Things You Need to Know in Signing a Major Label Contract

Getting a recording deal from a major record label is a great thing especially for aspiring artists. Why? It is so because to them this is their ticket to success. Although this is not a guarantee to stardom, it is better to know the things to consider in signing a major record label contract.

Major record labels are multinational companies; therefore they have a lot of money. They can offer a lot of things to the artist and they have all the machinery to help an artist, from production to distribution of his music. Even if there is a decrease in music sales and the music industry in general is not doing well, they still have the financial advantage to keep up. They have enough money to help you with production, recording, promotion and distribution of your record and usually they will offer you a bigger advance (the money that they pay an artist in advance).

Going on tour is a way to launch yourself and your music to the people. Touring involves a lot of money and this is where major record labels become very useful. They could offer you tour support and can put on big and successful tours. Most of the artists who play or sell out in huge venues are lucky to have the support from their record labels.

Most major labels have been in the business for many years, therefore they have established connections to help you with your music career. They could introduce you to the big names in recording and production and they could showcase an artist at big music stores, while small-time labels can’t. Plus major labels have large manpower with numerous connections and resources. Because of their size, they can get the best deals in manufacturing, advertising, etc. On top of that, they could also give an artist maximum exposure in a flash.

Of course, there is also the down side. Since major record labels are big corporations, they have a lot of musicians, who compete with each other for attention from the label. So if you’re music is not selling quickly, most likely your record won’t get enough promotion and the record label will ignore you.

A lot of major labels want to sign artists for deals that are not very flexible. Most artists who signed with major labels will earn a fair royalty advance as opposed to a royalty rate of 12% per retail price of the record. But mostly, the contract will not produce any future revenue for the artist. Artists should take a lot of things into consideration before signing any contract, whether with major record labels or otherwise.

Heal Through Music

Have you been feeling lethargic or stressed out lately? A lot of us feel that way and tried many different ways to de-stress or raise our energy. And for most of us music has always been a life-saver. Maybe because music has been part of our lives since time immemorial. And we turn to music to express emotions when we don’t like talking about it.

Music influences and reflects our state of mind and emotions. For instance, if we are happy or want to be happy, we listen to upbeat and cheerful music. It makes our mind more alert and temperament positive. On the other hand, we listen to slower music when we feel depressed, tired, or want to calm down.

Research has shown that music indeed has extensive effect on one’s body and state of mind as it has been beneficial in pain management, driving tension away, etc. It is for this reason that music therapy or musicotherapy, which is a form of treatment which uses music to heal, is becoming popular. It has been used to aid different kinds of maladies, including hypertension, acute depression, anxiety disorders, and so on. It helps boost our immune system and it gives us positive outlook. It also improves social and emotional development of a person.


Using music to promote healing is not very hard to do. We all listen to music – in our car, through our mobile phones, mp3 players, DVD players, and iPods. I myself could attest to the benefits of listening music. When I was in school, I listened to music whenever I study or review. Sounds strange but it worked for me. I didn’t like hearing other distractions so I turned the music on. I also like music playing when I’m getting myself to sleep. Some people might find it strange, but if it works for you then why not do it.

There are plenty of music genres to choose from. You could try and see if what kind of music makes you feel better. So if you’re feeling sad, depressed or angry, turn the music on. It’ll change your disposition and you experience the healing power of music.

How to Promote and Sell Your Music Online

You’re a promising talented artist and your music is ready for exposure. There’s only one setback – getting your music to your target audience. With limited tools and connection for the promotion of music, most aspiring musicians face this kind of problem.

The internet has changed drastically almost every aspect of our lives – and the music industry for that matter. Sale and distribution of music online is very common. The question is how to promote and sell your music and foster publicity for your talent? Internet usage has increased dramatically all over the world, and so is the availability of internet based tools and software for recording professional sounding music at the comfort of one’s home.

So what and where to promote and sell your music? You can promote yourself and your music through music video sharing sites like IgitsDownJack. IgitsDownJack allows you to target your specific audience by promoting your music through forums, chat, blogs, music and video uploads, and so much more. IgitsDownJack specially helps aspiring and promising musicians to get the publicity or exposure they deserve. Who knows through these sites you may be discovered!

Joining forums and chat rooms are also very helpful in promoting your music. However, you need to look for forums or chat rooms that are specific to your music category. Let’s put it this way, if your music is hip hop or rap you can’t really drive a lot of audience if you join classical music forum or chat room. Again you have to focus with your target audience. At IgitsDownJack, finding the right forum is very easy.

Another way to promote your music is through blogs. Blogs have been very popular these past few years and have the ability to have high rankings in major search engines. Readers will keep coming back regularly if your blog is well written and has useful content. Here, you could include links where your music could be bought online. Many free video sharing sites like IgitsDownJack have this feature. Therefore it’s very easy to make your own blog.

Making a website is also another great idea. The cost usually doesn’t go over $100 a year so it’s quite reasonable. You could also take advantage of websites that offer free hosting. With the abundance of free and easy to use software in the internet, you could make your own website even without or limited technical knowledge.

If you want to generate free publicity, try making brief news release and submit it in some of the many free press release sites. These news releases frequently get high rankings on major search engines. Don’t forget to use keywords in your title, summary, and content.

Although promoting and selling music online is all the rage nowadays, don’t forget that big portion of a musician’s income comes from gigs and sales of merchandise derived these gigs. Why not sell CDs after your every gig? Don’t let this pass.

If you want to sell your music, you have to promote it in one or all of the methods mentioned. It’s a ruthless world out there, and you have to take advantage of all the free tools to promote your music. No one will take notice and buy your music if nobody knows about it. So get the word around. Showcase your talent and music to the world.