About This Course

In this course Saytek talks about how to build your profile to get noticed by labels, how to self-release and start your own label, how to expand and get noticed by the bigger labels, your presence online and how to make good contacts in the industry.

You will learn how to:

• Self Release and creating your own label
• Music PR & Promo
• Expanding and the world of digital music
• Pressing your own vinyl
• Presence online and social media
• Making good contacts
   

Lessons:
 

1. Introduction

Saytek talks about how to get music signed to bigger labels, how to build your profile so bigger labels take notice. Bigger labels release stuff who they are already aware of. People spend too much time sending unsolicited tracks to labels that aren’t labelled, they don’t have a profile or they aren’t sending to the right contact – it becomes soul destroying after years of doing it so they give up.

2. Self-Release / Create your own record label

Easiest way to get noticed when brand new is to self release your music – so you need to set up your own label. It can release just your music and other peoples. If other peoples it will broaden your promo – as you will be meeting more people, more networks, making new connections and connections are so important. Main reason to release it is because you love the music but it can also be tactical.

Setting up a label is not easy - it takes time and money. Be prepared to lose money if doing this properly - you are not creating a label to make money, you make money from gigs, or for example radio play (Saytek gets air time on Radio 1 and also is really big in Italy). Self-releasing is the best way to get your foot in the door to get into the industry. There is a lot of admin to manage - metadata and writing press releases.

3. Music PR and Promo

One of the biggest benefits is that you have complete control of your career - the music, the scheduling etc

You need to make a big impact with your music so you need a good PR/Promo company. Things that PR companies can do for you are getting DJs to play your tracks, bloggers and copy writing, music reviews (print and digital) and radio play. Which PR company is the best for you? Well they are all genre related - do your research! You may need to use multiple companies as one specialises in print and another in radio play. Get online, who is doing the best PR campaigns. Labels will be secretive about their PR companies but the PR companies like to shout about it so just google music PR companies or your favourite artists and DJs and ask who their PR companies are. It won’t be that hard.

4. Expanding and the world of digital music 

If you don’t get the right distribution or PR company you will end up getting released and being buried amongst the other 5000 tracks on Beatport. So check out the small labels as well - make sure they are doing the business right. A lot of them aren’t - they are just putting music out on Beatport and doing no pushing. It’s a waste of time and a waste of music. They are very guarded about who hears and uses it - they will only provide a small snippet. It’s not unheard of for someone else to pay towards the PR and the label not paying for PR - or even yourself paying for the PR. Small labels are definitely worth considering if you are willing to put in the PR work and some finances as well

5. Pressing your own Vinyl

Another path you can take and many artists have blown up from this is from pressing your own vinyl. Like other things discussed its quite genre specific - it works well in the Romanian minimal tech scene and Berlin house sounds and some more of the old school flavours. But having your music released physically can make a huge difference to your career especially when you do it right. It does add considerable costs however. In order to do this you need to find a specific distribution company who deals with vinyl and they often have to believe in the music before they distribute it. If they do love it they may offer you a P&D deal (Pressing & Distribution) where they pay for everything but you only get a cut of the money or a 50/50 deal where you both pay 50% and get back 50%. But be careful as this may be a lot cheaper elsewhere.

Pressing on vinyl gives your tracks longevity of play - DJ’s are likely to play your vinyl 30 years down the line then they are to play a digital track.

6. Online presence & social media

By this point, you should have established a good profile. You should have at least Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and a good following and good engagement from your followers. If you don’t already have this the bigger labels won’t look at you. To learn more about this you can use the other courses on the Get Booked Academy.

7. Become a networking Ninja!

Don’t send music or just a link to your music to someone without saying hello or an intro - in fact don’t do this at all until you get to know them a bit. It’s really annoying!!

Don’t get in peoples faces - take your time. You make friends by doing this. Make good contacts first! Be a friendly person. Don’t suck up. Be around the right people. Take your time and find them over time. It may be difficult to do this if you are a Producer and clubs may not be in your vicinity, so go down the online route. Find out the A&R person at the label you want to contact - google them, look at socials, ask people on socials, (DGL: look at LinkedIn). Then add them as a friend and start chatting to them - be nice - don’t brown nose - show an interest in their music, find common ground. Then contact me once every 2-4 weeks for a chat. Be normal - not an idiot. Then send them your tracks once they are engaged.

If DJs are already playing your tracks, contact them or their management