Archive for August, 2009

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Promote Your Music Band Yourself By Increasing MySpace Plays And Get More Fans, Gigs, And Get Signed

Wednesday, August 12th, 2009
Clive Calvin asked:


Having a consistent and deliberate music promotional and marketing campaign is probably the most important thing you can do to increase the odds of your band or artist being recognized and successful.

Myspace music promotion and online music marketing is the key to any band and artists success. If your looking to promote your band or artist and get your Myspace music player to have a higher song play count and major label type music promotion you have many more opportunities available today than could of been imagined just a few years ago.

Increase your myspace song plays and views using a do it yourself Myspace Plays increaser software to have total control of your music promotion for your band or artist.

If you’re an artist or band, music promotion is a area of you must focus on.

Creating great music is crucial, but the music business is just that… a “business”. The competion for potential fans is greater today than ever before. Promotion is the key to the success of any aspiring artist or band.

Talent will get you noticed, but promotion is what sells CD’s, digital downloads, gets you loyal fans and gets people to your shows.

Hiring a professional promoter can help jump-start your career. There are also services like TuneBoom Pro that will handle certain key areas such as Myspace Promotion. This is perfect as you might find taking care of your own promotion does not leave you enough time to actually be the artist. And for those that do have the time they even offer software to help you do it yourself.

Whether you use a myspace plays and views increaser software or a service to do it for you make sure that they have many “promotion packages” for aspiring indie artists and also experience working with many major artist’s, labels and managers.

if you’ve already recorded your music and offer your music as a digital download or CD, and if you’re ready to perform live on a regular basis it is crucial that you take a proactive role in your music promotion. Use them to increase and get more myspace music and video plays and promote your page so new fans will find you.

How do you get exposure to the largest audience on a reasonable budget? Myspace music promotion is the most effective tool a band can use to get a viral buzz started. By building up your Fans/Friends and having a active Myspace music player you will have a greater chance of getting noticed and standing out from the crowd.

It is important that potential fans and important music executives and venue booking agents do not come to your page and see a low myspace music player play count or they will get the impression that you do not have many fans and that you are not marketable.

Also make sure to keep all your fans informed of your performance schedule and other band info by using the “bulletin” feature and the section to post your upcoming shows.

This is a exciting time for the indie artist and band. You now have the exact same tools available to you that the todays top artist and major labels use..In fact by using TuneBoom Pro you are using the same service and company they use and they also offer new affordable promotional packages.

Get your artist and band noticed now by using these exciting proven promotional strategies and packages.

Things to look for in any myspace music plays and views increaser software or music promotional service include get myspace plays, get more plays, myspace music player, Increase myspace music plays, increase myspace plays, myspace friend adder, increase myspace plays, Band Promotion, Myspace Promotion, Promote my band, myspace mp3 increase, mp3 plays, Boost Myspace music plays, Get more Play.

If you focus on achieving all the above you will have a strong opportunity to get more fans to notice you as well and venues to book you and important music executives and insiders. If your looking to get attention and get noticed and signed by a record label these strategies are your tools to getting you to stand out.



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Music Contracts and Clauses

Sunday, August 9th, 2009
Ty Cohen asked:


There is no perfect music contract for every single situation. First and foremost, it is important that you have a wide variety of music contracts to choose from and that you and all parties involved understand the content within each specific music contract. There are hundreds and hundreds of music contract clauses to pick from but we are going to review some of the standards that should always be included. If need be, you can add clauses or take away where is needed.

1. Clearly define the time, date, amount of compensation of performance and have a signature from both parties.

2. Precisely define the expectations of the performance. What do you expect and what does the performer expect? How many breaks? How long should the minimum performance be?

3. Set the location, date and time. This is obvious but necessary so everyone is on the same page.

4. Payment. How will the parties be paid? Is it a fixed amount, percentage of door? When will the artist be paid? What is the method of payment? This is a crucial part of a music contract because after all, money can cause people to become angry if the terms are not unmistakably defined.

