When people decide they want to become a singer is that they simply don't know what to do next. Even if
you have the talent
to be the next big star, getting noticed by a record company, or anyone
in the music industry can be tough! Many wanna-be singers don't have
the 'inside information', or contacts that are needed to 'make it big'
in the music industry even though they know they
have the talent to go all the way!
Don't let your dreams pass you by
Most people sadly let their dreams of stardom
pass them by
without ever doing anything positive or constructive in order to
achieve their goals and end up regretting later in life! It's so easy to
get caught up in the corporate '9 to 5' grind that dominates the modern
world and miss out on doing what you really want to do. If you truly
want to be a singer,
believe in yourself and make that promise to yourself now that you will
go for it.
You will need to take positive steps, and the first positive step I
want you to make is to read this entire article. I promise you won't
regret it!
First, I want to examine the top 3 ways in
which many talented (and some not so talented) people, try, and fail to
get noticed every year...
American Idol / X-Factor...
There
can be only one American Idol / X-factor winner every year, and there
are only a few people who have ever had a career longer than 1 year even
after winning the competition. The person who came second is instantly
forgotten. So if you are serious about a career in the music industry
then you won't want to rely on TV competitions to be your only way of
getting noticed.
Demos that just get thrown away...
You
can always send of stacks of demos to record companies and other people
in the industry, but since everyone’s personal computer is capable of
producing a 'demo' these days there is no real value in a demo these
days. How is your demo going to stand out from the pile that these
companies receive every single day? The reality is that most demos go
straight in the bin when they haven't even been listened to! Is it
really worth spending lots of money on recording your demo when very few
people will listen to it?
Auditions where you don't get a chance to show your talent...
You
could always go to auditions, however you are rarely given an
opportunity to showcase your talent, as a judgement is made about your
looks as soon as you walk in the door. Even if you are clearly the most
talented singer on the day, if your look isn't exactly what they are
looking then you will be unsuccessful. These endless chain of auditions
can get pretty disheartening after a while, and if you don't live near a
major city (and I mean New York, London or Los Angeles), it can get
pretty costly to attend these auditions.
The thing is
that record companies ARE always looking for the next big artist to come
along, as this means lots of money for you and for them.
The problem is how do you get out there and get noticed...?
Imagine this...
You
come off stage one evening, and one of the audience comes up to you and
says, "Hi, my brother works as a manager for "some famous band" and
he's always telling me to look out for new acts that he might be able to
manage. When I heard you start singing I just knew I had to tell him
about you, so I phoned him up and let him listen to you sing, and he's
asked me to give you his number, can you call him tomorrow?"
So
you gladly accept this number and call this guys brother up. You arrange
to send off the demo you recorded a few weeks earlier when a couple of
musicians who had seen you performing wrote some songs for you because
they thought you were great! Your demo is now not getting thrown in the
bin at the record company, but being passed around the bosses who want
to see you perform.
You then get invited to perform for these
record company bosses, and because you're an experienced and confident
performer, you give the show of your life and before you know it you
have a record contract.
It's all about making contacts...
Ok,
so you're probably thinking 'that all sounds a bit too easy' or 'but
surely it doesn't happen like that in the real world'. Well, I’m 24
years old, and I’ve been a professional solo singer since I was 20, and
I’m currently in negotiations with a company regarding my first album
release. I've been offered three record deals in the past however I've
ultimately turned them down due to artistic differences. However, all
the contacts I’ve made over the last 4 years have come from being out
there performing. I've met other singers, songwriters, agents, managers
and like in the example I’ve used above, family members of major
recording industry managers.
Now you can choose one of three paths...
- You
can do nothing about your dream, and look back in 20 years and ask
yourself why you didn't go for it when you had the opportunity!
- You
can take your chance applying for TV shows, attending auditions and
sending off demos. But you know the reasons why these methods rarely
work, even for the most talented singers.
- You can put
yourself out there on stage and perform, get yourself noticed, build up
your contacts in the industry and make things happen for yourself.
Get out there and people WILL listen to you!
So I really hope you've gone for 3. Now make the decision to
make it happen! What is stopping you?
- 'I
can't just give up work, I need the money?' - Of course you shouldn't
give up work. You can sing as much as your voice can handle or as little
as you need to to fulfil other commitments you have! Oh, and you'll
probably find the extra cash handy too!
- I'm still at
school, aren't I too young?' - No way! School is a great place to do
musical stuff. It'll be really easy to get a band together and there
will be plenty of places that you can play!
- There are
loads of ways to get yourself out there and work as a singer, I started
out doing just a couple of gigs a month while I was working during the
day, although after 3 months I was earning nearly twice as much from
singing as I was from my day job, so I quit! Now, I spend my Monday
mornings having a nice long lie in, rather than stuck in traffic!
People LOVE musical entertainment, here are just a few examples of place you can play!
- Bars
- Hotels
- Casinos
- Corporate Events
- Weddings, Birthdays and other private parties
- Live Entertainment Venues
The list goes on...
There are also endless possibilities when it comes to your act...
- A Solo Singer
- Part of a Duo
- Vocal Group
- Full Backing Band
You are really only limited by your imagination...
courtesy:
http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles