June 15th, 2010 | By TY
Getting Signed to a Major Label
(A POST FROM MY OLD BLOG, OLDIE, BUT GOODIE)
Many people think the only way to make a living off music is to get signed to a major label. The advantages of being signed to a major label is better promotion and distribution, but the downside is these services are paid for by your record sales. Even the handful of popular musicians who do get signed to a major label and get a hot single or two find it hard to live off of record sales.
Something you probably didn’t know:
The profit from 500,000 units sold on a major label is usually equivalent to 8,000 independently. Of course artists with enormous buzz before the deal like Drake or Justin Bieber had more leverage to work with, but let’s face it, the majority of new artists aren’t that popular yet.
So if your album goes gold on a major label, the average amount of profit is around $50,000! Of course that doesn’t count shows, sponsors, or publishing, but considering how long it took to get signed, make the album and promote the album, makes living off album sales an unrealistic expectation.
Let me break down what A&R’s look for.
1. A new sound – The key to getting their attention is to stand out from the rest while not straying too far from what is hot right now or what they feel will be hot for several years to come. You need a balance of popular and eclectic style, which will sound new, but within the comfort zone of the sounds of past successful acts.
2. Single-ready – In an era of Itunes, labels know that single sales will generate more money than full album sales with new artists. Keep your song structure simple by having an infectious chorus that you can feel coming. Most popular songs are built around the “verse-chorus-verse-chorus-verse-hook-chorus” formula and make sure you build around that conventional formula.

3. A following – Labels need acts that are ready to put on a good show and already have a good track record with shows. Putting on a good show can make or break an act and labels don’t have time to wait for their artists to find their groove.
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