Getting On the Music Industry Radar Screen

Copyright © 2005 Ty Cohen

Music Contracts Online

http://www.MusicContractsOnline.com



How to Get Noticed By Those

Who Can REALLY Help Your Music Career!





As you or your band performs, be it from club to club around town

or nationally, there is usually one thing lingering in the back

of your mind...



How do you go about getting that one big break that will push you

ahead toward greater recognition and success artistically?



You know it happens to artist and bands all the time. That time

could come soon for your group to break out of the local scene

and land that recording contract or national tour that will get

you on your way to greater success.



You know there are tried and true methods. Having a great demo

or being interviewed on the local radio shows at once seemed like

a good idea. But times have changed in the music industry. In

this article, we will discuss some up-to-date information and

inside tips on how to get noticed in this tough business, in

short I'll give you some info that will literally place on the

music industry radar screen. The knowledge that I'm about to

share with you will work for any and everyone: Songwriters,

Singers, Musicians, Rappers and for all genres of music: Pop,

Rock, Rap, Gospel, R&B, Jazz, Grunge, Country and everything in

between!







Where are the Scouts?



You have had the thought run through your mind as you perform for

an enthusiastic crowd in a club or bar. Are there music industry

scouts in this crowd? Maybe you just laugh it off but you have

heard that they are out there watching bands like yours and

signing the talented ones to develop into stars.



What you have heard is true. Industry insiders tell us that now

more than ever, scouts are everywhere. You may worry that you

are not living in one of the big "music industry towns" like New

York, Chicago, L.A. and Nashville but that isn't important.

Remember, Seattle wasn't on the map before grunge hit and they

found Sir Mix A-Lot and for you Rock Heads, Kurt and Eddie.



But what if you don't always have the biggest audience in town.

Well, some of the biggest acts in the music business were

"discovered" playing to a small and intimate crowd. If your

performance is strong and you are getting good word of mouth,

the music industry scouts will find you and check you out. So

perform every night like they are out there because there is no

reason to believe that they are not.







Go Get Them



But you don't have to sit around and wait for them to come to

you. The new "hunting grounds" for bands and talent are well

known to the insiders. Once you know who it is that is feeding

the information to music industry scouts and agents, you can

learn the tricks of the trade to feed information about you or

your band into that system. Here are a few of the newest methods

and venues you can use to get yourself noticed:



* Perform, Perform, Perform. These days the local club scene

is the most important way to get noticed. Don't wear yourself

out chasing agents or scouts. If your performances are

strong, that will create a buzz and the word of mouth will

get you noticed. Then the scouts will come to see you rather

than you having to go and chase them.



* Build your relationship with your audience. Insiders tell us

that scouts will come to a show for a musical venue they don't

even understand. If you are doing something bold and new

that they are not able to evaluate musically, they will go

by the crowd. If your audience responds with excitement and

enthusiasm, that is what gets the eyes and ears of music

executives. So pour yourself into the people for whom you

are performing. That's what you love to do anyway so it's

an easy way to get noticed and the right way too.



* Build your local network. Industry agents know club owners

and booking agents for local events very well. If you have a

strong reputation with them, they will pass that information

along to the scouts who are looking for new talent.



* Indie (independent) labels are also a rich source of

information for the larger recording houses to find out

about up and coming bands. You may have indie labels near

by so get to know them and get them to your shows so when

they have a chance to connect you to a scout, your band is

on their list of hot new acts.



* Never miss a chance to network but look for innovative ways

to advertise yourself as well. The internet has lots of new

and interesting sites that scouts are starting to watch for

new talent. If you have the resources, get a web page up

and get some MP3 samples of your performances out there.

You can easily set up a website using a service like

http://www.MyWebSiteMyMusic.com and you can also easily put

your music on your site or anywhere else online, even in

emails in MP3 format using a service like the one offered

at http://www.ListenToMyMusicOnline.com .



The services offered by these two websites are extremely

inexpensive and so simple to use, a 5 year old could do it, yet

they will have you looking like a music industry professional in

no time at all.







Is the Demo Dead?



>From what we have learned so far, you would think the demo is

ready to go into the hall of fame as an out-of-date tool. But

the demo tape still has some real value to you. The best demo

is one that showcases not only your musical skill but the

personality and the performance skill of you or your band.

If you can have someone put a demo together from one of your

performances, that gives an agent or scout a bit of a feel for

what to expect from you when he comes to see you.



So treat the demo as part of your bag of tricks but it isn't the

thing that is going to seal the deal. If a scout likes what he

hears or at least his curiosity is peaked, he will then seek out

ways to see you live. Then we are back to the club atmosphere,

your relationship with your crowd and your performance. Those

are the things that will get you noticed in a way that will lead

to bigger breaks. Look at the demo as just the hook with a

little bit of bait on it. You can also use your demo on your web

page along with some video footage of your live performance to

showcase the excitement of your shows. Remember both

http://www.ListenToMyMusicOnline.com and

http://www.MyWebSiteMyMusic.com offer some of the best services

in the industry for doing this.







Video Didn't Kill the Radio Star



Radio used to be the primary medium for distributing information

about new acts and for getting your music played and noticed.

But changes in ownership of radio stations and in how they are

programmed have changed that too. The radio station is no longer

a significant communication channel for you to use to get on the

music industry radar screen.



A lot of factors have dropped radio off the radar screen for

getting noticed. Airplay is not as much of a factor as it used

to be when there was a lot of diversity in radio. Radio is

nearly a monopoly with all of the play list decisions made by one

central national firm. So if you think that any one individual

at your area radio stations makes airplay decisions, you should

revise that opinion because they do not. This little insider tip

alone can save you huge amounts of wasted energy and frustration

when trying to get noticed.



But don't worry, scouts and music industry agents know they will

not find the new, the innovative and the creative music on radio.

They have turned from it to use local networking and club

performances as their radar screen for new talent.



You do the same. Do not concern yourself a great deal with local

radio coverage. Even college radio is virtually a dead venue

for getting noticed in this new market. Focus on where the real

contacts are being made today, through local contacts, word of

mouth and above all club and local festival performances. Other

good habits include using music industry contact directories like

the one found at http://www.MusicBizPhoneBook.com which list

contact information to over 20,000 important people in the music

industry.



It's all in your network and what is happening on the street

that will make the difference between you getting noticed or

not. In a way, that's the way it always should have been,

having the focus placed on your band talent, performance skill

and live shows. That is where your strength is anyway. Be a

savvy marketer and use this knowledge to raise the awareness

of your band, your talent, your songs and your performances.









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This article was written by Ty Cohen,

the music industry's most recognizable voice!

Ty is the C.E.O of Platinum Millennium Publishing and

Platinum Millennium Records as well as owner of:

http://www.MusicContractsOnline.com and

http://www.MusicBusinesSuccess.com



To find out more about Ty Cohen, his services, products and how

he may be able to help you succeed in the music industry go to:

http://www.MusicBusinesSuccess.com and sign up for his free

limited edition music industry success 10-part "Mini-Course",

it will work wonders for you and best of all, it's FREE, but

EXTREMELY VALUABLE!