The music business is a great industry in which many stars are born. It is obvious why so many people want to be a part of this billion dollar industry; however, it is not so obvious how to best go about getting that break. As complicated as the music industry may seem, one of the most important tips involves using fundamental business knowledge. The music industry is a business, and as with any business the key to success is networking.
You need to actively seek out and befriend those who make a living in the music industry– be they singers, session players, band members, or music executives, managers, booking agents, and producers. You have to collect contact information for these all individuals and maintain a social network site where you keep in touch with them and promote all recordings, gigs, and other news. To meet these types of people you have to make yourself present and available. If there is a listening party for a new artist, you are there. Never turn down invitations from anyone in the industry. There is no way to know who can really help you, now or in the future.
You have pay close attention to events and who will be there, but meeting these people will not help you unless you know how to promote yourself. You must have the ability to talk to people intelligently. Using promotion techniques is integral to building a fan base, which makes it a lot easier to get record labels to pay attention to you.
Touring is a promotional power tool. Going on tour expands your fan base and gives you the opportunity to sell your album, putting it in the hands of fans from all over. Remember to have goals: commit to thirty-five gigs in other cities in your first year and be sure to sell CD’s at all of them, building your base of support. Fans are a valuable resource; street teams use guerilla tactics effectively to market your name in the music world. Today many celebrities acknowledge the important role fan-based promotion played in building their careers.
You should also consider that radio is still the dominant medium through which people hear new music. Send your demo to stations and try to get on the morning shows. Radio is great for building local support, but no other medium can reach as wide an audience as music video. Record performances and upload the videos on Youtube. Although you probably will not become the next Justin Bieber, it is important to have web content, not only so people will stumble upon you, but also to hold the attention of your new fans. Additionally there is a great value in press; interviews sell albums. Start out trying to get interviews with bloggers, local papers, and any radio station that has given you airtime, and move on from there.
Clearly the music industry requires a lot of self-starter ambition; if you haven’t been able to get a meeting with any major record labels, start one yourself and build your business on your own. Having your own independent label will really help because major record companies only want to see artists who already have a track record and a fan base; they want to make sure you have a market.
All of these tips are useless if you are not ready as an artist. Aspiring singers already know they are good, but they really need to know how they compare to the competition to accurately gauge how far along they are in their development as an artist. Work on your voice first; get a vocal coach. Age and environment change your vocal cords, so you need to work with an expert to keep them healthy. Realizing your own unique and marketable image comes next. You need to refine your look; tailor it to your specific sound and style. Pick your target audience and write for them; this way you have a market and record labels will be more likely to take an interest in you.
Tags: business knowledge, dollar industry, fundamental business, guerilla tactics, listening party, music executives, promotion techniques, record labels, session players, support fans