The question is, "what do you do when you are just starting out?' "How do you reach the influencers and get your music in front of those that count?" 'How do you get in touch with record labels that may want you?"

We are moving fast this year. 30 days can come and go in the blink of an eye.

How are you coming with your New Years Resolutions? Something better than resolutions are goals. How about your GOALS?

I have seen so many articles on how to get signed to a record label that are full of so much wrong information that I thought I would write an article on how NOT to go about getting signed to a record label to try to debunk some of this awful advise.

Does this sound like you?  You have  a mini-recording studio in a tiny space...away from the distractions of family. Or, is your laptop/PC recording central?  Do you have to wait until your family is dreaming to get some creative time in?  It's 2am and you're in the moment, strumming, tinkling on the keyboard, putting down some beats, singing to your screen and posting on YouTube.  "Man, this sounds better than what's on the radio", you say to yourself.  If only...

There are attractive reasons for the independent approach, such as keeping artistic control and retaining copyright of your recordings and songs. Then there are new incentives, like the possibility of distributing and selling on the Internet. However what they often forget about is some of the main issues surrounding setting up an independent recording label which are worth careful thought at the very outset, often leading them to make serious mistakes which cannot be recovered. Unfortunately these mistakes seem rather common in cases of independent labels, a brief overview of which is given below.

Out of the thousands of people who seek this path, only a hundred have the talent and out of those hundred, only ten might have the motivation and yet out of the ten of them, only one might get the opportunity. Yet a very significant portion of the population aims or at the very least, desires to become a music producer. What can be the reason for such favoritism? What do the masses see in this profession? What are the advantages of being a music producer? Let us take a look below.

People believe in the glamour of the music business; some even consider this industry as all fun and games. Many think that once you enter the music business you will work with the most creative people, the most effective and best of the best artists. However, plenty of people do not recognize the amount of work that goes into every song.

Generally, the first thing that springs to mind when you need to record a song, is to make enquiries with local recording studios. However, studio charges are generally based on an hourly rate that is often more than your day job pays you.

Once you've saved enough money for this excursion, there are then further worries. Unless you are a regular visitor to recording studios, you may not quite know what to expect. You may not be able to communicate your ideas for your sound clearly to the engineer, who really only understands technical jargon.

There are many things that the artist can be doing such as personal grooming, selecting clothes, perfecting their outward image, attending music business conferences and so on. However, in order to maximize the musician or artist's time we believe the person has to work towards the one key area:

The recipe for a successful record label, no matter how big or how small, involves many ingredients. Too many to mention here but if you had to narrow it down to the most crucial points you will find the following key ingredients to successful record label management.

1. Having Talented Music Artists On The Roster,
2. The Resources Available For CD Production,
3. The Power To Distribute Music Straight Into The Consumers Hands,
4. The Ability And Resources To Successfully Promote Music Artists.

By far the most important skill to have if you wish to become successful with anything, is ATTITUDE. An old Chinese proverb once said, "90% of the journey towards success is over once you have stepped outside your front door." The reason many people fail, is because they'd rather stay in and watch the TV.

Of course, that first step outside is a philosophical one. As a musician or songwriter, you spend the vast majority of your time being creative. If you think that writing a great song, or playing an instrument well, is the hardest part of being a successful artist, you are wrong.

Despite all the skills you need to know and perfect in order to make your music shine, these pale into insignificance compared with the hard work and other skills you will need to learn in order to record, market and sell your art successfully.

Fortunately, most creative people also seem to excel at other things. The term "Jack of all trades" could quite easily apply to most musicians or artists. After all, the first thing most artists have to learn, is how to find time for their art whilst running a home AND holding down a Day Job in order to pay the bills! It is therefore not unusual to find musicians who are also Physicists, Engineers, IT Professionals or Teachers, to name but a few.

Does this sound like you?  You have  a mini-recording studio in a tiny space...away from the distractions of family. Or, is your laptop/PC recording central?  Do you have to wait until your family is dreaming to get some creative time in?  It's 2am and you're in the moment, strumming, tinkling on the keyboard, putting down some beats, singing to your screen and posting on YouTube.  "Man, this sounds better than what's on the radio", you say to yourself.  If only...

Recording a 10-track CD costs about $30,000 on the low end and upwards of $50,000 on the high end to produce; and you're thinking it's never going to happen.  If only...  You're internet search starts. You look for alternatives.  

Where music meets licensing, there's money to be made. How much money? "I have synched quite a few thousand songs into productions over the years," states Peter Jansson of Janssongs, Inc., "and have charged anywhere between US$1.00 and US$250,000 for each one."

That's correct: he said a quarter of a million dollars. And there are a great many places to earn money from music. For example, there are more TV shows on more cable channels than ever before. There are oodles of commercials. There are tons of electronic games and toys. There are corporate video productions galore. There are big movies, little movies, and direct-to-DVD movies. And they all are potential places to put your music, if the rights can be cleared.

"I spy with my little eye..." or "true or false"; might be what you hear in a playground or may sound like a game played by novices. In reality that cannot be further from the truth where the Music Business is concerned. One simply needs to read or listen to some opinions to hear a variety of trumpets blowing. But clearly there are variations in the sounds.

