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 The Weekend a True Star Boy

Abel Tesfaye, known by most as The Weeknd, is a young alternative R&B singer whose music is presently tearing up the streets and airways. He was born on February 16, 1990. This Canadian “Star Boy” singer, song writer and producer, really came to fame in 2010 after uploading songs on to YouTube. His life has been filled with the struggles like most, but he has now grown to be an international name in most households. Here is a list of 10 things to know about The Weeknd and his music.

• Ethiopian Heritage 

The Weeknd has no siblings. He is the son of two Ethiopian migrants to Canada. He grew in Toronto. While living there, he grew up in a single-parent home. His mother was constantly working several jobs to provide for the family. Thus, he spent lots of time with his grandmother. As a result of this, he became fluent in Amharic very early in his youth. 

• Did not complete school but still made it

This artist The Weeknd has modified the genre with what some might term dark R&B. He acquired his schooling at Birchmount Park Collegiate Institute and West Hill Collegiate Institute. Unfortunately, he did not graduate from either of the institutions. The same time he decided to quit school he also left home to face the world on his own. He still values education and knows everyone cannot take the same path.

• Delinquent Youth

The Weeknd first started using drugs very early. Mr. Tesfaye began using marijuana when he was 11. This led him to the stronger drugs. He was also caught shoplifting on several occasions. To satisfy his drug problem.

• Early Musical work

Tesfaye’s career started when he uploaded songs on YouTube. From there he went on to release three mixtapes : House Of Balloons, Thursday and Echoes of Silence. These became extremely popular forcing him to produce a compilation dubbed Trilogy. His debut studio album was released in 2013 and was entitled Kiss Land. This album debuted at number two on Billboard. Two years later The Weeknd brought out his second album named, Beauty Behind the Madness. 

• What’s with the Hair? 

The Weeknd is known for his rad hairstyle. He was famous for rocking locks on top of his head like a large wave. And the sides shaved. He claims that it did not take much to produce this style. Just that occasional shampoo. He pushed this style for four years but has recently chosen a regular low haircut.

• Awards

The Weeknd has achieved much in his relatively short international career. In 2016 his album called Beauty Behind the Madness gave him two Grammy Awards. He won best Urban Contemporary Album and his track, “Earned It” won best R&B performance. His most recent album “StarBoy” went certified platinum. The Weeknd is the proud recipient of two American Music Awards and nine Juno Awards. In addition, he is the founder and producer of the XO record label. 

• Love-life

Earlier in his life, The Weeknd was a womanizer. He admitted to losing his virginity at 16. From there he lived a life filled with sex. He would entertain the groupies, and he enjoyed it. Presently he has settled and was in a serious relationship with Selena Gomez.

• Musical Inspirations

Tesfaye is one of those R&B singers that captivates you. Some might say he has a sound similar to that of Michael Jackson. Michael happens to be one of his greatest musical inspirations. Another great legend in the business who has inspired The Weeknd is Prince. But The Weeknd brought his own style to the R&B scene. He is the one who created a dark and alternative R&B. His songs on Trilogy was a mix of his angelic voice and slow, melodic dark R&B instrumental beats.

• Popular Associates 

The Weeknd has done many collaborations with Drake. R&B fans would know he is another top Canadian entertainer. It is reported that they are even friends. Lana Del Rey and Future are other popular name in the music industry that Tesfaye has been associated.

• Advice for the World 

The Weeknd is a firm believer in working hard at your craft. He believes that life has its challenges, but you must be determined to progress. He has been quoted as saying, “Push it to the limit, push it through the pain.” This can be taken to refer to life and its struggles, knowing that you are a prisoner to your decisions. 

Photo de Elviss Railijs Bitāns provenant de Pexels

There are 2 different ways for you to register your music. You can ask for help at ASCAP or BMI. This page will talk about these two, their difference, features and benefits that you can get when you choose to register songs with them. 

What is ASCAP?

ASCAP means American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers. This is the performing rights association which comes with more than 400,000 members in the US. it was founded in 1914 by a team of composers or writers and the organization remains managed by its members. It is the sole PRO in the United States ran by its members, and the board members will be elected from inside.

The primary objective of this organization is to ensure that their members are all compensated for using their creations. There are some famous music artists associated with this group and they are Bruno Mars, Usher, and Ryan Tedder.

How Much Does Membership Cost?

Upon choosing to register your music with ASCAP, you will have to pay the one-time fee costing 50 dollars. It might be expensive for some interested individuals but the price is worth every coin sent because ASCAP offers great benefits to all of its members.

The benefits of joining ASCAP are the following:

• Discounts
• Medial insurance
• Gear insurance
• All forms of service-based things which would be very helpful for the members in terms of their music career

ASCAP also offers workshops which are considered the best of all benefits the organization can provide.

BMI – What Is It?

BMI stands for Broadcast Music Inc. it started as a good competitor and an alternative to some other associations for performing rights. It was established in 1939 and it comes with more than 500,000 members and it is growing continuously. Just the same with other PROs, the BMI is collecting royalties for the members of it, taking a small percent and it sends the rest to its members. Some of the famous writers that are associated with BMI are Toni Braxton, Kid Rock, Janet Jackson, David Bowie and a lot more.

