Songwriter Advisor Blog

Record deals through major labels or independent record companies are definitely within reach if that’s what you’re after. When chasing record deals, there are several ways you can prepare yourself to gain a competitive edge over other artists before you begin shopping your demos.

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!

When the music industry refers to a musician as having an original style, it’s usually because that person has distinguished themselves by daring to be different, by consciously trying not to sound like any other musician, and by working hard to let their talent develop naturally. As a songwriter, if you really want to be successful or at the very least, musically appreciated, you should take it upon yourself to consciously try to be original. 

“Being original” in songwriting can mean anything from writing totally “off the wall” songs, to merely having a knack for amazing rhymes and wordplay, to having a certain cool vibe among so many other possibilities.  There are literally an infinite number of possibilities to make yourself a unique songwriter.  In other words, you can have your own “signature sound” by learning songwriting, and allowing yourself to develop naturally while searching for your unique voice.     

With a little patience and persistence, it’s fairly easy for anyone to learn songwriting basics and apply them quickly to your own original compositions.  Regardless of the songwriting genre you prefer, whether it be Pop, R&B, Dance or otherwise, once you have the basics down, at some point you’ll probably wonder “if, when, and how” you will develop your own, original style.     

To set yourself apart from the rest of the bunch it’s absolutely imperative that your songs stand out far above the rest.  It’s important to realize there are many great songwriters competing with you either locally or nationally, and that those songwriters are your direct competitors.  As a musician, I prefer to think of them as “friendly competition.” 

Songwriters who are your friendly competition hold so much valuable information in their heads and most of them are willing to share their knowledge through workshops and while networking through local and regional songwriting organizations just to name a few.  This is why it’s important to get out there and show your work and exchange tips and ideas through whatever type of worthwhile medium you can find.  The more influences and information you have, the easier it will be to find your own, unique songwriting style.

All songwriters have what I call a unique perspective of music, therefore they naturally and instinctively have their own inner music voice.  We all develop different “likes” and “dislikes“ when we first begin to hear music during our childhood years.  What happens?  Here’s what happens as your musical taste evolves; the music you know and love (likes) is absorbed into your brain and becomes an integral part of your being, whether consciously or subconsciously, and your mind filters out music you don’t like (dislikes).

Then, when you begin learning about songwriting, your musical tastes and influences become splattered into your songwriting like paint to a wall!  Oh, it might be a little messy at first but as you keep working hard on your craft the mess soon appears to become an actual work of original art!   

One last, important point to remember; every musician on this planet has been influenced by another musician before them.  The key to eventually being original lies in using those influences to help guide you into new, undiscovered territory!