In most every business, networking is not only the best way to have a chance to impress people with your talent; it’s usually the only way.  Think about it; it really is who you know, 99% of the time.  If you can’t get your foot in the door of the music business industry, don’t expect a record executive to come knocking on your door.

But first, if you’re serious about “making it” you have to put yourself in a position where the “it’s who you know” becomes a part of your daily goals; network, network, network!  You must take initiative if you want to be successful in the music industry whether you’re chasing a music publishing deal, record deal, or any other type of position in this competitive industry. 

Here’s a foolproof plan to get a publishing deal for talented songwriters:

1. If you are talented, you will be successful.  I spent a good part of a year hearing the same old thing from family and friends; the industry is too competitive, you’ll never make it.  To this day, I resent what a few friends and family members said, and yeah, I still love them, but I secretly hold it against them.  I made it because I made my own breaks while networking, but most importantly, because I could back up my words with my talent. 
2. Don’t ever let anyone convince you you’ll never make it; there’s no way to control their beliefs – I can only think of a few worse things in this world than family and friends who don’t lend moral support to musicians.  So keep pushing and start your journey with a positive mindset!
3. Look for the major players who are accessible in your local music scene, and find a way to introduce yourself.  These can be anyone from club owners to A&R Reps to entertainment attorneys.
4. Be consistent in getting your music heard so you stay fresh in the peoples’ minds and to keep your momentum going.  If you make a great first impression after inviting one of your contacts to watch you perform or (if you don’t perform) to have your songs performed, you can create a domino effect.  One industry person will tell another and so on and so on…
5. Don’t forget about the media; one great interview showing up in a weekly local entertainment newspaper can help you gain much exposure.  Tell them humbly how you wrote the latest song for that great local band getting attention!
6. Actively search for a personal manager or entertainment attorney.  Network, and be relentless in searching for the best one.  Be prepared to clearly explain your goals and have something to show a prospective manager in the form of a press kit, demos, or simply invite them to watch you perform live; talk yourself up in a big way and get him or her excited!  If you’re turned down initially, be persistent but not irritating, and if you have sufficient talent, you will eventually connect with someone.   
7. If you’ve networked enough you can find yourself writing songs for a local artist or band getting ready to break out in a big way.

Also, don’t overlook smaller music publishing companies; keep an open mind, and remember, many smaller publishing companies have grown into major successes.  

The easiest way to get a music publishing deal is to be relentless in networking and finding someone with power to represent your best interests, and this is why; your talents are more appealing to companies when you have someone representing you who’s trusted and believes in your talent enough to put their name and reputation on the line!   

This is an article originally released in the September, 2008 ”Tune Sleuth” newsletter, inspired by one of our reader’s questions that I found to be very helpful for other readers to enjoy!

Before using a songwriter demo service to record your original songs,be absolutely certain they are ready to be recorded by making sure you polish them with a rewrite. Also, test your songs out by singing them either a capella or with an accompanying instrument by yourself and in front of friends, family members, etc.  Taking your gut feeling and your listener’s reactions into account, it’ll be easier to decide if and which of your songs are ready to be recorded.

A songwriter demo is exactly that – a demo!  This is why they are and SHOULD BE far less expensive than a recording for a CD release.  Therefore, what you want to look for instead of a company promising you a “radio-ready” recording with all the bells and whistles, is a company that’ll be able to provide a clean, pro-sounding recording to give your song the best possible chance.
 
To find a great songwriter demo service you’ll need to start right in your own hometown!  Take the time to contact and visit studios performing these services in your area, ask to hear examples of their work, and try to establish some type of rapport or relationship with them so they can take you more seriously and not see you as JUST ANOTHER CUSTOMER.  

There are many studios offering excellent songwriter demo services but you have to do much initial legwork to find one that works for your songwriting goals.  This involves comparing several companies before making a decision. If you don’t have any companies offering demo services in your vicinity, then as a last resort you may have to consider an online demo service, but you should proceed with caution.

Songwriter demo services are very competitively priced these days and many offer flat rates with optional costs such as background singers, extra instruments, etc.  Starting rates vary from as low as approximately $100.00 to $800.00 per song, and you generally get what you pay for!  Recording is not cheap, and if you’re not a music producer or an arranger, remember, these companies try to provide all of these services as inexpensively as possible in one package! 

Beware, there are companies out there that give legitimate ones a bad name by drawing you in and charging you extra with each visit to cover what they say are their increasing recording costs.  Songwriters and other musicians have found themselves in a bad situation where they’ve literally spent hundreds with no decent product to show for it.  Negotiate a flat fee with a demo service, get it in writing, and stick to it!

Also, when you do find a songwriter demo service you want to try, it’s wise to commit to only ONE RECORDING AT A TIME.  Remember, this is a business, and demo companies need your business, so some will try to make you commit to more than one recording because it benefits them! 

Keep total control by recording only one song at a time until its completion-this way, if for any reason you are dissatisfied with your first recording, you can pick up and go elsewhere and you will not have needlessly wasted money on other songs.

