How to get signed (or not)

Image by Steve Snodgrass

After yesterday's post that wandered around the subject of a major record deal, these two links seemed the natural follow up.

This post from Music on the Make looks at what artists get wrong in their quest to get signed.

Despite all the talk of how getting signed is not going to do you many favors, most artists are still hoping to get signed. And why not, it can help you in many ways, if you are smart about it. However the effort they put into getting signed is often simply a waste of time. I still see this happening a lot. Here’s the typical blueprint:

• Make a high quality demo of their 3 best songs
• Google the address of major labels and a handful of big indie labels
• Make a funky package in a jiffy
• Send and wait for a response

If you’re lucky you’ll get a decline letter, but most of the time the result is a complete radio silence. All record companies receive dozens of unsolicited demos every day. The majors receive hundreds. Your hard work on that demo is going straight to the big brown box by the receptionist, who picks up the mail every day. (I’ve seen the box, it’s big!)

Instead, your time and money is much better spent on figuring out who you are, creating interesting stuff and making connections.

Read it here.

And it points to this article on Universal's blog written by two A&R men that gives great insight into what they are looking for.

1. Don’t worry about getting signed.
2. Make music that you adore.
3. Be unique and brilliant
4. Being an interesting person with something to say is a good starting point. Work on that before you even think about writing a song.
5. Once you do have some songs think about performing live.
6. See point 3 again
7. If your audience drifts away to the bar you're doing something wrong. If they throw things at you, you might just be doing something right.
8. Get online and make sure people that like you can find out more about you. Put up as much or as little information as you like but see point 3 and 4 again.
9. High quality demos aren’t essential. A good song is a good song. If enough people like it someone will tell someone and you'll get offered some free studio/producer time. Or help with video filming or releasing a single to get you to the next level.
10. Be prepared for this all to take a while. "Overnight sensations" have usually been plugging away for years in various different guises before finding that right alchemy.
11. Because of point 10, refer to points 1 and 2 again, that'll keep you going and enjoying it.
12. Send in unsolicited demos by all means – they will be listened to eventually – but taking on board and acting on the above gives you much better odds

Read that in full here.

 

 

Record deals - the basics

You might well want to learn some of the basics of what's in a record deal before you ever find yourself presented with one.

The major record companies, like it or not, do still have the monopoly on big league marketing and promotion - you can succeed without it, but I know from experience that many artists grab that deal with the devil when it passes by....and some even do well by it!

This post has some great advice and good basic information on what to expect.

Recording contracts are extremely complex and it’s almost impossible to explain all possible provisions a contract might contain in simple terms. If an artist finds his or her self presented with a recording contract the absolutely most important thing to do is to find an attorney with experience in the music business (not a cousin’s friend who closes real estate contracts for a living) to review the agreement and negotiate on their behalf with the record company’s legal department or outside attorney. Recording contracts are written by the record labels and their attorneys and can be structured as less than advantageous for the artist.

Read it here.

 

Artists still want a record deal

I saw this survey the other day that set out that 75% of aspiring artists still want to sign a record deal.

And I was confused!

Despite the fact that I know many artists don't yet understand the sea change that the music industry is going through, I thought that the majority knew things weren't all rosy in the record labels.

So, when I received an email from Taxi that set out why many artists felt this way, I thought I should share their reasoning as it's a dose of realism for those of us who belive that DIY is the answer!

This is some of the Taxi email:

Recently, a very credible survey of 1,800 musicians showed that surprisingly, 75 % of the bands and artists who responded would like to be signed to a Major Record Label. In an era when "Major Label" is practically a dirty word, there's a simple reason that 3 out of 4 musicians would like to be signed to Sony, Universal, Warner Bros., etc.

You already know the answer, don't you?

The Internet's "playing field"--although level--has not proved to be the magic bullet most musicians thought it would be.

Yes, the opportunities are abundant and equally available to every musician on the planet. But capitalizing on those opportunities takes laser-like focus, a rock solid business plan, twelve-to-eighteen hour workdays, substantial amounts of cash, professional marketing skills, and the relentless dedication it takes to launch any successful entrepreneurial business venture.

A successful career in the music business is a business, after all. Oh, I know, it should be enough that you've worked hard to become a great songwriter or artist. You've done your part, haven't you?

And if you hit a label's radar and got signed, they put up the money, the marketing machine, the tour support and everything else necessary to break you as an artist. And that's why 75% of you reading this would still like to be signed to a major label--mustering the money, marketing skills, and the business chops is really, really hard to do on your own, especially if you're holding down a job and paying your bills.

You can read Billboard's view here.

What I'm always banging on about still remains true though - whether you want to build a career as a DIY musician or want to get signed, you still need to build the fanbase and create the buzz that takes you to the next level - whether that is the elusive deal or the forward thinking self-sufficiency!

