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How To Get A Record Deal - How to submit your music to a record label.

For decades the music industry has always been a volatile, and ever changing game, that can seem scary to musicians who are barely starting out. While getting signed to a label isn’t the only way to make a living off music nowadays, it is, however, a good way to get connected and not have to worry about the messy business side that comes with making music.

But how exactly does an upcoming independent artist get the attention of these big industry labels? Labels that have been around for decades and seen it all? While there is no straight path in the world of music, these are the most basic and important tips to help you be on your way to getting signed.

How it works
record label a&r

Have a Quality Product (Good Music)

While this may seem like a no brainer, it is the most important factor when it comes to getting signed. Make sure you make music that is well written, produced well, and can be easily marketed. It is important to know how to market your music. Unless you are purposely trying to make your music sound like it’s being recorded on an old cassette player, labels will not even consider a song that is not produced well. After all, when it comes down to it, labels are looking for artists that will make their business money. A couple ways to make sure you have a good product.

Many artists don’t feel like this is important when it comes to making music, especially when it comes to mastering. Although “good music” is subjective, there are still many standards that songs must follow, especially if you want your music on Spotify or on the radio. Mixing and Mastering is a good way to ensure your music sounds great, is up to standard, and is like the cherry on top of a sundae.

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Label A&R Executives

1200

Spotify Playlists

55821398

Active Monthly Listeners

Get your Music Mixed and Mastered

Many artists don’t feel like this is important when it comes to making music, especially when it comes to mastering. Although “good music” is subjective, there are still many standards that songs must follow, especially if you want your music on Spotify or on the radio. Mixing and Mastering is a good way to ensure your music sounds great, is up to standard, and is like the cherry on top of a sundae.

Create an Online Presence

Creating an online presence shows labels that you’ve been around, have a following, and that your project is easy to find. There are several ways to build your online presence, and Avenuear is one of these tools to help you build some leverage to secure a record deal.

Social Media

Having a good active social media presence is something labels will definitely look at. They want to see how much of a following an Artist has, and how they interact with their fans. A label will not want to send someone on tour that doesn’t even have a local following. Plus, it shows the label that you are engaged with your fans and that you actually have experience doing shows.

Have a website

A website is a vital part of an artists’ image. It’s a great place for labels to go and find all of your information at once. Make sure it looks professional and has a layout that is easy to follow. Using platforms like Wix or Squarespace is a good way to start when building a website.

Post videos on Youtube & TikTok

An easy way to reach a large audience is through videos. Viral videos, especially on Tik Tok, have increased in popularity over the years. Music videos are a gold mine for views and a great way for people to engage with your music.

Make sure your music is on streaming platforms

Having your music on platforms like Spotify, Bandcamp, Tidal, and SoundCloud is very important. How else will labels listen to your music?

Build a solid press kit

The press kit is like an artists’ resume or portfolio, it’s the first impression and is important when trying to show the world who you are. They contain information like articles, songs, artist bios, and any big shows an artist might have done. Websites like Canva are free and have many different templates to choose from.

Do research

Find out who’s managing your favorite artists, and what labels are in the scene that you are interested in. It becomes pointless when a rock band tries to get the attention of a label that solely signs rap artists. Some labels even have ways of submitting music on their websites. Find out what labels are interested in receiving new music and what labels won’t even listen to what you send.

Use AvenueAR

Avenue AR connects you with real life industry professionals that are interested in seeing what’s out there. Avenue AR will show your music to artist representatives, across all genres, that have been building connections in the music industry for many years. They will even provide feedback, and tell you what labels are looking for when signing a new artist. This is a great opportunity for artists that have a product that’s ready to be shown off.

Build a solid press kit

The press kit is like an artists’ resume or portfolio, it’s the first impression and is important when trying to show the world who you are. They contain information like articles, songs, artist bios, and any big shows an artist might have done. Websites like Canva are free and have many different templates to choose from.

Step 1

1. Submit your music to A&R and record label executives on avenuear.com 2. Make sure that the music you are submitting is produced well, has great writing, and sounds completed… Today the music business has more competitive than ever before so make sure your demo is presentable… 3. Build a fan base on TikTok, and Spotify using playlists like TikTok unsigned or AvenueAR… 4. Be sure to have you music distributed properly through SoundOn powered by TikTok… 5. Publish your music video on Youtube and grow your channel by sharing your links to all of your contacts, subscribers and followers…

Step 2

2. If you are capable of producing your own music, then do so. In the event that it’s too challenging for you to make a good beat with a melody you may want to try Rapchat.com Rapchat is the easiest way to record and make music. Used by 7+ million musicians around the world.

Step 3

3. You may want to hire a professional recording studio or record it yourself at home. Many musicians use a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) to produce, and record their musical works. Bandlab is the perfect way to get connected and make music. Once you have your DAW of choice, you will need to use plugins to make your recording sound professional. I highly recommend WAVES AUDIO. Their plugins are the most professional for sound recordings. If you need a little help with making your voice top notch, try Tune Real Time.

Step 4

Now that you have a song ready like this one, follow the below instructions.

In order to catch the attention of a major or independent record label you will need to have really good photos of yourself, or your band. Nowadays, your mobile phone is totally capable of capturing high resolution photos that are acceptable to use publicly. It’s time for you to create a professional bio that explains who you are, what you’re about, why you chose to do music, what your true passion is, and why you feel you should be a star, in other words your full story. Music executives like to sign artists, writers, and producers who have a great story, and can give them a strategy that they can market. In my 20 plus years behind the industry, I found that the biggest artists, have big stories. Package yourself like a brand giving a big picture business model. Take the time to study the brands of the world like FUBU. FUBU was created by Daymond John, Jay Alexander Martin, Keith Perrin, and Carl Brown. Daymond was the visionary because he had the original big picture idea. His vision was to create an apparel line that catered to the hip hop community due to his lack of being able rap, or sing. For Us, By Us, means for the community, by the community, or For Hip Hop, By Hip Hop. This still is, and was, an amazing idea! So amazing, that it left a legacy in the world, not just the industry. Look at yourself like a brand. You may not have a big story yet, but you will soon. Most independent musicians are spending time posting on social media, buying Spotify users/plays, youtube subscribers, tiktok curators, and SEO. This only works if you’re trying to appear bigger than you currently are. Why would you want to do this? It won’t attract anyone! Actually, if a label executive found you this way, they would first reverse engineer your wannabe strategy, and then, black list you for blowing smoke up their skirt. Why don’t you try getting the attention of a label executive by creating great music, telling a unique story, and keeping it transparent. Trust me on this one, most of my friends and colleagues are entertainment executives. We appreciate good music and integrity. Imagine if you met a stranger that painted a false picture of themselves and was asking you to make an investment into them. Would you do it? Nope!

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