The following is a list of hip-hop blog sites that are most likely to post your music.
Artists need to be realistic in their approach; build the relationship first, then watch the fruit of your work grow!
The submission information can be found on each website.
Exclusive Public and founder, Brianna DeMayo, have both been included in the list of marketing masterminds that you should follow on Twitter. We are truly honored to be recognized among such an excellent group of people.
Check out the full comprehensive list of Marketing Masterminds that you should be following on Twitter.
Learn how we can help take your music career to the next level. Contact us now for more info.
Exclusive Public and our founder, Brianna DeMayo, have been included in the list of 45 publicists that you should hire for your next marketing campaign!
Let’s talk about spam.
You go home and sift through today’s mail (actual mail, from the mailbox outside your house, that the mailman delivers). You get a few bills, a birthday card from grandma (hopefully with $5 in it), and a bunch of junk mail. You know what junk mail is. I mean, how many people really win a million dollars in a sweepstakes that they never actually entered? You toss the junk mail in the garbage – possibly with the bills – then put grandma’s card on the shelf.
It’s annoying, but you train yourself to discard the junk. You expect a certain amount of this type of mail, so it’s not a surprise. You learn to spot it, so you don’t waste your time opening it.
That pretty much sums up the effectiveness of the mass emails you send promoting your music.
Read the rest of this article.
Let us help you with your PR and promo. Contact us to learn more.
If there’s one person that you can go to to get vital information on the music business, it has to be Wendy Day. For those of you are unfamiliar, Wendy has negotiated some of the best deals in hip-hop.
She has played a part in Eminem’s deal at Aftermath/Interscope, Master P’s No Limit deal with Priority Records, UGK’s renegotiation with Jive Records, and Ruff Ryder’s renegotiation with Interscope. She negotiated the incredible joint venture deal for Twista with Atlantic Records in 1996, which both The Source and Rap Pages magazines called “the best deal in the history of Black music,” until she topped her own record with the now famous $30 million dollar deal for Cash Money Records with Universal.
The bulk of artists in rap music are coming through her offices, and record labels seek out her opinion on trends, styles, and regions of talent explosion. It is difficult to find an artist today, either established or up and coming, who hasn’t been touched by this woman. In the February 2000 Source Magazine, and again in January 2001, she was honored by being inducted into “The Power 30,” an annual ranking of the most influential people in urban music.
SOURCE: www.wendyday.com
I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with Wendy and she’s been a huge help with the launch of ExclusivePublic.com. She’s one person who can make some sense out of this crazy world we call the music industry. The information that she’s provided is absolutely vital to artists, and can basically be the blueprint to leading a successful career in music. Check out what she had to say below.
WENDY: The music industry has changed completely. Two major factors have caused change:
1. The Internet – The Internet reduced the price of recording, reduced the price of getting the music to the fans, and made it easier for artists to directly reach fans. It made it easier to find affordable tracks to rhyme over, and spread the music internationally. Additionally, we no longer need middlemen like record labels to market and promote or to tell us what’s best. We can learn how to work ourselves by studying how-to info online, hiring the same folks the labels hire, and reaching fans directly through social media and on the streets and in clubs.
2. Artists’ Motivations Changed – In the first three decades of rap, artists chose to rap because they were passionate about it and they had talent, or a skill, for rapping. Today, many artists come into the industry because they see the money a rapper can earn once he or she achieves superstar status. Also, today’s generation puts a lot of value on fame. Everyone seems to want to be famous, star in a reality show, or be in the spotlight somewhere, somehow. That center stage is no longer achieved through having a talent or through building a skill, but instead through marketing and promotions. There are plenty of people achieving fame for being famous (Kim Kardashian and Amber Rose spring to mind). This mindset goes into artists wanting to be famous and rich, and rap seems to be the lane they’ve chosen to achieve these goals. Rap is no longer an earned profession based on skill or talent, it seems he/she who stands out the most amongst fans gets the most attention. So pink hair, sex tapes, male rappers in skirts, shocking statements, and famous co-signs have replaced hard work, paying dues, and pure talent.
WENDY: No artist today can succeed without building a buzz in his or her regional area. It’s important to build your fan base whether your goal is to get signed to a record label or to stay independent and make money yourself with your own music. How will you stand out?
