User talk:Oyekan john

Good Music Give you knowledge
A label is a business First and foremost, a record label is a business. They have operating costs (for distribution, marketing, design etc) and need to generate revenue to cover those costs. Everything in excess is their profit. They generate this revenue by selling music, collecting mechanical royalties (cash they get when people play, buy and stream their tracks), and sometimes through selling merchandise and hosting events. Whether focused on mainstream or underground, they have to make ends meet. With this in mind, think about the type of artists they want to sign – artists that help them make money. The factors that contribute to that are great music, a (big) fanbase, good marketing and dedication. The better you score on these points, the more interesting you are to sign. They are bombarded with demos Good labels receive tons of demos. They often have A&R’s (Artist & Repertoire) working for them, whom are the people that scout talent and listen to the demos. Top notch commercial labels such as Dim Mak, Mad Decent and Spinning Records receive over 100 demos DAILY. These pile up so quickly that it’s nearly impossible to keep up with. Some bigger labels go through their demos once a month, but I know of a few who have just given up on checking their general demo boxes and mail folders altogether. Instead, they find and sign music through their network. This is a hugely important notion which I’ll treat later in this article. What are they looking for Essentially, all labels are looking for a hit. It doesn’t necessarily need to be a ‘mainstream’ hit, but something that’s good enough and unique to catch a lot of attention. Music that has the power to make them and their artists stand out. Next to that, there’s something else that’s becoming increasingly important – independent power. With the rise of all the social networks and other online tools, it’s easier than ever to market yourself independently as an artist. This effect has come at a cost for labels though… they no longer control the only channels through which music is distributed and are thus more dependent on the marketing power of artists themselves. As a result, labels are increasingly looking for artists that would be able to make it ‘big’ by themselves; with big and dedicated fan bases, unique marketing styles and great ways of branding themselves. This is becoming a hugely important part of the equation. They want to pick up the acts that could become ‘viral’ without them. As an artist looking for a deal, you should be aware of these cornerstones. Great music is rarely all it takes when you’re looking to get signed. That’s just the reality. To illustrate, Deadmau5’s label Mau5trap stated earlier that they no longer sign artists whom are not totally self sufficient, regardless of musical quality.

The more aware you are, the better you can prepare yourself Oyekan john (talk) 13:14, 17 June 2016 (UTC)