Making a career out of being a demo singer can be fun and very rewarding. It can also open the right doors for you to make a career doing your own music if you are a singer-songwriter or you’re in a band. I’ve had many people write to me and ask me how to get started.

Getting demo singing jobs are not easy at first, it is not like applying for a job from a newspaper. You have to build it like a business from the ground up. The one thing that it really takes to make it is talent.

As long as you have the talent, you can do it. Then the first thing you really need to do is have a reel that showcases your voice.

Here are some basic steps to take to get you started.

1) You must record yourself singing in many styles on your reel. Your reel is just a series of clips of songs. Note that clips are much better than full-length songs.

Someone who is thinking of hiring you usually won’t have time to listen to a full song. Always edit to the best part of the song where it shows off your voice or the style you are demonstrating.

2) When choosing songs for your reels, you need to record a few different styles. Many writers and producers want a demo singer to sound like a certain artist.

I’ve had many people call saying things like, “Can you sing this like Lady Gaga?” or “Try it in the style of Feist”, etc. You can go to iTunes and buy a few karaoke tracks of artists you can mimic. Then record your vocals on top.

3) Make sure that you get your reel mixed if you decided to record your vocals at home with your own gear and not in a studio. Having a poor sounding reel that isn’t mixed right could work against you.

4) Put your reel up online. Make a professional looking website or if you don’t have the budget, you can always make a MySpace page for yourself. If you don’t have much of a resume now, don’t fake it.

Just let your talent and your voice do the convincing for you. You will build your experience in time.

5) Offer to sing for someone for free. I did my first session free and the producer I worked for was very impressed so he hired me over and over ever since. Doing a free job can also help you build your reel and resume.

6) Keep working! Remember, it is you who is getting your work. You must do something everyday, whether that is searching online for jingle houses, producers and writers, or putting ads up for your services.

Like all freelance work, some days may be up and some may be down, but there is something to do everyday to increase your chances of being heard.

By Charlene Ava, Professional Session Singer in NYC, visit my link below to hear reels and to contact me.

Charlene Ava is a professional session singer in New York City who also records for clients anywhere in the world from her home studio. Visit her at http://www.reallygoodvocals.com

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A major label record deal – The dream that millions of musicians chase every day, praying for the moment when a major label exec will come and sweep them from the bottom and launch them into stardom. The sad and harsh reality is that only a small percentage (and I mean VERY small) will get signed to a major label deal.

Not only that, but out of that small percentage, an even SMALLER percentage go on to becoming a superstar. I hate to say it, but it’s reality – a reality that many musicians just don’t understand or grasp, unfortunately. BUT – This doesn’t mean you should give up your music career. In fact, that would be foolish of you. Why? Because you can make it on your own!

When I say making it “on your own”, I’m talking about going the independent route with your music. With the digital age we live in, getting your music distributed digitally across the internet has become easier than ever, not to mention cost effective. Think about it – Would a record label give you a considerable advantage with promotion and marketing on a massive scale? Absolutely.

However, after all of the expenses you have to recoup, how much money do you think you would see from your album sales? Either very little or absolutely nothing. As an independent artist selling your own music and representing yourself, after a few minor expenses, you earn 100% of your album sales.

And you don’t have to worry about selling thousands of copies to “break even” or worry about recouping costs. In fact, you could sell 10,000 copies of an album and probably come out better than the other guy on a major label who just sold 500,000.

I think you already know where I’m heading with this, but I’m going to give you 3 quick reasons on why I think independent is the way to go:

1) You are your own boss

I think this is truly one of the most important things when it comes to your music. You don’t have to create the music labels force you to create. You get to build your brand the way that YOU want to. When it comes to your music and your marketing approach, you only need to answer to yourself.

2) You can make more money distributing music yourself

Like I said above – one of the greatest advantages of being signed on a major label is getting exposure on a massive scale, but that doesn’t always translate to more money in your pocket. By being an independent artist, you make 100% of what you sell (minus any small expenses that you put in).

Nowadays, record labels are doing more “360 deals”, which means rather than just taking money from album sales, they are taking percentages of your live shows, merchandise, ringtones and more! By doing everything yourself, while not the easiest path traveled, you can put a lot more money in your pocket.

