Keep Your Rights and 100% Royalties Be Heard on iTunes and More Today!
www.TuneCore.com
Full Service marketing for artists, labels & managers-Free Consult.
www.TKOMarketing.net
Get played to 7 Million listeners who want to discover new music
Airplay.Jango.com
Software for musicians and labels Start and run your label like a pro
www.MusicBusinessToolbox.com
Industry information: Companies, trends, NAICS & more. Try it now.
Industries.Hoovers.com
Blast your press kit to thousands of live venues and booking agents.
www.PressKitRocket.com
The tools and support to make audio information products on your PC.
InternetAudioGuy.com
Thousands Of Employers & Jobseekers Register Today & Get That Dream Job
US.Music-Jobs.com
Family Owned, Christian Co. Looking For New Artists! Submit Your Music.
www.TateMusicGroup.com
Provider of CD manufacturing, graphics, printing and mastering services.
www.abetmusic.com
Independent record label providing management, music production, distribution and promotions.
www.appolloearbone.com
A subsidiary of BMG Entertainment that produces, manufactures, markets, sells and distributes recorded music.
www.bmgcanada.com
Record label providing worldwide management and distribution for a variety of artists.
www.columbiarecords.com
Company that promotes independent music; inviting record labels, distributors and music supervisors to contact them for sample CD's.
www.dogstarmusic.com
Independent record label providing management and distribution services to a variety of artists.
www.edel.com
Record label providing management and distribution services for a variety of artists.
www.grimsey.com
Guitar-oriented record label. The web site regularly features guest columnists, as well as a section devoted to introducing the user to undiscovered guitar players around the world.
www.guitar9.com
Company with the following labels: Naxos Classical, Naxos Historical, Naxos Jazz, Naxos Audiobooks, Naxos World, Marco Polo and White Cloud.
www.hnh.com
Record label providing management and distribution services for a variety of artists.
www.hungaroton.hu
Illinois-based record company which specializes in instrumental music by artists primarily in the Chicagoland area.
www.in-sites.com
Record label that provides management and distribution services to a variety of artists.
www.mane-event.com
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is actively engaged in the worldwide production and distribution of entertainment product, including motion pictures, television programming, home video, interactive media, music and licensed merchandise. The Company a f...
www.mgm.com
Record label that provides management and distribution services for a variety of artists.
www.musicfellowship.com
Publisher and record label providing music from rock, pop, country, blues, folk and R&B artists.
www.newpants.com
As a subsidiary of Peter Pan Industries, this independent entertainment company distributes several audio labels including Compose (various artists and genres), Peter Pan (children's), Compose-Tropico (Latin), Current (new age, lifestyle, and wo...
www.peterpan.com
Record label that is a part of the Warner Music Group, a division of Time Warner.
www.warnermusic.ca
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Keep Your Rights and 100% Royalties Be Heard on iTunes and More Today!
www.TuneCore.com
Full Service marketing for artists, labels & managers-Free Consult.
www.TKOMarketing.net
Music record labels are an ever-changing part of the music industry. Since the inception of many record labels in the last century, many labels have changed hands, absorbed other labels or folded completely. Music recording companies have responded to changing formats, from 33 and 45 rpm, eight-track, cassette, CD and finally to digital.
Music labels are fighting to maintain control of their artists and their music, as some popular musicians are seeking freedom from big labels. And as customers find ways to download music for free, circumventing traditional channels of buying music, the music industry will continue to reel from the loss of CD sales.
The Internet offers the music industry a huge grapevine of music news, giving them more of a leg-up than in the past. As you're keeping an eye on the industry, here are a few trends to watch for.
1. Consider the fact that music labels will have to anticipate changes in the industry by keeping on top of innovations.
2. Realize that artists will take advantage of technology to exert more control over their careers.
3. Expect that rising stars will seek out other ways to produce music if they don't view music record companies as accessible.
Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done
Read up on music record labels news and trends
The last decade has seen a sea-change in the way that people listen to music. As Internet music sales expand and more people save their music to recording devices, music record labels have to contend with controlling their product and protecting their music acts from piracy.
