If you are a band, you have it a little easier than if you are a solo artist in terms of what it will cost for you to make the CD. But other than that, there is no difference. Let's begin this portion of the book for bands/artists who wish to start the process of making, distributing, and getting radio airplay by themselves. In short, starting your own record label. If your goal is to land a major recording contract, you will garner much more attention for your music, and have a much better chance at getting a great record deal, if you are successful on your own first. You may find out that you can make a lot more money on your own, than if you had a record deal (initially).

MC Hammer started out by himself. He knew the bottom line and how much he made working his record in dance clubs. When a record company approached and wanted to sign him, he initially said no. Most of us would shake in our socks if we were offered a deal. Why did he say no? Because he really knew how much he made on his own, and he knew he could make a lot more money on his own than what they initially offered. (However, be sure to still watch the bottom line when you make the money…be careful as MC found out! Hire a really good and trustworthy accountant to help you watch out for your money and notice the operative word "help". You still need to look at the books daily. That's just good business.)

But back to MC Hammer. He went on his own after the record company approached him and the rest is history. Eventually they had to meet him on pretty much his terms; they offered him a much better deal in the end. In my book, "The Indie's Guide To Music Success & Contact Info!" there is a chapter of do's and don'ts for those of you who aren't interested in creating your own record label and promoting a CD yourself. It will help you learn the correct ways to send a demo and get heard by the A&R staff of major-labels, and also includes well over a thousand contacts, email addresses, phone numbers, web sites and to help you on this journey.

Okay, now if you are one of the lucky few and have a lot of contacts AND a lot of extra money, your path will be much easier, but still not guaranteed. If you are like the rest of us, you have a limited budget, few contacts, and not much time to spare. So what do you do? First, even those of us with only a little money, will need to invest some of it. There's no way around that.

You will have to spend some time and some cash to start the business up and make the CD (you can find the budget guide in my book also). It's the same with contacts. You will have to put yourself out there and network. You will need to spend a lot of early mornings and late late nights working the web for information on how to find the people you need to help you on your path. You will also need to attend various functions and music gatherings where the music makers meet.

Join your local version of the BAMM or WAMI association. These are local clubs where musicians meet on a regular basis. Many of the important local musicians will be members. It's great opportunity for networking. Most every major city will have some sort of club like this. Take every gig that is offered to you initially. Whether you are paid for it or not and make sure to get the most press out of that gig. Collect all of the write-ups on yourself and your band and put them into a folder so you can write a one-sheet up and pass it out to the people you meet at the parties. (A one-sheet is a one page marketing tool that emphasis the information and important aspects of your band/act.)

If you do get paying gigs when you first start out, make sure you get some sort of contract in your hands that is signed by the person who will be paying you. That way there is no dispute as to whether or not you were going to be paid and how much. Everything will be spelled out and there shouldn't be any problems. So work it! Work it! This is not the time to be shy and bashful about your career. You have to grab onto every single opportunity and use it until you get your next one. Unabashed marketing is what you need to do…so go for it! No is just a word in the dictionary. It may hurt for a minute, but it's the people that can take the no 50 thousand times that will get the prize in the end.

Something I recommend, but it's not a requirement for helping you with the business aspect of this journey is to take a few courses at your local college on Business Management and Accounting. This will help you immensely when it comes to watching your money and the bottom line.

Copyright 2001 Tonya Rae All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced in any form without express permission of the author.

For more informative articles or to download your copy of, "The Indie's Guide To Music Success & Contact Info" today, please go to: http://www.tonyarae.com/tonya_rae_ebook.shtml

"The Indie's Guide To Music Success & Contact Info" 36 chapters is packed full of thousands of contact names, email addresses, phone numbers, street addresses and more contacts for major and indie labels, booking agents, managers, etc. This book will help give your music career a speed start and get you on the path towards getting your music heard and played by the big wigs in the music industry!

by Tonya Rae
http://www.tonyarae.com