Submit Music

How do you go submit music to hopefully land record label contracts.  Do you use someone like A&R Contacts who can help you make contacts in record companies, do you do it yourself?  Do you even know where to start?  Have you even recorded your music?  Read every word on this page because we are going to tell you how to get discovered by record label companies.

First, let’s take a walk back in history.  Back in the day to get discovered by record companies and get record label contracts you had to have a huge following in your region.  That usually started with playing local gigs, then you might get booked in a town an hour away, then maybe at the state fair, or get to open for a show at the state fair, or maybe a bigger show.  At any rate it was hard.  You basically had to be good, had to be able to book shows and get in front of the right people.  This was not just a combination of being able to play music.  You had to really know the music business, how to land gigs, submit music, etc.  Not only were you a musician you had to be a sales person.

Now some of that hasn’t changed, if you are going to make it big you are still going to have to sell yourself before you submit music.  You are still going to have to market your band as a business.  I learned how to market my band as a business through a great teacher.  The world has expanded, however, and now it is possible (though not likely) to be discovered without even leaving your garage.  Sites like Facebook, Myspace and YouTube had made it very possible for musicians to be discovered by big time music people.  A music producer is always looking for his next big score, that’s how they make money.  They are, in fact, looking under “rocks” to unveil that next big star.  As a matter of fact an artist with a lot of views on YouTube is a safe investment for a music producer because they already have a fan base.

That said, the key to getting picked up is not having a YouTube video with the most views.  Remember, some people spread around videos because they are horrible also  If you are simply into music because you see it as a way to make money, you probably should start thinking about other money making strategies.  Most artists struggle and are dirt poor for years before they make it big.  Your dream has to be making the music, not being the next Nickelback “rockstar.”  You have to play the music because the music is in your bloodstream, it is who you are!

Music is your product.  Like any other product you need to produce a quality product.  You can’t produce mass crap products and then expect to land any record label contracts.  If you are going to submit music to any label or a place like A&R contacts then you better have some damn good music.  You better have people besides mom and dad asking you to play them your song.  You better have invested in quality recording.  There is nothing worse than being an exec to whom which someone has worked hard to submit music, and it turning out to be a recording done on a computer microphone.  That said, some people have success doing that on YouTube.  I still think even if you are going to perform your song on YouTube you should have a quality recording copy of it in case someone wants it.

You also need to make contacts.  The music industry is really about connections.  A company like A&R Contacts, for instance, has a bunch of contacts that they can hand off a demo to and try to get it in front of the right person.  You can do this yourself too.  When you go out and play gigs, meet with the people there.  The battle of the bands per say is really not a battle.  You and other bands need to network, help each other out along the way.  Think about some of the bands in the business today.  A lot of them have got their friends record deals.  You know how they have done that?  Because they have networked, and they are paying back favors.  You never know which band has a contact, some of them might know some producer that doesn’t think they are the next star but might think you are.  You get the most out of life by helping others.  The more you help people the more you get in return.  The best way to make money in any business is to make it by helping others accomplish their goals.

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Think about selling in general.  If you help someone meet their needs through a product you make a sale.  This is fundamental success in making money.  You deliver a good product that meets someones needs you reap benefits.  If that means passing off a contact to a band, you might get a better one in return.  Hell some band you give a contact to, might get a deal, from your contact!  That sucks right?  No, because when they get big they will have all kinds of contacts.  Since you helped them get where they are, they might talk to a contact and say you know, I know of this little band back in where ever you are that has been trying for years, you should check them out.

That’s the power of networking.  The idea of networking is to solely give, and expect nothing in return.  When you do this the things you get in return can be massive.   The key is being willing to maybe sacrifice a bit to win.  Submit music for a friend, that’s what people like A&R Contacts are good at.  If you are destined to get a record label contract, it will come through good networking.  That is a true record label secret.

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