5. Identify who has the recording, reproduction, transmission and photography rights in the music contract.

6. A merchandise clause is always essential. Some venue have different terms for the sale of merchandise so this needs to be revised to match the venue they will be performing at.

7. If the gig is out of town, you need to define who will cover the cost of meals, transportation and lodging.

8. In a music contract, sound and production, how and who needs to be stated. Do you provide or do you allow your artist or band to choose who?

9. Acts of God are often mentioned to protect everyone involved. This includes weather and/or illnesses.

10. What if there is a cancellation? How will it be handled? Will there be a penalty? Cancellation policies need to be clearly defined in all music contracts.

11. Depending on the performer, royalties and licenses is a clause that needs to be added, especially if the work is copyrighted.

12. Next, in music contracts any specific requirements or restrictions directed toward the performer needs to be undoubtedly stated. Dress, language, smoking, drinking or anything along those lines.

13. If there is an agent involved their terms need to be included as well. What kind of compensation do they receive? Do they have any sort of obligations?

14. Finally, a clause for insurance and security should be written. Who provides or should have what?

Obviously, there are many more types of clauses that can be included in music contracts. These are your very basic but should always be included in your basic music contract. It is up to you to decide which clauses apply to each situation. But as long as everyone is clear on all terms then your music contract will be fair and of high-quality.



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How to Become a Singer and What You Can Do Today to Make it Happen

Sunday, August 9th, 2009
Gemma King asked:


So, here’s the main problem

When people decide they want to become a singer is that they simply don’t know what to do next. Even if you have the talent to be the next big star, getting noticed by a record company, or anyone in the music industry can be tough! Many wanna-be singers don’t have the ‘inside information’, or contacts that are needed to ‘make it big’ in the music industry even though they know they have the talent to go all the way!

Don’t let your dreams pass you by

Most people sadly let their dreams of stardom pass them by without ever doing anything positive or constructive in order to achieve their goals and end up regretting later in life! It’s so easy to get caught up in the corporate ‘9 to 5′ grind that dominates the modern world and miss out on doing what you really want to do. If you truly want to be a singer, believe in yourself and make that promise to yourself now that you will go for it. You will need to take positive steps, and the first positive step I want you to make is to read this entire article. I promise you won’t regret it!

First, I want to examine the top 3 ways in which many talented (and some not so talented) people, try, and fail to get noticed every year…

American Idol / X-Factor…

There can be only one American Idol / X-factor winner every year, and there are only a few people who have ever had a career longer than 1 year even after winning the competition. The person who came second is instantly forgotten. So if you are serious about a career in the music industry then you won’t want to rely on TV competitions to be your only way of getting noticed.

Demos that just get thrown away…

You can always send of stacks of demos to record companies and other people in the industry, but since everyone’s personal computer is capable of producing a ‘demo’ these days there is no real value in a demo these days. How is your demo going to stand out from the pile that these companies receive every single day? The reality is that most demos go straight in the bin when they haven’t even been listened to! Is it really worth spending lots of money on recording your demo when very few people will listen to it?

Auditions where you don’t get a chance to show your talent…

You could always go to auditions, however you are rarely given an opportunity to showcase your talent, as a judgement is made about your looks as soon as you walk in the door. Even if you are clearly the most talented singer on the day, if your look isn’t exactly what they are looking then you will be unsuccessful. These endless chain of auditions can get pretty disheartening after a while, and if you don’t live near a major city (and I mean New York, London or Los Angeles), it can get pretty costly to attend these auditions.

The thing is that record companies ARE always looking for the next big artist to come along, as this means lots of money for you and for them.

The problem is how do you get out there and get noticed…?