3) You can act fast on any level

Major labels can’t adjust to change as quick as an indie label or indie artist. They have to go through various people and contracts in order to for certain changes to take effect. As an independent artist, you can adjust to changes quickly, which works to your advantage. This not only saves you time and hassle, but also saves you some extra coin in the long run.

Remember this: Having those dreams of becoming a superstar isn’t something you should quit thinking about. You CAN become a superstar – it doesn’t take a major label to make it happen. There are so many artists out there who started out independently and grew to become some of the biggest acts in the world.

And if you ever come to a point someday where you are one of those few who get offered a major label deal, your success as an independent act will help you negotiate a better deal, if you so decide to take it (although some acts realize that they don’t need any major label deal or label backing once they reach a certain level of success).

This is the age of the independent artist. There is no substitute for hard work. Put in the work and you WILL see results!

To learn more about the music business and get more tips on the music industry, visit MusicBizResource.com.

Article Source: ArticleDashboard.com

There are new and very ambitious music promotion companies available now to aspiring music talent nationally. Music talent looking for A&R contacts and music industry connections can find companies in the business of scouting music talent for Record Labels, Music Publishers and TV & Movie Music Supervisors. Music promotion daily gravitates further away from tradition creating ever closer ties to the internet and especially internet marketing!

Many times the groups with the most music talent are discovered in due course and get the recognition they deserve in a fairly straightforward manner, other groups do not. Many need some kind of representation, preferably fairly aggressive, to help with music promotion, with the right A&R connections, if they wish to be “discovered” for their music talent.

The most successful of these music promotion companies use the internet for much of their music promotion. Taking advantage of the internet allows these companies to rapidly disseminate information about the musicians, speed communications for getting them gigs, provide samples of their work, and so on.

We often use the word “discovered” when speaking of music talent because some groups seem to bob to the surface of their own accord while others with apparently equal or even more talent flounder in gig limbo for an eternity awaiting their “break.” Of course some types of music talent is more commercial than others, some groups have a better look, a few stand out due to one individual in the group. Some have built in contacts. There are many variables.

Only a very few groups have the kind of internal drive which causes them to develop their musical ability in spite of all of the obstacles. However, more than a few have the music talent needed to be extremely successful in the music industry if they can simply get a break! The problem is, for these groups, “simply” is not always the correct word choice!

Most individuals have to work hard to be good at performing music and then associate themselves with other talented musicians in a group who have the same purpose, in order to even get started performing music publicly. This being done they must promote themselves or get promoted, develop and/or find the right A&R contacts and literally be “discovered” for their talent.

Further, when one is discovered as a music talent it does not mean this person is discovered for any and all music. A talented singer may have little or no aptitude for playing instruments. If one has a talent for a type of music which is played but nor very commercial, music talent may not pay very well!

The companies mentioned above can help evaluate music talent and point you in the right direction, and even help with promotion and with A&R contacts. It is a lot like getting promoted where you work, the harder you work at it, the luckier you get. However, with music promotion it is a good idea to know when to ask for some help.

About the Author: Gene Schwerman is founder and head marketing consultant for Truly Unique Website Design. Truly Unique works on websites of all varieties, such as A&R Unlimited. A and R Unlimited provides a variety of music promotions and other music A&R services.

Source: iSnare.com —   Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=535577&ca=Entertainment

Congratulations! Your debut CD is now recorded, replicated, packaged, and ready for market. It’s an amazing feeling to see the fruit of your labor in front of you, nicely packaged as a CD that’s ready to be sold alongside the big wigs in the industry. One small problem: you don’t have the backing and capital that the big wigs do to promote your CD… and you just know your CD can be a huge success in the market.

Promoting a CD can seem like a daunting task at first, especially if you haven’t done anything like this before. Here are a few tips and ideas on how you can get started promoting, and selling your music CD.

1. First, you should plan a launch party.

Tell all your friends and fans when the CD is going to launch, and generate some buzz. Let local papers and shops know as well, and have them help you spread the word.

2. Network – tell everyone you know about your new CD.

Ransack that mental rolodex of yours, and hit everyone you know, and tell them to do the same. Believe it or not, this is probably your best resource!

3. Have a website before your CD launches, and use it to promote your CD.

Set up a page on myspace and other similar sites that allow navigators to sample your new tracks.

4. Look into setting up an email list for your fans.

Before the CD launches, send out an email letting everyone know. It’s cheap, it’s easy and it’s a fast way to get the word out about this and other upcoming events.

