Frequently
Asked Questions |
- I'm a rapper with deep rhymes,
dude check me out, cuz I need to get signed!
Rappers, as talented as many are, for some bizarre
reason seem to belong to a demographic that seems to
refuse to learn how the music business works. I get
a million emails from guys in Hip Hop bands saying "Hook
me up dude, we da bomb!".
Now, da bomb they may be, but whatever genre of music
YOU are currently a part of, there are effective promotional
skills and there are not so effective ones. Sending
an email asking for someone to literally do all the
work, is well...like asking someone to literally do
all the work! Give someone a reason to pay attention.
Are you throwing mud at the wall or are you really serious?
How many rappers do you think are out there right now
looking for record deals? How many are looking to be
"hooked up?" How many rappers firmly believe
that they are the best, most amazing creative talents
living today? Answer. All of them!
I'm not here to put you off. I'm here to get you to
be smart about how you present yourself to the music
business.
Can I give you some real advice? Put yourself in the
position of a record label, a music producer or an A&R
guy and ask yourself, "What would I need to see
or hear that would blow me away so much that I would
have to take a meeting, or get in touch with an artist
with a view to taking it further?" Please be honest.
In other words...
- How different are you musically?
- What are you doing from a marketing
standpoint that is actually making you stand out from
the herd right now?
- How many CDs are you selling on your
own?
- How professionally are you presenting
yourselves to the industry? (Because believe me, an
email that says "Hook us up dude" ain't professional!").
If you are part of a group, you need to position yourself
so when a music business professional steps in, there
is every reason to do so. Ask yourself if a record deal
is the right answer for you? At some point it may be
but once again ask yourself,
"What do we honestly have that would make a
record company jump up and down over us right now?".
There are a million bands looking for a deal. Why should
YOU deserve one? Why are you different? Because it's
YOUR band and you are in it? Because all your friends
say so? Because you don't want to get a proper job?
Not good enough!
You get one shot. Be ready!
The point is, I'm not here to discover you. You are
going to have to do some serious thinking, research,
and intelligent planning about what your future really
is, in a very real sense. To be discovered is rare,
and frankly, the old model. These days one has to simply
put oneself in a position of strength if one wants to
succeed in the category YOU have chosen. So here is
what I would suggest:
The music business takes notice when it 'smells' money,
so give them something to smell. And by that I mean
this:
1) Learn exactly how the music business works. Buy this
book, All
You Need To Know About The Music Business. You HAVE
to understand the business, if you get this business,
people in the business will get you. Trust me.
2) Learn how you can promote yourself. Do everything
you possibly can. That includes online and offline.
3) Stay on top of current music trends. Know who's hot,
know who's dropped and know exactly where you might
fit into the marketplace. Read Billboard
online.
4) As a hip hop group it would pay for you to be associated
with a credible record producer. When and only when
you are ready, you should seek out the right person
for you. Google and Facebook are great places to start.
5) Read every article in the A&R Online article
directory. Now go do it!
6) Good luck!
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