How to get signed... no really, how?

[Lon]

title sums it up, maybe some of the already signed dudes here could shed a bit of clarity.

I'm aware that you need the obivous stuff (stellar material, stellar recordings, stellar presskit, a decent history of gigs, a local following, blahblah) but what gets you signed in reality? From my 20-30 job applications i wrote in my life i only got an invite for an interview twice, all my other jobs (talking a lot here) i alway got through people who knew people who recommended me.

So yeah you may think "hey you answered your question yourself, go bang some A&R dude", but.. how to get there, its not that you just happen to know the metalblade executive.

And yeah you can obviously read a bit of frustration ^^


best Regards

 

[Sacha]

You kind of answered your own question didn't you

If you are doing all those things, better then most everyone else, eventually they will come to you

I'd say also to try doing your own national tour. it will probably suck but labels want to see you are basically ready to go all on your own

also consider just building on your own as much as possible, it will give you more leverage with labels to negotiate if it comes down to that later

'getting signed' isn't the be all end all it may have used to be

title sums it up, maybe some of the already signed dudes here could shed a bit of clarity.

I'm aware that you need the obivous stuff (stellar material, stellar recordings, stellar presskit, a decent history of gigs, a local following, blahblah) but what gets you signed in reality? From my 20-30 job applications i wrote in my life i only got an invite for an interview twice, all my other jobs (talking a lot here) i alway got through people who knew people who recommended me.

So yeah you may think "hey you answered your question yourself, go bang some A&R dude", but.. how to get there, its not that you just happen to know the metalblade executive.

And yeah you can obviously read a bit of frustration ^^


best Regards

 

[Lon]

'getting signed' isn't the be all end all it may have used to be

hm, the thought crossed my mind, for me getting signed is only a reason to get into the right channels, i see it as a necessity to get to the better known tours, better venues, right contacts in the industry, if every bandmember has a job money isn't really the problem anymore to record and print stuff

 

[Dan]

hm, the thought crossed my mind, for me getting signed is only a reason to get into the right channels, i see it as a necessity to get to the better known tours, better venues, right contacts in the industry, if every bandmember has a job money isn't really the problem anymore to record and print stuff

Enter Shikari or however the hell you spell it self financed their first album and made a mint off it. My band is doing the same thing. Don't think getting signed is the best thing ever because for 95% of bands that do it becomes a crippling probblem what with debts and deadlines.

Its not about being signed... its about who you know

 

[Cheesebuiscut]

Go check out the thread about metal bands making money near the end theres plenty about how shit it is to worry about getting signed in this day and age.

 

[John_Strychnine]

Enter Shikari or however the hell you spell it self financed their first album and made a mint off it. My band is doing the same thing. Don't think getting signed is the best thing ever because for 95% of bands that do it becomes a crippling probblem what with debts and deadlines.

Its not about being signed... its about who you know

Thats not quite how they worked it but yeh, In this day and age signing to a label is kind of not worth it, especially if you're pulling kids to your shows.

 

[Inazone]

A traditional deal probably isn't that great anymore, unless you are at the level of touring constantly and needing a label to handle the "behind the scenes" part of the business so you can focus on the essentials. If you already have the capability to put out professional-sounding material on your own, and aren't looking for tour support (loans) from a label, maybe a distribution deal would make more sense.

My band got signed based on a demo. We literally only had two shows under our belt. We paid for the recording and mixing, the label paid for everything else. Unfortunately, they went out of business, so we're back where we were six years ago. The difference is, we've recorded a new album ourselves, will also mix and master it ourselves, and really are only looking for a label for the pressing, promotion and distribution. If absolutely necessary, we can do two of those three ourselves too.

But if you don't need a physical CD to sell, you may have no use for a label.

 

[MistaMarko]

Pester the shit out of people until they finally pay attention, seriously. Persistence and good business skills (it is ALL about business...) -- agreed with the points here...a label is not the gold ticket to luxury...it's more of an excuse to work harder. It's a partnership...you work with THEM to progress. You basically need to present your band as a wrapped gift. It was quite a hard, exhausting, irritating, FRUSTRATING, impatient, grueling thing for us to do, but we finally got it. It's really just the beginning of more of these types of frustrations, and harder work. Don't view it as "we made it", view it as "we just got started".

 

[Lon]

i read and researched my fair share and i don't consider getting signed as "making it", i know that its just gonna open a new hail of shit on the band but i still kinda see a signing as a important act of progressing, i'd need a label only for distribution, promotion and booking. for producing records or touring the money isn't really a big deal, because that stuff got kinda cheap but promoting your band needs afaik 2 things... money(for ads) and connections (sic!) and thats where the label comes in for me, to get you the possibility of getting bigger faster than by trying it yourself (gosh we tried to book a small tour through austria and we got squat.. most venues aren't even decent enough to respond to a serious business offer)

and for me a signed band just seems more serious and established, and did enter shikari really record take to the skies on their own? because that record is the awesomeness...

 

[JohnIce]

There used to be a time when a recording required hiring an expensive studio with expensive gear and expensive techs, then printing and distribution via record stores was also expensive. You needed a record deal to do it.

Now, as we all know, you can quite easily do the recordings yourself (or at least very cheap), and distribution via internet is a billion times easier now. A record deal in itself is more trouble than it's worth, really.