Imagine this…

You come off stage one evening, and one of the audience comes up to you and says, “Hi, my brother works as a manager for “some famous band” and he’s always telling me to look out for new acts that he might be able to manage. When I heard you start singing I just knew I had to tell him about you, so I phoned him up and let him listen to you sing, and he’s asked me to give you his number, can you call him tomorrow?”

So you gladly accept this number and call this guys brother up. You arrange to send off the demo you recorded a few weeks earlier when a couple of musicians who had seen you performing wrote some songs for you because they thought you were great! Your demo is now not getting thrown in the bin at the record company, but being passed around the bosses who want to see you perform.

You then get invited to perform for these record company bosses, and because you’re an experienced and confident performer, you give the show of your life and before you know it you have a record contract.

It’s all about making contacts…

Ok, so you’re probably thinking ‘that all sounds a bit too easy’ or ‘but surely it doesn’t happen like that in the real world’. Well, I’m 24 years old, and I’ve been a professional solo singer since I was 20, and I’m currently in negotiations with a company regarding my first album release. I’ve been offered three record deals in the past however I’ve ultimately turned them down due to artistic differences. However, all the contacts I’ve made over the last 4 years have come from being out there performing. I’ve met other singers, songwriters, agents, managers and like in the example I’ve used above, family members of major recording industry managers.

Now you can choose one of three paths…

You can do nothing about your dream, and look back in 20 years and ask yourself why you didn’t go for it when you had the opportunity!

You can take your chance applying for TV shows, attending auditions and sending off demos. But you know the reasons why these methods rarely work, even for the most talented singers.

You can put yourself out there on stage and perform, get yourself noticed, build up your contacts in the industry and make things happen for yourself.

Get out there and people WILL listen to you!

So I really hope you’ve gone for 3. Now make the decision to make it happen! What is stopping you?

‘I can’t just give up work, I need the money?’ - Of course you shouldn’t give up work. You can sing as much as your voice can handle or as little as you need to to fulfil other commitments you have! Oh, and you’ll probably find the extra cash handy too!

I’m still at school, aren’t I too young?’ - No way! School is a great place to do musical stuff. It’ll be really easy to get a band together and there will be plenty of places that you can play!

There are loads of ways to get yourself out there and work as a singer, I started out doing just a couple of gigs a month while I was working during the day, although after 3 months I was earning nearly twice as much from singing as I was from my day job, so I quit! Now, I spend my Monday mornings having a nice long lie in, rather than stuck in traffic!

People LOVE musical entertainment, here are just a few examples of place you can play!

Bars Hotels Casinos Corporate Events Weddings, Birthdays and other private parties Live Entertainment Venues

The list goes on…

There are also endless possibilities when it comes to your act…

A Solo Singer Part of a Duo Vocal Group Full Backing Band

You are really only limited by your imagination…

There is ALWAYS work out there for good singers!

The thing is that there are lots of people who are very average singers out there who earn a good amount of cash from singing like this…and the people who pay these people are fed up of paying for average singers and are willing and eager to pay great money to hire great singers like you!

There are loads of ways to get out there and make money but there is more to it than just going into your local live music venue and asking to sing! In the box below I’ll be looking at some of the things you’ll need to have thought about before you head out there on stage!

Here are some things you’ll need to consider…

Will you be a solo singer or a band? - It can be easier starting out as part of a band, but being a soloist also has some major advantages? Of course you can always do both!! What kind of music will you sing? - You can pretty much sing whatever type of music you want. But you’ll need to think about what type of music your audience will want to hear! Your first gig - an exciting and nerve-wracking occasion…and you’ll want to make it go right, how will you go about this? What kind of equipment will you need and how will you use it? - At a very basic level you need to know a bit about microphones and what is the right way to sing through a microphone…its very different to singing without one!!! How will you put your set together? - You can just go out there and sing your songs in a random order, but you’ll stun audiences if you take the time and put it together properly! How will you find work? - You’ll want to find an agent, and there are agents out there who will want you on their book, trust me! What venues will you be working in? - As a singer you will need to approach different venues slightly differently.

