DO YOU NEED A RECORD DEAL
Do you need a record deal? With everyone talking about how much the music industry is "changing" these days, many musicians wonder if they really need to worry about demos and labels any more, or if all of that traditional music business stuff is just so passe. In fact, you've probably heard a lot of people tell you that you definitely DON'T need a label - that labels are only taking a cut of your earnings for something that you could be doing by yourself anyway. The truth really isn't quite that easy.
First - yes, you CAN release your record yourself. There are more avenues than ever before for indie music in general, and that means musicians have a better shot at success with a self release now. But make no mistake about it - there's nothing especially revolutionary in the model of self releasing your record. You're not "skipping" the record label - you're really starting a record label. If you're serious about selling your music and trying to make a living, then you are going to have to do nearly everything a record label would have done in the old days- both in terms of work and finances. It just does not cost as much. The better question isn't whether you need a label - really, you don't - but whether or not you are ready, willing and able to do everything involved in running your own label.
I can't say this too many times. If you don't have the passion and drive to do the work, don't go there. If you can't take rejection, don't go there. If you're in a hurry, forget it! This is not a sprint, it's a marathon. But, if you have the talent, and perseverance , you have as good a chance as anyone.
One of my favorite quotes is; "The heights by great men were not attained by sudden flight -- but they, while their companions slept, toiled upward in the night."
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
1 comment:
My take on the record deal no record deal is that whether you need a record deal is largely determined by your goals as an artist. If you don't have passion as an artist, it does not matter. Your going to fail with or without a record deal. For those of you that have passion, it becomes an issue of what you have passion for. If you want to make a living doing something you love, you probably don't need a record deal. You just need a mutually benificial relationship with your fans. One where you create a product that they like, you sell it to them and you keep most of the money. get a 10000 people to give you 10 bucks net and you make a hundred grand. That's not such an outrageous thought. But if it's famous you want, (I call it coffee table famous... when you pick up the magazine on the coffee table on you are in the magazine) then you still need a label. I challenge anyone to show me an performing artist who has become a household name nationally, who did it without a label. This is largely because although the record companies have lost control of distribution (because I can steal your recording and you can make your own and distribute it without a record label through itunes and other digital media) they still control access to the radio. That will end when all the cars on the road connect directly to the internet or you personal mobile device and users no longer are dependent on the radio in their car to get the music fix while they sit in traffic. But for now, it you want to get your stuff played on a the radio nationwide, you need the record deal. That will make you famous, but likely not rich. You are probably going to end up giving the music away to build a fan base that will support a million dollar plus income from touring.. At least for the moment. I am waiting to see who will be the first artist to crack the code, and get coffee table famous without a record deal. When they do, they will be rich too, because if you can get yourself on the radio without a record label, then you get to keep the lions share of the royalties instead of the record label. Then the economics change. So do my daughter a favor and get this done tomorrow please. Open the floodgates for the rest of the aspiring artists. Tonights a great night to say "Somebody's gonna Lotto" might as well be you.
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