Of course, the best possible scenario when recording your songs would be to do it yourself in your own home studio.  Recording setups have become increasingly more inexpensive and if you’re planning on chasing a professional songwriting career, it would be wise to try your hand at production even if it means being able to record only a piano or guitar/vocal of your songs.  By choosing this route you can actually save yourself the $1500 or so you would have spent on a three song demo, and instead use that to build your own songwriting studio in your own home!

Many amateur and pro songwriters have their own little home studio setup with some of the equipment or similar items shown on this page:
http://www.songwriteradvisor.com/build-your-studio.html

The only drawback to having your own studio is it takes few months to really learn your equipment and make effective recordings.  But in the end, it can be the best investment you’ll ever make in your songwriting career-you’ll never have to pay for a songwriter demo service ever again!

So what can you do if you’re a performing artist over the age of 24 who wants a major label record deal so badly you can taste it?  I’m glad you asked.  The following also works wonders for artists of any age, and puts you in the most favorable position when it comes to record deals.  Be forewarned;  you have to be aggressive but not overbearing, and you have to have the ultimate confidence in your dreams!

Here are the steps you can take:

1.  First, know exactly what genre your music fits into, and make sure the record label has an interest in exploiting that market.  You can research this and find out who’s hot and who’s not through major label websites as well as many other websites, through various periodicals like Billboard Magazine, and by networking and asking people connected to that particular label.  Once you know you have a chance to fill a void through a particular genre or you believe you’re the next greatest thing to Beyonce, record your 3 best songs and package your demo professionally.

2.  Next, you have to develop a working relationship through networking with someone who’s connected to a major label.  This means you should approach managers, entertainment attorneys, A&R reps, or anyone connected to a major label through music industry events, workshops, parties, and other social situations.  This one is extremely important!  No matter how good you are, if you don’t make the personal connection, you have a better chance of winning the Powerball lottery! 

3.  Once you’ve developed a working relationship (you met at Starbucks for coffee, etc.) you start working your way in.  Show your demo to your contact only at this point and let them know what your goals are in an excited, confident manner.

4.  Be careful at this point, too many people in the music industry including your contacts don’t have the heart to tell you they can’t do anything for you for whatever reason (i.e., it’s not good enough, they think their record label won’t like it, etc.).  So trust your gut feeling.  Your sole focus at this point should be to get that one person to believe in you.  If that person does not believe in you, maintain the friendship, but look elsewhere and repeat steps 1 to 3.

5.  Once you have a music industry insider believing in you as a performing artist, it’s time to pitch your demo using the information on this link.  If you’re a songwriter, remind them that you are, and really stress that fact proudly.  For quite a few years now, major labels have preferred self-contained artists because they know they can usually tie in their music publishing deals together with their record deals-yes, meaning more profit for them!  

Major label record deals aren’t easy to achieve but I assure you, they’re well within reach if you take the appropriate steps.

Independent record deals from established companies are no piece of cake either, and if you’ve noticed especially lately, they’re on the rise once again and certainly a fantastic option to successfully get your music out there. 

Now, go out and get those record deals and make us all proud to be your fans!

In today’s music industry market, you can’t just be talented or simply have great songs; there are too many people like you with comparable talent.  Recording excellent, CD release-quality material is now possible at a fraction of the cost compared to just a few short years ago, and the result is; more people recording=more competition!

For each music genre, there are also certain unspoken requirements artists must fill.  E.g., in mainstream music, whether it’s pop, r&b, or latin music, the majority of Major record label executives won’t even consider signing an individual recording artist over the age of 24! Oh, they’re not going to come out and publicize this, but it’s the sad reality, folks!  Their reasoning is it takes a couple of years to get a new act going and they want to appeal to their biggest customers; the young record buyers!  In doing so, the music industry (which includes radio stations) prevents itself from being able to offer us (the consumers) the best music out there.  Haven’t you wondered why most pop music these days is so devoid of any feeling whatsoever?  There’s your answer.

That’s not to say if you’re a recording artist over 24 you absolutely don’t have a chance to make it in the music industry, or that record deals are out of reach; there are always exceptions to the rule.  But to be one of those exceptions you have to already have some type of local, regional, or national following, or simply have unbelievable talent so record labels can see dollar signs in front of their eyes with very little investment.

For many musicians, record deals are not everything to them.  Some are perfectly content making a good living locally and indeed, many make a better living than you think!  On the other hand, record deals are the goals of many musicians, the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, and I can understand that.  If you choose to pursue a record deal, here’s the single most important secret in today’s music market;

YOU ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO BE ABLE TO PERFORM EXCELLENT, ORIGINAL MATERIAL LIVE WITH NO NOTICEABLE MISTAKES WHEN A MUSIC INDUSTRY REP IS WATCHING, AND YOU MUST PROVE TO THEM YOU HAVE A CERTAIN, UNIQUE, SPECIAL QUALITY THAT WILL SELL CD’S.  Remember, these music industry professionals make it their business to watch other musicians, so generally, they can spot special talent from a mile away. 

