Getting Signed And Getting A Record Deal

Below I am including an article that I wrote a year or more ago about getting signed. You may agree with some and disagree with other points. It will be really interesting to see how I’m able to update this article and add a new twist to it.

So many sites … I mean wayyyyyyyyyy so many sites have a ton of information that is out-dated beyond belief, but they kind of have to keep it there, because if they don’t…then their site will kind of die down. Which is one of the advantages at MISS.

I want to make sure that there are dates on the content and the information that’s published…otherwise I could be feeding you some outdated information that doesn’t help you go anywhere. Why would I need to have 50 articles that tell you how to get signed, based on how the Music Industry was back in 2000. We’ve come along way since then…and my promise to myself is to make sure that everything is current within a two-year period, or else it doesn’t belong here.

So check this out….

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Getting signed is the quest for most upcoming artists and bands, especially newcomers to the music industry. This shows that the Recording Industry, despite its many complaints to file-sharing, is still very powerful and an influential market. It’s important to note that the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) is still on its own quest to crack down on illegal file sharing and pirated music. Its most notable legal cases are with Verizon, Aimster, Napster, MP3Board, MP3.com, and iMesh.

But what this means in relation to getting signed is that digital is the way to go when it comes to getting a foot in the door. The more the RIAA fights it, the more it will become popular. The good news for the RIAA is that they have slowly but surely began to embrace MP3 and file sharing technology. Artists interested in getting signed should keep up with the RIAA and its laws because it usually shows good signs of where to go to get music heard by large amounts of listeners.

While getting signed is a lot easier than it was four years ago, its lot harder to get signed and get an album out. The common misconception is that all matters are solved – once you get signed to a major label or record company. This is far from being true and is proven in so many recent cases.

The larger issue with the quest to get signed is still the fight to get an album out so artists can connect with fans, go on tour, and collect royalties from CD sales. When this purpose of getting signed is not fulfilled, artists are quickly headed back to square one. At least twice a year there’s a story about artists signed, but do not have money and have to wait three years to put out an album; at which point the release of the album is determined by other factors that may be more important to the company at such time.

Social Sites to Get Signed

The uprisings of Social Networking sites have made it a lot easier for artists to get their name out to more people, if they are willing to put in the time and develop a strategy for getting heard. One of the most important things an artist can do in the quest to get signed is network and build relationships with the right people. The right people are often the people easiest to get in touch with but usually never mind: publicists, assistants, secretaries, etc. These individuals are important because they have to a lot more information that is. Needed but rarely asked for.

Having the knowledge of which projects are most important to a label in a given month can help ease a lot of un-necessary tension and questioning of why calls may not have been returned and why music may not have been listened to. But developing a relationship with these people gives the artist a different kind of leverage instead of it being unsolicited, it becomes solicited if the publicist, assistant, or secretary likes your spirit and likes your music enough to give the A&R (who you’re really after) a few nudges to listen to your music.

For a long time the emphasis on getting signed has been on the contacts, but not enough time has been spent on what to do with the contacts and what to make of them.

There are a few tips that I recommend for artists interested in making the most use of their contacts.

        Have a genuine personality (make sure it shows)       Eliminate fear and nervousness (as it only causes more problems for yourself)       Know the details and the role of the person you speak to    Keep up with the best communication gateway (use IM, email, text when necessary- it will vary from person to person)       Try not to leave messages unless you’ve spoken to someone first        Perfect your product while you wait   Be willing to offer something for nothing

These are things to consider and help your journey to get signed.

Howard Britt is the owner of Music Oxygen, a music network that features quality music from unsigned artists. Give your ears a breath of fresh air and listen to free music now. Howard offers free music resources available on his music blog.