WENDY: Some talent, money, a hit record that fans embrace, money, a strong team, money, charisma, and a strong work ethic. Did I mention money? Artists need to be able to market and promote regionally so they stand out above the other ten thousand artists. They need a budget to make the music, and then to market and promote it. This has NEVER been a free industry or an industry where you get discovered and put on (possibly discovered and pimped). Now more than ever you need a budget to catch the attention of a label or of fans directly. Again, how will you stand out when talent alone is not enough?
WENDY: I have my artists and/or clients draw a circle around their town–a five or six hour driving radius. Then they go onto every city and town in that circle and spread their music–the hottest single they have. Give it to DJs, potential fans, high school students, college students, guys at the barber shop and flea markets, women at the mall, people at the clubs, etc. Anywhere your market congregates, you should be passing out music, flyers, performing, hanging posters, signing autographs, collecting email addresses for an e-newsletter, meeting fans, attending events, etc. If you know what you are doing (most do not) and have a budget, you should hit radio in your region by hiring a legitimate radio promotions person. By the time you start selling music, getting paid for shows, and building a demand for yourself and your music, you will receive good offers from record labels that could build your career, or you will realize you can stay independent and continue doing this yourself. Either way, the goal is to be successful and make a living doing what you love.
WENDY: They need to develop a plan that best reaches their audience. Each plan is different, but I prefer my artists to reach fans in person and online. I tend not to do blasts that reach the world (eblasts, posts on websites that are paid for) and I don’t buy fake views or fake followers on social media. I want real fans that support my clients. I also don’t hire DJ crews. I work my artists to DJs one by one. Some will like the music while others won’t. I focus on those who like it. I tend to not waste money. I’m more of a sniper than a shotgun. I don’t spend money to advertise anywhere my artist won’t stand out. I usually put the money into the music and work records that will spread because they are hot. A hit record is necessary, with a budget to work it properly. I also don’t pay famous artists for features (too costly to clear), I don’t pay for artists to open for famous artists coming through town, and I don’t pay for videos to air on MTV2 or WorldStar. I get the artist and single so hot on the streets that these things happen for free, naturally.
WENDY: Branding is very important. It’s your image, it’s how you stand out, and it’s what makes you different from everyone else.
WENDY: An online presence is as important as having a street presence. The best way to build it is to interact directly with fans through social media, through blogs, and e-newsletters, and build your fan base one fan at a time, online.
WENDY: I’m not trying to be funny, but an artist needs a manager when there’s something to manage. Managers get paid 15-20% of an artist’s income. 20% of nothing is nothing! You want to have something going on so there’s a financial reason for a great manager to want to work with you. This is a business! Most legitimate, experienced managers want to see an artist working hard for themselves because they know if the artist has a foundation already in place, the manager can just step in and take it to the next level by what they (the manager) bring to the table. But nobody wants to work with someone who has nothing in place, nothing going on, where you have to bring everything to the artist. That’s not 20%, that would be 100% commission. LOL
WENDY: A bad attitude or a lazy attitude can hold anybody back. No one wants to help an asshole, or help someone who doesn’t help himself. And at the beginning of your career, you need all the help you can get! So leave your insecurities and ego at home. Be likable, humble, hard working, and grateful.
WENDY: The best way to book shows is to build your buzz. The bigger the demand is for you, the more show promoters will call and offer you money to perform. But to build that buzz, you need to perform everywhere you can for free and have a great show. Memorable performances get re-booked often. Build relationships with concert promoters and booking agents in your region. Be personable, be likable, and show you are hardworking. I can’t give you a number for how many shows it takes to succeed. Managers don’t book shows, except for brand new artists who can’t attract a booking agent yet. Managers jump in and do whatever is necessary, but no manager wants to do everything–and at that level, it’s for free! 20% of a free show is nothing. So it’s up to the artist to build the buzz.
As an artist, there are certain things that are expected of you – from both the creative end as well as the business end of music. Understanding the needs of both sides will allow you to make better decisions in your career. When you are able to see things from different perspectives, it helps you understand what your next move should be. In order to build a fan-base there are certain things that your fans will expect from you. In order to get label attention as well as the attention from venues and other opportunities, there are other things that are expected of you. In order to make the best out of your music career you must find balance. If you learn both ends of the spectrum you’ll be able to make better decisions, which in return will get you the outcome that you desire.