Let's explore some of the most popular myths and see where they fit in our own minds!

Have you ever thought how important music has become for us? I cannot remember a day when I didn't hear any music at all. I love the stuff. You might have a collection of CDs, or albums, or you simply turn on the radio while commuting to work. Have you ever considered how the music gets to you and who makes the decision about what music gets played? Maybe you have wondered why only certain artists get played and have their music sold in major retail stores. Have you thought about what trends are going to take over music next? I suppose you will find the answer to all your questions in major record labels.

You have many choices to make in your musical career. One of the biggest, whether to try and get signed by independent music labels or the major ones, will likely affect the direction and length of your career. There are advantages and disadvantages to signing with an independent music label, of course, and if you want to figure out which type of label is better for you, you should carefully examine them.

The thought of having a band and making it big is something that a lot of people dream about. Having millions of dollars and fame is something which could make anyone smile. But what most musicians do not take into account is the process of getting signed. Getting a record deal is something that most bands fail at. It's that one major leap where some make it and some do not. But if you really feel that you have all the right tools for this job then you should keep reading.

I have found today that search engines are being plowed through today by people, (musician's), typing in the phrase "make own music", "make own beats", or simply, "your own music".  It's seems today, that so many people have caught on to the record companies, and their lack of care for the "starving artist", that we are finding alternate methods to making the music that we are passionate about.

Today, so many inspired artists and musicians have the best opportunity ever existed in the music industry. With all the DIY startup kits, self-managed websites, online video tutorials, and free templates to download, it has become very easy and exciting to becoming independent with your music career. In this article I will cover only the basics of what to expect in obtaining the proper credentials of an independent record label in 10 steps. It doesn't matter what genre you consider your music to be. In this article, one size fits all.

YouTube has made video publishing a great way to earn money and also to promote your business or service globally. It has gained significant popularity as high-quality video recording becomes less expensive. All you need these days is a decent stand-alone camera or one good smart phone and you can create some footage to rival big budget videos. It's all about creativity and a good angle on forging a response from your potential viewers.

Digital and Physical Distribution. Online and Offline. MP3s and Physical CDs.

Once you have finished music you'll want to start selling it. You'll want to make it available online at digital download stores like iTunes or Amazon, and made available to record stores around the world. There are several companies that offer online and physical distribution, each with slightly different pricing and services.

If you want to have a promoter AKA a publicist for you music band there are a few ways to find the one for you in Saint Louis, Chicago, Los Angeles, Marion, Carbondale, Herrin and anywhere else in the world. Many people do not think about it but a band promoter or publicist can make the difference in your bands coverage and ability to make you seen by people all over the world. There are some things you can do on your own but you should be careful, for one you could damage your sites reputation or you could just be wasting your time if you do the wrong things. You should leave things to a professional who knows the ropes and ways of the internet and promotion to get the most for your money, not to mention it even looks more professional for you and your band to have someone there promoting your music and band members full time.

There are many types of contracts used in the music industry. Some are very detailed and specific to any number of services that may be provided. It is a good idea to have an understanding of the basic types of music contracts that you are most likely to see if you are (or intend to become) a music professional.

However, it is first important to understand the basic forms of rights and compensation. Songwriters, publishers, and performing artists are compensated in a variety of ways. In the United States, there are specific rights in direct accordance with Copyright Law as well as rights associated with specific usages. Contracts are used to firmly establish rights and compensation in all cases.

If you are a singer or an aspiring singer who wants to market your music online, you may want to learn some tips and techniques that will allow you to reach out to the people you want to reach out. Whether you want to get noticed by a recording company or record label, or if you just want to sell your music online, then the internet is indeed one good avenue to start with.

Are you a hip-hop artist, producer, entrepreneur or fan who wants to make money in the rap industry? Have you ever thought about starting a hip-hop blog? Believe it or not, hip-hop blogs are becoming more and more popular, and there are plenty of opportunities for hip-hop bloggers to make money online. If the idea of getting paid to share your thoughts and opinions about rap is music to your ears, here's how to get started.

There are a number of record companies out there today and each one operates differently. Some record labels are huge companies that have hundreds of acts to promote. These are the labels that carry the most popular, commercially viable rock bands and singers. They can offer artists huge sums of money to sign with them and they've got the experience and to promote them heavily. Their business model has dominated the music recording industry for years, but that's been steadily changing.

When you think of rock and roll pioneers, you probably mostly think of men like Elvis Presley, Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, and others. But women played a significant roll in the early rockabilly foundation of rock and roll. And these women are all too often overlooked as the influences that they were.

Wanda Jackson, who holds the title of Queen of Rockabilly comes most readily to mind, especially since the 2011 release of her "The Party Ain't Over" CD which was produced by Jack White. Indeed, Jackson played a pivotal role in the early rock and roll years. She brought a brash, sassy, sexy new style to pop music. She wrote many of her own songs, played guitar, and swapped the corny cowgirl outfits worn by most women country and rockabilly singers of the day for sultry, tight-fitting dresses and high heels. Jackson's early rockabilly records are among the best rockabilly performances by anyone, man or woman.

Tips for Rappers and Singers when looking for and purchasing instrumentals/beats online.