If we think back before the days of MP3 players and the Internet, the only place we could get the newest recordings from an artist were brick and mortar record stores like Virgin, Tower or Sam Goody. Based on my most current research, all three seem to be now gone. The only remnants of these giants are their online stores.

I remember growing up in the eighties and going to one of the major record stores and looking at all the endless racks that were filled with just about every artist that was current. And….there  was a choice between the vinyl, CD or cassette. Eventually the cassettes died as portable CD players around and then came MP3 players. The rest is history. It is now sad to see what actually is stocked on the shelves at stores and those who work there are not even familiar with some of the artists that are requested by us seasoned die hard CD aficionados.

It truly is a shame to see the traditional record stores go by the way side of online. But, it is also sad to acknowledge that the acceptance of less fidelity is getting higher. We have lost the art of being able to truly listen to music and appreciate it in a non-personal player. Along with the sound, the ability to study the album inserts and cover art is also going away. Some of the excitement of buying a new album was in the digesting of the album notes and other documentation that came along with the album, regardless of the format.

I truly feel that an unjust movement in the music industry has transpired over the past decade. Not only have we lost giant businesses, but have lost the ability to appreciate the art for what it is in the larger sense of the matter. The unjust to live music has also sanctioned this demise of the music industry. I hope that at one point we do experience a renaissance in the old traditional sense of experiencing music and the various art forms which were once associated with the release of a new album.

A great example of this is Bruce Springsteen. When he started out with Columbia Records, he had two so-so albums before he hit a good one with Born to Run. If Born to Run had not been a success, then Springsteen would have seen the end of his recording career. Now could you imagine that as he is a rock icon 30 years later? Back in the 70s Columbia had backed both previous albums which had lack luster sales. When Springsteen began writing for Born to Run, Columbia was ready to drop him as an artist. If Born to Run had taken a dive, that would have been the end. Fortunately, that album was the beginning of the career.

Today, this would not be the case. It’s either a go or no go hit and record companies are only looking to sign for one hit. That also makes it harder to ensure a success. Therefore, the independent labels have become the king over the majors.

Today’s music business is more complicated then ever. The digital revolution has made it easier and less expensive to make a quality CD. There are more outlets to reach the public with your music then ever before with MySpace, Playlist.com and web-based radio outlets. There is also more competition then as well.

What can a new group or artist do to increase their odds of getting heard by the mass public or getting better and more frequent bookings? Paul Crowley, of Paul Crowley Music Marketing, who has worked with artists such as The Police, Janet Jackson, REM, suggests, “The first thing is to not look at recording a CD as the end product. It is just one part of the overall marketing plan.”

“To many people make the mistake of not having a an overall plan of where the group wants to be in a year, two years or five years down the road.” Paul continues. “Without a plan it is almost impossible to make serious progress in today’s music business. Groups without a plan seldom last in today’s competitive market.”

Another key mistake that artists and groups make is to not budget for promotions. Paul states, “I’ve heard a lot of great music over the years, fantastic music, but unfortunately the public never got to hear it because the groups didn’t take into consideration budgeting for professional promotional services. The groups falsely assumed that a record company or DJ would hear their music and it would take off from there. That just doesn’t happen in today’s competitive market. There are a lot of great artists vying for limited airtime. You need professional help to get through to the key people that can help you out.”

This brings up the third point that will help new groups reach their goals. Hire a professional to promote your music to radio and give you sound advice. “There is the music business and then there is the business of music”, smiles Paul. “It is important to find a talented professional to represent you to radio and give you solid music business advice. A good manager will help you to plan your resources, both time and money, to make the correct move at the right time.” It is important to find someone that can make those moves on the artist’s behalf.

As the music business continues to evolve and grow the need for professional representation and management is more important then ever. Groups that heed the advice in this article will find themselves ahead of the pack when it comes to realizing their goals.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/top-three-things-new-artists-and-bands-need-to-know-to-jumpstart-their-careers-608406.html

About the Author:

Tim Eutin has worked in radio for over a decade. He is also the host of several popular websites.

• Band or Personal web site
• MySpace
• Facebook
• Tunecore

The two most popular are definitely publishing the track on MySpace and/or listing the tracks for download on your own site. Facebook has just recently gotten into the music segment of the social networking game. If profit is part of the plan, one can use distribution services to help promote your name.

Let us not forget the method that can work wonders, word-of-mouth. With current technology, we can make copies of our works on CDs and MP3 on the computer and graphically make it look good. Make many copies of CDs or MP3s and hand them out to friends and family. If they think it’s good stuff, they will start the snowball effect rolling.

Another way of promoting yourself is to have someone host a performance featuring you either at their home or at the park. These concerts tend to be very personal, so make sure to have copies of your songs available to hand out. If the guests like what they hear, then others will want to have you play your songs at their events and the calls will start coming.

Even though it has become easier to get music out there for people to hear and experience, it involves a lot more time on the artists part to market. It is only after tons of hours of hard work and practice that one might get picked up by the big labels. In the meantime, we keep plugging along doing what we do best and that is writing great songs with great music and getting people’s opinions.

It seems that no matter what segment of the music industry is examined, it has hit or is approaching rock bottom. The music industry is lost or floundering as to where to go to get back its mojo that it once had. When will it become apparent that the need for aiming higher in the content area will be the trick for getting sales to where they used to be and in the manner that it used to be. Yes, digital will be around, but digital should not be blamed for the slip.

How much further can the limbo bar be lowered before the whole industry falls while trying to slither under it? Everyone knows that marketing is no longer just in the hands of the big record companies, but almost breaking the rules to allow ground contact when getting under the bar is the question.