A diseased industry (part 2)

I have been reading a few books and articles about the music industry and they all have a long list of do's and don’ts. The common theme is the work involved. All of these articles and books lead up to the work that is necessary to be successful in the music industry. And they are right! There is a lot of work involved especially for artists.

The first step for an artist in preparation for the work is responsibility. Taking responsibility for the good and the bad is a necessity. You have to realize that it is your dream and while the dreams of others may coincide with your dream, the things you want are different from the things others want for you. In other words, an artist wants to record an album, gain major exposure and ultimately become a star. The artist's manager wants the artist wants to record an album, gain major exposure and ultimately become a star so he can collect his percentage and become an A list manager. This is something the artist must understand. Unfortunately, this is why a lot of up and coming artists feel jaded when things don't go right. The key to staying on track for an artist is to continue to drive even when you have people in place that take on responsibilities involving your career. This type of responsibility is one of cures for our currently diseased industry.

I receive email and twitter messages daily asking about how to get a record deal or will I sign this person. The answer is always the same “NO.” You would think that as a label owner I would welcome artists asking to be signed, but contrary to popular belief; most artists asking have not done the necessary work that leads to landing a deal. The best way to get is deal or get the attention of a label is to not need a deal or a label. The days of sending in demo tapes and talking about “what could be” are over. Labels want artists that have done the leg work, built a following, made professional recordings and already doing shows. As a label CEO, I am looking for an artist that has taken it as far as they can so that my label can take them further.

More to come…