To make things clearer, I’ve broken things down into a few different lists that elaborate on what is expected of artists from the perspectives of a fan, a label/manager, and a venue:
– To Relate – fans want someone they can connect with, most of the time it’s through your lyrics but you can also relate through your image and even your lifestyle. In order to accomplish this, you must be sure to find your target market. Think about who will relate to your music and aim your marketing and promo at your target.
– Originality – Sure there are many other artists out there that sound exactly alike, but do they have long lasting careers? You need to give your audience something to remember by being the real you that cannot be copied.
– Authenticity – Basically if you talk about it in your music, BE ABOUT IT. If you rap about the street life, they expect you to have some attributes of a street guy. You get my drift.
– Quality – Fans want something that sounds like what’s already on the radio. Why? Because they are not in the music business, therefore they are only used to what they hear on the radio – so you have to give it to them. This doesn’t mean that you have to record in all of the most expensive studios to get the sound that you want, but you should definitely be getting your music mastered so that it’s already ready for the radio.
– Access – Fans want to see you. They want to be able to look you up and find everything about you in a matter of a few clicks. If you really think about it, this means fans also want…
– Consistency – People like to be entertained, and the more you can keep them entertained, the more they’ll keep coming back. You can do this by putting on great performance, releasing behind the scenes footage, having contests, send cool emails to your mailing list etc.
– A Marketable Artist – From your name to your music to your look, you must be marketable. You have the qualities above and have used them to build your fan base. The days of an experienced manager (or anyone an artist would WANT to manage them) signing artists because they believe they can get to the next level, are over. Managers want to see an artist who has a bit of a local buzz and then they step in and help the artist take it all the way.
– A Polished Artist – The days are gone when labels had ‘artist development departments’ so now you have to make sure you’re polished and ready to go before a label will even consider you.
– Someone Who Is Easy To Work With – No one wants to work with someone who has a bad attitude or a crazy sense of entitlement. Labels look for artists who understand how the business works and who are open to different things.
– An artist with a decent following – They want to be able to pack a venue, plain and simple.
– Someone that can put on an amazing performance – it’s always best if you have your stage performance down to a science. The more you can captivate the audience, the more the venue will book you.
So as you can see, there is a lot that is expected of artists from all across the board. So now you have to figure out where your strengths and weaknesses are and fill in the gaps. The more well rounded you are the easier it will be to secure opportunities in your career. Your fans want that emotional connection where as the business end is mainly about money (which will come from building your fan-base). Of course, you cannot do this all on your own. You will definitely need a team behind you to make up for your weaknesses. If you don’t have a team yet no worries, you’re grind and consistency will attract people to your movement and from there you can see who will fit best.
If you are unsure where you are at in your career, need some guidance on what your next move should be, or have questions pertaining to the music business click here.
As an artist you are your own brand, whether or not you know it or acknowledge it, and it is up to you to make sure your brand stands out from the rest. Branding has everything to do with PRESENTATION – HOW YOU ARE PRESENTED AND PERCEIVED BY THE PUBLIC – whether it be online or offline. It is essentially what you are known for as a whole and believe it or not, your longevity will depend on how strong your brand really is.
This is a type of industry where you must always be ready. Someone new can check you out at any given moment so you have to look your best at all times, all across the board. We live in a digital world, so how you present yourself in person is just as important as how you represent yourself online. A lot of the time, your music isn’t the first thing people are introduced to. You are first seen on social networks, blogs, websites, magazines etc. Think about it, when you hear about something new and want to learn more about it, the first thing you do is look it up! The last thing you want to do is portray a negative image of your brand. You want to make sure that at first glance, the image you put out represents YOU at your best.
Ask yourself:
If someone judges you by your cover, what do they see? What type of image do you put out? Does your image reflect how you want to be perceived by the public? Would you be a fan of YOU?
So what are we getting at here? In order to succeed with a career in music there are things that you really need to be aware of and put your all into in order for your brand to stand strong. To clear things up even more, I made a list with a few examples of things that affect your brand:
Things that affect your brand: [examples in no particular order]
– Your music and lyrics – Does the recording sound professional? Do your lyrics represent who you are and what you stand for? Does your music stand out or sound like everything else that people are getting tired of?
– How you use social media to interact – Yes, the way you use social media has a direct reflection on your brand. When you spam that gives off a negative image because it immediately shows that you are an amateur. When you engage with people and properly promote your music and are actively building a loyal following, it gives off a positive image of your brand.