So there you go…just a few things to think about. Of course there are other things, rehearsals, what to wear, promotional photographs etc…

Unfortunately, most people just go out there and don’t even think about half the stuff that I’ve talked about, and end up giving pretty bad, poorly presented shows. Trust me, I often work with other singers and the vast majority of them are simply not very good! These singers quickly get themselves a bad reputation, get fewer gigs, and less money as a result. It’s a real shame when people who have great voices and fantastic potential fail to think about these easy to avoid problems, and basically destroy their singing careers before they even start!

Of course this can all be avoided!

In my spare time I work as a vocal coach, and I often get asked by my students how to go about starting a career in singing. I decided to write a series of articles. These proved very popular, and so I decided to expand them, add some new chapters and turn them into a website. So check out www.becomeasinger.net

Thanks for reading,

Gemma King



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Put A Music Video On Your Site - All Secrets Revealed !

Friday, August 7th, 2009
Ben Goldman asked:




If you are interested about how to put a music video on your site then you are no doubt already familiar with what an asset Web-videos are in getting your site noticed. Whether you happen to be an an experienced marketer, a plumber, or a travel agent - Webvideos are an effective way to direct visitors to your blog or website; more traffic means more followers or customers and higher profits… more sales and a larger email circulation, and more time spent browsing your website!

You need to realize that several principles, methods, and conditions are involved that you will have to study and get to know for you to be able to succeed on the internet through the use of this high-performing marketing tool. In the first place, you have to learn the method for transforming your digital movies to an internet display format (a new concept for the majority of site owners), what settings are best for viewers to fully appreciate your video, how to embed and how to know where to embed your webvideo on an existing web page to make it as effective as it can be.

So, if you find yourself interested about how to put a music video on your site, then don’t you want to know more about how at a very low budget you can create a video that can lead an impressive amount (millions, anyone?) of visitors to your site? Just picture having that much more business, and no, it isn’t just about youtube®… we’ll show you other methods to have that zero-cost traffic sent your way. You need to recognize, people have a preference for watching movies instead of just finding the expected written text, and this is an excellent opportunity that is not to be missed.

There’s really nothing to it, and it’s really not relevant if you are a computer expert or are just getting started with them, it’s just a matter of getting a simple and clear explanation of how to make this happen and then you can start enjoying your site’s new popularity. Even if you are only interested about how to put a music video on your site, take a couple of moments to browse this unique and absolutely free guide; it contains all the information necessary to start creating your own professional Web-videos including proven tips, unique techniques and special tools.



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Get the Most Out of Goal Setting In Your Music Career

Friday, August 7th, 2009
Ty Cohen asked:


As you may know by now, goal setting for your music industry career might be one of the best steps you ever take. Some people love planning and some people dread it but regardless of which category you fall into, you want to make the most out of it.

1. First, come to a conclusion about what it is that you want. You obviously have to know your goal before you accomplish it. Do you have a clear idea of what you’re going after? Hazy concepts about some day succeeding in the music industry or with your independent music can lead to useless actions. Detail your goal, such as, I want to meet X number of music contacts this month.

2.Then, write all these down. Don’t let them float aimlessly around your head. If you put them in writing, you are more likely to commit to them. If you want to meet 10 music contacts or book 3 gigs then write precisely that.

3.Don’t underestimate the power of a deadline. Deadlines have a way of motivating people to get it done. Setting time limits for yourself and your advancement in the music industry is an awesome way to make yourself achieve them.

4.Here’s the fun part! Write down what you will achieve from these goals. Will you turn a bigger profit from the sale of your independent music? Will you meet more people and end up socializing more? What will you gain from these goals?

5.Anticipate or plan for setbacks. Hey, we would never learn from our mistakes if we never failed. There will always be bumps in any road in the music industry. Whether it be unreturned calls from music contacts, rearranged schedules, mistakes at a show, it doesn’t matter. Pick up, move on and learn a lesson.

