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SkyeLab Music News & Press
10 Career Mistakes Every Singer Must Avoid!
- Bad demo
- Doing covers
- Believing the only way to success is getting signed to a major label
- Lack of preparation for the studio
- Trying to show everything you can do in one song
- Making Your CD or Demo Too Diverse
- Getting Involved with Shady People
- Getting Pressured into Signing a Deal
- Believing Success is Just a Matter of Luck or Who You Know
- Believing Your Music Has to be 100% Perfect
We
started out with 5, but it quickly grew to 10! These 10 avoidable
career mistakes are geared towards singers looking to have a career as
a recording artist in any of the popular categories such as Pop, Rock,
R&B, Country, Dance, etc. If your field is Opera, Broadway, Vegas,
and Wedding Singers, some of these "mistakes" don't apply because of
the different requirements in those fields.
Mistake #1...
1. Just Because Picasso Published His "Sketches" Doesn't Mean You Should Too. Avoid Permanent "Demos"
Years
ago, before the internet revolutionized the music industry, major
labels were the only way for an artist to get exposure on a massive
scale. Independent record labels had a limited reach, but for an
artist without a record deal, the doors were practically shut.
Recording costs were extremely high and to make a quality recording (a
"master") to compete on a professional level required tens of thousands
of dollars. So the path for a new artist was to make a "demonstration
recording" or "demo" as it's commonly referred to and to shop that
music demo to record labels. The record labels did not expect an
elaborate music production because of the expense required to do so.
Plus, there was true "artist development" at the record company level
and they would help shape an artist's sound and image. A basic demo
was the norm and an acceptable standard in the industry.
Now,
surprise! Technology comes marching along and changes everything.
Recording costs are suddenly a mere fraction of what they used to be.
Now a new artist can get their music heard by millions of people
throughout the world, without any record label behind them! With the
newfound capability to sell their music to the world as well as build
up their fan base, getting exposure to music publishing companies and
pitching their songs to movies and TV became much easier.
However,
in order to do all this, will a basic, cheap demo do the job? In a
word, NO! The "demo" still has it's place as an audition tape for
Broadway and wedding bands but If the quality isn't sufficient for the
TV/Film Industry, Broadcast or even for internet radio, what makes you
think you'll build up any fans? You won't. What happens if you don't
build up any fans? Record labels most likely won't be interested in you
at all! Because all the rules have changed, record labels no longer
need to accept poor quality or basic demos when tens of thousands of
artists have great sounding "masters" and they've already built up a
sizable fan base. It's much easier for a record label to get involved
with artists that have already achieved a certain level of success on
their own, then to listen to thousands of demos that come across their
desk each week, 95% of which are such poor quality they don't even
present the artist in a listenable state.
The demo might be a
good way to try out a few ideas, like a sketch pad, but again, don't
try to market those "sketches". If you're serious as an artist, you'll
skip the "demo" stage altogether and record a MASTER, which will be
broadcast quality and have the ability to be sold, licensed and
published.
Mistake #2...
2. Avoid Recording Covers. Seriously
Again,
times have changed and record labels are not just looking for a great
voice. Unless you are just so unbelievably talented that you just
can't be denied, (and I'm talking Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey talented)
then recording covers only can bring you to the next stage, which is a
company asking for something original. We've had artists come to us
saying their next door neighbor is a big record company exec (or
something like that) and he wants to hear something. So they record a
few Karaoke covers and time and time again the reaction is the same.
"Wow, you sound good. Now bring me some original material that shows
who you are as an artist". Well, doesn't that bring you right back to
where you should have started?
Also, by recording covers, you
can't really sell or license them. The publishing company and the
songwriters own the rights and you'll have to pay them for every
download, or risk getting sued. Fun, right?
However, there are a few scenarios in which recording a cover makes sense.
1. For audition purposes.
2. To give to family, friends and pets.
3.
