So I wanted to get some quick thoughts out on something that I’ve been asked to talk a lot about lately – the ways to get signed to the label. This is of course one of the more common questions that people have about the music industry and it’s definitely a tricky one to figure out year in and year out. The thing is, getting signed is not a binary thing, not a specific formula.
Getting signed is more like writing a good essay – there are multiple ways to do it. However, there are some core things every band that gets signed has in common so I want to get into that too. Of course, there are also ways to really screw it up and we’ll touch on those too!
Why There Are Multiple Ways To Get Signed
Every band is different, so it would stand to reason that there are a ton of different ways to get signed! On top of that – every label is different and thus has different goals. Some are massive corporations, others are hobby labels, many lie somewhere in between.
These distinctions are tricky and take a lot of work to figure out. There’s a ton of work that needs to go into any of these. Still – what this means is that you don’t necessarily need to tour a ton to get signed, nor do you need to have a great sales history. If people believe in you and you show there is a reason to work with you – you might be pleasantly surprised.
What Signed Bands Have In Common
They can make the label money at some point. It’s really that simple. I know it sucks it comes down to basic capitalism but that’s the world we live in. However, I want to point out different labels have different time horizons.
Some labels are looking to make money, or at least make back their investment over the long term. If that’s the case they might be looking to put out more of your records and don’t mind if you’re small right now because they believe there is long term potential for what you are doing.
What Signed Bands Avoid
Simply put, they aren’t assholes and they make a point to show that they are good people. I think that the band who alienate everyone and brag about their sales also ends up alienating labels. They don’t want to work with assholes.
The other thing signed bands tend to avoid is avoiding cringy posts. This is really something you just have to learn with hard years of experience, but if you can avoid the cringe, it will go a long way to making people trust you more.
So as you can see… getting signed isn’t some weird super precise formula that is completely dictated on the whim of a few executives. There are multiple ways to do it because every band is different and every label guy has different goals. Sure they make look for and avoid certain things – but it all comes down to the basics!
MATT BACON
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Matt Bacon is a consultant, A&R man, and journalist specializing in the world of heavy metal. Having worked with everyone from Glam Rock icon Phil Collen of Def Leppard, to post Black Metal titans Alcest, by way of legendary thrashers Exhorder as well as labels including Prophecy Productions and Ripple Music, he has dedicated his life to helping young bands develop. Having started his own blog at the age of 14 he views his career in artist development as ‘a hobby that got out of hand’. In 2015 he formed Dropout Media in order to better support the artists he loves. We sit here now, years later with countless tours booked, records released and deals signed, and loving every minute of it.
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