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, afrobeat, R&B, reaggae, 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. Just Because 2baba 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 new found
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. 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, and of course supaslim
talented) then recording covers only can bring you to
the next stage, which is a company asking for
something original. I've had artists come to me
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. 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 them 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 patoranking or In JESUS NAME, SUPASLIM 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 jp productions, alaba marketers 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.


Mistake #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
1. Be on time
2. Bring your lyrics
3. Check with the studio beforehand to make sure
your music files are compatable with their's. Don't
assume.
4. Bring your music and/or data files on Hardrive,
CDs and/or DVDs.
5. Bring backups, just in case.
6. Practice hard FOR WEEKS beforehand and know
your material inside and out. Be in the best vocal
shape of your life!
7. Bring payment. Most recording studios won't
release any material until they're paid.(unless you're
an established label)
Don'ts
1. Don't stay up late clubbing and trying to talk over
the music
2. Don't have a big meal for at least a few hours
before your vocal session
3. Don't bring your guns to the session. We tend to
frown on that.
4. Don't treat it as party time, unless you can really
afford to!


Mistake #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 supaslim lol, 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 dr sid and tiwa savage
a few years ago singing a holiday song duet. It was
soft and quiet, and tiwa's vocals matched the music
and the feel beautifully. Then dr sid came out
belting and singing all out trying to do all these riffs,
but the song was still mellow and soft, and his voice
sounded completely out of place. I shook my head
and said "is he 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. 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
Reggae, afrobeat, 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 wande coal 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. Getting Involved with Shady People..
Unless it's Slim Shady or SUPASLIM
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. 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. 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. 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".
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."

My new song link: www.datafilehost.com/d/c43d4660 or google search: (supaslim peppersoup) for other links
Contact supaslim:
BBM:21DD8895
Twitter: @supaslimmusic
Tel: 08139514145

Didn't read though, didn't know where to start from.
11. Biting the finger that fed them

I'm lost
would it kill u to actually space your post well? smh

EroticAngelina:
I'm lost
would it kill u to actually space your post well? smh

u dey sing?

apholaryn:
u dey sing?

no

EroticAngelina:
no

OK..just wondering why you are interested in the article.

Op, copy and paste with decorum and swag na.. i'm sure even u didnt read what u pasted there

crazygod:
Op, copy and paste with decorum and swag na.. i'm sure even u didnt read what u pasted there

read it tru , u'l knw I did!