– How ‘up to par’ your online presence is – Do you have a professional custom website? Are all of your social networking sites up to date? Do you have professional photos? What about custom backgrounds and graphic images? These are the main things that have to do with your appearance online. You have to make sure that your brand can be clearly seen throughout your online profiles.
– Your stage presence – Do you really know how to interact with the crowd and keep them engaged? Do you attract fans when you perform or do you give them a reason not to see you perform again?
– Your music videos – Are they good quality? Do they enhance your song or take away from it? Visuals are a must, however you need to make sure that they are making you look good and drive even more traffic to your music.
– How you dress and appear in images – Does your image reflect who you really are as well as what you want to represent? This is not saying that you need to be flashy everywhere you go, however you do want to represent yourself in a good way and often those that are a little flashy and show their uniqueness get noticed more than someone who doesn’t pay any attention to their appearance.
Let me give you a scenario:
You are performing at an event, there is only one other artist on the line up aside from you.
Other artist: Put on a decent performance and once he got off the stage, he made sure to mingle with as many people in the room as possible. He had business cards in hand that included links to his website and all of his social networks.
You on the other hand, put on a pretty amazing performance and once you got off stage people were coming up to you asking for your info – but you don’t have a website to tell them to go to, or a mailing list for them to sign up to, and since you have neither one, you didn’t bother making business cards with that info on them. So you shook hands and tried to remember as many twitter names as possible.
So now tell me, who got the best response from their performance? Who left the show with more twitter followers, more Facebook likes, and more people subscribed to their mailing list? You guessed it, the other guy.
What you show to the public has a direct correlation to what you stand for in general. Think about it this way: when you first meet someone, or hear about them, what factors go into making your first impression of them? What things affect them in a positive and negative way? Think of your brand as the core of your personality and what you are known for. If a girl dresses half naked and goes to the club every weekend, you’re automatically going to label her in a negative way, this is the same way you are judged as an artist. From the things that you do to how you present yourself to what you stand for, all make up your BRAND. You brand yourself through your actions as well as your professionalism and appearance.
While there are other aspects that go into building a solid successful brand (mentioned in the bullet points above), there are a few KEY components that an artist MUST HAVE to look professional and attract the attention needed to succeed. These same components also separate the professionals from the amateurs:
Key Things That Make You Look Like the Professional Artist That You Are:
1. You need to be easy to find. You need your own custom domain that is the portal to everything YOU. Your website needs to include your bio, music, videos, tour dates, a place to buy your merchandise and of course, links to all of your social media sites. Nowadays you just can’t get around it. In order to be considered a professional you MUST have a website.
2. If you want to be taken seriously in this industry, having a professional bio is critical. A well written bio is the ultimate marketing tool. Your bio is your first chance to get people interested in your music, plus it’s an amazing way to book more shows and get publicized in online magazines and websites.
3. Your brand needs to be recognizable from all angles. Your online presence needs to be crisp, clean and memorable. Your social media presence must stand out! You can do this by having custom designs on all of your social media to match your personal website. Everything should have a similar feel to represent your brand.
4. You might want to use a symbol or tagline that people can use to relate directly to you. Not every artist needs a logo, not every artist has a catch phrase or ‘tagline,’ however those that do have one have more chances of being noticed because they can post it everywhere possible and fans will begin to relate that image or tagline to a certain artist.
So ask yourself:
Have you released music and performed at showcases in the past and spent hours upon hours promoting but still didn’t get the response you were looking for?
The answer to your problem is most likely BRANDING. If your brand is weak, you won’t stand out – which ultimately means that you’re forgettable. So now it’s time for you to analyze your brand and make the necessary changes that will surely make you stand out (in a good way) and start to get a great response from your promotional efforts.
If you do not understand how to take your brand to the next level or if you are looking for someone to write your bio, design your website etc, please do not hesitate to contact me @BreezyB215 and take a look at the services on this site.
At first glance music publishing can be a bit confusing, but it is actually the basis of your income as an artist. Basically, if you plan on making a living off of your music, you better understand the ins and outs of publishing. In order to fully grasp the concept of music publishing you need to start with the basics. I hope that by reading this article you will have a more firm grasp on the concept of music publishing.
