With the music industry changing faster than ever, record labels are being more particular about the artists they offer deals.
Last week, the Haulix team traveled to Los Angeles for a series of meetings with some of our favorite labels and industry professionals. We met with Hopeless Records, Pure Noise Records, Metal Blade Records, Prosthetic Records, and more. We covered a number of topics related to the music business, but there was one question we asked everyone:
What does it take to get a record deal in 2019?
We expected different answers from different labels, as they each have a specific niche of music they cater to, but the responses were mostly universal. Everyone agrees that you need talent above all else, but they believe talent alone is not enough. In the age of the internet, writing good songs and getting people to listen to them is the bare minimum an artist should be able to accomplish on their own. That kind of work ethic will start to create a conversation around your music, but again, that alone is not enough to get signed.
So, what does it take?
The music business is changing, and so is the type of artists who get signed. Labels are no longer able to take risks on everyone who creates a viral hit or knows how to write catchy songs. To stand out from the competition today, musicians need more than talent. Much more, in fact, and in this episode of Music Biz 101, host James Shotwell reveals what the biggest labels in music are looking for in the musicians they sign.
