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November, 2006
 
The New Do-It-Yourself Model for Reaching Your Audience
Proving That You Don’t Need a Major Label Is the Fastest Way to Get Them Knocking On Your Door Hal Selzer What’s the quickest way to get a major record deal? By proving you don’t need one, of course! There are bands that still get signed by the traditional "shopping" of a demo by an established attorney or manager, but more and more, proving you don’t need them will get the majors chasing you faster than any other method of attracting attention. How do you do this? By getting into the marketplace and creating a name for yourself through shows, CD sales and a strong Internet presence. This may take a lot of work on your part, and even quite a bit of financial backing, but it can be done if you have the product, ambition, financing and time to spend working on reaching your goals. There is a famous story making the rounds about Sandi Thom, who signed a $1.2 million deal with RCA Records out of her basement in London, where she had been webcasting her lo-fi performances for several months and building up a nightly audience of 70,000 listeners. Let me dispel that myth right off the top. It’s not that easy. What people don’t tell you is that Sandi already had a publishing deal, and she had a major PR firm working with her to spread the word of the cyber shows. There are so many artists on the Internet that to think you could really start broadcasting to 10 people and have it grow to 70,000 in a few months is a bit beyond belief without the aid of marketing professionals. You really do need to invest in yourself, or find financial backing, in order to achieve the success you need to get to the point where you are attracting that kind of major label offer. What you need to do is get the best recording you can, even if it takes hiring an established producer or paying for a top quality studio, and then set up an Internet presence. By that I mean myspace.com, musicgorilla.com, sonicbids.com and as many sites as you can find that cater to unsigned artists. But how do you get noticed among all the other unsigned artists, especially now that even the major label artists have myspace pages? You’re going to have to put in a lot of time and legwork. Having a budget to hire a publicist is almost essential to getting your name out above the masses. Just like Sandi and the PR firm she employed, you need an "in" at the places where you need to publicize your presence, whether it’s live or on the Internet. Getting stories in newspapers and magazines to let people know to look for you is essential to attracting an audience. When you talk with your marketing professional, you need to have a "story"—a hook that will grab an editor’s attention. Something that appears newsworthy, whether it’s a charity you are involved with, a tour you’ve managed to get on with a name act, a local TV appearance, a live radio appearance, anything that will get you noticed. Yes, these things take time and money—resources that you could be using for creating music, the thing that you should be concentrating on to begin with. But with the "DIY" (do-it-yourself) mentality all the rage, it’s important to realize that it’s not going to be as easy as everyone seems to be saying. Without the two major resources needed (time and financial backing), it’s going to be a long haul. I don’t want to discourage you from your efforts. I just want you to go into your endeavors with your eyes wide open to the reality that it’s going to be a tough road. Finding management, or a producer, with a direct in at labels should still be a consideration in your overall strategy. You should explore every path and turn every stone so you have the best chance at succeeding in reaching your goals. If you have any questions concerning this column or any other music business topic, send them to me at: How To Succeed In The Music Business, P.O. Box 1422, Hightstown, NJ 08520. Or e-mail them to me at CaptainHal@aol.com. |