Record Label 101 — What’s The Deal?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftuJHlVhY5c&feature=youtu.be What's the deal with record companies, anyway? Aren't they supposed to be on the lookout for new talent? Why is it so hard to get them to listen to my demo? Geez, you'd think they weren't interested in hearing music at all! Almost everyone who has tried to break through the walls of the music industry without some kind of "inside" help has found themselves muttering these questions. Sometimes it seems impossible to get anyone to listen at all. It may seem like they're going out of their way to avoid you, but there are actually pretty good reasons...
Record Company Q & A
Q. I write my music from the heart. I don't know what style it is, and I don't try to fit a formula. Why does everything have to be categorized?! A. Because you don't hear Country radio stations playing Metallica. Radio is strictly formatted and the record companies must deal with radio when promoting their artists. Music that is not primarily radio-oriented (i.e., Jazz, New Age, Reggae, Folk, etc.) is even more strictly categorized. Become familiar with radio formats by listening to the different stations in your area and noting the artists and types of music that they play. Pay...
A Treatise on Independent Labels
https://youtu.be/zf8-ReuMbDQ Quick true story: In the early Sixties, independent filmmaker Herschel Gordon Lewis was making money cranking out low-budget softcore 'nudie cuties.' All was good until the major Hollywood Studios got into the act making similar films but with bigger budgets and European actresses, rendering Lewis' films obsolete. On a mission, he made a list of taboo subjects, and from this list the word "GORE" jumped off the page at him. His theory was, in order to compete with Hollywood, he had to come up with something the major film companies couldn't or wouldn't do. Lewis proceeded to lens the...
Getting Noticed by A&R
Without a doubt, the most frequently asked question to the A&R community is: "How can I get noticed by the people making the decisions?". I believe your efforts start on a local level with knowing the correct protocol and tactics for maximizing your profile. The age old saying of "Build It And They Will Come" is really the best motto to live by when you are trying to get noticed. Following are some very helpful hints and suggestions that should be implemented in your plan of attack for building a following and getting noticed. #1. The Golden Rule: Never ever send...
Steps For Success
How does one best put together and present a musical package whereby a record company (in the traditional sense), is stimulated to react and show interest, and eventually sign an artist to a recording contract? Though this procedure is a difficult one, there are a number of basic do's and don'ts that will make the challenge easier. I have always believed that the key to getting a record deal should be that the artist has a "star quality"--that special something that can stand the test of time and be the basis to a career. In recent years, the industry has lowered...
The Press Kit
The following was excerpted from Kenny Kerner's book, "Going Pro," published by Hal Leonard. In the music business, the folder that contains your photo, bio, press clippings and demo tape/CD, is called your press kit or press package. The same package goes to record companies, agents, attorneys and the media. So it better look good and contain everything you need others to know--without giving them a week's worth of reading materials. When putting together this important package, less is more. Too much to read will make someone impatient. And realistically, what can you say about a brand new act that...
How To Present Your Demo
I think it's always enlightening to get a scenario of what happens behind the scenes in the office of a person who listens to demos. Here's a sample from my own experience and that of friends who torture their brains and eardrums in the all-too-often futile search for that killer song or sound. You should know that if 5% of the songs are in the ball park, we're doing very well. We engage in this masochism because we know that when we find that one-in-a-thousand song that brings tears to our eyes and makes the hair stand up on the...
How To Get A Record Deal
https://youtu.be/ftuJHlVhY5c Getting a record deal gets harder every year. The days of record impresarios like Phil Spector discovering a group, taking them into the studio and making them famous overnight are long gone. These days, the music business is sometimes more about the business than it is about the music. While record companies and music publishers still rely on hit songs falling from the lips of superstars to make their profits, the way they find their talent has changed a lot from the past. There actually was a time that an artist, band or songwriter could send their demo tape in to...
LUKE WOOD A&R DreamWorks Records
Where did you grow up? I grew up in Rochester, New York. What did you want to be when you grew up? I wanted to be a rock-n-roll star. What was your first gig in the music business and how did you get it? Honestly, my first gig in the music business was as an artist managing my own band. I know that doesn't sound like the traditional answer, but that really was truly a job in the music business. I started my first band when I was about 15. I played out locally for several years. When I was...