If you really change up the music production and your interpretation as
a singer is completely unique. You'll still need to deal with paying
out publishing royalties and the amount of money derived from sales and
licensing will be significantly diminished. But, if you can break the
big time with it, it could still be worth it
Other than that,
your best move is to present yourself in a totally original format to
set YOU apart from the crowd and show who YOU are as an artist. Get em,
tiger.
Mistake #3...
3. Avoid the Belief That the Only Path to Success is Through a Major Record Label
Major
labels lose money on 95% of their artists! The business model that the
record industry was built on is dead, deceased, no longer living, as in
"it doesn't work anymore!" It worked for us at a time before the
internet turned the music business world upside down and people
discovered they can get any music they want right at their computer
fingertips. They didn't need to pay for overpriced CDs when they only
wanted 1 song.
Originally, in order for it to make sense for
record labels to manufacture a piece of vinyl (a "record" that played
on a "turntable" for all you young folk) and place it on trucks and
deliver it to thousands of record stores across the nation, (and the
world) they needed to charge a certain price. The record store took
their cut, the distributor took their piece, and then the record
company kept the rest, paying the artist a small fraction after all
expenses incurred by the record company were recouped from the artist's
measly share. But still, when mega artists like Led Zeppilin or Michael
Jackson sold tens of millions of records, everyone got rich, and the
influx of cash to the record company covered all the losses they
sustained for the artists that didn't recoup the money laid out by the
record label on their behalf.
Times have changed, but the
business model of the major record labels really hasn't. So every
year, there are more and more layoffs, artists cut from the rosters,
smaller budgets for recording, and no label taking a chance on anything
really new. Many Major artists are NOT re-signing with their record
companies and instead, choosing to release their new CDs without them,
through online downloads and distribution deals with major retailers
like Wal-Mart, Starbucks and Target. People no longer need record
labels to dictate to them how and where to buy music. There is freedom
now for the music listening and buying public.
So what's a new
artist to do if not go through a major record label? Go right to your
fans! One great thing the internet has done is to bring together niche
markets. Find out where your niche is, what websites they frequent,
what forums they use, etc. and let them know you're there. If your
music is in the style that appeals to that crowd, chances are you will
pick up some fans and sell some music. Once you've developed your
musical career to the point that it's self sustaining and hopefully
making money, you now have the basic ingredients in place that will
attract a record company to you. There's not enough room here to write
about that subject, but there is a great book by my friend and
colleague Daylle Schwartz, titled "I Don't Need A Record Deal" which I
suggest you pick up.
Mistake #4...
4. Improperly Preparing for Your Vocal Recording Session
I
don't know how many times I've seen artists come into the recording
studio and waste tens of thousands of dollars because they failed to
properly prepare for their recording session. You have to understand
that the meter starts running from the start time of the session,
whether or not you're there. So first, make sure not to be late! I
worked with one famous Rap group that booked and paid for 60 hours
worth of time, and actually used less than 10 hours of actual
productive recording time. The rest of the time was used to hang out,
smoke, watch movies, eat, and play CDs. The group has since been
dropped by the label. So unless you have a home recording studio where
the clock is not an issue...
Prepare for the recording studio:
Do's
- Be on time
- Bring your lyrics
- Check with the studio beforehand to make sure your music files are compatable with their's. Don't assume.
- Bring your music and/or data files on Hardrive, CDs and/or DVDs.
- Bring backups, just in case.
- Practice hard FOR WEEKS beforehand and know your material inside and out. Be in the best vocal shape of your life!
- Bring payment. Most recording studios won't release any material until they're paid.(unless you're an established label)
Don'ts
- Don't stay up late clubbing and trying to talk over the music
- Don't have a big meal for at least a few hours before your vocal session
- Don't bring your guns to the session. We tend to frown on that.
- Don't treat it as party time, unless you can really afford to!
Mistake #5...
