Most newcomers will soon discover that making a successful career in the entertainment industry is a hard market to break into more so than any other market..Its definitely not as easy to get into as working at McDonalds or processing insurance claims at Geico While this creates problems for most newcomers who spend their days and nights pouring their soul into their most finest masterpiece; the music industrys not-everyone-is-worthy policy is largely a reason why the music industry is so successful- earning 40 billion annually. History has always been a part of understanding and predicting new trends. In order to fully discover new ways to get in the music industry, its a great benefit to understand some of the history of the music industry. Music has been around before most people living today were born. Before the rise of sound recordings, then known as phonographs, the sheet music publishers were the almighty force in the musicsphere, before it was dubbed the music industry. Today more than half of U.S. homes are wired with a high-speed pipeline to the net and seventy-five percent of Americans use the Internet for an average of three hours a day. This makes easier access to information and new technologies which create new markets and opportunities for songwriters, singers, and producers to get their music heard. The main components that make up the recording industry are the Record Labels, Publishing Companies, Licensing Companies, Artists, and Fans. Knowing fully how these components works together makes it easier to find new ways to enter the music scene. These different companies also have similar departments with leaders who know more than a few major contacts at any targeted major record label. In addition to being separate entities, these companies are all connected at the level of being in the music industry. Most people will recommend internships and slowly climb the ladder from bottom until youre able to reach the top. But thats usually not good enough for those artists who have put everything into their music, lost or quit their job, and are clearly willing to work and have the music that deserves to be heard. So how do you use the different components to get into the music industry? The answer invariably is research, plan, build, test, market, promote, prove it; rinse and repeat. You do not need to have infinite resources to get the attention of industry insiders if you are interested in you are willing to work hard at being different but following trends. There are 5 different approaches to consider if you are interested in getting in the music industry. Work as an intern (even unpaid) for at least 6months to a year at a record label to develop relationships Write and market songs to already established recording artists and bands and use that leverage to new opportunities Push your songs to major music publishers to sign a publishing deal. Build a presence at all the major industry functions and events Develop your song catalog to license film/tv music At first glance these seem a bit bleak, but you you should be able to get in the music industry, so long as your music is qualified in terms of being unique, interesting, and sellable. |