5 reasons why your band isn't signed

You may well not want to be signed to a label - either you want to stay fiercely independent or a music career isn't why you're making music.

But, it's still the holy grail for many artists.

We repeatedly point out that if a sustainable career as a musician is your goal, you need to be doing the same things whether you want to be signed or want to be a diy artist - make music, promote it, build a fanbase and build a community of fans that will pay to support you. That's what labels want to see these days - that you've done something to start the ball rolling. And, if they don't sign you (or you don't want to be signed) that same foundation is what you build on to take your diy career to whatever level you want.

So, take this article from Music Globalization in that spirit.

As an entertainment attorney my job is simple – help musicians. Sometimes helping involves revealing the bitter truth. Some bands want to gauge their industry success based on label partnerships. This is unrealistic. If you’re not signed with a label it means nothing in the grand scheme of things, but unfortunately many musicians equate a lack of label backing as failure. Instead of harping on the disappointment, groups need to understand the harsh realty at hand - labels pass for a reason. It’s these reasons which bands must understand, analyze, and apply towards their career advancement. The worst thing to do, yet the most common, is to begin blaming the surrounding cast. “Had our manager only done this……. Had our booking agent only booked us larger shows, etc…” Wrong. Listen to what the label executives tell you.

Read the whole post here.

How to get a (better) record deal

There's a post on our main blog that adds some background steps on how to get a record deal - you might want to read it as well as these below.

Then there's this great 2 part post from the Live Unsigned Blog.

Part 1 looks at the position you need to be in to get signed - you're best off creating a 'buzz' with DIY musician efforts (although I believe sending in a demo if you're at that stage is still a reasonable use of your time - a long shot for sure, but worth it if that deal is what you're after).

Although it is possible to do really well completely independently some people still want a record deal, some see it as a form of validation. Some artists only want to concentrate on the music and let the label handle the business (although I’d argue that its easier to concentrate on the music if you have control of your own career). Signing to a label isn’t about forgetting about the business side of things – its the start. Labels expect you to work hard promoting your product and can often fail to do the same for you. Its not ever going to be that easy.

Part 2 lists a whole load of things you need to get straight if they offer you that deal!

Make sure you get a music industry lawyer to review anything before you sign it. I know of one indie label that signs a lot of indie acts then just uploads their music to Bandcamp and takes a large percentage of the sales. The bands could do this themselves and make far more money, they gain nothing from the deal. Don’t let this happen to you. If its a bad deal just walk away.

These two posts have a lot of good advice - check them out.

Fan Funded record label officially launches in the UK

We love fan funding - we write about it a lot.

And, in fact, we mentioned this particular innovative model in this post here.

My Major Company is officially launching in the UK this week, although it's been open for business for a few months already.

The two links below to press reports give you the idea so I'll spare you the details ....other than to say that the label's first shot at this in their home territory of France brought about a million selling record. The method of funding from fans to this serious level means that a band has an instant following ready to buy their record plus marketing and promotion resources.

It has more depth than some fan funding methods as it comes with full label support.

Read and watch the pices here on Techcrunch and here on Sky.

And visit My Major Company's site here.

Artist Development - it's now down to you

Bob Lefsetez telling us that artist development at major labels is dead - and he's pretty much right.

But this article goes further - looking at why you're making music and how you can rely on yourself if your motivation is right.

So if you’re a new act, stay indie.  You’ve got to, in order to be control of your own artistic destiny.  If you can’t change direction on inspiration, chances are you won’t connect for more than a moment, if that.

And indie is about forgetting everybody else and focusing on your fans.  If your fans are burned out on your music, you must make more, even though others have never heard it.

Read it here.

What is a 360 degree record deal?

Although I was a music lawyer - that's how I got my start - these deals didn't come in until I was a manager - but I've still seen my fair share of them.

These are two great posts that look at what the 360 deal is and what it means for artists. If you get signed or are looking to get signed in today's business, this is 99% likely to be the kind of deal you will get. You need to know about it!

The first one is from the great NPR blog via @BuzzSonic.

"Most deals are about 270, maximum, not 360 degrees," he says. "In theory a 360 deal encompasses all revenue that an artist brings in, and hence the name, '360 degrees.' I'm going back and forth between '360' and 'multi-rights.' Usually in my writing I call it 'multi-rights.'"

Read the NPR piece here.

And this very considered article is from Jon Ostrow at Mic Control - altough I couldn't find it again on his blog, so this is from somwhere that it was reposted!

Simply put, a 360 deal is a business relationship between an artist and a music industry company. It doesn’t have to be between record label and artist, as seen in the 2007 360 deal signed between Madonna and promoter Live Nation (Jay-Z signed a similar deal in 2008).

Read Jon's piece here.

Why sign a record deal?

Great post that I again picked up from @BuzzSonic's Twitter stream - follow him if you don't already!

