Getting a record deal

Video: How To Get Signed To A Major Record Label

Content

To step
Method 1 of 4: Developing your music
Method 2 of 4: Building a fan base
Method 3 of 4: Recording a demo
Method 4 of 4: Taking the next step
Tips
Warnings
Necessities

You know you're on the right track and making distinctive music, but how do you then make sure you're heard? Record companies are there to provide financial support to their bands and artists, as well as to make a profit. Record companies are looking for bands or solo artists who have already reached a certain level, who have already proven their ability to create a certain fan base, and who can hold the attention of their audience. It is not always easy to get the attention of record companies, but if you make sure that you keep developing your music and that you know how to capture your music well in recordings, you have already taken the first step towards becoming a professional musician. Read here how to do that.

To step

Method 1 of 4: Developing your music

Take a good look at your competitors. Improve your act by studying other bands or artists you like. What are they doing that you are not doing? Think about their image, their music and the way they interact with their fans. It can sometimes help to study and cover songs from bands you like. How are the songs put together? What could work for your music? How would you do better?
Be professional. Make music your life. Record companies are not looking for "promises" to spend a lot of money on and then just wait to see if things work out. They will only want to invest in well-developed, professional groups or artists. After all, a record company is a company with a profit motive. The degree of dedication to your music can be decisive for a label in whether or not to sign an act. So work with total dedication to your music and your image.
Exercise constantly. You always have to be ready to play your music. Practice until you have mastered all your songs, make sure that every detail of the performance is discussed in the band, leave nothing to chance. It may be whole cool to sit back in the cafe with a beer after an hour in the rehearsal room, but you will not achieve anything with it. Don't kid yourself, being a successful musician means hard work.
- Plan your time well so that you can practice and write new material every day. Just working on your image by buying expensive sunglasses and fancy leather jackets is not enough, you need interesting numbers above all else. Without good music, no label will be interested, no matter how good the band looks. Get the most out of creativity.
- Record the practice sessions with a recording device to be able to hear whether it was really as good as you thought. Work on the details of your live show in the rehearsal room. In the case of a band, it can help not to stand in a circle, but to pretend that the rehearsal space is the stage. Take risks while exercising. That way you make sure your performances show how professional the band is. This way you show that you are committed and serious and that it is not a hobby.
Consider the commercial potential of your music. That experimental jazzcore opera with an eight-minute oboe solo might be very interesting from an artistic point of view, but a record company should always think about how they "market" your music. It may sound awful, but in the end it's all about the profit for a record company. If you only want to be drawn based on your music, you have to make sure you create something that an audience is for. And that really doesn't necessarily mean you mainstream make music if you don't want to. But think about whether there could be an audience for your music.
- Always make the music you want to make, but be realistic about your goals. If your style is very different you shouldn't expect to be drawn by one anytime soon major, aka a major record company. Experiment as much as you want, but work on a fan base and look for one indie label that suits you well.