5. Trying to Show Everything You Can Do In One Song
Ease
up, cowboy. Many singers feel that the first song they do has to
encompass everything that the singer is capable of doing. They want to
show their full range, their power, all the intense riffs they copied
from Mariah, whistle tones, scatting, ad-libbing, cooking and who know
what else. But sheesh, remember, it's just a song! What's appropriate
for the song has to come first. That's another important reason to
rely on a music producer you trust. They will help bring out the best
in your voice, while sometimes knowing when to keep you in check.
I
remember seeing Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey a few years ago singing
a holiday song duet. It was soft and quiet, and Nick's vocals matched
the music and the feel beautifully. Then Jessica came out belting and
singing all out trying to do all these riffs, but the song was still
mellow and soft, and her voice sounded completely out of place. I
shook my head and said "is she even listening to the music?" To give
you another analogy, just because a guitar player can shred, should it
be all over a mellow ballad? (the guitar player in me says "damn right,
always!", but the producer part says "shut up with that guitar
already!!!")
So don't force it. A career isn't built on one
song, but it's a process. Sing what's appropriate for that song,
stretch a little where you can but let it be natural.
Mistake #6...
6. Making Your CD or Demo Too Diverse
Most
people like a wide range of music. When prompted with the question
"What type of music do you like?" half the people respond with
"everything". So it stands to reason that most artists will also like
a few different styles of music, and when putting together songs for a
CD, they will choose to showcase those different styles. The artist
feels that people will be impressed when they hear them sing Rock,
Country, Pop, Dance, and R&B, but that's not really the case,
especially for a new artist. The artist first needs to establish their
'sound'; their brand if you will. They should have an identifiable
sound and style, so that fans will know what to expect when they choose
to listen to the artist. If you picked up a Bruce Springstein album and
heard instrumental new age music, you may be a little confused, and you
don't want to confuse your fans. So pick one style, and you can do
variations of that style and stretch out on a song or two, but don't go
too far and try to cram four completely different styles into one CD.
Stay focused and establish your sound.
Mistake #7...
7. Getting Involved with Shady People.. Unless it's Slim Shady
Yes,
ladies and gentlemen, the Music Business does have more than it's share
of shady individuals that prey on the naive and ill-informed. Yes,
there are a lot of scams out there. Yes, woman especially should be
fearful about going into strange apartments to audition, to record, to
have meetings, etc. The good thing is that there is Google, so that you
can easily look up a person or company to see its background before
committing to something you might regret.
While you can't
believe everything you hear on the internet, it still affords one the
opportunity to see what people are saying. And ladies, while a few
known artists have "slept their way" into something, 99% have not. So
if someone is telling you that's the way it's done, tell them to go to
hell!
The most important thing is trust your gut. Many shady
people I've met through the years have not lasted more than a few years
before everyone knew what they were about.
While there are
exceptions, most professionals in the music industry and companies that
have been in the industry for ten years or more, are honest and
legitimate. So, make sure to work with an established company, trust
your instincts, and you should be fine.
Mistake #8...
8. Getting Pressured Into Signing a Deal
If
you ever get to the point where a record company (or management
company) says that they love you, can't live without you, and they
offer you an exclusive deal in their office, congratulations! But if
they say that the deal has to be signed on the spot or it will be
withdrawn, you have some tough decisions to make. Nine times out of
ten, the initial deal offered by a record company is completely one
sided (even if they love you) and you'd have to be very naive to just
sign it. Most of the time the deal centers around the artist giving
the record company everything and the record company promising nothing
in return! If the label is sincere in their belief of you as an artist
and they really do want to sign you, then they expect that you'll hire
an entertainment attorney and proceed with the normal negotiation
process.
There are also countless accounts of boxing
promoters using the same "sign it now or I take it away" tactics, and
many have ended up in court. But don't mistake a simple agreement that
may be non-exclusive for a full fledged exclusive record deal. A one
or two page agreement outlining terms of a deal you've agreed on,
should be fine to sign without an attorney. A non-exclusive publishing
deal for a song for a limited time is often just a one or two page
deal. Ultimately, use common sense.
