You want to be recognized by your peers and friends that you have a talent and have something to offer and share with the world. You want to become immortal, even after you are gone your art lives forever. Here is what you can do:

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1. Research the distributors and find out which independent labels use each distributor.

Find the indie that caters to your genre

2. Solicit that indie with this proposition:

A. They can have your finished master without re imbursement for the cost to create it.

B. All you want is for them to pay for the manufacturing of the CD (including images)

C. Have them add it to their catalog and have it distribute by their distributor.

D. No up front money, your royalties begin after the recoup of the manufacturing cost.

E. Make them aware that YOU will be responsible and pay for promotion (radio, print, videos, digital distribution, direct marketing, web presence) [Yes, this will become your job to do this as well as go gig your ass off, take the cost of promotion as a tax deduction]

This is how you can get "signed" by a label, the object is to have the labels cost be as LOW as possible. They don't have the dollars anymore to develop the artist. With bedroom technology, you can record, mix and master your own project and deliver an evaluation promo on your own, THEY KNOW THIS, so they won't pay or reimburse for this anymore. They just want finished masters, but if they believe in your product, the next step is convincing the distributor that your product is worth it to them (The distributor).

Now, you can bypass all of this and start your own label, pay for the manufacturing (Down to the shrink-wrap) [Again, a tax deduction] and go DIRECTLY to the distributor and pitch the project. Inform the distributor with a One Sheet (a single sheet of pertinent information about the project), let them be aware YOU will be responsible for promotion and maybe they will take a chance.

OR, you become a label and BYPASS traditional distribution and only distribute your music digitally. (iTunes, Rhapsody, ZUNE, Sony Connect, etc) Do this by using CDBaby or any other outfit that offers to get your music to the digital distributors and get you a nice piece of the royalties. [Again all costs become a tax deduction] And, you will be responsible for promotion. 

There you go, now all you have to have is a decent recording of your passion.

[If the IRS recognizes you has a WORKING musician, composer, label owner, or in the entertainment industry, then you can take off the manufacturing and promotion costs]

© 2007 Curtis S.D. Macdonald