Today I wanted to share some thoughts on what is holding back artists in general from getting signed to a record label. The truth is a record label will not sign somebody who doesn’t already have skill to please an audience, a buzz, and something that makes them different.
Luckily for you the independent industry is actually on a full up spin and has been for some time now. It was back in 2009 that I found out 50% of all record sales the whole year had been independent artists. At the same time major labels are falling off the map quickly and companies all over the place are failing.
That was the rumor anyway, in 2012 though it showed to be more like 33%, which was still more records than any of the major labels made (including Universal, Sony and others).
These record labels are basing their strategies on old age failing techniques, while on the other hand it’s so easy for independent artists and labels to begin doing new forms of advertisements to bring themselves to a more successful state. It’s time to completely redefine the way music has been sold and this is something everybody is starting to catch onto.
Record labels are seeing this, and you need to as well.
If you plan to survive in today’s day and age you would do well to understand this. Here is the chart I found for you to see for yourself:
So how is it that indie labels are making such a big movement in the scene now? Well with the invention of the internet has changed the way artists have done business, but before that even happened there was MTV. When music became much more televised it became about the image more than the artist. This entered a whole new market by itself.
But the independents have become successful because they are aware of things like download piracy. The fact is you can’t keep the same old tactics going and expect to succeed.
So this is, of course, going to bring you to a new simple question which you might appreciate knowing the answer to. That question is…
So what exactly are record labels looking for?
This actually isn’t the easiest question to answer right now only because record labels are still adjusting to finding new ways to promote and market their artists. With so many major labels falling off the map completely, it’s easy to see why everybody seems to be trying new things and being bold.
What labels are looking for is simple.
You need to be able to bring in an audience in a way that separates you from the thousands of other artists just like you. How are you different? Being a rapper isn’t good enough, you have to appeal to a certain audience so powerfully that you become a viral force.
Without the ability to become viral you will surely fail in this industry, as the majority of internet fame currently is coming from YouTube stars and the like. If you are able to create music that people share, spread and excitingly promote, then you are already on your way to becoming signed.
Every rapper seems to talk about the same things, have pointless flows and most importantly, they don’t resonate with an audience that has a high state of passion.
Macklemore, a musician from my city of Seattle, WA (who I actually did shows with before he made it famous, when we was local) is now one of the most played artists on major labels. He did this without even getting signed, by staying totally independent.
However he reached a very specific niche audience with his two hit records from his last album. “Same Love” appealed to the gay rights movements which is extraordinarily emphasized in today’s society. The gay movement is most definitely winning the battle for gay rights all across the USA as well as many other countries as well.
By making a song that reached out to this audience it was easy to see why it went viral so quickly and made him much more famous, finally breaching the major radio stations. This not only made him a celebrity among those who didn’t know who he was, it also made a lot of people in a very committed, passionate community (the gay community) share and post his song everywhere. His fame was imminent and record deals came flying from every major label, none of which did he sign.
Macklemore’s other hit single, “Thrift Shop”, tackled the youth all over the world. The truth is most of us don’t have the money necessary to pay top dollar for expensive clothes. But going to a thrift shop is just as good because you can get top quality brands for a fraction of the price.
By targeting this group of people, he had decided on yet another strongly passionate audience. The poor and middle class of America, which just happens to be… Well, nearly everybody.
If you want to get signed to a record label, you need to resonate with an audience of high passion and tap those markets. Not doing so can be your biggest weakness in today’s independent and major market.