Record Labels Are Not Signing Talent But Something Else

Record Labels Are Looking For Something Else, Not Talent

 

Record labels are the endgame for many artists out there. In fact, its safe to say that people believe the record labels are the end of the road. And if you’re one of those artists, think again. According to Tech Dirt, record labels are keeping the money from streaming services, rather than paying artists. Clearly this is causing an uproar with artists but when you look at the bigger picture, it becomes clear. Before we get further into this, its important to point out that this was in 2015. And as we all know, the times they are changing.

“Imagine you are standing on wafer thin ice. Beneath your feet you can see sharks, circling. These are your colleagues, your friends. Welcome to the music industry.” -Steven Stelfox

 

As you can imagine, there are a lot of people wanting to become rock stars. In fact, I wrote a piece a few months back on how the underground is shaping the industry. And the more product there is with less demand, you have a surplus. And that’s when you realize too much of some thing is a bad thing. To break this down in simple terms, if no one wants your product and there is three thousand units, you have to cut your losses.

While there are artists out there with talent, it takes more than that. And there are several books and videos, articles etc. that can explain this to you. The trick to getting on the right path is find a target market. Second you need to give them a product they want. IF YOUR TARGET MARKET DOES NOT WANT YOUR PRODUCT, NO ONE ELSE WILL!

I think you should just get a copy of the book Kill Your Friends and read pages 23-28. It pretty much sums it up. Or, you can stream the movie for free on Amazon Prime. Either way, those pages I strongly suggest reading. Before this short rant, we were talking about the ways labels do not pay their artists.

Well, CD sales are down significantly. The only way to truly make money is through merchandise. Which means, tours and items available online. Artists and record labels know this. Obviously there needs to be an income. Here’s the hiccup. Remember when we were kids and we called someone a poser for wearing band shirt and they didn’t know who the band was, nor were they a fan? Well, those are the people record labels will be catering to.

Do you really think artists like Tekashi 6ix9ine and Cardi B got signed because they have talent? Look at Miley Cyrus and these mumble rappers! Labels don’t care about content anymore. They care about ambition and image. Those are key factors into getting people’s attention. There’s no money in music.

 

Talent is no longer necessary in the music industry. In particular, the mainstream music. And how quickly are these artists dead and forgotten? Have you even listened to a Lil Xan song? What’s truly tragic is we all know his name, and could care less about him. But that’s the name of the game. Labels aren’t signing talent anymore. So, what do you do as an artist? You release dope merch and sell it and give your music away for free. However, there’s only one problem with that. Now, there are three hundred artists selling merch, low quality t-shirts, hats and whatever else. How do you stand out from that?

 

Oversaturation falls on the responsibility of SoundCloud and cheap microphones. Everyone gets to be a celebrity and something to hope for. Ambition wins in the modern age, not talent. However, there are ways to outshine your competition so much that they simply go extinct. Growing together and being united is great when overtaking the mainstream light. Which, is quite easy to do. Especially with the constant failures and short shelf lives of their ‘next big thing.’ But when it comes to you and your goals? Think outside the box.

 

My suggestion is, don’t focus on getting signed to a label. Be your own brand and if you do get signed, focus on getting fans because if you leave the label, they will follow you. Dope ass fans and dope as merch.