The
primary goal of every musician is to get your music heard.
Why write and record a song if nobody is going to listen
to it, right? Here are a few tips and ideas on how to do
it
The
Demo and the A&R Rep
One of the great mysteries in the music industry is
why some bands get signed while others languish in obscurity.
What are A&R directors looking for from a band, from
an artist, from a song? How docyou create a demo which gets
noticed by industry insiders?
The
first element of the demo is the hook, or the thing that
grabs the listener. This can be achieved through the melody,
the lyric, the rhythm track, or a combination of all three.
It's what makes the song a hit, and what distinguishes your
song from the hundreds of others sitting in the pile waiting
to be listened to. If there were a known formula for creating
it, we'd all have hits.
A
common question about demos is: Does the demo need to be
professionally produced, since it's just a demo? The answer
to this is always a resounding yes. Why? Because while some
music critics claim they can hear through to the inner talent
of any recording, the truth is that a demo produced to sound
like a hit will do just that. When you put together a resume,
you pay attention to the formatting so it looks professional,
right? Why not do the same with your music.
Another
common question is: Will my demo even be listened to? A&R
people receive 50 or more demos per week, and they sign
only one to four acts per year - that's about one in a thousand
odds at best. Many A&R people readily admit they don't
find anything worthwhile in unsolicited material. So what's
a musician to do? The CD's that rise to the top of the A&R
rep's demo pile are those submitted by respected industry
contacts, such as agents, concert promoters, club bookers,
and radio station programmers. And if you don't have any
of these folks pushing your demo? The solution is to get
a following. That's right, get to a point where the demand
for your music is so high that radio stations are wanting
to play it and people are wanting to buy it.
How
One LDS Band Did It
Sunfall
Festival is a local Utah Valley band with a progressive
rock/pop sound. Recently, Sunfall Festival won a garageband.com
$250,000 recording contract with their song "I Walked Away".
The song received positive reviews from listeners at garageband.com's
"virtual battle of the bands," naming them the winner of
the garageband.com contract. See how Sunfall Festival achieved
success in the box to the right.
Using
the Power of the Internet
The internet is the most powerful tool for musicians since
the invention of the phonograph! Why? Well, you answer it
yourself: How many places would you have to perform to reach
the audience which can be reached online? How many local
papers would have to run reviews to get the word out to
the same audience you can reach online? How many record
stores would have to carry your CD to . . . ok, you get
the idea. Once you recognize this, it's simply a matter
of learning how to use this tool.
The
power and influence of the internet with respect to music
distribution and artist exposure cannot be overstated. The
goal has two essential parts. First, to get your name and
your music in as many places as you can on the internet.
Secondly, get a webpage! And not just any webpage. Find
out what elements are necessary in the creation of a successful
music website in the box to the right.
A
brief look at history - In 1916, jazz cornetist Freddie
Keppard was performing in Los Angeles and was approached
to record his music onto a phonographic record, in what
would have been the very first jazz record ever created.
However, Mr. Keppard passed up this opportunity for fear
that people would copy his music. The next year the Original
Dixieland Jazz Band put down their music, creating the first
jazz record, which was an immediate success. In the words
of the creator of the PBS
Television Series "Jazz", the band "achieved
a degree of eminence that was out of proportion to their
musical skills". Arguably, Freddie Keppard was the
better musician, but the Original Dixieland Jazz Band embraced
the new medium, laying aside any fears of copy protection,
and solidified their place in history.
One
of the pioneers of music delivery over the internet is mp3.com.
Along with other music promotion sites, mp3.com has created
a way for artists to gain exposure for their music in a
way never before possible. And if you think A&R people
aren't browsing to find music, think again! Most A&R
reps don't go to hear bands perform until they're already
interested in their music. And where are they going to find
that music? You guessed it - the internet.
From
the LDS perspective, there are a number of websites which
offer exposure for you and your music. LDS Music World offers
LDS musicians an opportunity to list their music along with
information about themselves for the purpose of targeting
the LDS online community. Services are free, as the site
is operated under a non-profit model. In addition, artists
should get their names and music listed in as many locations
as possible which are LDS-related. . If musicians are able
to make money from that music, this allows more music to
be made. We ought to be able to expect to cover the costs
of making a CD, and even make some additional money to compensate
for the time and work involved.
