Copyright © 2005 Ty Cohen
Music Contracts Online
http://www.MusicContractsOnline.com
How to Get Noticed By Those
Who Can REALLY Help Your Music Career!
As you or your band performs, be it from club to club around town
or nationally, there is usually one thing lingering in the back
of your mind...
How do you go about getting that one big break that will push you
ahead toward greater recognition and success artistically?
You know it happens to artist and bands all the time. That time
could come soon for your group to break out of the local scene
and land that recording contract or national tour that will get
you on your way to greater success.
You know there are tried and true methods. Having a great demo
or being interviewed on the local radio shows at once seemed like
a good idea. But times have changed in the music industry. In
this article, we will discuss some up-to-date information and
inside tips on how to get noticed in this tough business, in
short I'll give you some info that will literally place on the
music industry radar screen. The knowledge that I'm about to
share with you will work for any and everyone: Songwriters,
Singers, Musicians, Rappers and for all genres of music: Pop,
Rock, Rap, Gospel, R&B, Jazz, Grunge, Country and everything in
between!
Where are the Scouts?
You have had the thought run through your mind as you perform for
an enthusiastic crowd in a club or bar. Are there music industry
scouts in this crowd? Maybe you just laugh it off but you have
heard that they are out there watching bands like yours and
signing the talented ones to develop into stars.
What you have heard is true. Industry insiders tell us that now
more than ever, scouts are everywhere. You may worry that you
are not living in one of the big "music industry towns" like New
York, Chicago, L.A. and Nashville but that isn't important.
Remember, Seattle wasn't on the map before grunge hit and they
found Sir Mix A-Lot and for you Rock Heads, Kurt and Eddie.
But what if you don't always have the biggest audience in town.
Well, some of the biggest acts in the music business were
"discovered" playing to a small and intimate crowd. If your
performance is strong and you are getting good word of mouth,
the music industry scouts will find you and check you out. So
perform every night like they are out there because there is no
reason to believe that they are not.
Go Get Them
But you don't have to sit around and wait for them to come to
you. The new "hunting grounds" for bands and talent are well
known to the insiders. Once you know who it is that is feeding
the information to music industry scouts and agents, you can
learn the tricks of the trade to feed information about you or
your band into that system. Here are a few of the newest methods
and venues you can use to get yourself noticed:
* Perform, Perform, Perform. These days the local club scene
is the most important way to get noticed. Don't wear yourself
out chasing agents or scouts. If your performances are
strong, that will create a buzz and the word of mouth will
get you noticed. Then the scouts will come to see you rather
than you having to go and chase them.
* Build your relationship with your audience. Insiders tell us
that scouts will come to a show for a musical venue they don't
even understand. If you are doing something bold and new
that they are not able to evaluate musically, they will go
by the crowd. If your audience responds with excitement and
enthusiasm, that is what gets the eyes and ears of music
executives. So pour yourself into the people for whom you
are performing. That's what you love to do anyway so it's
an easy way to get noticed and the right way too.
* Build your local network. Industry agents know club owners
and booking agents for local events very well. If you have a
strong reputation with them, they will pass that information
along to the scouts who are looking for new talent.
* Indie (independent) labels are also a rich source of
information for the larger recording houses to find out
about up and coming bands. You may have indie labels near
by so get to know them and get them to your shows so when
they have a chance to connect you to a scout, your band is
on their list of hot new acts.
* Never miss a chance to network but look for innovative ways
to advertise yourself as well. The internet has lots of new
and interesting sites that scouts are starting to watch for
new talent. If you have the resources, get a web page up
and get some MP3 samples of your performances out there.
You can easily set up a website using a service like
http://www.MyWebSiteMyMusic.com and you can also easily put
your music on your site or anywhere else online, even in
emails in MP3 format using a service like the one offered
at http://www.ListenToMyMusicOnline.com .
The services offered by these two websites are extremely
inexpensive and so simple to use, a 5 year old could do it, yet
they will have you looking like a music industry professional in
no time at all.
Is the Demo Dead?
>From what we have learned so far, you would think the demo is
ready to go into the hall of fame as an out-of-date tool. But
the demo tape still has some real value to you. The best demo
is one that showcases not only your musical skill but the
personality and the performance skill of you or your band.
If you can have someone put a demo together from one of your
performances, that gives an agent or scout a bit of a feel for
what to expect from you when he comes to see you.
So treat the demo as part of your bag of tricks but it isn't the
thing that is going to seal the deal. If a scout likes what he
hears or at least his curiosity is peaked, he will then seek out
ways to see you live. Then we are back to the club atmosphere,
your relationship with your crowd and your performance. Those
are the things that will get you noticed in a way that will lead
to bigger breaks. Look at the demo as just the hook with a
little bit of bait on it. You can also use your demo on your web
page along with some video footage of your live performance to
showcase the excitement of your shows. Remember both
http://www.ListenToMyMusicOnline.com and
http://www.MyWebSiteMyMusic.com offer some of the best services
in the industry for doing this.
Video Didn't Kill the Radio Star
Radio used to be the primary medium for distributing information
about new acts and for getting your music played and noticed.
But changes in ownership of radio stations and in how they are
programmed have changed that too. The radio station is no longer
a significant communication channel for you to use to get on the
music industry radar screen.
A lot of factors have dropped radio off the radar screen for
getting noticed. Airplay is not as much of a factor as it used
to be when there was a lot of diversity in radio. Radio is
nearly a monopoly with all of the play list decisions made by one
central national firm. So if you think that any one individual
at your area radio stations makes airplay decisions, you should
revise that opinion because they do not. This little insider tip
alone can save you huge amounts of wasted energy and frustration
when trying to get noticed.
But don't worry, scouts and music industry agents know they will
not find the new, the innovative and the creative music on radio.
They have turned from it to use local networking and club
performances as their radar screen for new talent.
You do the same. Do not concern yourself a great deal with local
radio coverage. Even college radio is virtually a dead venue
for getting noticed in this new market. Focus on where the real
contacts are being made today, through local contacts, word of
mouth and above all club and local festival performances. Other
good habits include using music industry contact directories like
the one found at http://www.MusicBizPhoneBook.com which list
contact information to over 20,000 important people in the music
industry.
It's all in your network and what is happening on the street
that will make the difference between you getting noticed or
not. In a way, that's the way it always should have been,
having the focus placed on your band talent, performance skill
and live shows. That is where your strength is anyway. Be a
savvy marketer and use this knowledge to raise the awareness
of your band, your talent, your songs and your performances.
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This article was written by Ty Cohen,
the music industry's most recognizable voice!
Ty is the C.E.O of Platinum Millennium Publishing and
Platinum Millennium Records as well as owner of:
http://www.MusicContractsOnline.com and
http://www.MusicBusinesSuccess.com
To find out more about Ty Cohen, his services, products and how
he may be able to help you succeed in the music industry go to:
http://www.MusicBusinesSuccess.com and sign up for his free
limited edition music industry success 10-part "Mini-Course",
it will work wonders for you and best of all, it's FREE, but
EXTREMELY VALUABLE!