Donal Scannell speaks with Wallis Bird about life and music in this installment of his podcasts. Wallis Bird is a singer/songwriter from Ireland whose 5th and latest album came out in September of last year.
Podcast Host:
Donal Scannell co-founded Gigstarter as a crowdfunding tool for planning and funding tours. Described as the Kickstarter for gigs, the web tool is a way for concerts to be crowd funded by fans. Donal is also creative director at production company Scanarama.
One of the most important things that artists look for when starting out is a label. A label is very important to many artists and they always aspire to get one. It is a great thing to have, but is not always needed. This article will start with what labels help out with and then list ways to get a label and how to do things on your own.
Labels:
Labels help with so many things. They help you pay for things such as tours, merchandise, and recording. They also help with creating shows and other performers to work with. Labels also help with distribution and marketing. They do a lot of the business side so you don’t have to.
YouTube:
YouTube is a great way to get your music noticed. Labels go there looking for what’s new and making waves. It shows a lot about you and your music. Live videos will show them how fans and people react to you as well as show your stage presence. Music videos show your artistic side and even what your songs are about. They’re easy to link to and easy to find.
Good Music:
Having good music will intrigue them. You want something that will stick with them and they won’t forget you. The more you make unforgettable music, the more likely they’ll want to check you out. It can’t just be good to you. It has to be good to everyone. Have honest friends listen to your music and tell you what they think about it. Have music that stands out and doesn’t sound like everything else out there. There are popular sounds out there, but you still want to stand out amongst those sounds.
Live Shows:
You never know who’s going to show up to a live a show. Labels will sometimes send out their A&R people and sometimes they’ll just show up on their own terms. You can always go to music industry conferences, such as SXSW, or find a local venue that holds industry night shows. There will be some venues who have nights where people from the industry will show up to check out new artist. Most of the time you will have to bring a significant amount of people in order to just play there.
Contacting Labels:
When contacting labels, you want to make sure you are contacting the right label for you. You want to make sure the label is helping out other artists like yourself and working in the same genre. Always look over the website before sending anything in. It will show you a lot about the company. It will show you what kind of music they work with, who’s on their roster, and how to send your music to them. Every A&R person will have a way they want you to send in music. If it doesn’t say, send them a link to your Bandcamp or SoundCloud. It will be easier for them to stream it rather than download an mp3 or finding a CD player.
If a label doesn’t respond right away, don’t get give up hope. They are most likely busy with other artists sending in their music and plenty of other things their job requires them to do. After a week or two you can send in a follow up email to remind them that you are still out there. Be respectful and understanding when doing so.
Website:
Owning a website is always a great thing to have. It has everything in one place. Links to music, videos, social media, merchandise, and news. Labels will be able to go to one place to get everything they need. There are plenty of domain owning sites out there to help you, you just have to find the right one for you. Like everything, shop around before settling with just one.
Artwork:
Artwork can be anything, it just needs to catch the eye of the people you want. Come up with a logo that is pleasing, eye catching, and shows what your music is about. It can be very basic or very extravagant. Photos are the next things you need. It can be artsy and help show things about you. Shows how you look and describes the music you produce. Filters help show more than what a basic photograph can.
Independent:
Labels are now looking for artists who can handle things on their own. They will be there to help you out, but only after you are signed. They want you to be able to do things on your own before signing and even after signing. You have to know how to get fans on your own, have some music already recorded, and how to handle things that come to your music. Shows how passionate you are about your music and that you don’t have to rely on others to get things done.
Build Relationship:
Relationships are the most important thing in any business. It builds a connection between yourself and the other person. Try to build one with anyone at the label. Be genuine about it. Talk to them about themselves and get to know them. They will be more willing to help you with what you need. Don’t assume they are going to help just because you are being friendly. That should be left up to them. Do this before sending in music, otherwise it might not work out the right way. Follow them on social media accounts and strike up conversations with them about some of their posts. It may take awhile, but it will be worth it in the end. If the company is near you, go in and try talking to them face to face. Keep going in and trying to talk to their A&R person and become friendly with everyone in the office, including the receptionist. Sometimes connecting with the first person you see when walking in is the best.
