I know many artist ave big dreams of getting signed to a major record deal. They look at BET and MTV and say one day that will be them. This may very well be true for a few artists out there who are actually "lucky" enough to get signed or discovered. However this dream turns into a harsh reality to most artists when they realize that they are getting older and the trends o music are changing. Soon they start to feel as if their dream is slipping farther away.I hate to see artists with the put me on mindset. This means that all they want to do is meet the right guy and "spit" for them and get signed. Now they are living the good life. Just make hit records and hit the clubs every night. While this sounds like what most rappers and singers do this is far from the truth.
Most artists don't realize that they are in a far better situation than the average artist they see on tv. They are in control of their own music. They own their masters and can reap the full benefits and profits of their work. Sites such as reverbnation.com andtunecore.com has given artists the tools they need to create a strong following online and also integrate the promotional efforts with other social networking sites like facebook.com and myspace.com
Due to the poor economy and declining record sales,record labels are closing it's doors left and right. The days of getting a 10 million dollar record deal so you can put an album out for you and all of your homeboys are long gone. No Limit and Cash Money crushed the industry with those stellar deals. Companies are now looking for the final product to distribute. Artists need to have their own production, album, artwork, website, strong fanbase, stage presence,image and viral media buzz BEFORE a major label is even considering to get behind them. This is why it is important that the artist get out of the "Put me on" mindset. A company wants to know that you are going to promote yourself just as hard before they spend a dollar on you. The good part about this is that once you get the ball rolling the more leverage you have in negotiating the best deal you can with a major.
Take Drake for instance; He did not wait to get a record deal. Drake created a strong underground buzz for himself through a series of FREE mixtapes that lead to his multi million dollar deal with Cash Money/Young Money. He is actually the perfect artist to model your career after. Check out his blog atoctobersveryown.blogspot.com Stop tryna get put on and put yourself on!
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