With the music industry finding itself at risk and companies like Tower Records folding in the face of the digital revolution, there are more opportunities for independent musicians to take their sound directly to the people without the support of major labels. While this is great for bands or artists who don’t make the Top 100, success still isn’t as simple as making a good album. Finally, the great news is that someone rock star can be a horrible news. rock star With innovations in home recording technology, digital distribution, and the phenomenon of sites like MySpace, the Internet is becoming a world-wide shower stall. Bands, MCs, or DJs who make real sonic contributions to their genre have to compete with these tone-deaf dreamers to find and reveal their audience. You don’t need a label anymore, but you still need one if you’re serious about it.
A common mistake that good artists make is if their music speaks for itself. In any creative field, having a good product is the most important thing, but you need to do your art to get your work noticed. You need to become an independent success, ready to make an investment; time, energy, money. So, big labels don’t capture your vision. If you believe in it, then treat it with respect. Take serious care of yourself and prepare to bring in the work to reveal and cultivate the fans that will carry your work. These are ten tips that every musician should consider if they want to make a career that won’t directly propel them into super stardom, but will definitely put you on the road to being heard, gaining respect, and making a name for yourself.
I don’t sell Self-Promotion. I meet artists all the time who think they are sacrificing their own integrity. During this suspension, it is important to take the first step, to make the transition from seeing music as a passion or a dream, to knowing it as your life. Professionals enter years of education in various subjects to accumulate degrees and polish their resumes; Independent musicians need to be excellent artists and know how to market their shows. Release restrictions about “playing game”. If you don’t think your music is good, give up now. If you believe it is good, shout it from the hills. Present it as a professional quality work and separate yourself from amateurs and people who treat their music as a hobby. Proud that you can do it without a major label, better than any A&R.;
Get up from the logo. It’s a wonderful thing about being a musician that you tend to attract such energy; You may have many artistic friends. Put them to work. If you know someone who has a knack for Photoshop work with them to develop a logo for your band. By creating a brand like this; The logo should be simple and recognizable. It should contain the name of the band and whenever you use it put the web address or MySpace address under it. Once you create a logo you can use it for stickers or t-shirts and your fans will be able to market you. You create music that you like; in turn, they display or distribute your logo and you have more fans.
Get the media kit together. Media kits are signed folders that contain an 8×10 glossy photo of you or your band, a one page bio, your CD, business card, and sometimes they press the button. If you’re shy or have an antagonistic look to suggest, take a look at the photo of your sound. Your bio should be short but informative and if you know any professional writers ask them for help. Include some background information and describe your strengths or your sound. Describing your sound is important and often challenging for artists, start with five appropriate adjectives and build a few sentences around them. It’s a good idea to mention some of the major venues you’ve played, and include a couple of notes from the reviews if possible. You can also include how many MySpace friends you have, or website hits, and how many downloads you have accumulated. Bio, business card, and CD information must include: email address, email address, phone number; and speech If you receive any press receipt, include a high-quality photocopy of it. When you have a professional equipment kit, you can use it to send to promoters, venues, radio stations, or even an independent label. Organizing this information also makes other tasks easier. You can use the same bio on websites, they are good business cards to meet people in clubs and your barbershop is great It’s a way to increase your monitor’s reputation.
Join the link. ASCAP or BMI registration is easy and necessary. You register songs with them, and you get copyrights, so that you can take royalties, and let no one steal your talent. Joining the community also offers health benefits and makes you eligible for discounts on everything from CD manufacturing to music. of weapons
Join the power of college radio. College radio has always been the hippest audience and where many famous musicians first spun. Search for radio shows in nearby cities that specialize in your genre. Send a simple letter and CD page. When write a letter, refer it to the music or program director and research the show specifically. Check out the suggestions, if there are one or two tracks on your album that you think all your friends or fans should be then nominated. You can include a little information about yourself (or your bio) so the DJ has a few facts, and mention any radio stations or podcasts that have already played your music. Include contact information similar to that in your tool kit on the letter and CD. Follow up by email to the program director, their contact information can usually be found on the station’s website.
Search for venues. Resources like “Music Atlas” have contact information for various venues in every state. By sending your equipment to these venues you can get more shows in your country or even allow you to organize your own tour. Remain equally in your city scene; make sure you read the local papers to find out about upcoming shows or festivals. Most festivals or showcases will have a website that lists more information, and the page will tell you how to contact a sponsor.
There is no such thing as a gig that doesn’t pay. Even established artists meet promoters who don’t want to pay well or at all for their shows. It’s a judgment call, but remember that even if the gig doesn’t bring in the money, it gives you exposure and more pressing opportunities.
Get reviews. Sending your media kits to a local or city paper, or contacting content producers for sites like Content Aggregating Reviews is a great way to get exposure. Many artists I worked with sent a CD for review and were contacted a few months later for a feature article.
Digital distribution is the future. You can sell albums in a local record store with easy headers and various websites. But, even major labels are taking hits on album sales. Get with the times and put music on as many download sites as possible. There are usually simple contracts that you agree to, and while the download brings in a few bucks, remember that people do it in bulk. Those are nickels. On your MySpace page and on your personal page, be sure to post links to sites where your music can be downloaded. You may find that people won’t buy an album for twelve dollars, but people will gladly take a few of your songs for ninety-nine cents.
How do you pay for all this? Ah, here is million dollar a> Question. Producing an album, producing a CD, buying, selling, and selling instruments, it all adds up. You do all the work of the label, but without the money. Well, you or your cohort must have a savings account and the majority of the money you bring in from CD sales shows the need to enter the right into it You need money to make money and for the first few years you can expect to recoup everything you get from your music right into it. If you have a nine to five job, try to pay your bills to build a nest egg. you feel that you are sufficiently established that you will be able to immerse yourself in music full time. It is possible that some dia. If they are lucky enough to have friends, family, or business guests who are looking to invest in the project, they approach. But that’s the mass. Give them your tool kit and put together a professional plan breaking down all the capital goods you need, do the research and give the actual numbers for which the production and promotion will cost. Also, offer tables how much you earn from shows and sales, and give them a projection of how much they can return. wait in their siege If you don’t know someone who is looking to invest than do your responsibility to look for matches and other loan or grant possibilities. The possibilities are there, just try and see to the goal.
These tips can’t guarantee you stardom, but they can help polish your dreams into a real career. It can be overwhelming when you start out, but if you work hard enough, eventually the wheels you’ve been moving will start working for you. When it seems like too much, and things are bogging you down, just remember your music is worth it. And first and foremost, always rock, express for hip, sing your soul, or crash on wheels.