5. Write a press release and put it on your website.

You can find lots of examples and instructions of how to do this online.

6. Contact the music reporter(s) at your local newspaper(s).

Don’t leave out the smaller papers – sometimes they are the heart and soul of the local music scene.

6. Offer a free copy of your CD to local radio stations.

Remember the school stations – they frequently tend to favor local artists. If they play it, it could pay off quite well for you.

7. Approach internet radio stations, and offer them the rights to play your CD for free.

Every time they play a track, you receive free advertising.

8. Call DJ’s and DJ companies and offer a free copy.

If they play your CD, that’s more free advertising.

9. Get a barcode for your CD.

This can help encourage retailers to sell your CD.

10. Get your CD sold at online distributers,

such as cdbaby.com or amazon.com

11. Sell merchandise with your name or the band’s name on it.

This is not only a little extra revenue – it’s great advertising.

12. Find out if there is a music show on your local TV stations,

and see if you can be featured.

13. Cross-promotional deals

Talk to another similar band, and work out a cross-promotional deal. ie. They promote your CD at their shows, and you promote their CD at your show. Or even better…

14. Work out cross-promotional deal with several bands.

Each band contributes a track or two to a sampler CD. Then each band gives away the sampler CD as a “bonus” with every CD they sell of their own.

15. Naturally, you should promote your CD at every show you play

There are lots of things you can do to realize your dream faster. These are some simple ideas on how you can begin to promote your CD, and get the word out to your future fans. Good luck!

Author Bio: Rashi Singh is with Duplium Corporation, a CD Duplication company based in Dallas and Toronto. Duplium provides top quality CD and DVD Replication, customized printing and packaging, and full-scale fulfillment solutions. Visit www.duplium.com for more information or to receive a quote.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com – Free Website Content

Now, that you are familiar and likely connected with online music sales sites, such as CD Baby, or combination online/offline retail sites, such as The Orchard, you are probably comfortable in having your music distribution and sales fairly covered.

But, what if you could get even more music sales, and even more profitable income?

I’m speaking of consigning your product to retail stores, but, with one exception…consigning your product nationally, or even internationally.

For all concerned, “consignment” means placing your music in retail stores on a trial basis, then collecting payments when it sells, with the retailer keeping a portion of your sale.

You see, as consignment goes, most musicians who consign their music to retailers, usually limit their consignment territory to only local retailers, or on a regional level at most. Their reasoning is that any larger area will be too difficult to manage.

But, that is simply not so, and they are losing a fantastic amount of money by limiting themselves to their local regions.

So, I am going to show you how you can easily consign your music to retailers and be able to collect payments for sales every thirty days (or so) via a “step-by-step” process.

It is important to note that the consignment process will be most successful if you are already receiving some degree of promotion and publicity results, such as radio airplay, press coverage, video airplay or through your music being played in nightclubs via record pools, of which I have addressed in a previous article.

Otherwise, you may find your ability to move your product from retailers’ shelves almost as difficult as if you did not have product on them. And, if you do not have some degree of promotion or publicity, whether you have hired such a service, or you choose to conduct it yourself, practically, the only way that you will experience sales is purely by retail customers’ accidental discoveries of your music.

So, ready?

1. Concentrating on retailers (both major chains and independents) in areas where you are getting radio airplay, video airplay, press coverage or any other form of promotion or publicity, contact retailers in these areas who your distributors may not service.

2. You may prefer to visit local retailers in person, introduce yourself and make them a consignment offer, such as the amount that you will need from each unit sale, etc., and how often you will need to collect payment for any sales (usually every thirty days is the normal time frame). Retailers will also expect you to make a written agreement available to them that spells out the terms of the consignment.

3. As for retailers outside of your local area where you are already getting promotion or publicity, you can simply contact them via telephone and relay the same information that you do with local retailers in person.

In both cases, you should direct them to your website, whereby hopefully, you have your music streaming for them to listen, as well as have a bio and other important information regarding you and your project.

4. Once you have uploaded your customized consignment form to your website, your retail accounts can then simply download it from your site, or you can fax a copy to them if they prefer.

Include discounts for retailers within this 1-page form – these are designed to dramatically reduce the number of returns that are a commonality with retail consignment and distribution. The less returns, the more money you make (and keep).

