As a singer, how can you get noticed by a record label?

Every person who really likes to sing must have questioned himself at least once about becoming a professional singer or remaining an amateur. To answer this question, there are many parameters to take into account and for sure beyond the simple will of making a music career, you need to know where your talent stands, be motivated and perhaps get a bit of luck. So whenever you decide to pursue your singing dream professionally, you may ask yourself how you are going to make it… And one way could be to be noticed by a record company. So, what are the steps for you to get noticed by a record label and reach the top?

Here are 4 steps to follow to be noticed by a record label:

1. Be popular online

Today, an artist that is not “online” has low chance to succeed. Considering the fact that CD sales decline and digital download/streaming increase year after year, any serious artist should absolutely be active on the internet and especially social networks. On top of that, music professionals wondering whether to work with you or not will always check how “popular” you are online. So you’d better take care of your stats, including Facebook Likes, Twitter followers, YouTube subscribers and perhaps Instagram followers and Google+ Pluses.
In the music business, your clients are your fans because they’ll be the first to buy your album, go to your concerts, buy your merchandising… So take care of them and make them become faithful to you. In order to do that, you should definitely post qualitative content and in a regular way. By this mean, your stats will grow naturally day by day. However, don’t ever try to buy views, likes etc. on Facebook, YouTube etc. because this would be a violation of their rules and you may have your account suspended. And by the way, YouTube is now launching a wide audit of YouTube video channels, identifying real views vs. fake ones… For example, you’ll be surprised to know that Universal Music Group lost 1 billion of its 7 billion views. So don’t try to fool record companies with fake stats because they know…

2. Perform as much as possible
The second thing you need to do to get noticed is obviously to perform on stage. The more people will see you, the more chance you will have to meet music professionals. And one thing you should always remember: record labels, TV productions etc. send talent scouts wherever there is music. So if there’s a popular bar in your town, you should definitely try to perform there. Another thing is you should try to enter music contests. By this mean, you’ll know for sure where your talent stands and once again it’ll give you a bigger opportunity to meet music industry professionals and perhaps recordtalent scouts, A&Rs… One of the most famous international contests for unsigned artists is Emergenza.

4. Record demos
For record companies to notice you, the most direct way is to record demos and send them or have your representative hand in to them at a meeting! This is the old school way but it still can work. So you definitely need to have demos ready. And by the way, whenever you’ll meet music business professionals, they will always want to hear what you sound like. Among those demos, you can decide to record cover songs but do you think that it’ll be enough to be perceived as a serious singer and enable them to identify your background as an artist? Most probably not, so you’ll need original music for them to understand who you are and be able to assess your creativity. Beside, this is important for you to record your own original music because otherwise people will just consider you as a cover singer and if anydecided to sign a deal with you, would you want to do an album of covers? I guess not, so the first impression is always very important, you have to show that you are unique and this is why this is a need to have original songs among your demos. And by the way, if you’re looking to get qualitative original music at an affordable price, you should check out Beats Avenue (www.beatsavenue.com). There is a decent catalogue of cheap instrumentals/beats in multiple genres, including Pop beats for sale, cool Rap beats (Gangsta Rap, Dirty South…), Dance instrumentals and even Reggaeton beats and Bachata beats for sale. And these are all royalty-free beats! Once you have these demos, you are ready to be spotted!

Good luck!

Steve

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