Advice for Musicians/Recording Artists

The life of a musician is highly competitive and far from easy, many bands are formed and split up in the span of a summer. For those that are determined to make a place for themselves in the music industry the first big challenge is making a name for themselves. It is to easy for a group or band to get lost in a sea of names known only to a few fans. Now, with the evolution of technology, it is becoming easier for musicians to find and connect with their fan base.

Unsigned Music Talent (http://www.unsignedtalents.com/) is a website dedicated to helping unknown bands get signed with record labels. This site has been around for three years and receives over 100,000 visits every week. They offer two membership levels both aimed towards giving groups and individual artists the maximum amount of Internet exposure possible.

The free membership level will allow a profile to be created, upcoming gigs and events to be announced, and one song can be uploaded and played once on the air. The paid membership ($39.00 per year) has all the same features except for one important bonus. Up to five songs can be uploaded to the site and your songs are put into rotation being played on the air. All musicians are considered for the top 10, song of the day, and song of the month. These titles mean heavy exposure on Unsigned Music Talent's entrance page and an increased chance to be signed by a record label.

Another site that is up and coming is Hot Local Talent (http://www.hotlocaltalent.com) and while it does not yet have the heavy traffic of Unsigned Music Talent it is fast on its way to becoming a popular site for musicians and those looking to sign musicians. The site offers packages to artists starting at a $9.99 monthly fee (with a one year contract) to $339.00 for all features offered on the site plus a credit for up to 2,000 text messages. Why does this site cost so much? The features offered are amazing!

In addition to being able to sell music and announce gigs Hot Local Music helps artists gain access to a variety of professional services. Online fan management allows musicians to create a database of fans and make ring tones featuring their music for fans. They can also text message fans with upcoming performances or other information. Musicians can also use online press kits, which include artist information, pictures, MP3 samples, full albums, and press releases; everything needed to gain the attention of a major record label.

The site also helps manage industry contacts and will allow the artist to create and manage their own online blog to keep fans informed of their news. Both sites utilize the most recent technology to help new musicians reach fans and other members of the music industry.