Why a Record Deal does not Guarantee Success?
The struggle is real for many artists in the industry! Artists get dropped from labels, some artists choose to leave contracts because sometimes no matter how hard you try you just don't share the same creative vision.
Artists and Record Labels are a relationship, it's a give and take. Sometimes one person is more satisfied than the other, sometimes your money is just going out the door and you are left counting how many times you've actually used Deliveroo.
A few reasons an artist might be dropped is if they don’t generate enough royalties to cover the money that was originally invested in them by the label, this actually happens more than you might think. Sometimes people step out of record labels because they are not happy with the music they are creating, so they join an indie label or release their own music to regain creative control.
Releasing music is a business and record labels want to profit from you, sometimes this can lead to making formulaic decisions in order to make money (this is not everybody, don't come at me people) Sometimes you're lucky enough to find the label that balances creativity, marketing attention and deliver results in your development contract. A lot of labels these days will not sign you without a digital print, this means artists must have some kind of pronounced social media following or online presence.
What you can do to keep promoting and creating music even when you have a record deal, there are ways to use your record label as a way of credibility for your music. If you are working towards getting a record deal and need an online presence this is your best bet:
Gain a solid following across all social media channels
Keep releasing music every 3 - 4 months
Publicise that music I'm talking press and radio airplay
Be consistent with that content
Develop those SEO gains
A healthy network makes the dream work
Gig it out
If you feel like your career is not getting enough attention you can take it into your own hands, a couple of ways you can do that include:
Make your own music, you may even have access to free studio time (you lucky devil)
Work with other people who inspire you and whose work you respect
Social media is your best friend
Top up on whatever the label is already doing create your own plan and funds to garner press, attention and following.
Come up with your own Marketing Strategies or hire someone to help you out
Ultimately good music speaks volumes, if you have a solid sound the process becomes a little easier people are willing to invest in something they think has potential. So working with people that you admire and respect, elevates the sound.