I recommend: Music Industry Today is a subscription news service focusing on news relevant to the movers and shakers in the music industry. Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is the trade group representing record labels and fights for members' intellectual property rights. The RIAA website features industry news.
Expect more artists to pursue indie music labels
Many artists have the purchasing power to defect from their music record label and developing their own independent music label. An indie music label can allow artists to control their own publicity and bring along new acts.
I recommend: Music Industry Newswire has breaking news for music professionals. FMQB (Friday Morning Quarterback Report) has been a mainstay of the music industry for 40 years, keeping execs abreast of breaking news.
Get an inside track as a music label by listening to consumer chatter
Music record company execs should periodically take a peek at what consumers are reading about the music industry. They might catch a glimpse of the public sentiment toward the music talent and the labels who represent them.
I recommend: MTV's website has the latest music video and industry news. Billboard.biz tracks the latest in music industry news for record labels, including the rise of many more independent record labels. The Wired News website delivers news about technology.
Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide
- • Keep a current list of record labels contacts handy when you're reading up on the news, and update your contacts as they change.
Guide to Music Record Labels
Learn how to get your music in front of music record labels
By Mary Beth Doyle
You’ve got a song, you let it out . . . now what? Just what does it take to get picked up by music record companies? And with so many music recording companies out there, from major labels to independent record labels, which ones should you contact and what should you send them?
While more and more independent artists have signed record deals from exposure on MySpace and the like, the traditional route of getting a demo in front of a major music label is still the road often traveled by many top recording artists. To get your songs heard in the music biz, consider the following:
1. Work with a professional to create a high-quality demo of your very best songs before submitting anything to a music label.
2. Hire a music agent to help get your demo in front of an indie music label and major music record labels.
3. Consider peddling your music to record labels on your own.
Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done
Spend time on a demo before contacting music record companies
Nothing will turn off music recording companies more than an amateur-sounding demo. Don't let your talent be overshadowed by poor quality production; spend the money to do the demo right.
I recommend: Check out MusicDemoProducing.com to create a professional demo. You can even sign up for Free Tips about music production. SkyeLab is a full-service recording studio and music production company with a client list that includes such major artists as Pink.
Hire an agent to help you get in front of music record labels
Just like most areas of the entertainment industry, it's not what you know, but who you know. Well, music agents and other professionals have the connections with record labels to get you one step closer to a music publishing contract.
I recommend: SimplytheBest features a list of music agents throughout the world, focusing on a variety of musical genres, that help artists and record companies come together. Showbiz Ltd. has agents that help artists get auditions for record companies, recording contracts and more. Artists do not have to pay any fees to be represented by an agent, but the agent will charge a 10% to 20% commission for any work they find.
Contact music record labels on your own
If you decide to attempt to get a record contract with major record labels or independent record labels, be sure to send a demo with three to five of your best songs (with your best, most commercial-sounding song first); an 8X10 high-quality photo of you or your band; and a biography that discusses your goals and experience as a musician - local reviews, show dates, etc. The more professional the demo package, the better.
I recommend: Many major music record companies, such as Sony Music, have several labels under one music record company. Try to send your demo to the label that would best represent your music. Record Labels & Companies Guide has a list of major labels and independent labels. The A&R Registry is a music-industry publication that is updated every eight weeks with the A&R contact of every major music record label and independent music labels throughout the United States, Canada and the UK. This is a vital resource for anyone attempting to break into the music biz.
Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide
- • Now that every band in the world has a MySpace site, the old-fashioned route to get the attention of music record label A&R scouts still makes a lot of sense: Get out on the road and tour and build a real audience.
Music record labels are the gatekeepers to a music career. It's the job of the music record company to find and sign the next hot act that will send the label to the top of the charts. The trouble is, the talent is beating on the door, but it takes connections to unlock it.
Gone are the days that an aspiring artist could get a demo, have companies listen and become famous. The music business has changed, and it takes more than a pretty voice or lyrics to make it. The savvy musician will approach music record labels by making important business connections that lay the groundwork for a long career.