Lets start by answering the question: What is music publishing? Music publishing is a very broad topic – from copyrights and licensing to royalties and rights – music publishing has everything to do with getting paid for your music.
When it comes to understanding music publishing there are some terms that you need to know. Lets start off with the copyright. Copyright is the law that protects the property rights of the creator of an original work. Basically it is the right to reproduce or make copies. Those rights are called exclusive rights. Technically your work is copyrighted as soon as the lyrics are on paper or your song is recorded on CD. However in some cases this can be tricky so actually filing for copyright is your best bet because it is guaranteed to protect you. Before we get into your exclusive rights as a copyright owner, there are a few other terms that you need to be familiar with. These terms are the composition and the sound recording.
Understanding the difference between a composition (sometimes called the musical work or you know it as a SONG ) and a sound recording (sometimes called a master), is crucial to understanding your rights within the music industry. Simply put, the sound recording is your particular recording of the song. We can understand this a little better by talking about another important term – the cover. You might already know that a cover is the recording of a song that you did not write and you do not own. So when you record a cover, you can file copyrights for your version (or your sound recording) of the song. The composition is known as the original version of the song.
EXAMPLE: You just loooove Michael Jackson so you decide to record your own version (or COVER) of his hit song ‘beat it’. Your recorded version of ‘beat it’ is your sound recording and by filing for copyright you own and have rights to that version of the song. But remember, the recording is a cover of the song. The song (composition) is owned by Michael Jackson, (or more likely his music publishing company).
So now remember we have two separate properties: the “composition” and the “sound recording” of the “composition.” Music copyright law recognizes a copyright in the song and a separate copyright in the sound recording. The copyright owner of the song and of the sound recording can be the same person, but it usually doesn’t work out that way since many songs have multiple writers and a lot of the time they are written for other artists to record and perform. The songwriter is typically the initial copyright owner of the song.
Now lets get back to mechanical rights. First we will start with the exclusive mechanical rights for a SONG and then we will talk about the rights for a SOUND RECORDING. When you copyright your SONG, you have the sole right to make copies of the song, the right to distribute copies of the song, and the right to perform the song publicly (whether it be on the radio, on television, or in a nightclub etc). You also have the exclusive right to prepare a derivative work (or REMIX) to the song. The final exclusive right in your song is the right to display the song in public (meaning if you want to post the sheet music to your song online or in a book to be sold publicly).
The exclusive rights for a copyright owner of a SOUND RECORDING include the rights to make copies and distribute records containing the sound recording and the right to prepare derivative works (to record a REMIX) from your recording. The owner of a sound recording also has very limited public performance rights, which applies only to public performances that take place by digital audio transmission – which refers to the reproduction and transmission of sound stored in a digital format. Basically meaning you as copyright owner of a sound recording, you can get your sound recording played online and not on the radio or television.
Now lets dig a little deeper. Before you can record and make copies of someone else’s song, you need to get permission from the owner. This also pertains to producers that use samples in their beats. For those of you who do not know, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a sound recording in a different song. In order to obtain permission to use someone else’s song you need to get a license – just like you get permission to drive by obtaining a driver’s license.
There are a few different kinds of licenses, most popular being the mechanical license, the synchronization or ‘sync’ license, and the blanket license. By getting a mechanical license from the songwriter (or from a music publishing company acting on behalf of the songwriter), you will then have permission to record, reproduce or make copies of the song. Now, let’s say you want to make a video of your cover song. you would need a synchronization license which gives you the right to synchronize the “composition” with visual images (in layman’s terms, it allows you to make a music video for your cover song). And of course, the synch license also gives you the right to make copies. Now a blanket license on the other hand, is used for radio and television stations, DJs, musicians, and public businesses and it makes it possible for them to play music without having to acquire rights each time they play a song.
So you’re doing a great job at getting your music posted to online blogs, getting your songs played on online radio stations, and you have hopes to get your music on mainstream radio; but in order to make money from this you need to take a few necessary steps. The first one is getting your music properly copyrighted. The second thing you need to do is register with a PRO (Performing Rights Organization). In the United States there are three PRO’s which are BMI, ASCAP and SESAC. These companies negotiate and issue licenses to the various venues, radio stations, television networks etc. A PRO’s function is collecting performing rights royalties on behalf of its members, composers and music publishers.
