From The Inside Of The Music Industry! |
"Someone from Nashville will hear me sing - decide that I'm STAR Quality and then spend MILLIONS of their own money to develop my career so I can be rich and famous!"
Friends . . . it just doesn't happen that way! What really happens is that one of the 'not so honest' people in the music industry will see you coming - tell you what you want to hear and . . . get you to spend as much money as possible with them before you really learn how it is done. It happens that way . . . every day!It is possible for anyone who can sing to become successful (notice I didn't say . . . become a major star) if you work at it, use good common sense and follow established proceedures. And sometimes, by working hard and treating music as your business instead of your dream - you do become a major star. It does happen but for every STAR that has made it, you will see thousands of really talented singers that didn't even get off the ground. Getting started . . . and getting started right is what it is all about.
Music is just like any other career. No matter what you chose to do with your life - you must spend time developing your skills. You will invest both time and money to learn the "skill" that will earn a living for you and your family. Unless your family is wealthy - you must earn your own way. Music is no different. It is a career, a business - and just like any other career or business you choose to pursue - it requires an investment in time and money. And the majority of the time it is your time and your money! It is true, if you are performing in public, regularly, a local investor might hear you sing and might be willing to invest some money in your career. But you had better know what you're doing and be able to show this investor how he might get a return on his investment. There are only three things that you need to develop a successful career in music.
TALENT: It should be unnecessary to even mention that you should be able to sing. However, you'd be surprised at the number of people who are trying to become singers that can not sing! You should be performing regularly - singing every night if possible. You can't sing in the shower and believe that you are a singer. Singers are entertainers - entertainers do just that . . . they entertain other people, not themselves. Like any other career - the more you do something - the better you become at what you are trying to do. You wouldn't hang out a sign claiming to be an "auto mechanic" if you had never worked on an automobile - would you? Yet thousands of would be singers come to Nashville everyday to become STARS without ever having sung in public. This is exactly the type of individual that spends THOU$AND$ of dollars on recording and then leaves Nashville complaining about a city of crooks. I've watched an honest producer here in Nashville, tell a "wanna-be singer" that they should wait to record. Then I've seen that same "wanna-be" go down the street until he found a producer willing to tell him what he wanted to hear - and of course take his money.
DESIRE: There is no such thing as an "over night success". Even though you have heard many an entertainer referred to by that title - a little investigation will prove to you that they spent years developing their careers. Becoming an entertainer is not easy - it is hard work. You will spend long hours during those early years just trying to sing. You will sing anywhere and everywhere - you'll sing for free just to have an opportunity to sing. Most fans do not realize the amount of work it takes to be a successful entertainer - not to mention a major star. It takes hard work and long hours to become successful. And then it takes even more hard work and longer hours to stay successful. After all . . . there's another "over night success" out there just waiting to take your place.You may not have considered the years that a performer works "paying his/her dues" - working for FREE or for low wages while learning their trade. It is not simply a matter of cutting a record and Presto - You're A Star! I've known an over night success or two that only took twenty years to get there. Are you dedicated enough to stay with your "dream" through the lean years - until you can succeed?
MONEY: There are thousands of "would be" singers out there, who believe sincerely, that all it would take is for someone to hear them sing - just once, and they'd get a record deal. Why would anyone invest in an unproven product? These people actually believe that someone is just waiting to discover them. They have heard for years that "if I'm good enough" - I won't have to spend any money. Every company in Nashville is in business to make money. They will not invest in an unproven singer. Most of them won't even invest in a proven talent with years of experience. They leave that for outside investors. And yes, I'm talking of the Major Labels in Nashville.If your "dream" is to be discovered - dream on friend! As with any other career it takes money. Money for training, money for equipment, money for recording, promotion, publicity, etc. And guess what, that money comes from the entertainer - or family - or friends - or a financial backer, usually from the artist's home area and discovered by the artist. It does not come from the record labels here in Nashville.
Believe it or not - the artist! Yes, even on a major label, the artist will be the one to pay recording expenses. The label will usually advance the money, pay for the session and then deduct the costs from an artist's royalty checks - before the artist receives any money. When an artist first begins to record it will usually be on a small independent label. The artist will pay for the session, pressing, mailing, promotion, etc., in advance. The ONLY way to recover the investment is for the artist to have product for sale and to sell this product at their performances. There is no product distribution system for independent artists - you must sell your own product either at your performances or at LOCAL stores where people know you. You will not see your product for sale at the major outlets. For a good session, union musicians, back up singers, studio, producer, engineer, products, etc., you will usually need to sell 2,000 cassettes or 1,500 CDs to recover the investment.
WHO PAYS FOR RECORDINGS? After your initial product is sold - reorders are at a lower price and you can begin to profit from your sales. The production costs (session, backup, artwork, typesetting, etc.) are a one time expense. Your only expense now would be the actual manufacturing cost on cassettes and cds. If you're not the writer of the songs you've recorded, you will also be paying royalties to the writers and publishers. Remember, these people wrote and pubished the songs - you are using their songs to sell and earn money. They deserve their share.
For the artist - it is advertising. It can also show a successful "track" record and help the artist to secure bookings. When you hear a song on the radio - the artist is not earning any money unless that artist is also the songwriter. Airplay royalties are paid only to the writers and publishers.
WHAT IS THE VALUE OF RADIO AIRPLAY? The benefit that an artist receives from radio airplay is recognition. Fans will buy products and attend concerts - which is where the artist makes money. An independent artist will be able to use the chart numbers for promotional purposes - to get bookings in their own area (and to expand their performing arena). And . . . independent artist can also use chart numbers to help locate a financial backer for future projects.
A word about radio promotion . . . if you release a song to radio you will need to hire a good independent radio promoter. Without a promoter - you will not be reported to the charts and your name will not appear in print. You will not get the benefit of "recognition" for possible bookings, etc. When you are ready for your first release, we can recommend several outstanding (and honest) promoters.
A FINAL WORD: Deciding to become an entertainer is not a decision to be made lightly. You must truly love to sing. When you record - plan to record an album and get product to sell. I've seen singers spend $8,000.00 to $12,000.00 to record two songs and release one to radio, when for $15,000.00 you can record a ten song album and get 1,000 cassettes and 1,000 Cds to sell. That is $25,000.00 worth of merchandise that will allow you to recover your investment, buy additional product and even make a little profit.We hope this information will be useful to you in developing your career. We do not mean to discourage anyone from becoming a singer. We believe that you should be prepared to face the difficulties in your chosen career. It will take money - and you should never consider investing money in your career if you can not afford to lose it. There is never a guarantee of success in any field. However, with music - you alone determine your chance of success. You can come to Nashville - a good producer can record you and give you product to sell - he can not sell it for you. You alone will sell product, you will book shows - your success will depend on you!
