What are music companies looking for?

This one will really hurt for some artists. What do we really wish for in an artist as a music company? If we could choose what would we look like perfect to develop?

Good to know is that you never get all perfect.

I spoke to some colleagues around this and it all boiled down to this:

Age, you don't want them to be too young because parents are a pain in the ass. Many times the kid is just a substitute for their own failed careers and usually, they are not familiar with what the industry looks like today and really are a bigger barrier for the kid to move forward. So 18 to 20. Why so young? You calculate it takes 10 years to break an artist. If you take a person that is 30 it will break at 40. Also after the age of 25 people start to have things that keep them back. Things like their own apartment, a partner, mortgage, probably a steady job that takes time. Suddenly the rough introduction tour is not that appealing. of course, you can do it as an older person but the obstacles are not smaller with age.

Good work ethic is important. Mainly that they have a good work ethic in the right areas. Too many either just sat on the sofa waiting for others to get the job done. On the other side, there were some artists running around like headless chicken and swirled into the management world or the record label part. Suddenly they were doing deals and stuff that really didn't work out that was actually the area the record label or management control. The part they should focus on is the fans, A area that very often is forgotten. An artist that worked hard to get new fans and entertain the ones they have was very looked after by the industry people.

Motivation was also an important part. All of the people I spoke to told the same story. In the beginning, all the artist told them that this is what they really are focused on. When it came to the real thing many failed. To take a gig when it was your best friend birthday or on your family vacation proved to often that many things went before their careers. Sometimes even the work as a truck driver was prioritized before important gigs.

Good songs were not that important. You can always buy them or get a good writing team. Then of course if they are able to write good tunes themselfs that is a big plus. But the skills to working with other produceras and writers was more important.

Good live was important, but all thoght that they could be trained and built up.

So this is why the industry look for young talents around 20 that are very motivated. To be 35 with a good song is not any convincing in this game.

Of course, this is what we wish for. Usually never happens. At the same time, I see artists have the same unrealistic dreams around the industry. Suddenly a music company just shovels in money and make you famous in six months and you become filthy rich.

Well, we can always dream :)

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What record labels seeks nowadays.

We just open our demo submissions. Yes, we already got a lot of submissions. The interesting part is that there are more and more record labels that seek out our services. It is the opposite around.  Before it was the manager's job to seek out a record label that could provide for the PR and the development of the act. It was the A&R that had this on the desk to provide the movement of the artist, at least twenty years ago.

The industry has been pretty unclear the past ten years who is doing what in the new digital landscape. Also, it has been quite unclear what the tasks really is in the digital landscape. We have seen many companies jumping into different roles, publishers become distributors, record labels becomes publishers, booking agencies becomes 360 deals, managers become distributors.

What I see as the main thing right now is to have a person that takes the task forward. In many cases whatever the company is they just wait for someone else to bring in things that take the artist forward at the same time, they are trying to hold on to as many rights as possible. Of course, that is impossible since no one is working for free if you don't stand a chance to get your investment back then nothing will happen. No one will do nothing and all comes to a standstill.

It's rather unimportant who is doing the job as long as new opportunities come to the table in a steady stream. That is why a record deal or a publishing deal or even a booking deal is kind of nothing. In reality, it can just be a friend bringing in opportunities from a good network that could be the solution.

These people that I call the Doers are the most important people. And a person that works really good for one artist might suck helping another artist since the focus is in another direction. To become really successful you probably need three to four Doers that are working with 100% focus on your project. That is a tough task to get going I tell you that.

I guess the new Doer is artist development companies. And yes we are one of the first to call ourselves this. Just check in a couple of years and will have a lot of followers. The trick will be though if they can bring the stuff to the table.

Well if you want to work with Musichelp here is the link to send in stuff.
http://musichelp.se/send-music/

Do you really want to get signed?

8) The Goal Is Not To Get Signed The Goal Is To Make a Living Doing What You Love

“How do you get a record deal? Don’t try to get signed. Try to become popular first.” – Avery Lipman, President of Universal Republic Records

You know how cool it is to say you just signed a record deal with Warner records is? Kinda cool. But that coolness wears off very quickly. You know what is less cool? Three years down the line still signed to Warner with only one song released to your name and no tours, no growth and no money to speak of. But hey, you’re signed to Warner! Sometimes record deals can help tremendously. Sometimes they can hurt. Sometimes they’re right for an artist. Sometimes they’re not.

If your goal is to get signed, then you’re going to miss. If after building your career on your own to a level where labels are begging to work with you, then, and only then, should you decide if it’s the best move for you.

The red part is from an article in Digital music news, here is a link to the whole article.


https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2017/07/27/millennial-musicians/

This I think is the biggest mistake that artist is doing. I meet so many that only work only to get signed. The rest of audience songs and other shit should just come automatically after you signed that paper. The worst cases also only go for the majors, a major deal is an ultimate goal.

Today that is no option. In the 80:s and 90:s sometimes it was, but now that window is totally gone. Today the device is we find you you don't find us. You have to build up a presence so the companies start to look at you.

I have worked on that theme for the past 15 years. I develop my artists so there is a platform where the labels are interested to step in and work WITH us. Yes, the labels are more like an extra engine for all the things we do. A label is a really hard time to just take an artist and build it up to be a star. It takes to a long time and is too risky so these projects are so rare.

The things people believe is that the labels are doing the job Musichelp is doing. You can't be more wrong. The labels have not a chance to be close to all the things that an artist development company can throw in. That is why they have started to rely on us as new artist providers. Also, the artist developers work in all fields the record labels only try to present the music to listeners.

Yes, you have to be built on all levels not just on a level. We are back to the team, you need the right team.

Another problem we have is that the artist that hunt record labels doesn't get what they are doing and why they are doing it. A good example was a guy that I had on the development side. Every time it became slow the solution was to get a record label. If a single wasn't played on the radio the fault was that it was not a record label behind it. Sure we were looking for a label that could join our team. The problem was that the band wasn't doing shows enough and was horrible to pick up fans and social media was an unknown word for them. In the end, the lines were right and I found a bigger indie that could do some really good things.

Here started the downfall. The band really thought that the label would do the work so they literally put their fat asses on the sofa doing nothing. The label became frustrated before at least some things happened now nothing happens. Also, the label wanted them to produce tracks that fitted the PR. The band had their deal so they thought they could do a strange album that was totally insane. We left the ship, and later I heard the label left them and the band split up.

I have hundreds of stories where bands writers on facebook in the big capital letters that they are signed. And I just think to my self
- Poor bastards, what should they do with a label in that stage.

and in 99% of the cases, nothing happens with the band. Then years later when you meet them you think they have learned their lesson. No hell no then they think it was something wrong on that label and are hunting another label that will do the same to them.

And in the most cases is that the band is doing noth9ing waiting for the label, and the label is waiting for the artist.

I usually say the hard work starts when you sign with a label. In the end, you don't need a label you need a team and do the things that are needed to be done.