What does a record label do?
It is the Record Labels job to create and distribute records. Inexchange for money Record Labels obtain the right to copy and distribute an artist’s record. The record company provides a recording agreement for the artist to sign that states the terms of their agreement. The Record Label obtains the exclusive right to reproduce the artist’s material in exchange for a cash advance and mechanical royalties.
There are many types of Record Labels and they all have their benefits and disadvantages.
- Major Record Labels,- Mini Major Record Labels and- Independent Record Labels.
The biggest Major Record Labels are Sony,Universal, WEA, and BMG. Some of the other Major Record labels are Warner Bros. Records, DreamWorks, RCA Records, MCA Records, Capitol Records, Atlantic Records, and Columbia Records.
A Mini Major Record Label is a company that affiliates with a major record label. How this works is the Mini Major Record Label usually signs it own acts, promotes its own artists, produces its own records and has the Major Record Label distribute the records. The two Companies will split the profits from this joint venture by a certain percentage, usually in the favor of the Major Record Label. An example of a Mini-Major Record Label is Geffen, Interscope Records, Black Ground Records,Priority Records, Bad Boy Records and Maverick Records.
Some examples of Independent Record Labels are No Limit Records, and Aftermath Records.
Are you a great artist looking to get signed by a successful record label?
You have just had your CD mixed and mastered & bought 1,000 CDs from a manufacturer. What do you do now? Artists & musicians these days need to take matters into their own hands.
I suggest that you buy the newest music industry resource book and start sending packages to all of the most successful Record Label A&R people, music Managers music agents & music producers in the music business. You can get the greatest music industry resource which is called All Music Industry Contacts.
Don’t just send your demo hoping that someone is going to listen to it. There are ways that you can get permission from a Record Label to sendyour music. It is very important to create a professional sounding demo, take studio quality 8×10 pictures & have a complete one page biography.
Like with any product under the sun packaging is very important. If you are not familiar with photo shop it will definitely be worth it to hire a professional graphic designer to design your CD cover. These days the most important thing you will need as a recording artist is a great website. Most record company A&R people, music managers, music agents, music publishers & music producers will ask you if they can check out your website instead of having you send them a demo. Make sure that your website allows visitors to listen & download your music samples.
If you really want a record deal with a successful record company you will need to go to great lengths to promote your own music. I recommend that you get a professional promotion package together your self. Some record labels insist that you already have some kind of following.
If you are going to sell your records online you should get a barcode first at http://www.cdbaby.net/resources/barcode.htm If you are already a seasoned recording artist or music producer you should already have a complete & mastered LP or close to it. As a professional recording artist it is your responsibility to get with music producers & complete albums.
You should have a head start. Creating records is sometimes the least of you’re A&R person’s problems.
So now you’ve got your Music demo, Pictures, Biography, a great website with pictures & audio clips. Sounds like your ready to approach Music managers, record company A&R people, Music agents, Music producers & music publishers.
D.J.’s
DJ’s are a great way to promote your music or event. If you’re an artist then it would probably be a good idea to get with a DJ. The DJ’s can mix your music down, spin your hot singles at local clubs and radio, and they can put your CD’s in the hands of other artist when they come to their club.
If you cannot find a hot DJ don’t worry you can always pay a DJ a little bit of cash to spin your tracks, and if it gets a good response then he may add it to his rotation! Most DJ’s put out mix tapes featuring established artist mixed with unsigned artist in an effort to introduce them to the market this is where an A&R come in.
A&R’s
The record label A&R position is probably one of the most hectic jobs in the music business. A&R stands for Artists & Repertoire.
The main function of a record label A&R is to help their artists creatively while helping the record company financially by signing hit acts and developing them. They are usually music industry professionals that are hired to oversee the entire recording process which includes finding the right songs for their artist, working with the right music producers, finding the right recording studio, etc.
A major record label A&R must stay on top of current music industry trends in order to create acts that will do well for the record label that employs them. Even if a record company A&R really likes a band they still may not be able to sign them. Usually it is the head record label A&R that makes the final decisions.