Of course the trick is also to get music industry insiders to come out and watch your show or to give you a chance to perform in front of them (even if it’s in their office), but that’s a whole different story, so we’ll leave that part for a future article. 

The biggest mistake you can make is to rush into an audition if you’re not ready to blow people away.  You will usually only get one chance; most first impressions last a lifetime!

So what can you do to prepare yourself?  Stay tuned for Part 2 of this series, but in the meantime, practice, practice, practice until you can play your songs, one by one, perfectly and with feeling!

The advice you’ve just read about blindly pitching your material to music publishers listed in various publications as “accepting unsolicited material” or even after getting permission through phone calls from various music publishers before sending $200.00 worth of demos to 100 different companies is what you should do ONLY AS A LAST RESORT!!!!!!

The secret to getting a real music publishing deal lies in how hard you want to work at exposing your music to the right people by relentlessly and shamelessly networking-IN PERSON!  Yep, that’s the music industry secret few people are mentioning. 

So, the same unjust and unfair scenario repeats itself over and over to very talented songwriters all over the world.  They hit a brick wall wondering why no one wants to sign them to music publishing deals.  They’re not misinformed, they’re simply not receiving all the information they need. 

Your goal when chasing any type of music publishing deal is to have the publisher or company representative  listen to your demo IN PERSON!

NOW YOU HAVE THE INFORMATION, AND HERE IT IS!!!

If you’re seriously going after a music publishing deal whether it be a single song agreement to a full-fledged exclusive (staff) songwriting deal, follow these steps:

1.  Research music publishing companies in your area no matter how small of a company you think they are.  Young companies can turn out to be a gold mine if they match your great songs with great artists who start out locally, then regionally, then nationally and/or worldwide.  Many success stories in the music business happened this way because these are simply the goals of most independent music publishers and record companies!

2.  Once you have a list of independent and major label music publishers, start calling people listed as contacts (such as A&R reps, etc.) in various music industry up-to-date resources such as The Musician’s Atlas or The Music Registry, and make real appointments so they can hear your music.  These people may be hard to contact but your efforts will pay off if you have the goods!  Remember, the music industry revolves around talent.  Believe this; the music industry is aways looking for talent and it’s your job to find out who in the company is presently trying to find that talent!!!!

3.  Once you’ve made some appointments, it’s time to hit the road with your demo packages  containing your masterpieces!  If your music industry contacts break or cancel an appointment by letting you know ahead of time (consider yourself lucky if this occurs), politely reschedule over the phone. 

If you’re standing at the reception area of a music publishing company and the receptionist tells you, “He/she is not available, just leave the demo here,” a big red flag should go up in your brain!  Don’t settle for hearing, “I’ll make sure they receive the demo, we’ll get back to you.”  Do your best to graciously decline and insist you’d rather give it to them in person, and, once again, do everything to politely reschedule.  You’ll be taken far more seriously .

4.  Once a music publisher or staff member has actually sat down to hear your demo in your presence, congratulations.  If you get a favorable response, you’ve made a contact!  One good contact can make or break you in the music business when you’re starting out.

5.  Now it’s time to use a “call to action.”  Don’t be afraid to ask the music publishing representative if they’re interested in your music.  You’ll usually get an immediate response.  If they say yes, you can start building your relationship further and more seriously by perhaps inviting them to see you perform,  or by asking them if you may submit more songs for consideration in the next three to four weeks.  This is how you build relationships in the music industry-by being straightforward and sincere.  When you feel like you’ve made some type of connection with the music publishing rep or the actual company, ask if they’re willing to offer you a music publishing deal.

If the music publishing company representative is not willing to offer any type of music publishing deal at the moment, and you have a gut feeling that they like something about you and/or your music, ask them if they can recommend another music publisher who might be interested in your music.   

If you’re right and they like your music, they’ll become worried and jealous that you’ll eventually go and find a music publishing deal somewhere else!  You’ll have incredible leverage.

6.  Repeat steps 1-5 and keep building relationships.  Be realistic.  If you build 1 solid contact every 2 months, you should have 6 of them in a year!  That may sound like it’s not enough, but chances are, each of those contacts has numerous contacts, and that’s where your networking comes in through attending industry events, workshops, parties,etc.  You’ll be well on your way to to a chance at having success! 

When you begin your song-pitching campaign, keep the following points in mind:

(a).  Remember, if you make it your job to find music publishing companies and you don’t make the mistake of trying to let them find you, your chances of success will go up dramatically.

(b).  Dress appropriately, and better yet, create a contemporary, unique image for yourself in the way you dress and carry yourself.

(c).  Don’t let rejection affect you negatively.  Virtually every major star has been rejected once or many times before they actually “made it.”  Accept constructive criticism and keep moving forward.

(d).  If you don’t live in a city with prospective music publishing companies, you’ll either have to make a trip to one of the major music hubs (In the US-Los Angeles, NY, Miami, Nashville, etc.) or use services such as Taxi to get results. 

(e).  Unless you’re a proven, successful songwriter, music publishing companies don’t generally sign songwriters to music publishing deals unless they’ve established some type of rapport or professional relationship with them.

Good luck!