6.Identify people or things that can help you achieve your goals. Think about it, club agents, bookers, managers, media outlets, artists etc…The music industry is all about who knows who and who can help who so don’t be afraid to use these music contacts to accomplish your goals.

7.Once you have written all this down, the make a small list of your preliminary goals. For example, if your goal is go get your independent music heard then the first thing you would need to do is get the songs ready and get them recorded. Schedule time at a studio. Whatever the small steps are, get them out of the way first.

Now, you have made your list so you should have a clear and precise idea of where you are and where you want to go. You know how to get there and who can help you. Now all you have to do is take action. Get your independent music heard or meet some awesome music contacts. Where ever you believe you need to be, get there!



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Your Life is Music

Wednesday, August 5th, 2009
Olivier Detraz asked:


You made up your mind and decided to start a career in music. Congratulations! One realizes quickly that it is a challenge and the paycheck is not as regular with respect to other institutional jobs. Nevertheless my cousin is a violinist. He lived in Marseille, France last spring. One day he came back walking from the luthier, a maker of stringed instrument, who repaired his violin. He started playing on the street nearby the “Vieux-Port” area (the old harbor) just to test his violin sound. He did not pay attention of the few bars and the people around and soon realized he had money on his violin case. He stayed there for a few hours just for fun. He soon realized he could make a living. He could earn from one hundred-fifty to two hundred dollars in four hours. His only challenge was to use this money as it was made of all kinds of coins from one cent to fifty cents.

You never get a second chance to make a first impression says the adage. I recently read an article by Shaun Barrowes regarding “Starting Up a New Career in Music” on Ezinearticles website. According to Barrowes, “Getting your music known is absolutely your biggest challenge. First, make sure to get a good recording of your song(s). If you’re really serious about this, pay the money and get a professional recording studio.” You have the opportunity to win the audience and make your music heard. Of course there is a big “fan base for all genres out there” as S. Barrowes said, yet there is a process to follow on the road to your own success. Use the internet to promote yourself.

Again write good songs you might have to brainstorm and research topics and moods for your songs. Clearly define where you are. Paint a picture. Find your own genuine voice. Remember there is no right or wrong at this point.  Your songs are very important and they are a key. In order to work in your album, find the right songs. The right tone should be meticulously chosen.

List all your songs. Pick the best twenty tunes. Ask some musicians, friends, your producer, manager or an agent to grade each song from one to twelve. Add up each grade per song and group them per grade. You might end up with ten groups. Eliminate the last one and rank the best ten songs from the best grade to the least. You might have some challenges as one group might be larger than others. In this case you can reiterate the same process with the specific group with your musician friends in order to be more accurate. Your objective is to select a ten-songs album. You may add up songs later but at least you’ll be able to target a tone.

If you have trouble finding songs sometimes rewriting some lyrics on some melodies can help or even changing a verse or a chorus melody can do. Before starting this process pick your best ideas. Sketch out your lyrics before writing. I think the key is to find a catchy title for your songs. I always think that there are two kinds of songs. The ones we keep for ourselves and the ones we communicate. I would play the most commercial ones just because. But that’s me. Remember that you are trying to sell something to an audience. There is always space for one tune a little less commercial in an album but it has to be well chosen. And it is just one tune. Remember the exception confirms the rule and it can be applied here too. Again this is only my opinion and definitely cannot be taken as a rule.

It takes time to grow from the bottom up so enjoy the process. A little reminder, a good thing to do is to start building your fan base from the very beginning. Write down first and last names. Emails, phone numbers are crucial. You are only as good for promoters as your audience. Keep your listing up to date. From a small stage to a large audience there are many places where you can express yourselves and those people can be anywhere so carry a paper pad or the equivalent to collect this data. We did it and collected one thousand names in about one year as an example and this is only for a small band. Those people spontaneously wanted to give their information to hear more about the band. Of course you can hope to gather fifteen percent of this crowd for an event. That’s a good start.

