What happens when a record label takes interest in your music? What will they look for that might make them want to learn more about you, meet you, and offer you a contract? Is there a standard procedure that is followed by label and artist? Truthfully, this depends entirely on what the label sees in you and what role they’d want you to play should you sign a contract with them. If they are interested, the following will be the two most probable proposals.
If the label wants to sign you as a result of a successful song, they will either want you to sign as either an artist or a songwriter. This distinction is determined by what they see when they look into your work, and therefore what they envision for your career’s future. Are you a future star, or could you be the writer behind tomorrow’s big hits?
1. Artist vs. Songwriter
Signing as an artist is a big commitment for a label. Most contracts will outline that the label is responsible for all things regarding production costs, marketing, promotion, and artist development. They will essentially pour their resources into making you the next big thing. This will be offered if they find that you are already building a significant following, your music is in high demand, and they can help mold your personal brand. On your end, you’ll be expected to have a hunger to breakthrough and do whatever it takes to get there, working closely with the label in all aspects of your career to make it happen.
Signing as a songwriter comes with an entirely different set of expectations for both label and artist. If they find that your music could do very well when placed in the right hands, they’ll want you to sign as a writer that will provide material for other artists. This is great for those who love the creative aspect of music but aren’t interested in fame. If you sign as a writer, you’ll be expected to attend writing sessions with artists and other writers and pump out songs for the label to distribute to whoever they think might want to perform it. They will act as a publisher and connect you to those with whom a collaboration might make it to the charts.
So which type of contract would you prefer? If you know the answer, show them. Labels will take a look at everything you do – not just your music – before deciding where their interest lies, and you have control over what’s out there.
2. Here are some of the things the record label will do before deciding anything
Social Media
Social media has become the most obvious place to analyze a person and their following, and is therefore place labels will turn to first. It is the biggest tell for whether or not you are gaining traction and to what extent. The primary reference points will be Instagram and TikTok, though they will likely check X as well. It is a very good sign if you:
- Post often
- Have a substantial following
- Have good engagement rates (likes, comments, views)
- Are verified
- Vary your content by platform
- Post high quality content (professional shoots, well edited videos)
- Have both photo and video content
- Are vocal about your releases, shows, and music in general
Songwriters are often pretty low key on social media, making it more obvious to labels that they are not interested in being overly promotional of their work and prefer to stay behind the scenes. If you’re not quite sure where you stand, try to shoot for a healthy mix of regular social media activity and staying selective with what you share.
Streams
Spotify streams are obviously very reflective of how well your music is doing, so expect that the label will visit your artist page. This is where you can really shine and still grab the attention of a label if you’re not super into the social media game. Even with very few followers, if your music is consistently performing well on Spotify, the label will take notice. At the end of the day, these are the metrics that matter most! If you have a healthy stream count and have not yet committed to an image or social media presence, labels will be express interest and ask if you see yourself writing or performing in the future to better understand where you want to go and if they can invest.
This is actually a great place to start if you’re unsure of the role you want to play in the industry. Instead of splitting up your attention, focus only on the music itself and making sure it’s properly released – the opportunities will find you.
Features and Collaborations
Another factor that can help your case in getting a contract offer is features and collaborations with other artists. You can absolutely be approached if you don’t have any solo music released and have just been a feature artist, so long as the songs have done well and they appear on your Spotify artist page (which is automatically created when you are listed as an artist on a song). If you’re solely a writer, the equivalent of this would be to have written songs for artists that have been recorded and released. This is an impressive feat if the song has a significant amount of streams or if the artist who recorded it has a large following. These types of collaborations show that you’re active in the music scene and are already building an expansive network on your own.
Live Shows
A bonus element of your career portfolio that labels sometimes check is whether you have live show experience. This is not expected but is a huge plus, as it shows that you have already drawn audiences and are not afraid to get onstage. Even better if you have footage or photos from the shows to showcase your stage presence and the energy you and your audiences share.
If you’re lacking in this area, keep an eye out for any Groover springboards in your city – they’re hosted everywhere around the globe. These artist showcases are designed to help those who do not have much live show experience book a gig and get comfortable onstage. We get in touch with venues, and Groover artists come play. All you need to do is apply! The quickest way to get notified about upcoming springboards in through our Instagram.
3. A Deal is Not Guaranteed Success
Please remember that though a record deal sounds like a sure fire way of “making it” as an artist or writer, that is not always the case. Signing with a record label will provide you with resources, and it is what you do with those resources that matters most. It is also of the utmost importance that you know exactly what you need from the label, and what they are willing to give you. If they do not have your best interests at heart, do not sign just to sign. It is better to be alone than in bad company!
Far too many artists have signed with big labels and been disappointed by their lack of enthusiasm and commitment to them. It’s easy to be ignored when your “boss” has hundreds of clients. On the other hand, signing with an independent label can be the best thing you do for your career for this very reason. Because they represent fewer artists, they devote much more time to each one and are highly responsive. On top of that, if they’re excited about you, they’ll do everything they can to get the ball rolling and keep your career momentum going. The indie labels who have partnered with Groover are waiting for you to get in touch with them right now – go check them out.
4. Study Before Signing
If you do plan on signing with a label, make sure you are familiar with the types of contracts commonly offered to songwriters and artists so that you do not go in blind. Better yet, hire an entertainment lawyer that can help you go over the fine print of your contract and cover all your bases.
Remember that labels have a lot of power, but without artists they have no business. Use your streams, social media following, collaborations, or live show turnouts to increase your bargaining power when negotiating your contract. If you’ve done very well in one area on your own, you can try to reallocate resources from that area to another, reminding them that you could easily take care of that aspect of your career without them. Make sure your contract and the services they offer serve you in the areas you need it most.
You’re Ready to Go
Now that you have an understanding of what labels are looking at and what they might offer, you’re ready to make a deal. Refine the way you present yourself to best reflect what role you want to play in the industry and keep an open mind should a label suggest another vision. Nothing is permanent, so trust your gut and see where it takes you!
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