Music royalties is the money earned from songs or music. There are a few different types of music royalties including artist royalties (paid by the label to the artist), mechanical royalties (paid by the label to the writer of the song), performance royalties (earnings are collected from public performances such a radio and television play and are paid to the songwriter) and synchronization royalties (paid to the songwriters and publishers of a song for use in movies, commercials or TV shows). As you can see, the names of the royalties directly reflect the source of which the income is coming from. Both publishing companies and individual songwriters use PRO’s but you cannot be a member of more than one unless you are a publishing company. Royalties are calculated by something called a statutory mechanical royalty rate. The current royalty rate that must be paid to the song owner or publisher is 9.1 cents ($.091) per copy. Meaning, when you record a cover song, every time that recording sells, you owe the songwriter or publisher 9.1 cents. I am not going to go into detail on this because THIS ARTICLE does a great job at explaining how PRO’s calculate royalties.
So, what exactly is a music publisher/publishing company? A music publisher owns and administers works written by songwriters. You as a songwriter can start your own publishing company if you want to own more rights to your music and therefore collect more royalties. Normally artists go after a publishing deal with a music publishing company. You will have a better understanding of what a publishing deal consists of by learning what a music publishing company does. A music publishing company handles everything related to copyrights, licenses and royalties for your music. Their basic functions are to discover songwriting talent, promote the songs their songwriters compose to musicians and anyone else who may need a song for whatever reason (advertising, a movie, a promotional campaign, etc) Publishing companies pitch their song catalog to music executives, recording artists, producers, managers and others to secure placement for the songs on appropriate commercial recordings. They also work with PRO’s to issue licenses for the use of the songs they represent and collect licensing fees. This work is usually referred to as the administration of a song.
A music publishing deal is an agreement between the songwriter and the publishing company.
There are a few different types of publishing deals and they can be negotiated in numerous ways. An administration deal is an agreement between a songwriter/publisher and a publishing company (or administrator), in which the publishing company not only collects income, but promotes the songwriter’s catalog. The “standard” publishing deal is usually a complete “split” of all the income the songs generate – meaning 50% of royalties go to songwriter, and 50% go to the publisher. Sometimes the publishing company will give the songwriter an advance so the publisher will not pay the writer any money collected for any songwriter royalties until the advance has been recovered. There are also co-publishing deals, where the songwriter has his own publishing company, and makes a deal with a second publisher, and both publishers many times may co-own the copyright and publisher’s share of income. In this case, royalties are usually split 50% for the songwriter, 25% for the songwriter’s publishing company that he or she owns, and the remaining 25% for the publishing company he or she does the co-publishing deal with. Over all it will be a 75%-25% split. If there is more than one songwriter, the songwriters will split their share, and the publishing companies split their share.
So there you have it, the basics of music publishing. You’re probably thinking “BASICS??? THAT WAS A WHOLE LOTTA INFO TO BE THE BASICS!” and you’re right, but there’s a lot more to learn about music publishing. By this time you are probably wondering how to go about starting your own publishing company, what PRO should you sign with, what are some of the other ways you can negotiate publishing contracts, and how about the all time question… do you really need a record deal if you have a publishing deal? I think I’ve already bombarded you with enough information so we can touch on those topics another time. =)
Putting on an amazing show is imperative to the success of your music career. Performing is not only one of the best ways to get your name out there and gain new fans, but as album sales for artists have dramatically decreased, touring has become one of the main sources of income for artists. Perfecting your performance definitely takes trial and error but there are a few things that you should always pay attention to and do your best to master. In this article, I am going to give you a few tips to help you put on the best show ever.
Mic Control – The microphone can be your best friend or your enemy. It’s your job to be able to make the mic your friend. You don’t want to grip the entire microphone by the tip because it makes your voice sound muffled. You also don’t want to put your lips directly on the microphone for that same reason. You want to keep the mic at a very healthy distance from your mouth (a few inches away). It is good to rehearse with a microphone so that you can get used to it. Another problem that I’ve seen is that artists get so hype while performing that they don’t always sing/rap into the mic. You need to have complete control of the microphone and wherever your mouth goes, the mic follows right along with it. You don’t want to perform and your fans only hear a choppy version of your song because you keep moving the mic away from your mouth. Last but not least, if you are a singer, you need to distance the microphone from your mouth when you are belting out them high notes. Nothing worse than a singer yelling into the microphone, it takes away a lot from the music.