Good luck and remember to have fun!



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Add Music Video To Your Site/Blog - The Shocking Facts !

Tuesday, August 4th, 2009
Ben Goldman asked:




If you’d like to find out about how to add music video to your site/blog then you have perhaps already heard how successful Webvideos are in getting your site noticed. Whether you happen to be an an internet marketer, a plumber, or a travel agent - Webvideos can lead large numbers of people to your site or blog; an increase in traffic translates to an increase in everything: selling more products, getting more visitors to sign up, and more people staying on your site!

The thing is that there are several principles, techniques, and requirements which you will need to get the hang of if you want to succeed on the web with this outstanding promotional tool. For example, you need to know how to transform your digital movies to web format, (a new concept for the majority of site owners), what settings are best for viewers to fully appreciate your video, how and especially where your webvideo should be embedded on an existing webpage for maximum results etc.

Now, if you are interested about how to add music video to your site/blog, then don’t you want to find out the specifics of the way to make a video at an amazingly low budget that can lead an impressive amount (millions, anyone?) of visitors to your site? Just picture having that much more business, and this isn’t limited to the youtube® route… there are other things you can do to get people to hurry to your website. It is important to note that most people would choose watching movies over always having to read, and this is an excellent opportunity that is not to be missed.

You don’t have to be a brain surgeon, and it’s of little importance if you are a beginner with computers, or are highly skilled with them, uncomplicated instructions and solid guidance are all you need to make use of this technology and your site will be worthy of all its new traffic! Even in the case you only want to learn about how to add music video to your site/blog, have a quick look at this no-charge tutorial; it covers all the information you should know in order to develop professional Webvideos including reliable tips and techniques and the tools you’ll need.



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The Cattle Call Musicals Audition and How to Deal With it

Monday, August 3rd, 2009
Jeremy Fisher asked:


Each year long-running musicals are recast and new musicals are written. You want to audition for a role in these shows but you don’t have an agent, and there are thousands of singer dancer actors looking for work. How do you start?

Every year, production companies run open calls. They are particularly useful if the show is new or in an unusual genre (grunge/folk/rock or Tuvan throat singing), if there is a serious lack of actors with the relevant casting requirements (ethnic casting or tightrope juggling), or if the casting directors simply want to know what’s out there at the moment. Open calls are usually advertised in the theatre press (The Stage newspaper in the UK is an example). The open call can be quite a demoralising process (not for nothing are they called “cattle calls”), so this article will help you prepare for them.

The first thing you’ll see when you arrive is a long queue. Depending on how popular the show is, the queue could be three times round the block, or just a small crowd. Be prepared to stand in the queue for several hours. Even 15 years ago, professional singer friends of mine were kept waiting for 7 hours on the auditions for nuns in The Sound of Music.

What should you carry with you? Your resume or CV and a photograph are essential. If the photograph is not attached, make sure that both the resume and photograph have your name and contact details on. Photographs and CV details often get separated, and it would be horrible if the panel remembered your face but then couldn’t find your contact details on the photo. A bottle of water is vital, and either a book or an mp3 player is useful to while away the hours.

You will give your name to the auditions usher or stage door manager, and the audition begins. You might have only two minutes to walk onto the stage, give your name and sing your song. If you’re unlucky, you’ll have 16 bars. If you’re really unlucky, they will ask you for your best single phrase. How do you deal with this?

Remember that the purpose of this audition is NOT to get the job! If you’re up against 1,000 people or more, nothing you can do will make you stand out enough to be offered the job on the spot. Your task is to be asked back for the invited calls, the ones that follow the public cattle call. Therefore your task is to appear professional, calm and focused. That’s it.

