By Barry Chase
At ChaseLawyersSM, we hear this question constantly from aspiring musical artists, who have heard from others that the route to stardom runs through the “major labels” – currently Sony, Universal or Warner. Today, though, there are ways to establish yourself in the musical world that no longer depend on these major companies – and those new ways will also put an artist in a much better position to negotiate with a major label if one comes calling.
At ChaseLawyersSM, we hear this question constantly from aspiring musical artists, who have heard from others that the route to stardom runs through the “major labels” – currently Sony, Universal or Warner. Today, though, there are ways to establish yourself in the musical world that no longer depend on these major companies – and those new ways will also put an artist in a much better position to negotiate with a major label if one comes calling.
While it is still true that the major companies have unique access to money to invest in you and global channels of distribution for your work, it is also true that you can make YOURSELF into a much more appealing prospect. The methods that independent artists are utilizing to create and nurture their own fan-bases are called the “Do-It-Yourself”, or “DIY” steps. They include (1) Having 3-5 “radio-ready” demonstration (“demo”) tracks, which should be the most “commercial” they can be; (2) establishing your own website for download sales of your tracks, and placing your tracks on pay-and-download sites such as iTunes and Amazon; (3) developing a live act, so that you can create your own “local tour” as a way of creating your fan-base close to home; (4) setting up a radio promotion and advertising campaign (which, depending on your genre of music, might include free advertising on college radio stations); and (5) doing all of the above in a way where the timing of each effort maximizes the effectiveness of all of them, working together. For example, you don’t want to spend your radio advertising money – or make your college radio push – until you have tracks that are up for sale and live appearances that can help boost
Source: http://www.entertainmentlawyermiami.com/blog/2013/07/music-demos-and-diy.shtml