Gibson Music Blog

Original Post From http://www.ultimatesongwriting.com

Let’s talk about how to get a record deal. After all this is what you want. Right? You’d probably do anything just to get one. One of the most important things that you should focus on is making your music unique. I’ve seen too many artists try to record a song that is almost identical to a particular song they’ve heard on the radio. When it comes to record deals, it just doesn’t work.

All the record labels want is one thing that is uniquely different in your music. That’s all. You know what? You’re already unique. You are different to every other artist, musician and songwriter on the planet. So what do you do? Bring out that uniqueness in your music. Bring out the you in your music. Let your music reflect you. Your songs should capture your unique personality and individuality.

This is how you capture your listener. They will stop and listen because your music takes them to places they have never been before. It’s not the same regurgitated songs that they have grown accustomed to and are tired of. Record label reps are the first listeners and they’re human. Make them stop and listen. This is how artists get record deals.

There are songs that you listen to for the first time and they immediately grab your attention. There is something in them that do that to you, whether it’s a particular kind of melody, something in the lyrics, the topic or whatever. Here’s what you should do. Write songs with the intention of doing the same thing to your listeners. That’s all! Don’t do exactly what was done in the song you heard. Make it different and unique, but make it create the same impact.

Regurgitation doesn’t get artists record deals. It’s uniqueness. Give a record label a song to knock their socks of in the same way that your favorite songs knocked your socks off. As soon as you do this, you’ll be on your way.

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New Rules For The Music Industry

1) BE TRANSPARENT – No more hiding behind complex royalty calculations. Man up. Be honest. Provide clear and accurate accounting. The digital world makes it easier than ever to do this. This applies to labels, distributors, ASCAP, BMI, SESAC and anyone else you can think of. They can all be transparent if they choose to be. Right now they choose not to be.
2) PAY ON TIME! – No more artificial royalty accounting periods. Returns and co-ops are a thing of the past. Pay out and account on one way no return sales that you have been paid in the same month you get them.
The only reason to hold on to the money is to make bank interest on it. If this is what you are going to do, see #1, BE TRANSPARENT and tell artists you are doing this. 3) NO MORE SUGARCOATING AND HIDING REALITY – Seriously. Stop promising things you know you can’t deliver. Not everyone is going to be a star. Be honest, tell the truth,. Let the musician and artist know the realities of the market so they can have a better understand of what needs to be done to succeed or why things are not going the way they want them to.
4) ACKNOWLEDGE YOU WORK FOR THE ARTIST, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND – Without the artist none of us will have jobs. They are the ones with the talent. They create culture and write songs that have an impact on the world. They are allowing us to serve them, not the other way around. This philosophy and culture must permeate everything you do. Turn this industry from one that “exploits” the artist to one that serves the artist.
5) ONLY OFFER SERVICES YOU CAN ACTUALLY DO – No more asking for rights or income from things you can’t contribute towards. If you are a label and want more money from other areas (i.e. merchandise, songwriter income, gig income etc) you actually have to provide a service that does something to earn that right. There are others out there that are specialists in these areas, can you do what they can?
6) UNDERSTAND THE ARTIST NOW HAS CHOICE – Unlike the old days, artists can now succeed without you. Labels have gone from a “must have” to a “might need”. Be clear in what you have to offer and create a fair and equitable deal in exchange for the services you are offering.