If you look professional (dress appropriately, perform to a good standard, interact well with the panel) you will be noticed. If you seem calm you will score points too - cattle calls are difficult situations with a lot of “unknowns” - like not know what time you’re actually going to perform, and a vast number of people breathing down your neck! If you are focused, you’ll be able to sing your piece to the best of your ability, and lock into the character immediately. Being focused really “reads” well on a theater stage, so the panel will notice very quickly how well you do.

When I’m coaching for the 16bar audition, the key is practise EVERYTHING. The walk in, the hello, the piece announcement, giving the pianist the music (or the backing track), the getting into focus, the 16 bars (decided beforehand, please!), and the exit. Everything is important, even the way you interact with the auditions secretary. I work to help you choose song extracts that show your best (and it’s not necessarily your loudest or highest), and to sing those extracts to the best of your ability.

Notice I haven’t said what you should sing! Ultimately, in a cattle call your choice of song is less important than how you sing it. I have been on cattle calls where actors singing the weirdest songs have been called back for the next audition, simply because they sang it really well. In a situation like this you want to stack the dice in your favour as much as possible. Take a piece you know really well - that way if nerves strike, and you will still feel secure in your song.

Panels find cattle calls just as horrible as you do, and believe me, they breathe a sigh of relief when someone professional, calm and focused turns up. Normally there are 3 heaps on the casting panel’s desk. Yes, No, Maybe. The only pile you want to be in is the Yes pile.

And if you give a clear, focused, professional performance and follow the rules in this article, you’re much more likely to get to sing in the next round and stay in the Yes pile.



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Introduction About Music Management

Monday, August 3rd, 2009
bela asked:


There comes a time in many musicians’ lives where they feel they need management. Remember, not only signed artists feel they need management, sometimes people in the independent music field feel this way as well. A manager is someone who, in a nutshell, runs the business side of the artist’s career in the music industry. An artist or band manager will play many roles. One role they fill is handling all the music contacts. These music contacts include club owners, agents, labels, A&R, promoters and many other professionals in the music industry. The manager may also handle marketing, promoting, tours, budgeting and booking shows. A manager may have to wear many hats so it is important to pick someone who is reliable and trustworthy. When searching for a manager, there are many questions you should ask yourself before settling on one particular person. 1. First, does this manager typically handle your genre or field of music? If you are an India artist, then make sure this manager is prepared to deal with the field of independent music. Are they more into hip hop while you have a more alternative rock feel? It is important to pick a manager that specializes in your genre. 2. Trust your instincts and ask yourself how trustworthy they feel after meeting with them. Are they just tooting their own horn or are they the real deal? 3. How are their references? Ask or call around to other music contacts to see what they say. Hearsay is important in the music industry, believe it or not. 4. How experienced are they? If they are just beginning their career then how well connected are they? But then again, they may put more effort into your band if they have something to prove. Make a list of the pros and cons of each. 5. Do you know anyone else that has worked with them? Find out how ethical they are. You don’t want to **** heads with your manager over ethics in the music industry. 6. What style of management are they? Are they go-getters or laid back? Talk to other artists who have worked with them, if possible. 7. Keep in mind that managers usually work for a percentage of what you make. Try to avoid a manager that asks for a salary. Having a valued and honest relationship with your manager is crucial. You want to be on the same page as your manager whether you do independent music or are signed. Make sure your manager is making the proper music contacts and truly believes in you. After all, you don’t want to work with, for or beside someone who doesn’t have your best interests in mind.