What you really could use though is management, having someone who knows the business, books the gigs and so on so you can focus on the creative side of things... unfortunately, letting someone else do this for you obviously increases the risk of you getting ripped off. So learning everything and doing everything yourself is always the safest and cheapest solution, but it comes down to how good you are at it

 

[Andii]

Signing that contract is exchanging a cut of everything you make(seriously they put merch in contracts now *bleh*) in exchange for recording money, which is just a loan, and then whatever other services the label can offer you(which is sometimes not a whole lot).

It doesn't look like a very attractive option unless you have them coming to you and you can negotiate a contract that is beneficial for both parties. I question how beneficial it can even be any more as the need for physical distribution of any kind dwindles and even more so in the store front area.

If you need online distribution of physical products(shirts, discs, panties) there are companies that can take care of that without taking so much of your money. You can even handle orders yourself if the volume is smaller, or get someone you know to ship of you're on tour.

Take a look at how these people are doing things without a label. They actually get the money they you pay for their music:

The Official Reciprocal Website

ENDITOL

 

[bulb]

tour, promote yourself and network a shitload
get some buzz going about your band
and wait for labels to contact you
dont go to labels asking them to sign you because you will have no leverage whatsoever and end up signing the worst deal ever.
remember a label is only as good as its deal + its available resources.
you could be signed to the best label in the world, but if you have a shitty deal it will do you little good
wait for labels to come to you, so when they do you can ask them why you should sign with them, balls in your court then and you will have more leverage when negotiating.
have a good manager and lawyer who can help you negotiate and legally verify the contract respectively.

 

[asmegin_slayer]

tour, promote yourself and network a shitload
get some buzz going about your band

Bulb, about networking. I'm assuming networking with other bands/promotors/book keepers and of course friends/family?

Promoting: Flyers/web/radio?

How often did Periphery tour before getting signed?

 

[Lon]

i have to admit, distribution can be done by yourself, setup an online shop for cds and do the rest digital, valid point.

i've encountered the most problems with networking, just to get a tour booked is an insane pain in the arse because if you can't even say "were on that label" nobody wants to even give you a simple doordeal....

 

[cryogen]

i've encountered the most problems with networking, just to get a tour booked is an insane pain in the arse because if you can't even say "were on that label" nobody wants to even give you a simple doordeal....

I hear you on that man. When we did our first tour (6 dates), it took 3-4 months of bugging the shit out of bands and venue owners to get it all setup. Got everything finalized a few days before we hit the road.

It will be a lot easier the next time you do it because you're bound to make some connections on the road.

Good luck with everything man!

 

[Joose]

We just got A&R for an indie label. Gettin' excited and nervous all at once.

 

[bulb]

Bulb, about networking. I'm assuming networking with other bands/promotors/book keepers and of course friends/family?

Promoting: Flyers/web/radio?

How often did Periphery tour before getting signed?

we only did 2 short tours honestly, but we had some internet buzz which definitely helped.

as far as networking, it could be anyone and thats a good thing to keep in mind, anyone and everyone can help you out in the future, so its always good to be nice and positive.
its so funny to see how many people who talk shit on other bands are also in bands who are trying to make it, and honestly the golden rule applies there, if you have nothing nice to say dont say it, and if you are offering constructive criticism there is something to be said for being tactful or polite about it.

Just because you are "being honest" doesnt mean you have to be a dick about it, because believe it or not word gets around, and there are a lot of bands that miss opportunities because of that kind of stuff. you would be surprised how many bands actually lurk on these forums
this is a hard industry and we need to be helping each other out and being good to each other, not talking each other down etc.

 

[cryogen]

Just because you are "being honest" doesnt mean you have to be a dick about it, because believe it or not word gets around, and there are a lot of bands that miss opportunities because of that kind of stuff. you would be surprised how many bands actually lurk on these forums
this is a hard industry and we need to be helping each other out and being good to each other, not talking each other down etc.

 

[Vstro]

Enter Shikari or however the hell you spell it self financed their first album and made a mint off it. My band is doing the same thing. Don't think getting signed is the best thing ever because for 95% of bands that do it becomes a crippling probblem what with debts and deadlines.

Its not about being signed... its about who you know

 

[Joose]

Just because you are "being honest" doesnt mean you have to be a dick about it, because believe it or not word gets around, and there are a lot of bands that miss opportunities because of that kind of stuff. you would be surprised how many bands actually lurk on these forums
this is a hard industry and we need to be helping each other out and being good to each other, not talking each other down etc.

This.

I say my fair share about bands I don't like... but I always keep in mind that the majority of them have made it to a point that I dream of being at every single day.

As for the positivity thing, I seem to be the only one in my band that always gives people the benefit of the doubt. They'll talk about how "this seems sketchy" or "this shit's taking too long" or "I dunno man, I just haven't seen enough from _______ to continue having faith in it/them"

After just over 6 years of working our asses off to write songs that we're truly proud of, and would listen to if it was someone else... I dunno, I feel like we need to give everything and everyone a shot. What could happen? Until paper and signatures come into play, we're safe. So it's either continue practicing 3-4 nights a week and playing local shows... or do the same thing, only with someone or multiple people trying to help us get in the door. Even if it takes awhile, it seems worth it to me.