Is It Free to Join BMI?

You may sign up with BMI for free an register your music when you choose to be a writer while you will be charged when you prefer to be a publisher. It costs 150 dollars. This is a great deal when you want to stick with them for years. Don’t choose a company depending on the price and choose the company that is based on what it could do for you. The charges are both tax deductible.

The benefits that you will be able to get when you choose BMI are the following:

• Discounted services
• Education
• Insurance
• Healthcare plans
• Financial assistance
• A lot more!

If you would like to know other benefits that BMI can provide, please feel free to visit their official website now. Among the most exciting benefits this organization can provide to its members is the conventions they are conducting. These events are highly informative and are an excellent place to meet people and get started with networking.

I hope this article will help you to understand how to register your music.

Related : How to find a music label

In this modern era of digitalization, it has become much more feasible for independent artists to sell their music online. Independent music is a great industry in itself that gives huge exposure to innovative music. It leaves room for artists to experiment with music in their way. But what hinders them sometimes is the refusal from renowned music companies that only look for brands and not give way to any upcoming independent talent. Well, the best way for them is to sell their music as independently as they are making it. They don't need to go to any record labels or contract. They can look for online collective music vendors and can make their music directly available to the audience. Now, to get the best selling music online, here are 10 wonderful tips that an independent artist can follow:

1. Quality check - This is the first and foremost step that you should pay attention to. Your music will have no value unless the audio quality is ensured. So you have to check that the quality of your audio is as good as your music itself. The best process to do so is to play your audio in as many different players as you can. Try to get it recorded and mixed from a professional studio to ward off errors. Play it in computer, MP3 players, car stereos and any type of sound system in which you can expect your listeners to play it. Make sure your audio source is WAV or FLAC files that are not compressed unlike MP3. Always upload high quality music files and get it mastered to improve the quality.

2. Perfect info - Give relevant information for your music that will make listeners identify your brand. Your music should have meta data containing good titles, artist name and music name. Sometimes giving a short description about the making of the music can create interest for viewers. There should be no grammatical or spelling errors and the language in which the information is presented should be interesting and attractive enough.

3. Excellent artwork -Remember, this is a time of audio-visual. People are attracted more by what they see. Hence, make sure that your music has a good cover page with an artistic and innovative artwork. This will attract traffic to your music. People will identify your music at once when this good artwork will register in their mind. This is the way to make the first impression that will draw them into listening to your music.

4. Get Copyright - Don't forget to do this. You are giving your music to public sites and hence there is every chance they can be ripped off. Therefore, get your copyright and licenses. In case you are going for a cover, get the proper license from the owners. Once these are done, you can start publicizing about your release dates and teasers on social sites.

5. Get your music retailer-This is a very vital step that you must take special care of. There are various retailers ranging from small too big. You have to shop around a little in order to find which one is suitable for your music. The terms and costs of each retailer need to be taken into account before choosing one.

6. Make a digital distribution deal with the retailer - The digital retailers such as iTunes, Shopify, Amazon etc. are aggregators with whom you have to establish a deal on digital music distribution. Make your deal with a digital music company that specializes in distributing music for independent musicians. These companies have direct contact with the various digital retail stores for music.

7. Read the vending agreement properly - Online sites offer equitable deals. Go through the terms of the contract properly like royalty claims and premiums. Getting proper knowledge is a must before you actually go for it.

8. Create your website and brand - This is really important as people may look for the artist behind the independent music you are promoting. You can start with simple blogs or Facebook page and can gradually go for hosted website. A proper logo with good pictures and attractive info can do wonders. Remember, your website will be your brand and hence plan and design it accordingly.

9. Promote your music - This can be done by using social sites. YouTube can be a great option. You can even go for paid promotion in YouTube. Utilize Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest to give posts and if needed use paid 'boost posts' option in Facebook.

10. Use and expand your connections - Get hold of your relatives and friends and seek their help in promoting your music. Try to have connections in local satellite and print media and web publications. Try to get performances for your new music that you can upload in social sites. Ask your friends to share your music in the social sites and distribute free CDs and play your music in any party that you visit.

Related : How To Find a Music Label, How To Increase your Fan Base

So you want to learn how to write a rap song ? You want to learn to write great lyrics that you can rap in upbeat music ? If that is what you want, here are some useful tips and lessons on correct lyrics flow, wordplay, punch lines and more. 

The first tip on how to write a rap song would be to draw inspiration to what you observe on your surroundings and how you feel about them. This way, you can be sure that the rap song you write is something that you truly mean and that comes from your heart. It goes to say that this will help you create a rap song that will touch anybody’s heart. 

Writing a Rap Song: How To?