The reason why being an A&R can be extremely stressful is because with every act that you sign your job is on the line. Since there is a high rate offailure in the music industry A&R people try to sign artists that are already somewhat established. If an A&R does not prove to the record label that they can generate hit acts they will be let go from the company.
Most A&R people were producers, promoters or artists themselves. Basically record label A&R people are hired to present a trustworthy face to artists and musicians. Usually record company A&R people are in their thirties because they are old enough to know what they are doing & young enough to know what the new trend is. If you get signed you better believe that it is just the beginning, there are still a lot of things that could go wrong. Someone at the record label may drop the ball or your record label A&R person may have to deal with flaky or unhappy musicproducers that aren’t really into the project and are too busy to put their heart in it.
Your A&R must also fight for you to get the attention of the record labels publicity, sales and promotiondepartments. It definitely takes a lot of work on an A&R person’s part to get a recording artist from signing to being added to radio play lists and having a video on MTV. The recording process for a record label A&R is very intense because they must make sure that there are enough radio friendly songs on the release. If the A&R feels like there are not enough quality songs he / she will have the artist write and record more.
How can you contact a record label A&R?
There are a lot of record label A&R people that accept unsolicited material. The ones that accept unsolicited material may ask you to put a certain code on your package so that they know you have permission to submit. Whenever I find time I usually sort through everything because you never know what you are going to hear.
Most A&RS know exactly what they are looking for in an artist & if they see it in you they will more than likely sign you without any hesitation. If you get your act together & promote yourself aggressively there is a chance that a record label A&R will come to you. Green day is one band that didn’t really have to look for a record deal. All they did was become a local hit & sell a good amount of CDs on their own, next thing that you know a majority of the major record labels wanted to sign them. It is always a great idea to do as much as you can on your own.
These days record companies spend less time developing acts, it’s almost like they are looking for artists that are already polished and ready to go. Your package should include 3 of your greatest songs with the best one first because most A&R people will not keep listening unless the first song gets their attention. At times I get a full complete CD from artists that did not include a note telling me which song or songs I should check out. I didn’t have time to listen to the whole CD and didn’t feel like searching around for a great song. In the package you must also include a quality 8×10 photo, abiography that tells the A&R a story about the artist and how much local or regional success he / she has. Make sure that you leave your contact information home address, email address, home phone cell phone, etc. Make sure that your demo CD is clearly and neatly labeled.
If an A&R is interested they may ask for more songs, when your next show is, etc. Since successful music managers, music producers, and music publishers act as filters for the A&R people you may want to get them to shop your demo for you. Your demo may have a better chance of someone listening to it if the person who sends it is well known or has a track record in the music industry. You can use music industry resource like All Music Industry Contacts to find a successful music manager, producer or publisher to shop your music. This music business is all about being professional and persistent so work hard at getting your music to the people who can make things happen.
Record label A&R people hate when representatives call them or leave messages that are full of hype like I have the best new artist, you better sign us quick or we’ll be with universal records or my artists are hotter than the ones out. The only thing this does is make them never want to meet you.
How do A&R people look for talent?
The internet is becoming a great way for record label A&R people to find new talent because artists are becoming savvy enough to get sites up with MP3 samples of their music. Technology is making the job of finding new talent easier and easier. I like it when a successful music manager or producer recommends an act because I trust their judgment, but I would never rely on this alone. There are a lot of magazines out there that offer demo reviews for artists. I like to associate with people who program college radio stations because they usually know exactly what’s new and hot. Just like it’s a stock broker’s job to research potentially profitable stock, it’s an A&R person’s job to research potentially profitable artists.
I tend to like artists that are already selling albums locally and are having those records counted by sound scan. The first and most important thing that an A&R person is looking for is hit songs. The second thing is a star quality front person that looks good, has style and charisma. The third thing is an artist or band that has a great powerful stage presence and performance. One of the main reasons why Brittany Spears sells so many records is because she is sexy and shows off her body. Let’s face it sex sells and will sell until the end of humanity.Did you see the makeover they had to do on Clay Aiken before he could be seen as a star
quality recording artist? They changed everything but that boy’s dental records.
