Today we want to start a new series, 'How to Get a Record Deal as an Independent Artist.'
This article will serve to kick off the series with an overview of what’s to come, as well as take a look of the current state of independent recording contracts and record companies.
Previously on the Sage Audio mastering blog, we have looked at plenty of issues facing today’s independent musicians, including how to get your music on Pandora , how to use social media to your advantage and the best ways to record your own music.
How Important is a Recording Contract in 2013?
First things first: do you need a recording contract in today’s music world? After all, in the first paragraph, we linked to articles that illustrate how many of today’s artists use a more literal translation of the term “independent artist” than was previously held. In decades past, the phrase was primarily used to describe any artist not on a major label but instead signed to an independent label. But today, of course, many artists make good livings going at it completely alone.
Still, it is very difficult to become successful on any sort of widespread scale while being a completely independent artist. Even those that are completely independent typically have outside help in the form of managers, booking agents, and perhaps most importantly distribution deals.
The Importance of Distribution Deals
Certainly, digital music is extremely important in today’s music industry, and digital distribution is somewhat easier to independently achieve by artists through sources such as CDBaby and Tunecore. Physical distribution, however, is a completely different ballgame.
Some would question if physical distribution is still important in today’s market. While some artists may survive on digital sales (and streams) alone, many still want a venue to display physical copies in brick-and-mortar stores.
For this, having a distribution deal is extremely important, and it’s very difficult for an independent artist with little or no sales history to get. This is why signing to a label, whether a major or independent label, is so important, as they will already have these deals in place.
The Importance of a Professional Studio Session
While it is now possible to record for little more than the price of a computer, there is often a real need for an artist to record in a studio with a producer and professional engineer to achieve the desired level of success.
The extent to which independent artists require this varies on the skill level of the artist as an engineer and the type of music. But it is important to remember that having a record company help foot the bill for studio time can be crucial to success.
Further Reading
This article just begins our look at whether record labels are necessary, and we’ll delve much deeper into these concerns and much more as the series continues. However, as an artist, you must remember that everything you do must be thought of in context of your music and your eventual goals. As with most everything in the music business, what works great for some won’t work at all for others.
Make Pro Songs
There are 8 unique value-points inside the Sage Audio membership, so let’s go over each one so you can decide if it’s the right fit for you.
1. 50 Free Mastered Songs Per Year
- 50 free mastered songs per year with your own dedicated professional mastering engineer so you can get all your mixes sounding like professional songs.
- You’ll get your own dedicated Sage Audio mastering engineer to create custom masters that are specific to you and sound exactly how you want.
- Unlimited revisions with your dedicated Sage Audio mastering engineer. As a standard of our service, we are not happy until you are happy with the sound of your masters.
- All masters are delivered as commercial, industry-standard high-resolution 24-bit HD WAV masters so they will sound clean and clear on every platform.
2. 1-on-1 Mentorship
- The Sage Audio 1:1 Mentorship gives you direct access to us to answer all your questions and receive unlimited advanced mixing feedback directly from us.
- Unlimited direct access to us for in-depth discussions to help you improve your mixes and masters.
- Unlimited advanced mixing feedback with detailed suggestions for improvement.
- Fast communication to answer all your questions and get tailored guidance that’s specific to your needs.
3. Unlimited Mixing Feedback
- Unlimited mixing feedback so you can improve your mixes quickly.
- This is highly valuable - giving you access to a thriving community of mixing engineers who can provide feedback about what you can improve before sending your mix to be professionally mastered.
4. Sage Audio University™ (SAU) — (Mixing and Mastering Education Platform)
- SAU is a modern audio engineering education platform that includes in-depth mixing and mastering course curriculums that match the new music industry.
- SAU is designed for every experience level, ranging from first-time mixing engineers to advanced engineers. The techniques and concepts taught can be applied to any DAW to create industry-leading mixes without expensive software or plugins - and free plugin alternatives are suggested throughout every course curriculum.
- SAU course curriculums include Start-to-Finish session walkthrough lessons for multiple genres so you can follow along with your preferred genre.
- SAU Certification Document, which can be downloaded and showcased on your website, social channels, and portfolio for as long as you remain a member.
- Get first access to all future SAU course curriculums to continually build and refine your mixing and mastering skills as the industry evolves.
5. Mixing and Mastering Competitions
- Compete in Mixing Competitions and Mastering Competitions to win prizes and connect with friends and colleagues.
- This is a great collaborative way to improve your skills alongside both aspiring engineers and seasoned industry professionals.
6. Community
- The Sage Audio community is a tight-knit community of passionate audio engineers who can provide you with real-world mixing feedback, meaningful discussions, networking, collaborations, and more.
7. 70+ GB of Curated Sage Audio Downloadable Content, Including:
- 36 multitrack sessions spanning multiple genres for mixing practice.
- 57 un-mastered mixes spanning multiple genres for mastering practice.
- 62 Recommended Free Plugins List (vetted, tested, and approved, so you don’t have to).
- 39 Recommended Paid Plugins List (vetted, tested, and approved, so you don’t have to).
- 58 Sage Audio custom plugin presets to improve your mixes and masters.
- Sage Audio Membership Badge to showcase on your website, social channels, and portfolio.
8. 700+ Video Catalog
- Access 700+ in-depth Sage Audio mixing and mastering videos - curated and organized into playlists so you can take a deep dive into all aspects of audio engineering with thousands of hours of concise, expertly crafted Sage Audio videos to continually improve your mixing and mastering skills at your own pace.