There comes a time in many musicians’ lives where they feel they need management. Remember, not only signed artists feel they need management, sometimes people in the independent music field feel this way as well. A manager is someone who, in a nutshell, runs the business side of the artist’s career in the music industry. An artist or band manager will play many roles. One role they fill is handling all the music contacts. These music contacts include club owners, agents, labels, A&R, promoters and many other professionals in the music industry. The manager may also handle marketing, promoting, tours, budgeting and booking shows. A manager may have to wear many hats so it is important to pick someone who is reliable and trustworthy. When searching for a manager, there are many questions you should ask yourself before settling on one particular person. 1. First, does this manager typically handle your genre or field of music? If you are an India artist, then make sure this manager is prepared to deal with the field of independent music. Are they more into hip hop while you have a more alternative rock feel? It is important to pick a manager that specializes in your genre. 2. Trust your instincts and ask yourself how trustworthy they feel after meeting with them. Are they just tooting their own horn or are they the real deal? 3. How are their references? Ask or call around to other music contacts to see what they say. Hearsay is important in the music industry, believe it or not. 4. How experienced are they? If they are just beginning their career then how well connected are they? But then again, they may put more effort into your band if they have something to prove. Make a list of the pros and cons of each. 5. Do you know anyone else that has worked with them? Find out how ethical they are. You don’t want to **** heads with your manager over ethics in the music industry. 6. What style of management are they? Are they go-getters or laid back? Talk to other artists who have worked with them, if possible. 7. Keep in mind that managers usually work for a percentage of what you make. Try to avoid a manager that asks for a salary. Having a valued and honest relationship with your manager is crucial. You want to be on the same page as your manager whether you do independent music or are signed. Make sure your manager is making the proper music contacts and truly believes in you. After all, you don’t want to work with, for or beside someone who doesn’t have your best interests in mind.



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Get Signed And A&R Interest - Get More Myspace Plays To Increase And Boost Myspace Music Marketing

Monday, August 3rd, 2009
Clive Calvin asked:


What does A&R stand for?

A&R is short for Artist & Repertoire. The term originally was used to describe the role of people at record labels who’s job primary role was finding and developing new talent.

This included getting the right material for the artist to perform if they don’t write their own songs, selecting and making the deals for the artist to work with the right producers, songwriters, engineers, studio, etc., deciding which of their songs are the strongest, and overseeing the making of the record.

After the record is completed, the A&R person often is also responsible for getting the other departments such as sales and radio promotion excited about the record so that they do their jobs well.

Today, A&R people seem to concentrate less on developing artists, and often look for artists that have “developed” themselves. A&R people are under pressure to find immediate hits, rather than finding potential hits and developing them.

How do I get my music to an A&R ?

The best way to get your music to an A&R person is to cause them to come to you. Make them notice you. One of the best ways, with the new online strategies availiable is to show them you have lots of fans going to you Myspace page.

They can see this with your Myspace music player and the amount of plays you have. The higher count the more they see you are popular.

Find a good resource is that offers you the same exact strategies to boost you myspace music plays and increase plays just like the major stars of today to get you noticed fast. In fact they probably have worked with many top artists, labels and managers.

And dont forget a large Myspace play count will get booking agents and managers as well to notice you which will allow you to build a fan base through constant touring and relentless self-promotion. With marketing, and selling your own CDs, you have a good chance to show up on the radar. It is much more powerful when they call you rather than you calling them!

Can you get through just cold calling? It would be very tough and unlikely. They get to many artist’s and managers pitching their music and if they stopped for every call they would not have the time to do any other work.

Send an unsolicited demo? It will most likely come back to you. A&R people are busy, and generally listen only to the material that comes to them from a trusted source such as a manager, publisher, or music attorney.

What makes an A&R person want to sign you?

Hit songs and “star” quality. You can increase your odds of getting noticed by doing your own artist development and proving that the public has a strong interest in you.

Let them see that your Myspace music player plays are high. It shows them you have fans that are listening and returning to listen again. It shows them you are popular and stand out from the crowd!

Now you can use the EXACT same strategies the Major labels are using for your promotional campaigns. The playing feel has never been more level for the independent music artist and band as it is now.

Use these strategies to get myspace plays and get more plays on your Myspace music player. If you increase myspace plays, and use other tools like a myspace friend adder you will increase your chances to get noticed now!



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