6 Necessary Steps To Get a Deal with a Record Label and Why Social Media Matters

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Everyone wants to have the fastest ticket to becoming rich and famous, but only a few has the guns and the ammunition to actually shoot for it and those are people with talent. Musicians can make it big by just using their own God-given gift – a golden voice.

But with millions of people having equally beautiful and awesome voices to sing, rap and make a tune, it is quite difficult to actually stand out and be noticed by record labels. Some our scouted during stage performances, interviews on local radios, events, parties and on social media.

Let us take our hats off to social media because it has created an easy and clear way to reaching the elusive stardom in the music industry. But even on social media, easy as it is to connect with people, you have a lot of competition to tough it out. That is why you need to know the specific steps to make it big and grab that record deal.

Step 1: Create great music

This is a no-brainer but still let us emphasize on this one because this is where all your opportunity depends on. No matter who you reach or how many people are able to listen to your tracks, if your tracks aren’t good then there is little chance you will be noticed by record labels. So, you really need to have the confidence to nail this down before anything else.


Step 2: Understand the business in the music industry

Just because you know everything about creating music does not mean you know what is required to actually market it and make money off of it. You have to shell out money before you earn money. You need money to spend so you can be heard on radios, get someone to do a review on you or your band, kiss ass to get a slot on performances and get by on a budget to support yourself not to mention the equipment you need to rent to record your songs.


Step 3: Sign up for an online music sharing/distribution platforms

SoundCloud, ReverbNation, BandCamp, etc., are great services that let you upload and share audio recordings to the online community. You have to choose which one is suitable for your taste and your needs or you can use all three of them for maximum exposure. But if you already have one that you trust that serves your musical style, then go on and use it.


Step 4: Take a video of your studio recordings or stage performances

How do you think some artists reach fame? Take for example Justin Bieber, Marie Digby and others (you know who they are). It is because of sites like YouTube and Vimeo. They took their chance on these websites because they know people who love music and art will find them there.

Make sure you present videos for your fans and others who are interested with your type of music. This is your chance to get more people to follow you, your band or your music.


Step 5: Get a website

You need to have more than SoundCloud and YouTube in your arsenal to catch the attention of record labels. You have to have your own website, where you can show them a complete list of your tracks, profile background, video of performances, a schedule of gigs, and everything you have been doing for your love of music. They will notice that you are a dedicated music artist who donates time and effort into his or her passion, which is very important to them when they sign artists.

Step 6: Build your social media networks

Social media is a strongest resource for music artists. Artists can freely share their music and promote their events without spending a dime on advertising. But the what and the how need to be determined to maximize the potential of these free platforms.

Facebook – create a fan page, fill out the profile, post relevant updates about onstage performances and backstage video clips, interact with Facebook fans, and get more Facebook likes.

Twitter – sign up for Twitter, complete your bio, link your website, place location, tweet your activities, engage with followers and get more Twitter followers.

Tumblr – get a Tumblr account, post pictures of your performances and audio recordings and engage with followers.

YouTube – create a YouTube channel, fill out the profile, upload videos, and follow best video SEO practices to rank videos.

Remember that it takes a little bit of time to manage all of these, so you might as well get someone to do it for you, as early as now. And make sure that for every social networking site you get a large number of followers, subscribers and fans.

Record labels look for artists that they can monetize. Having a large fan base, even if it is local, will make you a blip on their radar.

Whether you are reaching or living the dream of a music artist, the industry is not all about money, travels, luxury cars, hotels and other great perks that you see in movies. From labels, distribution, promotion, bookings and other stuffs, it is necessary for every musician to understand the sacrifice and hardship of making it big time.

Maricor Bunal writes for different web marketing agencies/projects and specializes on social media and search optimization. She currently writes full-time at Buy Real Marketing, a site that offers social media solutions.