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SO YOU WANNA BE A RECORDING ARTIST! by James Darrell Laxamana |
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HMMM…I have been approached many times until now of people aspiring to become a recording artist. Age ranging from little kids to as old as your grandfather. How can one be? This page tackles the basic things to consider before you approach an A&R guy. DEFINING MOMENTS
A&R,
means Artist and Repertoire (sometimes
Artist & Research). The A&R guys are basically the ones who
scout for recording talents. They are also the ones who research for
potential songs for the recording artist to sing and record for an album.
A&Rs do the auditions, not only for aspiring record artists but also
for all the composers’ songs.
DEMO.
Normally when you approach an A&R guy, they’ll be asking you for
your “demo”. This means you have to submit the following: 1) Profile
or Bio, 2) Photos, and the most important thing 3) a recorded sample of a
song you sing either in cassette or CD (now
they prefer CD). RECORD
PRODUCER. These guys are the ones who
put up everything in the recording studio. The Producer mans the whole
production of a song (or the whole
album) from “how it should sound”, “how it should be sung”,
“how it should be recorded”, and how I wish the list would end…. RECORD
LABEL. This is a division of a RECORD
COMPANY in which handles various types of
artist and handles the record production. A record label doesn’t release
and market albums, the record company does. You can think of a record
label as a brand of product handled by a company.
THE LONG PROCESS
It’s
not a joke looking for a record deal. It takes months perhaps even years
to accomplish (that’s if you’ll
get something accomplished). Here are some things to consider.
GETTING RESULTS
Sometimes
you can get initial results after two weeks from the time the A&Rs
receive your demo, that’s depending on the A&R’s normally busy
schedule. Of course there’s always two kinds of results, negative and
positive. If you get the negative one, don’t despair. Improve your craft
and try again, ‘til you get it right. Aiza Seguerra experienced a number
of rejections before having a multi-platinum record “Pagdating Ng
Panahon”. Almost every record company turned her down before she got
signed to a label.
FAQs
Does
age matters? Honestly,
Yes! An ideal age would be 15 to 25 years old. Does looks matter? Honestly?
Here in the Philippines, I would say “Yes”! Record business is still
show business. We all know that if one has good looks, they have the most
opportunities in the business. Let’s face the fact, but not unless you
wanted to be a novelty artist. But looks should definitely have to come
with talent. What
should I have to become a record artist? Of
course you should have the talent and uniqueness to become one. Having
guts is also in the list. If you’re too shy, don’t waste your time.
You should also be patient, flexible, and hardworking. You should have
professionalism. You got to have the attitude that you are indeed an
artist but remain modest. Arrogance will not get you places. Will
I be rich if I become a recording artist? Not
all the time. There were many artists who had deals but never received
their millions. If it’s your time, it’s your time. Pure luck!
BOTTOM
LINE IS….
It really takes a lot to be a recording artist. Some would say it’s not worth it. You walk around the mall and still no one recognizes you. Sometimes you got fame but no one bought your record. It could be half fulfilling and half frustrating. A record artist’s career would normally have a lifespan of 1 album release or 2 years and depending on how good marketing and efforts the record company and label have made for the album. So what now? Do you STILL wanna be a recording artist?
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