What are we NOT doing?

[raggie]

I’m in a band, we’ve been together for three years, we’ve done tours and get gigs consistently. We have a demo and more than enough songs to cut an album, but we’re still not getting attention from labels. We have a website, myspace page, etc. But I’m wondering what labels look for in a band. Ideas?

[masterbuilt]

Have you shopped a demo? They won't come to you, so you'll have to go to them. Don't shotgun your stuff, though. Get a copy of the songwriter's handbook and start checking listings that are taking submissions. Follow their guidelines to the letter and only submit to one company (label or publisher) at a time.

 

Don't burn any bridges because the shakers and movers in this industry are few and someone you make mad might be at another label you are trying to court in the future.

 

Good Luck.

[Heckxx]

Where is your website/myspace, can I check it out and listen to your music?

[Crazy88Fingers]

Basically they want someone that can make them lots of money with little or no effort on the label's part. Or so I've been told. They want a band with a good regional following, image, and marketable music. Take note that "good music" doesn't appear in the list. Also, you need to whore yourself out.

[Sudds]

Record your CD and sell it yourself at gigs, online, local music stores, etc. Forget about trying to get a record deal and get on with getting your music out there.

If labels can see that you're shifting units, they'll want a piece.

[sabriel9v]

Any music links?

[BlueStrat]

 

Record your CD and sell it yourself at gigs, online, local music stores, etc. Forget about trying to get a record deal and get on with getting your music out there. If labels can see that you're shifting units, they'll want a piece.

 

 

Bingo.

 

Labels don't care that your music is good, they care that it sells.

They don't care that you've toured; everybody and their dog has 'toured' (which is currently defined as anything from being on the road full time to playing a long weekend out of town). They care where you've toured and how much. And more importantly, what kind of an ongoing regular market presence you're making in a large area.

They also care about what your crowds look like, what the national and regional press has to say, and what kind of buzz you're creating.

 

No offense, but reading your original post your situation sound like ten or twenty other bands just in my small area, only a lot of them have two or three full length CDs out. Most have at least one.

[soundwave106]

 

I’m in a band, we’ve been together for three years, we’ve done tours and get gigs consistently. We have a demo and more than enough songs to cut an album, but we’re still not getting attention from labels. We have a website, myspace page, etc. But I’m wondering what labels look for in a band. Ideas?

 

 

Unless you are getting a heck of a lot of attention, big / medium / indie labels are not going to come to you. You have to show "sales" and "fan base" in order to get approached by these types of labels.

 

Assuming this is not the case, an alternative approach is to either utilize a small label, or start a small label on your own. Small labels are often far more receptive to smaller bands (sometimes including unsolicited demos); however, they will do a lot less for you in terms of handling marketing and whatnot. Small labels sometimes are worth your time, and sometimes they are not -- it all depends. They can help you reach an audience (some small labels really are half niche music catalogs in disguise) and they can be a pure waste of time.

 

I would not submit unsolicited demos to small labels purely for the "prestige" of being "signed". Many times, the band can market just as well or better than a small label, and at the same time retain much more creative control.

[bostonwal]

 

I’m in a band, we’ve been together for three years, we’ve done tours and get gigs consistently. We have a demo and more than enough songs to cut an album, but we’re still not getting attention from labels. We have a website, myspace page, etc. But I’m wondering what labels look for in a band. Ideas?

 

 

You haven't told us anything about your successes - songs/albums sold, sold out Saturday night headling slots, great reviews, airplay on the local segment of major local radio stations, etc.

 

EVERYONE has a demo, website and myspace page. That's almost like saying that you own a guitar and therefore you should be signed to a label.

 

There is a certain quality level that your music must meet. It's starts with having a real engaging vocalist - engaging for the kind of audience you're going for. Post a link to your stuff when you get a chance.

[Sudds]

 

You haven't told us anything about your successes - songs/albums sold, sold out Saturday night headling slots, great reviews, airplay on the local segment of major local radio stations, etc. EVERYONE has a demo, website and myspace page. That's almost like saying that you own a guitar and therefore you should be signed to a label. There is a certain quality level that your music must meet. It's starts with having a real engaging vocalist - engaging for the kind of audience you're going for. Post a link to your stuff when you get a chance.

 

 

Good points.

[primeelite]

What you need to do is continue what you are doing and network like crazy. Coming from someone who works for many major labels in digital marketing and worked as a talent scout, labels are not the solution to your problems. You would be surprised how many acts a label signs a year that never even get an advance or any type of exposure. I know of labels who have signed 4-5 bands in a market where they have an act coming out just to quiet the other competition in the area and give them a 20k advance (10k upfront and 10k at completion of album). So really the major labels and even large indies aren't the solution a lot of the time. If you are touring etc then you should be able to sell CD's and then it all comes down to getting press at each tour date and online/national press. Just think of yourself as a business and record label so you can go out and just try to make it for yourself and not have the end all main goal of being on a major record label because it isn't as great as many people say.

