What makes my music stand out to a label?
Labels are looking for artists who offer a compelling package: exceptional music that’s unique and commercially viable, a strong brand identity, a dedicated fanbase, and a clear vision for their career. Standing out requires demonstrating excellence in all these areas, proving you’re not just talented but also a smart investment.
Beyond just creating good music, labels need to see potential for growth and profitability. A truly standout artist has a distinctive sound that carves out its own niche, either by innovating within a genre or blending influences in a fresh way. This originality needs to be coupled with strong songwriting that resonates with listeners and holds up over time. A polished, professional recording is crucial – the music must be radio-ready (or streaming-ready) and showcase your talent in the best possible light. Don’t underestimate the importance of a well-crafted mix and master. However, great music is only part of the equation. Labels are also evaluating your online presence. Are you actively engaging with fans on social media? Are you building an email list? Do you have consistent branding across all platforms? A growing and engaged fanbase proves that people connect with your music and that you’re able to build a community around your art. Finally, show that you’re proactive and have a plan. This means having a clear understanding of your target audience, a strategy for marketing your music, and a realistic timeline for future releases and performances. Labels want to work with artists who are driven, organized, and understand the business side of music.
Should I copyright my music before submitting?
While not strictly required before submitting your music to record labels, registering your copyright before submission provides a stronger legal position in case of unauthorized use. Copyright exists the moment your work is fixed in a tangible form (written down or recorded), but registration with the U.S. Copyright Office establishes a public record of your claim and allows you to pursue statutory damages and attorney’s fees in a copyright infringement lawsuit.
Registering your copyright gives you significant legal advantages should someone steal your music. Without registration, proving infringement and recovering damages can be much more difficult and expensive. While labels often have their own legal teams to handle copyright issues, demonstrating that you’ve taken the initiative to protect your work shows professionalism and seriousness about your career. Think of copyright registration as an inexpensive insurance policy. The cost to register a song is relatively low, especially compared to the potential financial loss from infringement. While many artists wait until they have a deal in place to register, doing it beforehand provides peace of mind and demonstrates that you’re proactive about protecting your intellectual property. However, prioritize focusing on creating excellent music and building a following first; copyright registration is a good idea, but not a substitute for talent and hard work.
What kind of demo should I send?
The ideal demo to send to a record label is a concise collection of your absolute best, fully realized songs, showcasing your unique artistic identity and potential for commercial appeal. Prioritize quality over quantity; a few polished tracks are far more impactful than a collection of half-baked ideas.
Think of your demo as your musical resume. Record labels receive countless submissions, so you need to immediately grab their attention. Choose 3-5 songs that represent the strongest aspects of your songwriting, performance, and production. These should be fully mixed and mastered to a professional standard – it doesn’t necessarily mean needing a top-tier studio, but the overall sound quality must be clear, balanced, and free of obvious flaws. It should sound like a radio-ready song, or at least close to it.
Crucially, the songs you choose should reflect a consistent artistic vision. A label wants to understand your brand and target audience. While demonstrating versatility is good, a demo that jumps between genres without a clear sense of identity will be confusing. Carefully consider the overall flow and narrative of the demo. The first track should be your strongest, most immediate song. The subsequent tracks should complement it, further demonstrating your capabilities and solidifying your artistic statement. Consider the order carefully and take an objective view - what does this demo say about you?
How do labels assess marketability?
Record labels assess marketability by evaluating a variety of factors that indicate potential commercial success. This includes analyzing the artist’s existing fan base, social media presence and engagement, music quality and originality, performance skills, brand and image, and perceived appeal to a target demographic.
Labels delve deep into data to understand an artist’s existing reach. They examine social media metrics like follower counts, engagement rates (likes, comments, shares), and the demographic breakdown of their audience. Streaming numbers on platforms like Spotify and Apple Music are crucial, showing how many people are actively listening to the artist’s music and where they are located. Live performance history, including attendance numbers and venue sizes, provides insight into an artist’s ability to draw a crowd. High-quality recordings, unique sound, and distinctive artistic vision are also paramount; labels are looking for something that stands out in a crowded marketplace. Beyond the numbers, labels also consider the less tangible aspects of marketability. This includes the artist’s brand and image – is it authentic, consistent, and appealing? Do they have a compelling story? Can they connect with audiences on an emotional level? The overall package needs to be commercially viable and present a clear, sellable identity. Furthermore, labels analyze the competitive landscape to understand what similar artists are doing and identify potential marketing opportunities. This comprehensive assessment allows them to estimate the potential return on investment for signing and promoting the artist.
What are the different types of record deals?
Record deals aren’t a one-size-fits-all agreement. They vary significantly in the rights an artist grants to the label and the responsibilities the label undertakes. Understanding the different types – including traditional record deals, licensing deals, distribution deals, and 360 deals – is crucial for any artist aiming to navigate the music industry successfully.
The most common type, the *traditional record deal*, involves the label funding, producing, marketing, and distributing the artist’s music. In exchange, the label owns the master recordings (the original recorded songs) and pays the artist a royalty percentage of the sales, typically after recouping its costs. These deals offer significant financial support and industry expertise but often involve relinquishing considerable control over the artist’s work. Other deals offer different control levels and responsibility allocation. A *licensing deal* sees the artist retaining ownership of their masters but licenses them to the label for a specific period or territory. The label handles promotion and distribution, paying the artist a larger percentage of the revenue than a traditional deal. *Distribution deals* are even more artist-centric. Here, the artist retains complete ownership and control, using the label primarily for distribution services to get their music into stores and online platforms. The label typically takes a smaller percentage of the revenue in exchange for these services. Finally, *360 deals* are increasingly prevalent. These give the label a percentage of an artist’s income from all sources, including record sales, touring, merchandise, endorsements, and publishing. While these deals provide comprehensive support, they also require the artist to share a much larger portion of their overall earnings with the label, and may come with more obligations from the artist, such as a minimum number of annual performances. Choosing the right type of record deal requires careful consideration of an artist’s career goals, financial needs, and desire for creative control.
So there you have it! Getting signed is a journey, not a destination, and it’s filled with hard work, dedication, and a whole lot of belief in yourself. Keep honing your craft, keep putting yourself out there, and most importantly, keep making music you love. Thanks for reading, and we hope this helped shed some light on the path. Come back anytime for more tips, tricks, and insights into the music industry. We’re rooting for you!