Looking for the right label takes time and patience. Make sure you are ready before looking for one and have all the details about what you are looking for and what they are looking for. Build relationships and connect with them. Have followers and music to send them. You want to make sure they stay interested and won’t forget you.
Donal Scannell interviews Tim Booth in the second installment for the podcast. Tim Booth is a singer, dancer, and actor. He is best know as the singer of the band James. Listen in to hear what he has to say about life, dance, and music.
Podcast Host:
Donal Scannell
Donal co-founded Gigstarter as a crowdfunding tool for planning and funding tours. Described as the Kickstarter for gigs, the web tool is a way for concerts to be crowd funded by fans. Donal is also creative director at production company Scanarama.
Having an artist manager helps in many ways. They help take care of the business part so that the artists can work on the creative part. They have plenty of connections to help you out and push you forward in the industry. You just have to make sure you are ready for one. They usually don’t come cheap and even rarer, come free. You want to make sure that you aren’t just starting out when looking for an artist manager. It won’t be worth spending the little money you have on a manager when there is nothing for them to work with. Make sure to have a few shows behind you and some songs recorded before hiring a manager. It’ll give them a chance to look at what you have and how they feel with you. You want to make sure there is a connection with them and sometimes music is the only connection to start off with. It’ll also help find the right kind of manager to get that will mesh with the music well. They will be able to help you more if they work in with others in your genre.
If you don’t have the money to afford a manager, you can always have a friend help out. You might have a friend who knows some things when it comes to the industry, or at least have enough enthusiasm to look up anything in the industry to help. If they believe in you and enjoy your music, they might be willing to do it for free. Not everyone will do it for free, but they might be cheaper than a well known manager. They will gain experience and you will be able to focus on your music.
If you have the money to hire a manager with connections, it would really help. Make sure to find the right artist manager for you. If you are looking for someone to help more with booking, look for a manager who has connections with venues and promoters. If you want someone to help more with finding labels, look for someone who has connections in that area. Some of these managers might work cheap if they really believe and enjoy your music. It’s not always easy to find, but they are out there.
Once you decide to get a manager, make sure you connect with them. It’s like hiring a new band member. They will most likely be spending a lot of time with you figuring things out, going on tours, recording, etc. Make sure they are someone that you can be honest and open with. The artist and manager need to be open with what they both want and how they can work to help each other. It should never be left to just one side to get things done. Both sides need to be realistic about what the other can do and everyone must be honest with what they can and cannot do at that time.
Looking for managers isn’t always easy. Try asking around at shows. The best ways to find managers is by asking the bands you perform with. Some might already have one and can give you a referral about a great manager or their manager might be able to refer one to you. Other artists will give you honest opinions on the people they work with. Having the artist introduce you to an artist manager will be a great way to start a conversation with a probable manager.
When trying to get the attention of an artist manager, you want to treat them the same way you would a label. Send them music samples, demos, information about yourself/band and music, and anything else you would send to a label. Once you send an email to an artist manager, give them time to respond. You want to give them a little follow up, but you don’t want to be too strong. Give them a week or two before sending a follow up, but make sure to be respectful and not too pushy. If you do get a response, make sure to be respectful, kind, and humanly no matter what the response is from them.
If you find an artist manager that you are willing to work with and who is willing to work with you, make sure to make up a contract. If it’s a friend that you decide to work with, you can all make up your own terms that you mutually agree upon. Talk things out and don’t get angry. If you guys can’t agree on a contract and things you agree with, don’t work together. If it’s with a known manager, they will have lawyers and have more terms that might be better to get legal advice for. Either way, make sure that everything is agreed upon before you sign anything.
An artist manager is great to have to help out. You want to make sure that you are established and know what you want before even looking for a manager. There are so many different types out there and you want to make sure you find the right one for you and your band. Not everyone is going to work for everyone.
Donal Scannell shares his first podcast as he talks to DJ, musician, photographer, author, and animal rights activist, Moby. They talk about everything from music to lifestyles and everything in between.
Podcast Host:
Donal co-founded Gigstarter as a crowdfunding tool for planning and funding tours. Described as the Kickstarter for gigs, the web tool is a way for concerts to be crowd funded by fans. Donal is also creative director at production company Scanarama.
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