Mistake #9...
9. Avoid Believing Success is Just a Matter of Luck or Who You Know
I
heard that "it's just a matter of luck" or "it's who you know" many
times when I was just starting out, and I flat out refused to believe
it. I wasn't going to devote my life to just a roll of the dice. I was
right. While you can look around and spot a few people that just got
lucky, or who just knew the right people, this is by far the exception,
not the rule. Often when this happens, the artist may not have the
real talent to actually sustain a career. Now don't get me wrong here,
luck does play a part. Samuel Goldwyn once said, "The harder I work,
the luckier I get." It's your job to put yourself in positions and
situations where you can get yourself lucky, as it's also your job to
try and get to know the right people by networking, joining
organizations like ASCAP, songwriters workshops, etc. So work hard and
be ready if a lucky opportunity comes your way, but don't just sit back
and think that because you don't know anybody in the industry, you have
no shot. The formula has always been the same for success. Hard work,
talent, hard work, perspective, and more hard work. Good luck!
Mistake #10...
10. Believing Your Music Has to be 100% Perfect
Here
is where I will get some conflicting opinions, so you have to use your
common sense and decide for yourself. Many music business authors have
stated that the artist should feel that their music is perfect before
sending it out, but the grey area here is defining "perfect". I have
spent days in the studio mixing records that have gone on to be #1
Billboard hits, and there are things about the mix I'm still
dissatisfied with when I hear the song on the radio. It's not
"perfect", but it has passed my threshold of "good enough". The
problem here is where is your threshold set?
If it's
too low, you can be satisfied with putting out music that you're not
really happy with and probably no one else will be, either. That's the
argument that many authors use and I agree with it. But if your
threshold is set too high, you may never release anything.
Assuming that you're growing and developing as an artist, you will
always be better than what you previously did. At a certain point,
though, you'll just have to say that this is the best that you can do
right now and put it out there. It all comes down to the least
understood virtue to achieve success, which is "perspective".
If you need more help, or you'd like to have SkyeLab assist you with Artist Development, Music Production or Marketing, contact us now by email at:
This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
, or by phone at 212-789-8942
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American Idol (on Fox TV) is
truly a phenomenon! 
It’s in its 8th year and it just keeps picking up steam. We are fascinated by the thought that a
singer can go from sheer obscurity to international fame and fortune inside of
one TV season of American Idol. And we the people get to decide
who that Idol is going to be by voting for our favorite contestants, week after week.
American Idol is wonderful for the music industry because it
seems that it’s the only area that is really generating any excitement
these
days. Years ago, we had musical “trends
and movements” that, like them or hate them, generated sales and
brought money
into the music industry. So Bravo to
American Idol for keeping the torch burning for the music industry
(even though American Idol's real success is in the TV industry).
American Idol is also fantastic for giving thousands of dedicated singers
out there the opportunity to shoot for the stars! The serious ones will practice continuously
for months before the audition. Even if
they don’t pass the audition stage, (which just might mean they’re not TV
worthy) they’ve benefited from the practice. And the singers that get into the later rounds
of American Idol have instant celebrity status and are often sought out by record labels. We love it here at Skyelab Music!
So you ask, with all this good, what’s this about American Idol being
dangerous for a
singer? It's only dangerous is the singer takes away the wrong
beliefs about the music industry and what it takes to be successful. And unfortunately, it seems that many have!
Myth #1
Success happens overnight.
The first danger is the misconception that success in the
music industry happens just that fast.
Success in American Idol is by far the rare, rare exception. Singers start to believe that this is the
path to take to become successful, and if it isn’t by way of American Idol,
they’ll find other contests that will propel them to fame and fortune
overnight.
This is like believing the path to financial success
comes from buying the winning lottery ticket. While of course this is true for
the lucky few, most people realize that
this is no way to plan for your future. So as a singer, don’t count on the short term score. Hone
your craft and plan for long term success.
