How to get a record deal

It's tough. It's competitive. And some will say it's impossible. You and your band want to know "How To Get A Record Deal." Have faith; there are ways of Getting A Record Deal. And there are shortcuts available that can put you ahead of the masses. Some rules on getting your first record deal apply no matter which avenue you choose. The first and most important will always and forever be to gain exposure. Before a record executive will even put your demo disc in his or her player, they want to have heard of you, somehow. Either by radio airplay, word of mouth or local press. Be sure that the local media can no longer ignore your gigs in the entertainment section. It's all about the buzz.

Probably second, or possibly even tied with first, is the presentation of your demo disc. Whether solicited or not to a major or an indie label, a professional press kit will give the first impression on just who they are dealing with. A professionally engineered demo with a high quality photo shoot and a grammatically correct bio will grab the much desired attention of the label. Low quality press kits with poor sound and misspellings will inevitably end up in the circular file.

Who you know is the best way to get a record deal. A lot of people do not realize this, but submitting unsolicited material to A&R's about as close to a waste of time as you can get. While some small labels are open to unsolicited material, most large ones are not. You're material will most likely never be heard. The way you get in front of decision makers, is through people those decision makers know or respect. These people include successful producers, successful artists, entertainment lawyers, successful managers, or other people who have clout. Think of it this way, 100's of demos are sent for every one artist signed. It is very similar to interviewing for jobs. In the real world, over 50% of hiring's take place by referral or personal connection. Music is no different. You also gain the credibility of the person representing you. A highly respected entertainment lawyer is not going to put his name on the line and recommend a product no one wants. People will stop listening to him if he keeps bringing bad products. You will not be ready to contact these people right away however unless you have some sort of personal connection. Make sure you put together a really solid demo, and I am not talking about something you did at home. It better be damn close to radio ready. Even if you only do 2 songs, you are far better doing 2 really solid, high quality songs, than a whole album of decent songs. The whole idea is to have a top quality product that they can market. Some solid pictures and a great press kit is also a must. We will discuss the things that really impress these people and labels in another article. Many times even these people can be hard to reach. Good luck getting in touch with Johnny Wright for instance. Make no mistake, to get this far you are looking at a cost of at least a couple thousand dollars. If you are serious about this, you need to set up a plan with the rest of the band to save the money needed. If that means no partying for a month or two, tough luck, it's a small price to pay for glory. Remember in the music industry, it is about who you know.