Making it Big in the Music Industry

The days when artists would get million dollar recording deals are long gone. After the digital age took over the world, record sales dropped dramatically because most fans opted to download one or a few songs from their favorite artists through iTunes or Rhapsody, instead of buying the whole album.

Having this technology available is great for fans because instead of spending $15-$20 on an album, now they can buy the songs they actually like from the album by downloading them on places like iTunes or Rhapsody. This development by itself has hurt record sales tremendously because artists that used to sell thousands of albums are now scrambling to meet the demands of their record labels as far as sales.

So how can you capture the attention of record labels when they themselves are having problems keeping their sales up with their established artists? It is an important question to ask yourself in order to know what you need to do to get closer to getting a recording deal.

First of all, recording labels will always pay more attention to an artist that knows his or her place in the industry. By this I mean that as an artist you should know what type of music suits your talent the most. If you sing rock music and the tone of your voice is adequate for that genre of music you have a better chance of getting the attention of a record label than if you try to fit your skills to a genre of music that really isn't the right one for you.

Often you see people that have great talent but because they are trying to sing or fit in a genre of music that doesn't suit them, the overall image as an artist doesn't make sense. So, stay true to yourself. If you are country singer, don't try to get in the R&b-Soul industry and viceversa.

Once you find your niche, whether it is Hip Hop, Rock, R&B, Pop or any other style, make sure that you work on mastering your skills in that genre. Record labels most of the time just care about how much money they can make and how marketable the artist is, so if you want a real shot you have to have a good image, talent and work on your social skills. Charisma takes people a long way, so work on those aspects.

If you are planning on recording an album or demo, make sure that you record it with people that know and understand your genre of music. Don't record at a studio that is known for recording rock music if you are looking to record country, find a studio or producer that likes the type music you make so things flow better and there is a mutual understanding on what the final product should be like.

Once you have your demo or album, use networking tools to promote your music. Myspace, facebook, hi5, twitter are some of the most popular ones but there are many others that are good as well. This will allow your potential fans to give you some feedback and this can be a platform to meet other people and even get gigs to perform your music.

Today record labels are looking for artists that are already savvy as far as performing and networking, so if you get this down your chances of impressing a record label are higher. Many artists have built a name for themselves by spreading their music on social networks like Myspace and this could be you as well.

If you want to take it to the next level and want to sell your music online, don't hesitate to do it. Recording labels are more inclined to giving deals to artists that already have a track record of sales, so if you can, you should sell your music on iTunes and Rhapsody.

Selling your music may sound complicated but it really isn't. Places like CD Baby are great companies that help you distribute your music for download on different places. All you do is submit your music, pay like a $35 fee and they take care of the rest.

Follow these steps and create a name for yourself in your community, show the recording labels how charismatic, talented and hands on you are as an artist. Before you know it doors will open and slowly but surely you will have one foot in the music industry and potentially get the recording deal you've been looking for.

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