Photo Credit: Ron McClenny
Record labels will only want to sign you if you have already begun to create a market for yourself.
The following article comes from AMW Group, a proud partner of DMN.
They want to know there is money to be made by investing in you. Their first priority is to make themselves money, not you, so it’s up to you to show them why you’d be a good investment. As Bruno Mars once said, “you can’t knock on opportunity’s door and not be ready.” And if you aren’t, it becomes less likely that the door will open to you a second time. So what do you need to do to prepare for that?
Labels get hounded by hundreds, if not thousands of requests daily for them to listen to someone’s demo. If you are ready, they will absolutely find you and make an offer. It rarely happens the other way around. And while most of us would like to think we are the exception to the rule, it’s unwise to put all of your eggs in that particular basket. Success in the entertainment industry takes time, effort, and planning.
There are a number of pieces to the opportunity puzzle that are best accomplished by partnering with other professionals. Especially if you’re a new artist, you don’t know all of the ins-and-outs of the music industry or how to properly promote yourself. It’s a smart move to get help from professionals once you know what your short- and long-term goals are. You’ll end up saving time and money on your part by finding reliable assistance. Your music is your business, after all, so it’s important to present a professionally put-together front. As they say, you never get a second chance to make a first impression.
AMW Group provides different services to both independent and major artists. Reach out if you’re looking for branding or music promotion assistance.
What You Should Hire A Professional For:
A Solid Bio
Every artist needs a well written biography. You’ll use it for your website and other publicity needs. A bio is your first introduction to many potential fans and to labels. It should include an introduction that is engaging, an artist history that’s relevant solely to the music, current projects, the genre of your music and past projects if there are any. This should all be done as succinctly as possible. Leave them wanting to know more, not wishing they knew less about you.
Social Media Growth
Labels look at all of an artist’s social media accounts if they’re interested in the artist. They want to know that you come with a built in audience, and the size of that existing audience can determine whether you get signed or not.
Branding
Branding is a strategy in which a brand creates a symbol, design or name that consumers can easily identify as belonging to it exclusively. It’s critical to develop an easily identifiable brand for your company for a number of reasons. Not only does branding make a memorable impression on your audience but it allows them to know what to expect when they come to you. Your audience will help with word-of-mouth marketing once they feel familiar with your brand and what it represents as well. Making it easy for your audience to define and talk about you can help your business to flourish.
A well-grounded brand can change how people perceive your business, increase awareness about your company, and drive new business. To put it simply, your brand is your promise to your customers to deliver a quality product consistently. That’s why it’s important to take into consideration all of the positive things branding can do for you.
Networking
‘It’s not what you know, it’s who you know’ is a phrase that has stood the test of time for a reason. To a certain extent, it’s true. So it’s important to seek out opportunities to do some networking. Bringing on a professional to help you with this can introduce your brand to a larger audience much more quickly. Whether it’s through live events or social media, they can help you track your events calendar and get you into place you wouldn’t be able to otherwise. If you have time prior to meeting them, do some research on the people you’ll interact with, as well.
What You Should Continually Be Doing On Your Own:
Create Quality Music
Whether you’re in a professional studio or a home studio, make sure you have the proper equipment. No one wants to hear an EP that sounds like it was made in someone’s bathroom. The more effort you put into your music every step of the way, the more listeners are likely to become fans. Particularly for music you’ll be sending as demos to labels, you should find a professional to mix and master the final product.
Research Your Industry
Doing research when entering into any business situation is a necessary way to prepare. It will help you avoid unhealthy business relationships and show other professionals that you’re one of them. If you leave it up to others to tell you how things work but aren’t knowledgeable on your own,you’ll leave yourself vulnerable to avoidable mistakes. The same way a chef learns the way a restaurant runs outside of a kitchen, every professional should get to know their domain intimately. You don’t have to know everything about every facet, but make it a point to learn the necessary details each step of the way.
Looking Into Labels
Look into all of the labels that cover your specific genre and make a list. There’s no need to send demos to labels that wouldn’t even be interested in your genre of music, so make it a point to know everyone that does. Learn about each individual label in your field and figure out which of those are most aligned with where you want your brand to go, and then find out what their submission requirements are. Once you have a more precise view of your options, you can start to create attainable steps to get there.
Networking
Yes this is on both sides! Affiliating yourself with respected, established professionals in your field will always be beneficial to your career. Networking opportunities you can create on your own are : writing a guest post on an industry specific blog or get a guest spot on a podcast. Show the audience of your field that you are an expert. Building relationships with other successful people in your field via social media will help give your brand credibility.
After every networking opportunity, always follow up with anyone you made a connection with. Send them a brief, professional email letting them know you enjoyed meeting them. If you remember one or two points from the conversation that interested, add those in to personalize the message. You should always make sure your contact information and website link are in the signature of your email.
Be Professional
Treat everyone with respect and be punctual to meetings. If you want other people to take your time seriously, you need to show them that you take them seriously as well. Always take notes and have questions ready to make the most out of any professional interaction.This will help you to look and stay prepared while making important decisions. Staying organized and being professionally are great ways to learn the ins and outs of the business. If you’re looking for a manager, learn what a manager should be doing for you and how much money you should realistically be paying them. The same goes for anyone you bring on to your team, do your research and compare offers before aligning yourself with anyone.
To learn more about how AMW Group can help you visit their website or follow the AMW Group channel on YouTube.