How Do You Get Signed To A Record Label
By Sophia John

You want to get signed to a record label but you don't know how? Well nothing comes easy, especially if your waiting for them to find you instead of making it happen for yourself. Here are some steps you can take towards getting signed to a record label. They may rape you along the way, but at least you'll be a better band than you were a year ago.

1.Talent – You have to have good songs with musical and lyrical hooks.

Songwriting - You must have the ability to write a song that is 2:30–3:30 minutes long with both musical and lyrical hooks. Sounds simple, but that's the point; keep it simple. Do your own thing at all times, make sure it has direction and consistency, and remember guitar solos died out in the '80's with Guns N" Roses.

Vocally and Lyrically – Make sure people can understand what you are saying at all times. Screaming just for the sake of screaming doesn't work.

You need to have a message. Say something that the average person has been thinking but just couldn't find the right words to express themselves until you came along and said it for them. Tighten everything up and get to the point!

2. Live Show – Can you play your instrument in the dark? If not then you're holding yourself back live. How many times a week do you practice? If It's 2 or 3, then it needs to be 4 or 5 times; if It's 4 to 5, then it should be 5 to 6 times a week. Do you have dead time in between songs? You should go from one song to the next without the average person catching it until you're 30 seconds into the next song. The tighter the set, the better your band.

3. Soundscan – You need to have your music recorded and registered with soundscan. What this does is document how many albums you have sold by a system that record labels have access to every day. When a band sells 800-1,800 copies of their release, they will be getting the attention and phone calls from labels that they are looking for.

The really good record labels such as Universal, Republic and Atlantic have interns that do nothing but call local retail stores asking who's the biggest selling local band in your market, looking for the next band to sign.

4.Website - A web site is instant exposure for a band. Anybody can log on, find out the image of the band, get music clips, and more. That is why it is better to have no web site at all then to have a half-ass one. First impressions can be final impressions. Web sites are more important nowadays then ever.

5.Radio – People have this misconception that radio can make or break a band. I admit that if you are getting a song played on the radio, it helps in getting exposure. But it will not guarantee that you will get signed to a record label. Metallica, Led Zepplin, Pantera, Radiohead, and even REM did not get signed off of radio airplay. They got signed because they were doing their own thing, playing live, building a fan base, selling records, and eventually radio was forced to acknowledge them. don't use the fact that you are getting or not getting radio airplay as an excuse. Radio airplay is a luxury and comes long after all of the hard work.

I know this sounds too simple to be true. But overall, these things are basic and to the point. There are no guarantees. Do these things and you'll have a unique, better sounding band with an image and the marketability already set in place through album sales and a solid fan base. A label is more likely to take a chance on a band that has those components in place. They do not want to develop a band. They want a band that is ready to go. Some-one who has already done the hard work, ironed out all of the weak elements, and is on their best game every day whether it is live, on the web, or on disc.

And remember this, everybody wants to be a "Rock Star", but no one wants to do the work.

Nothing in this world is free; you have to work for your future to earn it. If you don't, it will never hold any real value for you.