Beatles will not help if you are playing hard rock. Get a good songwriter for the band and come up with good original material and this will help in the end.
Grab all the gigs you can in the beginning because there will not be that many. Build up your following and start campaigning for bigger gigs. Getting an agent will help greatly in these matters. Once you are well known, get into a studio and record demos. These are your calling cards, so send them to every record company and radio station that you can find. Promote your band shamelessly to everyone you meet; you have to get the word out. Get people to call radio stations and request your songs, talk about you, etc.
Be prepared for rejection, criticism and for most bands, a long wait. Usually it takes a long time for a band to be “discovered”, but the wait is worth it and the perseverance and patience that keeps you going will help you later on when you are successful.
When you watch shows like American Idol or The X-Factor, it seems like singing is the only thing people want to do in the music business. However, this is not so as there are many other ways you can break into the music business.
Songs are produced in studios and they involve a variety of people to bring the song to life. Technicians are required to make sure that all the equipment is in good condition. If anything breaks down, these people fix it in a jiffy. However, before all this, the song has to be written and not all singers write their own songs. Just as everyone thinks that they can sing, everyone believes that they can write songs as well. The way you can add value to this skill is by being able to compose the melody and even play some instrument as well.
Once the melody is set and agreed upon, a music programmer and arranger work together to produce a track that the singer can work with. The sound mixing engineer enters at this stage and produces the penultimate track, which is almost ready for release. Once everything is almost done, the producer takes control and decides if the track is “there”. If it is not he can make changes by adding or reducing parts to the song, the music or the effects. Once the sound engineer has followed the instructions, the song is ready for the world.
As you can see, the music business has numerous openings with different skill levels. So do not be disheartened if you cannot make it as a singer as there are many opportunities out there that will make your dreams of being part of the music world come true.
Talent is nothing without marketing. You could be a great musician, vocalist, producer, etc but the world will never know if you do not employ the effective methods of promotion.
1. Using proper opinion leaders is very important. Radio and the Press are staples, of course, but you should seek out other opinion leaders online and get them to push your story as well. The web reaches millions and there is no reason why you should not tap into this resource.
2. Having a professional website is another concern. The site should allow users to get to where they want and access information with only a few clicks. This is important especially if you plan to make any sales using the website. You should also make sure that the website is not just a copy of material that can be found anywhere. Rather, it should be different enough while complementing you offline material.
3. Be everywhere you can on the internet. Be it social media networks, blogs, forums, etc get on it and be active. Your own website should also be full of helpful information providing the right information about you as well as other topics of musical interest.
4. Consider everyone when you design the site. Not all users online possess fast connections. However, the site must be designed in a way that it looks good while being accessible to all. Focus on search engine optimization so that you can be found easily.
5. Do not have a hit and run site. The frequency with which information is updated and your interactions with visitors to the site must be high. Otherwise, people will lose interest.
The music industry was a very tightly controlled business not so very long ago. The record labels made the bulk of the money and the folks who bore the brunt of the work got what was left over. Surprising as it sounds, that is how it worked.
Songwriters come up with lyrics that are selected by an A&R (Artist and Repertoire) representative who then, gives it to a band who proceed to record it. The album sells millions, the band goes on tour and the record company rakes in the profits. This was how agreements were set up. The rest of the people who were involved had to shut up and put up with it, if they wanted to make it in the industry.
Things did change slightly over the years, and a little more was shared by the record companies but it was nothing compared to what they were still making. Then along came the Internet and its fabulous sharing concepts. Suddenly, anyone and everyone could sell their talent without being slaves to the record companies. They could get popular over the internet, master their own tracks and even cut their own CDs for sale.
Several artists were discovered this way with apparent financial benefits. This gave people bargaining power when record labels wanted to hire their talent to a roster of accomplished musicians in the business.
However, it is not easy. Taking the internet route involves a lot of hard work and perseverance. Despite the overwhelming odds that an artist has to overcome to making it big, the internet has given millions an opportunity that they could only dream of before, and thus has leveled the playing field for artists and bands that were denied access to, prior to the internet.
Careers in Law, Business, Engineering, etc have a well-defined path you can follow if that is where your interest lies. Because of the path being so structured, it is easy to gauge yourself and receive enough guidance to get to wherever you want to go. The Music industry is not at all like this.
If you want to get into the music business, several avenues can be explored but none of them has a defined career path that you can follow. For example, you can choose to be a singer, musician, sound engineer, etc. If you choose the musician path and want to play Bass guitar, you can take a course that prepares you to play the instrument well. Beyond that, there is no place to apply to where you can play bass, get promoted, etc like in an office.
Getting into the music business is 20 % talent and 80 % hard work. You cannot be afraid of hard work if you want to make it in this business. The first step is, of course, is studying in the area of your choice and perfecting your skill as far as possible. After that, you need to find all the A&R (Artists and Repertoire) divisions that operate in your area. Make a demo, a resume and send it out to them as well as every studio you can think of. You have to promote yourself shamelessly or you will never be noticed.
It is all about being noticed, so until someone takes notice, you have to keep trying. While you do this, be prepared for rejection. Being turned down hundreds or thousands of times will require persistence until you get your shot at your dream job.