Establish connections with music record companies by thinking about the following:
1. Be heard. Get out there in your community and make music, regardless of whether you're sorting out huge deals from competing country music labels or you just penned your first alternative song.
2. Use your associations to get your name out to A & R staff (artists and repertoire), who locate the talent and stake their reputation on the artist's success.
3. Give it your all, which means the best professionally-made demo recording you can afford.
Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done
Understand what the different music record labels have to offer
There are so many different record labels available that it may be overwhelming at first to a new artist, and mergers of record labels are a common occurrence. Conduct a music record labels industry overview to first sort out who might be the best fit for your genre of music.
I recommend: Columbia Records is a big name in music, handling such diverse acts as Harry Connick Jr., AC/DC and the Dixie Chicks. The Columbia name also is associated with the following music labels: Epic, Sony Classical, Sony Music Nashville and Legacy Recordings. Another top record company is A & M/Interscope, handling such popular acts as Feist, Sheryl Crow, Dr. Dre and Beck.
Find out who the music recording companies trust for advice
Music record label executives rely on relationships they forge to bring in the big acts. They'll listen to the people they trust, including other musicians, music industry lawyers, and A & R folks in the music industry, as well as ASCAP associations.
I recommend: TAXI is an independent A & R company that researches record labels requests and forwards pre-screened artist submissions on to the label. ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Artists and Publishers) is devoted to helping artists protect their work and can be a valuable way for artists to connect to record labels.
Reach music record labels by first playing in the community
Perhaps you're just trying to gain a foothold in the music business, and you'd just like to make some contacts with an indie music label. Forge relationships with those who can help your career, such as the person who booked you for Battle of the Bands or hired you to sing at a wedding, and promote yourself shamelessly.
I recommend: Hitquarters can tell you who's who at all the major record companies and help artists gain exposure for their work. Record Label Resource helps you find everything you need when starting your own label or working with independent record labels.
Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide
- • Know what the music record companies are looking for in the next hottest performer: passion, a head for business, reliability and of course, je ne sais quoi -- that intangible star quality.
A music record label generally has a standard for how it operates, especially in regard to finding new artists. Some of the basic terms around running a music record label relate to both artists looking for representation and record labels looking for new artists to work with. These basic terms also show how the music industry has changed over time. Knowing about some of these basic elements for establishing a relationship with music record labels will help a business be more informed about the industry in general.
Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done
Demo
The demo is the key in most music record label contracts: The company assesses a new artist mainly on the strength of this 'sample' recording. These days, a good demo is often worth its weight in gold.
I recommend: Find out more about what is generally involved in pitching a demo at this Record Label Demo Submission Guide.
Head shots
The 'head shot' is a black-and-white or color picture, generally an 8-by-10 inch size, that a music record label will also use in assessing new artists. Musicians and bands want to have these included in a press package along with the demo.
I recommend: Read up on head shots and other promotional items for musicians at Ask Jerry.
Music agent
A music agent generally represents artists and musicians and helps them get established, including setting up relationships with music record labels.
I recommend: Find out more about what a music agent does at HowStuffWorks.
A&R rep
An A&R (or artists and repertoire) representative is really a talent scout. Today A&R people go to live shows. They also scour MySpace and other music-related social networking sites and they review demos. The A&R person is a key player in getting an artist together with a record label.
I recommend: Find out more about what A&R reps do at Music Biz Academy.
Formats
One rule of the music industry is that the format is constantly changing. What is the format? It's simply the medium for the music. The format used to be vinyl (records). Vinyl still exists as a viable format, along with tapes, CDs and other forms of recorded music. New formats of the future include .wav files, MP3s and more digital music items.
I recommend: Check out this site on Record Label Resource to see why vinyl was once considered a "dead format" and to find more info about how record labels use formats and adapt to format changes.
Music licensing
Another way that record labels do business is by interacting with the 'Big Three' music licensing companies: ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. All three of these companies collect blanket royalties for huge repertories of artists, and work on the behalf of songwriters and composers.
I recommend: Find more about the PROs (Performing Rights Organizations) from this page at Arts and Business Philadelphia.