Method 2 of 4: Building a fan base

Start with small gigs in the neighborhood. When you have a set together with good material, it is time to perform. Look for nice cafes and small venues in the area where you know people will come looking for good music. First visit some halls, go to some performances, then you know if the place is for you. If you're going to play somewhere where the regular audience isn't interested in your music, it doesn't make much sense. Playing cute two-part acoustic folk won't do very well in the clubhouse Hell's Angels, just to name a few. Instead, start playing on a Sunday afternoon at that cafe around the corner that you know often has good bands playing.
- Do 1 to 2 gigs a month in the beginning, until you see that you have built up a certain fan base. If that is successful, you can play weekly and maybe even outside your own city. Make your set and your show go smoother and take a good look at your audience to see what works and what doesn't.
Play with like-minded bands or musicians. A great way to expand your fan base is to play with other bands that are in the same scene if you fail. Go to gigs of bands you like, talk to them and ask if you can do the support act. You may want to ask them to come over to the rehearsal room if you don't have good recordings yet.
- You can also organize performances yourself and ask other bands to join. You just might not get that room full, but with three bands it becomes much easier. Other bands will then also ask you more quickly. Know where you stand; never ask for a band that is already quite popular to do your support act while you have few fans. Let them choose when they want to play or suggest they play last. They will interpret this as a sign of respect.
- "Placing yourself in a scene" has many advantages. Other bands will be more likely to share things with you, both information and stuff. If you need a bass amplifier for once and you don't know anyone, that can be a difficult task; on the other hand, if you are well acquainted with the local scene, it is very easy to arrange anything and everything. And when it comes time to hit the studio for serious recordings, take the advice of bands that have a lot of recording experience. Learn from others about good studios in your area and, more importantly, good recording engineers and producers.
Market your band through social media. Announce your gigs and let them know that you are in the studio or that your demo is almost ready. Show that your life is about music. Remember: record companies are more likely to sign serious bands that already have a fan base.
- Do your best for other bands, for example, let us know on social media when you appreciate a record from another band from your scene. Encourage people to visit that other band's page, it will only benefit you. You develop your scene and ensure that people will find your band faster.
Design great T-shirts. You can never be too early to make your merchandise. People are always looking for cool T-shirts or canvas bags.It is not expensive to make, even if you do not make a profit it is free advertising. Make sure you find the right balance in your designs; it must look beautiful and distinctive, but you must be able to see which band it is.
- If you play with other bands, swap T-shirts with that other band. Cross-marketing is good for everyone. And if that singer suddenly wears your shirt at the next performance, it is completely good advertising.
Perform outside of your own scene. Once you are known within a scene, you have to be careful not to get blinded by it. Try to break through it and start playing in places where you would not expect it so quickly. That's a great way to increase your fan base. Don't worry about the crooked faces within your scene, always increase your own chances of getting drawn. And that means that you have to be seen by more people.
- Organize a short tour with some other bands across the country or even across Europe. Keep costs low by sleeping with like-minded bands or bring tents. Bringing a good sound engineer is more important than an expensive hotel.
- Call festivals and keep a close eye on upcoming performances by bands that you might be able to support. Participate in band competitions, which can be a good way to show yourself to an audience outside your own scene, in addition, those are places where there are always some people from record companies walking around.
Save your earned money. If you have succeeded in earning 100 euros with a performance for the first time, it is very easy to go through a lot together afterwards, so you have to invest money too. Do not do this. Open a band account and put all the money you earn on it. Do not start paying out band members until your band has become a successful business, until then it is better to invest in a good sound engineer and save for new equipment, recordings, a band bus and other expenses.
- Only use the band account for band-related expenses. It is up to you what that exactly means, but think of new strings and the costs for the rehearsal space. New leather jackets and gold teeth? Probably not a good idea. Remember, to get signed you need a great demo, and it costs money anyway.

