Ways to get a deal

[8th_note]

The surest way that I know of to at least get your stuff heard by a label is to recruit a band member who has been with a band who had a deal and who was reasonably respected. They will be able to make a phone call and get your demo heard. No guarantee that you'll get a nice contract but at least you'll have a shot.

[ColourSurround]

Actually the best advice I can give having experienced a lot of this myself (though having much more experience to go through ultimately) is that you shouldn't try too hard to get on a label. The key is to to make the best recordings possible and always play a great live set and build up a fan-base bit by bit. Start with your hometown, network with other bands and go on some tours and just spread the word using all the resources you have. Essentially turn this passion into a business. It helps hiring a solid manager and attorney and it really helps getting to know promoters for clubs and bars and people with connections in any given city. When you get all that going, you can make money doing music as a career and that is a sweet feeling. In turn, labels will come find you because the buzz has already been happening. From then it's up to you (and likely your attorney and manager) to decided whether the contract they offer is actually worthwhile.

A band that I later played with, signed without much guidance from a manager or attorney. It ended up being 7 years being on Sony/BMG basically bathing in the name only, definitely not the cash. Every single member of the band with the exception of the frontman had a second job. I was only there for the last year before disbandment but from what they say, it was a tough time. Great contacts and cool people coming and going along the way but the cash, well. . . If you're not ready to be a top 40 act they don't really give a flying **** about you except to say they have some credible artists under their wing.

That's my quick anecdote, best wishes though. Remember, keep making music because you love it and want to create something brilliant and special. Otherwise it all looses meaning and you'll never be happy with anything.

[gallerytungsten]

The comments above by ColorSurround are good. To put it another way, it's kind of like borrowing money from a bank. If you're broke and need money, banks won't loan it. (At least not on favorable terms!) If you have plenty of money and don't need any, banks are happy to loan it to you and will in fact compete for your business.

My outlook: make your own "deal" by making as much of your own success as possible. If you get to the point where you are touring constantly, selling your own releases, and making a good living, you're in a much stronger negotiating position. Labels will be coming to you. Managers and lawyers will be competing for your business, not the other way around.

As you improve your position, you may find that the "Ani DiFranco" model works better: keep 100% for yourself, rather than 14% (for example.) Check any number of books, eg, "Confessions of a Record Producer" to discover the ways that 14% is whittled down.