Also, limit the number of units to five (5) at any given time. This is to ensure that there are just enough copies that should sell with no problem within a 30-day period, especially, if you already have promotion and publicity occurring in the retailer’s area. This limit also ensures that you have enough product to reasonably service enough retailers.

Also, with this limit, re-orders are more likely to occur before the end of your 30-day periods. This type of retail activity looks really great to traditional distributors who, after seeing your product’s retail track record, may contact you to inquire about carrying your product.

This will give you stronger bargaining power with them, as well as wider distribution, than if you did not have retail product available and moving.

And, even if distributors do not call, this will allow you to approach them with an attractive sales history and track record.

Also, be sure to provide local retailers with two copies of the consignment form to sign (carbon paper between two original copies still works) so that both you and the retailer have copies.

5. As for retailers outside your area, or local retailers that prefer to use the online consignment form, be sure that they download, sign and either fax or mail the form to you *BEFORE* you send them product.

This creates an initial record and verification of a purchase request. You then, in turn, sign the form then return a copy to the retailer along with his order.

6. When sending retailers product, be sure to *ALWAYS* send your product via some shipping/tracking method.

I would, personally, use the Certified/Return receipt service with the U. S. postal service, and I believe that the U. S. postal service also now has tracking for 2nd Day Air/Priority mailings as well.

These particular services are probably the least expensive services on the market, but they will ensure that your product doesn’t get lost or stolen en route to the retailer.

They also ensure a record of the retailer having received your product for those few unscrupulous retailers that may not wish to pay for your product if they received it by first class mail, but would sell it and keep its profits.

7. At 30-day intervals, contact your retailers, whether in person or via telephone, to inquire of any sales that have occurred. While you can pick up payments locally, you should have distant retailers forward you a check for payment that corresponds with the number of unit sales.

You could also have them pay you online via a credit card through PayPal, or another such online service. This would eliminate lost/stolen checks through the mail, while guaranteeing your payment quicker.

8. If, for example, within a 30-day period, you have three sales, with two unsold units with a retailer, you have the choice of either waiting for the remaining two units to sell prior to forwarding more product to the retailer, or you can offer to forward three more units to the retailer. However, it is probably best to wait until the two remaining units sell.

9. In either above case, once all five units have sold at any given retailer, begin the complete process over, starting with the retailer signing or faxing another copy of the consignment form in order to ensure accurate sales records and sales continuity for your project.

Note: Should your project begin to experience a large sales volume, you may wish to hire someone, i.e., a student or intern, to work this aspect of your project, and whom you can pay a commission for each sale.

This will eliminate your need to pay hourly wages or salaries, and will further save you money.

Kenny Love is president of MuBiz.com, a radio promotion and publicity service that also provides business and career services to musicians.

When it comes to promoting their new music releases, I have found that most musicians only consider radio as the vehicle for exposing their music to the public.

Rarely do they consider publicity, in the form of print media, i.e., music magazines, weekly arts and entertainment publications and newspapers as support tools to help support their radio airplay.

But, even rarer, is their consideration of the importance of having videos for their singles. A video of your single, which was once considered an optional luxury, is now a standard, vital and necessary tool if you are going to compete with fellow independent recording artists for media and consumer attention.

And, a video is even more important if you are going to compete with major label artists. In fact, since having a video for your single, particularly, your very first single from a new release, is so vitally important, why would you even release a recording without one in today’s music climate?

To me, that is like a soldier going to war with only a handgun while leaving his automatic weapon behind in his barracks.

But, perhaps, in your mind, you believe that it is still very expensive to produce videos for your singles. Even more, while you are likely an expert on producing music, you probably feel like an amateur when it comes to video production. However, that need not be the case any longer.

So, I am going to show you a no-brainer approach to easily getting a video produced for, at least, your first single from your new release, if not all of your singles.

Steps to Getting Your Video Singles Produced Cheaply

1. After you have your mastered soundtrack, and have selected your first single, you should then contact an area college, university or art institute.

2. Tell the school’s administration department that you need to get in touch with its “broadcast journalism” department.

3. When you reach the broadcast journalism department, ask to speak to an “advisor” or “department head.”

4. Tell the advisor or department head that you are an artist interested in getting a music video produced, and that you would like to be put in touch with either a senior student or graduate student who is majoring in broadcast journalism with, perhaps, a concentration on “production” or “direction.”