Method 3 of 4: Recording a demo

Find a studio and book some recording days. If you have a great sounding demo you are much more likely to get noticed by a record company. In addition, you can give your fans something to take home, so they can play their favorite live songs at home. Think of a demo as an investment in a possible record deal.
- Studio costs vary enormously, some studios charge as little as 100 euros per day, but for other studios you have to pay at least 1000 euros per day. Costs usually depend on the experience of the technicians, the mixing console they have, the microphones and the peripherals. Think carefully in advance about which songs you are going to record and how you can do this as efficiently as possible. Make sure you rehearsed really well!
Plan the studio time well. You are often somewhat dependent on the producer's working method (and whims), so be prepared not to be able to do everything the way you want. But what you can do in any case is make sure you can dream the song. You need to know your material by heart so you don't overdo it takes Need. If you know exactly what you want and how to get it across, you are already a long way. Let the technician worry about getting your great performance on tape. Focus on your music and try not to get distracted.
- Sometimes it happens that as a band you have rehearsed really well and that the producer suddenly says that each instrument will be recorded separately. Maybe the drummer will not be able to play well without the rest. So talk everything in advance with the producer so that you will have as few surprises as possible, discuss the method of recording and the equipment you should bring. At the same time, you shouldn't be too rigid; in the studio it never goes quite as you expected; that can create beautiful things.
- Use your own equipment as much as possible. Many studios have a nice collection of amplifiers and other stuff, it can be tempting to use them right away. But if your specific sound well that guitar from 1964 is because of an amplifier of only 10 watts you might be able to resist the temptation better.
Record your best songs. Do not record covers, only your own material. Think of the recording as your band's resume. Which songs best convey what is good about your band? Which songs do your fans like best? Include songs that you know work, otherwise it will take too much time and therefore too much money.
Try to record yourself. You can go a long way nowadays with a laptop, some microphones and a good sound card. This way you can record new songs quickly, easily and relatively cheaply and place them immediately on Soundcloud. More and more bands are making their own recordings to save studio money, so that more is left over for equipment, for example. Or record your demo partly at home and partly in the studio to save money. Many bands take their recordings to a studio to, for example, only record the drums with good microphones, because that is always difficult with cheap stuff. And remember: to be able to mix and master really well, you need good speakers and good peripherals, so that is difficult to do at home.
- Shop around for inexpensive recording options within your scene. Some bands themselves have good recording equipment, if you are friends with these people you may be able to use their stuff for free. Ask other bands with record deals for advice. Musicians like to share their information, take advantage of it.
Share your music with others. If you have some CD-Rs with your music on it, you can give it away during gigs. Put your recordings on YouTube or Soundcloud, finally bring your music to the world!
- Don't worry about making a profit for now. The most important thing is that as many people as possible come into contact with your music. In addition, record companies are increasingly looking at popularity on the internet, selling physical CDs is becoming less and less important. If the video that you put on YouTube is viewed by a million people within a week, you will soon be contacted by a record company.

Method 4 of 4: Taking the next step

Create a promotional package for the press. Think of it as a cover letter with attachments. A promotional package consists of at least a press photo, a demo, and biography, reviews of performances and interviews.
- At this point it is important to think about your image. If the music is running smoothly, think about your clothing style, your accessories, and other things that will help you as a band stand out from the crowd. Does the band already have a logo? Think about visualizing your music.
- Consider making a movie for certain songs or editing videos from live recordings to make it look good. Then upload it to YouTube. This way of listening to music is becoming more and more popular and it doesn't have to be a lot of effort to make a movie. Make sure you only upload quality videos, otherwise it will only backfire.
Contact record labels. Research the record companies, what would you like to be a part of? How do you get them to listen to your demos? Find the addresses of suitable record companies and send them your promotional package. Then call if they have received it and ask what they think of it. Be assertive.
Consider getting a manager and a booker. An experienced manager who knows how it works and how best to reach record companies can be very helpful. It also allows you to focus on your music. This also applies to a booker. If you, as a musician, are busy calling the halls all day, you don't have time left for your music. It can also seem very amateurish to a venue if the musician calls himself. But before signing a contract with a manager or booker, it's good to get advice from other bands. Think carefully before signing anything. Be careful when a manager promises you mountains of gold. On the other hand, draw up a realistic plan with your booker and manager for the coming period, only in this way you can build a successful career in the long term.

Tips

Being in a band means that you are an entrepreneur. Sometimes you have to make changes in business operations or the workforce to be able to take the next step.
Try not to look like you climbed the stage right out of the audience. The eye wants something too. Spend some money on your stage presentation, see it as an investment. You will see that you enjoy it, it also feels much better to be on stage in a nice suit than in a random T-shirt from the H&M.
If you can't get signed, don't be disappointed. Just keep trying, the most important thing is to believe in yourself.
Not everyone is equally photogenic. Accept it if you are such a person. There is no need for the man, experiment with you look and take advantage of it.

Warnings

Never sign a contract before having it checked by a lawyer. Think carefully before signing anything. Don't be afraid to counter-propose. Contract negotiations are very normal.