Staying Signed

Sad but true, it is easier to get signed than to stay signed anymore. A lot of artists gleefully sign that all-important first contract, only to find themselves without the songs they just wrote, and without an album to promote. If you want to get to that all-important pinnacle and stay there, here are a few ideas you might try.

TOUR YOUR HINEY OFF

A lot of musicians get the silly notion that once they sign that contract that suddenly they will be millionaires. Even if they get a chance to go into the studio, it could be months or even a year or longer before the label releases the album. This means you really, really, need to keep touring. Touring probably will always be your primary source of income, since even the best artists only get a buck or so off of each CD sold. If you don't even chart, that means you may very well owe the label money after all the money they spent to get the album made and the advance you hopefully hadn't spent, yet. Don't expect the label to bother to help you with this, either. Labels, even the big ones, are notorious for doing nada to help a band with touring, or worse yet, might "give" you a bus and/or hotel rooms only for you to find out later that you were charged a ridiculously premium price for these out of your royalties compared to what you could have paid if you'd done your own reservations and arrangements. Even if you need to stay at home to wait for that all important call from the future top-flight producer they promise you'll get, try to keep arranging at least local gigs, and let people know as much as you can that they need to come to as many of these cheaper gigs while they can before you get big and ticket prices go up and distance from the stage and band increases.

ALL PUBLICITY IS GOOD PUBLICITY

Try as much as you can to at least get into drive time radio shows and any interviews you can after you get signed. Tomorrow, no one may care, but for the moment you are hot news. Sneak in sleep while you can, and do those early morning phone calls to radio stations where you are about to play, and if you aren't getting these offers, find out the phone numbers of the local radio stations and call them. If some bright intern wants to stay on after the class is over, they will at least tape your phone call if the bosses are all busy for someone to at least make fun of later. Don't worry if they are laughing at your nervousness or shyness, either-the important thing is that people are remembering your name, and perhaps someone will stop laughing long enough to check out your show when you get to their area. Make sure you find out what the local music papers, are, too, and try to get at least a text ad submitted a week or so before you are to be there, so there are no real excuses for the paper not be able to let people know you will be there doing your thing. That same intern might also sneak in your demo, too, especially if you give him a couple of free passes to your show, or, better yet, tell them that you could give the station spots on your guest list to give out if they will play your demo that they can use in phone-in contests. If they are pressuring you for far more than that, you might wonder if involving them would even be worth it, and just politely tell them that is all you can offer. They can only turn you down, and you might be better off steering clear of their "help." If you have a decent label, they should have publicity people taking care of this end of things for you, but don't expect it, and you may be better off.

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