How to know if you and your band are ‘record deal ready’
An experienced and well-versed musician, Carla Marlowe, talks about how to know when it’s time to pitch you or your band to a record label. Do you think you’re ready? Keep reading to find out.
by Carla Malrowe of Bandzoogle
Any time is a good time to pitch your band to a record label, but anytime is not the best time. To increase your chances of closing a deal with a record label, your band needs to have reached a certain level of success. So…what are record labels looking for in the current day and age? I promise you that it’s not simply a hint of “potential”.
For a medium-to-large record label to find your band attractive, you need two things: talent, and proof thereof… In other words: a killer song and a decent fanbase. Easy, right? Not exactly.
So how do you know if your band is ready to send out the big pitch? Here’s a checklist of everything you need to have in place before you contact record labels.
No. 1: A ton of material
This is a no brainer. Even though record labels will often only ask you to send them one song, what they mean to say is that you should send your ‘best song,’ not your ‘only song.’ You should have a good archive of songs readily written and recorded, even if not recorded professionally.
Need help with songwriting or finding your flow? There are numerous blog articles right here to guide you to write amazing songs. Try lyric writing for beginners or 5 ways to write a great tune for inspiration.
No. 2: Something you could call “a career in music”
Whereas back in the day, a single good song might have been good enough, in the current day and age, your music on its own won’t serve you much if you have not yet immersed yourself in the music industry as a published and experienced performer.
To show a label that you’re building a career in music:
- You need to have released music
- You need to be performing to live audiences
- You need a solid online presence
Yes, you need to be on the proverbial ‘map.’
These factors feed into your ultimate goal: to build a large fanbase. As mentioned previously, your fan base serves as proof to record labels that there’s real talent brewing.
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No. 3: A cacophony of online buzz
Record labels look at your online presence. They look at your social followers and how they engage with your content, so to grow your followers and get them to engage, you need great content.
Without a variety of great content, your social channels won’t grow, so stop looking at articles titled “10 great social media hacks” and, instead, make sure you have a library of great content ready to distribute that will resonate with your fans.
You need to be sharing:
Links to your songs on streaming platforms
Record labels also look at stream counts and the more you share links to your songs, the more streams you’ll get. Your music needs to be available on multiple platforms such as Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, iTunes, Google Play, Bandcamp, Soundcloud, Deezer, Amazon Music, Tidal, Primephonic – the list goes on. To give your fans the best chance to locate and listen, create a Smartlinks page with all of your streaming links.
Music videos
Video is the most popular medium of content on the internet. It is far preferred over any other media form. Thus, if you have a music video, it should be out there with a fierce amount of shares and a decent advertising budget behind it. If you don’t yet, consider producing a video on your own – and use it to engage your fans.
Live performance content
Sharing a glimpse of your live performances is a powerful tool (if your live performances are brilliant, naturally). It should lure people in and create online buzz. The more people you get to attend your shows, the more fan-generated posts you’ll have swimming around the internet as well.
Album reviews and interviews
Having music journalists write about your music places you in the spotlight. If such articles don’t make their way to the eyes of the label, at least it will increase your streams, views and following. No effort in this regard ever goes unrewarded, so start creating some momentum for your music with PR to get your band name out there.
No. 4: A professional press kit
Nothing proves that you are professional and serious about your success like an Electronic press kit, or EPK. A press kit is mainly required when you want to work with radio stations, magazines etc, but passing your kit onto the label will definitely earn you points and make it easier for them to see who you are and what you’ve achieved at a glance.
You need an up-to-date and interesting biography, a complete discography, high-quality professional photos, snippets of press features, album reviews and interviews, and most importantly, links to your streaming platforms, websites and social media pages.
No. 5: A record label that’s right for you
Have you done your research? You need to invest some time into researching record labels that support your specific genre. Learn about what they stand for and listen through their portfolios. Do they speak to you as a band? Do their artists do similar music to what you’re about to pitch?
Try to pick five labels that you feel to be a good fit. Approach these labels according to the process that they prefer – they will usually make their preferred process very clear on their websites. Remember to keep your pitches short, personalized and professional.
So, how many items can you tick off on the checklist? Are you ‘record deal ready’ to rock and roll?
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Carla Malrowe is an avid alternative songwriter and vocalist from South Africa, currently residing in The Netherlands. Check out her electro-industrial project, Psycoco’s single “Stay Awake.” Malrowe’s music is a haunting juxtaposition of electronic and analogue sounds with lyrics that explore a post-apocalyptic conflict between love and loss. Her solo EP, ‘The petals and sand’ is set to be released later this year.