You may also want to stress your preference for a student who has experience with having produced music videos already. Depending on the size of the school, there will likely be several highly qualified student candidates.

In most cases, you will find video producers or directors who will want to work from a script, which includes a story line, for your video single.

5. As for the low cost of getting broadcast journalism students to produce your video, in quite a few cases, these particular students are already in need of videos for their class projects, and yours just may be the one that will pique their interest. This is a no-cost method, and you will often need to arrange this setup one semester in advance.

In other cases, students may either own their film equipment, or be able to borrow school equipment for production. And, in this case, there may be nominal charges, however, these charges will be very affordable.

The best thing about this particular scenario is that, while you will get the best production knowledge from the student, as well as your video produced with the latest technology, you cannot be charged commercial rates, such as if you used a videographer or related service that officially operated in a commercial status.

But, perhaps, the best thing about this avenue to take for producing your video singles is that, not only will you be able to bring your marketing and artist status up a notch by having a video, you will now also have another product that can be used two-fold:

1. For further promotion of your single

2. Able to sell another product on online music sales sites as well as in retail outlets.

In some cases, you may also wish to offer it as a package deal with your CD. Additionally, why not go a step farther by incorporating it within your CD, placing it on DVD, as well as making it available on video cassette for retailers and consumer?

Note: Depending on the extensiveness of your production, most videos can be produced and edited within two weeks, if not sooner.

Kenny Love is president of MuBiz.com, a radio promotion and media publicity firm that also provides business and career services to musicians.

Additionally, if these sources have their own in-house music system (which many do), you should also speak with them regarding adding your music to their own in-house “playlist.”

I have also suggested genres that I feel will lend themselves best to the particular businesses below, however, it will also depend on the businesses’ own personal tastes as well.

1. Music retail stores (Any)
2. Bookstores (Mostly soft, Jazz, New Age, but depends on store)
3. Flower shops (soft Folk, New Age, Jazz)
4. Boot stores (Country, Americana)
5. Western wear (Country, Americana)
6. Restaurants (Any, but depends on restaurant)
7. Church stores (Gospel, Christian)
8. Christian bookstores (Gospel, Christian)
9. Doctors’ offices (Soft Rock, Pop Rock, New Age, Jazz)
10. Convenience stores (Any)
11. Airport gift shops (Any)
12. Bus station gift shops (Any)
13. Train station gift shops (Any)
14. Electronics stores (Any)
15. Office supplies (Any)
16. Corporate/company cafeterias (Jazz, New Age, Soft Rock)
17. Jewelry stores (Soft Rock, Jazz, New Age)
18. Barber shops (Any)
19. Beauty shops (Any)
20. Nail salons (Any)

21. Sports shops (Any)
22. Health clubs (Rock, Dance, Electronica)
23. Apartment management offices (Any)
24. Variety stores (Any)
25. Game arcades (Rock, Dance, Electronica)
26. Bed & Breakfast Inns (Jazz, New Age, Soft Rock)
27. Bridal consultants (Jazz, New Age, Soft Rock)
28. Bridal stores (Jazz, New Age, Soft Rock)
29. Tuxedo shops (Jazz, New Age, Soft Rock)
30. Bridal services (Jazz, New Age, Soft Rock)
31. Clothes cleaners (Any)
32. Mainstream clothing stores (Any)
33. Shoe stores (Any)
34. Coffee houses (Jazz, New Age, Soft Rock)
35. Computer stores (Any)
36. Eyeglass stores (Any)
37. Consignment shops (Any)
38. Farm supply stores (Country)
39. Flea markets (Any)
40. Swap shops (Any)
41. Formal wear stores (Any)
42. College bookstores (Any)
43. College music stores (Any)
44. Gift shops (Any)
45. Hardware stores (Any)
46. Hospital gift shops (Any)
47. Hotel gift shops (Any)
48. Insurance companies (Any)
49. Massage therapists (Jazz, New Age, Soft Rock)
50. Cellular telephone services (Any)
51. Motorcycle shops (Any)
52. Night clubs (Depends on the genre)
53. Party supply stores (Any)
54. Pawn shops (Any)
55. Cosmetic stores (Any)
56. Satellite dish stores (Any)
57. Thrift shops (Any)

Kenny Love is president of MuBiz.com, a radio promotion and media publicity firm that also provides business and career services to musicians.