Connect/Engage Your Audience – Have you ever been to a performance where the artist performs at you and not for you? This happens more often than not. As an artist, it is your job to engage your fans. If you involve the audience, they will be forced to pay attention. Make everyone in the audience feel like they are involved. If the crowd seems a bit low energy, get creative, hype them up! And don’t just stand there, move around (don’t overdo it, but definitely don’t just stand there the whole time). The whole stage is yours, use it.
Hype Man – You ever go to a show and then can’t even find the person with the mic in their hand because there’s so many other people on stage with them? Having a hype man is one thing, but bringing your whole crew on stage is distracting and can take away from your performance as a whole. Instead of having everyone on stage, how about you send them into the audience to keep everyone hype and into the show? If you are a major artist and want to bring your crew on stage, you can do that because you are already known and everyone already loves you. However if you are an indie artist that is trying to build your buzz, you need to keep the focus on YOU and not bring a million people on stage with you.
Show Tracks/Live Band – Having a live band is always a great way to engage the audience. The band is able to keep everyone entertained between songs and can really help give your music a dope feel. If you don’t have a band that’s perfectly fine, not all artists use one, but always make sure your sound is on point. Do not sing over your actual radio edited record. You need to get show tracks that you can use for your performance. The audience came to hear your natural voice over the music, not to listen to you singing over the track that they already have on their iPod.
Be Prepared, Anything Can Happen – There’s lots of things that can happen at a live show so you need to be prepared for the worst. Whatever you do, never freak out when something goes wrong. It is always better to have a sound check before the show starts to avoid as many issues as possible, but if there are technical difficulties during your performance, you must be professional about it! The crowd will appreciate an artist that can improvise and not lose their cool. And whether you have an audience of 50 people or 5000 people, the audience came for a great show and you need to be sure to deliver. Never let the size of a crowd intimidate you.
Go Out With a Bang – Be sure to thank your audience! They gave you time to perform for them! And if you are an indie artist trying to get your brand out there, you should always stay after your performance and interact with everyone around you. Bring merchandise and music to give away or sell at your show. Ask people how your performance was. Take out the time to introduce yourself to people, sign them up to your mailing list, follow them on Twitter, etc.
Whatever you do, be sure that every performance is always better than your last. In order to get people to keep coming to your shows, you have to bring something different and keep everyone entertained. A great way to improve your performing skills is by video taping every show and then analyzing the footage. Find out what worked and what didn’t. Think about shows that you have been to, what did you like about them? Try to give the audience everything that you loved when you were in the audience at one point. Your goal should be to leave everyone with that ‘wow’ feeling.
Think of some of your favorite songs, what do they all have in common? Most likely they all have a great hook that gets stuck in your head after hearing it just once, the beat catches you as soon as you press play, and the lyrics are relatable and make you FEEL the song.
Melody, rhythm, lyrics and harmony are the elements of a song. As you are writing, you should pay close attention to those elements, and make sure that you fulfill each one. Instead of just hearing a beat, and saying whatever comes to the top of your head, spend more time planning and finding the purpose of your song. Hit songs usually catch a listener in the first few seconds and keep you listening until the end.
One of the most important aspects is the hook. EVERY hit song has a very catchy hook. This might be one of the first things you want to write, and then write the rest of the song based off of your hook. Or if you are a singer/songwriter, sometimes it’s better if you start by figuring out the actual melody of the entire song and then begin writing your lyrics.
While writing a song, there are some questions that you should ask yourself along the way. What is the story that you are telling? Whatever your story is, you need to draw the listener in and keep their attention from beginning to end. What message would you like to bring across? The best songs have a real meaning behind them. Also, is your song formatted correctly? While I believe there is no right or wrong way to write a song, the typical song is usually formatted like this: intro/verse/hook/verse/hook/bridge/hook out. You can also try – hook/verse/hook/verse/hook/bridge/hook out. There are a few others, but those are the most common. Experiment with the formats to see what is the most powerful and interesting for your song.
All in all, it seems like the key to a hit song is simple, put in some EFFORT. Do not rush your creativity. Appreciate the music instead of just singing or rapping the first thing that comes to mind. Ask yourself, do you make songs or do you make hits?
Check out this dope video from Ryan Leslie. His song ‘Gibberish’ is a perfect example of the songwriting process.