Myth #2
Anyone can be a
singer.
We’ve all seen the American Idol auditions where a so called
“singer” comes in and starts howling a song in no apparent key. Where do they get the idea that they’re
singers? Is it from family and friends?
They’re no friends if they let you embarrass yourself on national TV
without first being honest about your lack of singing ability.
And do you see how the judges are laughing? Are we to feel bad because now the “singer”
is crying because this was their dream?
Sorry, no pity here. Why don’t people realize that really becoming a
singer requires years of hard work? You
don’t wake up one day and decide you’re a gifted piano player or a surgeon, so
why a singer? This annoys me to no end.
When a person decides 3 months before the American Idol auditions that
they want to become famous, and that singing is the easiest way to do it, they
insult the craft and everyone who has worked hard for years to attain a certain
level of skill.
Myth #3
National fame and fortune is the only way to have a
career in music
While this is what everyone wants of course, there are many
other opportunities for singers who have talent, a passion for music and work
hard NOW towards constantly improving their vocals skills. (Notice here that I said that they WORK HARD
NOW, not that they are willing to work hard if they are chosen) There are independent labels, self releases,
and numerous other ways to make a living doing what you love most, even if you
never become a household name.
Myth #4
You either have it
or you don’t
So many people seem to think that singing is something that
either you’re born with, or not. So the American Idol auditions have so many
people thinking that maybe they have what it takes, like they’re holding a
raffle ticket that may be called. Once
again, it doesn’t work that way. You
might be born with a beautiful tone to your voice and you may love singing and
have a unique approach. But without
years of hard work to develop your talent, it will be worth nothing! The same thing applies to any career and
every successful person in any walk of life.
Is there an athlete on the planet that can compete on a professional
level without the grueling workout schedule their competitors endure? No,
talent alone is just the beginning. Then
comes the hard work.
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Arty Skye is written up in "The Angel News."
The article discusses the formation of the Skyelab Music Group, his experiences working on hit records, and how he's working to help upcoming artists find their unique sound.
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We now offer professional
Click the button to go to the page. Go on, don't be scared, just CLICK IT!
Listen for recording artist Jennifer Green's new song "How Can I Be Falling" which hit on the
#1 HOT DANCE CLUB PLAY BILLBOARD CHARTS
Check out Kelly Osbourne's new hit "One Love". The dance remix, done by DJ Mike Rizzo and Arty Skye just hit
#1 on the Billboard Dance Radio Charts.
Arty Skye is a featured Record Producer on RECORDPRODUCTION.COM
Click here to see Arty's video interview at SkyeLab Studios
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How do YOU present yourself to RECORD LABELS?
Arty Skye's article in the September issue of
Home Recording Magazine "Presenting the Presentation"
Look for SkyeLab Studios on TLC's new Hit TV Series
"What Not to Wear"
A music producer named "Michael" gets a complete makeover, and then at the end of the show, he goes into SkyeLab Studios with his new sharp look. Wow! (c'mon now, don't laugh!)
SkyeLab Sound Studios is featured on the cover of a new book from McGraw Hill Publishing
"How to Build a Recording Studio from Scratch"
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Songwriter "Teri Nader's" songs (produced by Arty Skye at SkyeLab) won 4 weeks in a row on www.rocksolidpressure.com.
As a result of winning, she is scheduled to meet with the A&R dept. at Sony Records.
With her first song (written and produced by SkyeLab) singer Jodie Goldenberg has been signed to the prestigious law firm of Shukat Arrow Hafer & Weber, LLP. She is now in talks with several managers.
Singer Ashley has signed with a major management company in New York, based on her one song co-written by SkyeLab and Ashley.
Singer Melanie achieved a #1 position for 3 weeks on Soundclick.com Pop charts with the "You'll Be Mine at Midnight" song co-written by Arty Skye.
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