This is an insightful piece on whether it's worth it in this day and age jumping through hoops and working like a dog just to get a record deal, when you can, more than likely, achieve nearly as much with a far better income in the burgeoning world of 'direct to fan'.

I'm not saying that it's right for every artist to eschew the option of getting a record deal, but the beauty of the world we now live in is that you as an artist should be doing everything to build a fanbase and speak directly to an audience - whether you want to go it alone or whether you want that beginning of popularity to propel you to a deal. The work required is basically the same.

In traditional agreements- labels recouped their investment through record sales, leaving band’s earnings to be made from touring, merchandise and sponsorship. Now, 360-degree deals are the norm. Warner won’t sign anyone now unless it’s a 360 deal- a package which is more akin to a management deal, whereby the label will take a cut from any future sponsorship, seeding, use of material, touring and merchandise. And while this may remove the need for an ‘immediate hit’, in real terms it means that bands will earn even less, and have less control over their image, presentation and rights.

Labels traditionally made money from the process in which they were involved – ie/ recording and distributing records. Is it coincidence that now that recorded music sales are significantly declining, they change their business model? What gives them the right to impede on touring, merchandise, sponsorship or the use of music in films or adverts? How does this benefit either the artist or the audience?

Read the piece here.

Singles no longer shifting albums

Photo by uitdragerij

As the previous post pointed out, some British acts are seeing some serious success in the US with what could be described as UK Hip Hop - or some better description from someone who listens to it, because I don't! - but it seems that it is all singles based and they aren't selling albums.

Why is that?

Hypebot have had a look at some of the reasons - personally I believe it's all part of the sea change that the digital music area has heralded. There will be album artists but not all artists will make albums in the future - they will survive on a stream of singles, radio hits, live appearances (rather than traditional touring as such) and online fanbases.

The old saying goes that for every great man, there is an ever greater woman behind him.  The same has traditionally been true for music - for every hit single, there is an even bigger selling album behind it.

Read what Hyebot think here.

 

Record label vs Indie Release - where the cash at?

Great Graphic courtesy of CrudBump.

The stats tell you all you need to know about the monetary advantage of being a diy musician.

How artists make money from their music

This article looks at an overview of how songwriters and artists make money in the music business - a great musicians resource.

In today's world, there are a variety of ways songwriters and artists make money in the music business. These include, but are not limited to: video games, on-line streaming, traditional radio play, downloads, songs in films, TV shows and commercials, webisodes, ringtones, e-greeting cards, lyrics on t-shirts and jeans, merch bundling and more

Some of these channels generate a lot of money, others very little and some are good for promotional benefit only.

Each subset of the music business has its own set of rules, contracts, licenses, considerations and royalties and differ depending on whether you are a songwriter, an artist, or both.

Here are basics of what you need to know about how to make money as a songwriter and artist in today's world of music.

Read the whole article at Tunecore now.

How music companies discover, develop and promote talent

A reader of our main site mailed me some stuff yesterday including a link that led to this brilliant report on the music business written by the IFPI - a major trade body.

I've just read the whole thing - You need to read it!

One of the biggest myths about the digital age is that artists no longer need record labels. The internet allows them to reach their public directly, the myth goes. Live music and other revenue sources, like merchandising and advertising, will do the rest.Yet the reality is in fact completely different.

A very small minority of artists, mostly well known, established acts, are achieving success through this DIY route – they deserve good luck. But the vast majority are not. The truth is that artists are generally much better served by a record deal. They want the funding and the specialist support that indie and major record labels provide.

I don't agree with that in particular, but I've always said that perfecting your own talent and then building an online fanbase gives you the choice to go it alone or sign to a label or a new-model 'music company'.

What this pdf does though, and why you need to read it, is that it gives you a thorough explanation of how record companies work and what they do to break an artist. Whether you want to get involved in that circus with them or not you can learn a hell of a lot from this 30 pages.

Get the ifpi guide here.

The new Music Business model

Following on from the previous post, UK manager and ex-accountant, Brian Message reveals a lot of his thinking on how investment from companies other than record labels can give artists a different route to success.

So that means that we now have three routes:

Direct to Fan - and do it yourself.

Direct to Fan - done with the backing of someone else's money.

The Old School way - get a record deal with a record label, but now that will be the much vaunted '360' deal.

....or any combination of the three.

“Under the new way of doing things, you’re a chief executive of an artist’s business with multiple revenue streams that go across multiple countries,” he says. The accountancy background used to make him feel awkward, but in today’s volatile music industry it’s proving invaluable.

Message, a dab hand at business plans (“It’s not something I’m proud of”), is pioneering a new model for the music industry. With companies struggling to adjust to a steady decline in their primary source of revenue, sales of recorded music, he argues the industry is suffering an investment crisis. But this crisis is also an opportunity for the likes of Message to enter the game as investors.

Read the whole thing here.