Getting Signed

I imagine that if your reading this blog you are more than likely a musician who hopes to find a way to get that ever-elusive opportunity of signing with a record label.  I’m going to give you some very important pointers that you will need.  For the sake of time, we’ll skip the part about how your band needs to not suck. I am going to just assume that those of you paying attention already have what it takes.

Promo Materials

If you want to get noticed you have to be visible. You aren’t going to be noticed unless you get heard and seen, a lot. Get an electronic press kit together. I cannot stress the importance of good photos enough. When I’m searching for a new act to sign, I pass on at least 99% of what I come across without even listening to it. The reason is that I, like every other professional looking for new talent, know that if the act doesn’t take themselves seriously enough to get good photos, then they have no shot at success.

Cliché photos of your band looking angry or away from the camera are bad. What’s worse are the groups who take their promo shots dressed up in costumes, playing with toy guns, or Photoshop themselves to make it look like they are walking on water. Goofy gimmicks only send the message that you are too immature to handle the recording budget or a professional tour.

Spread

Once you have your EPK ready. You need to spread it like plague. You have free advertising access to the entire world through the Internet. Sign up for every social network you can get your hands on and ALWAYS leave a contact email address. You should have a seperate email address listed as being specifically for inquiries from booking agents, managers, publishers, and labels. I have personally been interested in a couple of artists that I literally could not find because there was no way of contacting them. I don’t think I’m alone when I say that, as a professional, I don’t feel comfortable sending you a MySpace message that will get lost in the pile of fan mail. Weeks or months later, you’ll notice that message in the inbox and come running to the label with open arms, only to find out that somebody else got your spot. No label, even a major, has the money to sign everyone they like. So, get ahead of the crowd.

Don’t just wait for labels to notice you. Go after them. Send your EPK to the ones that accept unsolicited materials. Yes, some labels do accept unsolicited material.

In fact, you have my permission to send your stuff to ArchetypeRecordsLLC@gmail.com. If you reference this blog in the subject line I promise that somebody at the label will listen to your stuff. You’d be pretty dumb to pass up that opportunity.

EPK submission is the same as job hunting. For every 150 EPK’s you send out, you’ll get one phone call or email. For every 20 phone calls or emails you get, one will pan out to something that helps your career in one way or another.

It’s a long road but it’s worth the effort. It just takes a little bit of work every day.