[missa]

Network in reality, not just on myspace. My practice space for instance has its own 800 number, and all the bands their own extension. Part of our rent includes a virtual phone system called Gotvmail which gives us a business extension. That way, venues and labels can reach a whole network of groups at one number. So we help promote each other. Venues dealing with other bands in our building have even found us through this network. Any means that you can collaborate with other groups helps all of you.

[ZERO HEROES]

 

I’m in a band, we’ve been together for three years, we’ve done tours and get gigs consistently. We have a demo and more than enough songs to cut an album, but we’re still not getting attention from labels. We have a website, myspace page, etc. But I’m wondering what labels look for in a band. Ideas?

 

 

Put the first album out yourself.

[raggie]

We've considered that, and that's looking like what we'll do. But we're already busting out asses with gigs and tours. The beauty of a label is they handle the distribution part, and the business end. Plus, we're broke.

[ZERO HEROES]

 

We've considered that, and that's looking like what we'll do. But we're already busting out asses with gigs and tours. The beauty of a label is they handle the distribution part, and the business end. Plus, we're broke.

 

 

 

If you're broke, it will be very hard for a label to consider your band. Labels like bands that have already starting making good money. You should consider asking the locals to invest in your band. LIVE did it with their first album, as well as us and many others.

 

You can hire a distributor to do the distribution, and they only take a percentage of what you sell so there are no upfront costs with using them.

 

Get a manager and they can take care of the "business end".

[daddymack]

 

We've considered that, and that's looking like what we'll do. But we're already busting out asses with gigs and tours. The beauty of a label is they handle the distribution part, and the business end. Plus, we're broke.

 

well, yes and no...they will cut a distribution deal, but it will be favorable to them, not neccessarily to you. And before you sign with anyone, get someone on your team to handle the business end, a good manager and/or a good lawyer (hard to find, but they do exist). The labels are not there to help you, they are there to make money. Be careful...the days of 'trusting symbiotic relationships' between artists and labels are long gone.

[ZERO HEROES]

daddymack is right. If anyone should be handling the business end, it should be someone on your side... like your manager.

[bostonwal]

The more broke you are the less leverage you have in any partnerships you have with labels, etc. And it's in that context that people sign their lives away and end up being another horror story about the music business. However, if you're broke because no one buys your music, labels will take that as a strong indicator that your material is not viable for making money and they won't sign you.

 

You mention tours and stuff. Clearly you might have strong demand for your stuff. Got a myspace address you care to share?

[Booya Tribe]

It depends on the label, but many indie labels DO in fact care VERY MUCH about the way the band sounds. Of course, many of them generally won't put out something they know is going to COST them money, but they are looking for quality music to release. Many of them are run by people who are very much into the genre of music which they release.

 

Also, although "marketability" is important to a label, there are real factors that go into making something "marketable." It is not like marketability is just some elusive thing that exists in a vacuum, unconnected to a band's actual existence, music, and activity. What makes a band marketable is that many people like them. What makes people like a band is somewhat elusive, but there are some tangible factors including the quality of songwriting, "sound," uniqueness or a "hook" (ie: not just being a genre clone), image/style, confidence, and overall cohesiveness of the band.

 

Look at the bands that stand out as your favorite. Don't they fill some or all of the above categories? They fill those categories because they are good at what they do in one way or another. Look at how you can get better at as many of those things as possible. You have to MAKE your band that band that everyone likes and is talking about. Top 40 bands have people who do those things for them (usually just ripping things off that they see from lesser known bands), but for the rest of us, it comes from our genuine effort.

 

You can tour all you want, but if your band is not one that sticks out, that wows the people who come to see them, that causes people to tell their friends about the amazing band they saw last night, then you aren't going to generate momentum needed to attract attention from labels. Just setting up shows and showing up to them is not enough.

 

Most people from labels got into it from being a music fan in the first place. They are connected to other music fans, and when they hear their friends talking about going to a show, or about a show they saw the night before, naturally, like anyone else, it catches their attention.

[Tele-vania65000]

I can tell you one thing you're not doing: posting a fugging link so we can hear what we're dealing with here!

 

[rockanomicon]

Are you original? Is your music worthy of attention? If not is your schtik worthy of attention? The way I see it, you either better have a good original sound or an original schtik, which ever you choose....it has to be fit for consumption.