On effectively write a rap song, here are some useful things that can help you. The challenging with writing rap songs is to create the kind of piece that will appeal to your audience and effectively convey your message. Start writing your very own raps with these tips with the basic steps on writing rap song including:

• Brainstorming Ideas 

What’s great about writing rap songs is that you can write just about anything. You can choose any topic and then let your imagination run wild. You can also start by freestyle rap, find some interesting inspirations and then write every thought, emotion and idea you can think of. All these can be used as a future reference when you finally start writing your rap

• Listen an Buy an instrumental

If you don’t have enough inspiration to write your rap song, you can get a beat to boost your ideas first. You can find rap instrumentals or beats everywhere on internet : Youtube, Soundcloud, Producer’s page on Facebook… For free download or just listening, the choice is wide. But, if you have a serious project in mind with your rap song and if you want to stand out from the crowd, you have to be professional and buy your instrumentals. Find a beats marketplace like Myflashtore, Soundclick or Beatstars , or directly a producer like me who have his own website with his beats ready to purchase. Several options are available, you can simply lease a beat (other people can lease the same beat) for a limited use or buy exclusive instrumentals and become the owner of the beat. This may sounds complex to you by now but you can visit my website for more details on that notion and of cours listen to my original rap and r&b beats : www.misterlazy.com.

• Writing the Chorus or Hook

The key to an interesting song that will remain in the minds of your audience is the hook or the chorus. It is that part of the song that keeps your listeners on the “hook”. Most rappers start on writing the hook, so it is probably you do that as well. 

On that note, you better remember the basic layout for the rap song which is – intro, verse 1, chorus, verse 2, chorus, verse 3, bridge and outro. By starting at the chorus, you can very well set the flow and rhythm of the song. At the same time, you get the general idea of what you want to write for the whole song.

• Writing the Lyrics 

Once you are done writing the chorus, you can now write the whole of the lyrics. Together with the ideas you had brainstormed, you can have a guide of what to write. From these ideas on, you can build and expand so you can create interesting, catchy rap lyrics. When writing the lyrics, keep in mind the rhythm of the song. 

These are the basic steps on writing rap lyrics but they are not entirely enough in writing your lyrics, you might say. What you need are tips on how to get the right flow of the lyrics, the rhythm, the music and getting it all right so that you catch your listener’s attention, right? In that case, here are some tips for you:

• You can follow the techniques of some of successful raps songs – opening their songs with the hook which is the part of the song catchiest so as to grab attention right off the bat. 
• Throughout the whole of the song, have the hook repeated several times in order to make a statement summing up your message. 
• When writing the hook lyrics, it is best to focus it on a sole strong statement so that it effectively tells your audience what you want to say. 
• It is okay to be personal when writing your raps, honestly write about who you are. You can also exaggerate on the words to get your message across. 
• As for the rhyming, raps typically rhyme but they do not have it all matched up. Basically, it is all about how you want to say them while keeping in mind of your audience and message. 
• When writing, you can start by simply writing your ideas as is without worrying about the rhymes. Sometimes, there are rhymes that just happened so which you can use while those that are not you can just look for words that rhyme and convey what you mean. 
• As for the flow, you can expert by mixing up the pace. The rapid vs. slow phrasing is one that’s popular in personal style. You can use this for keeping your listeners interested for the whole time. 

One of the best ways you can employ on how to write a rap song is by studying your favorite rap artists. Listen to their songs and find out the patterns on their songs if you can. You can study their flow and style and surely you can find some interesting things you can apply on your own. Of course, originality is important so do not copy everything about your favorite artist. 

It is important that you can find your own personal style when writing rap songs. If you are still struggling with your personals style, you can instead blend it with what you have so that you can create something that’s entirely fresh and entirely your own.

Photo de Ron Lach provenant de Pexels

Related : How to write a catchy song, buy hip hop and r&b beats

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In order to send your demos to the record labels, you will need to get their addresses, but how can you possibly find a label addresses? 

Many of the record companies have their office or corporate addresses present on their website, but these aren’t the addresses that you need to seek if you’re sending your demo or material. You will to look for the submission addresses, which may not be freely available for access. Some of the companies like the submission addresses in their FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) section of their site. The very first thing that you need to do is to look for the FAQ or Contact Us section of the record label website, and see if they are providing some useful information about where you can possibly find a label address to submit your materials.

Sometimes, looking for the addresses on the label’s site is not sufficient. The necessary information may not be included and you may only end up not getting what you’re looking for. Some of the record label companies don’t post their submission addresses on public in order to avoid the flooding of demos. So, what should be your next move? The best thing to do is to use a music contacts database. For a small fee, you will be provided an access to the contact information of the record deals, including the email addresses, phone numbers, and contact addresses. This is the best way to find a label company to submit your music materials. Almost all of the information provided in those databases are unavailable elsewhere on web, and can give you an edge especially if you really want to get noticed by the record labels that keep their submission very limited. In order to get access in those databases, you need to search in the internet in order to find a service provider that can meet your needs, with numerous contacts, and can assist you in shopping your demos.

You can also find a label company address through their contact information posted on their private website. Check first each individual websites and look for the information you needed through the contacts database. After you have found the necessary information, you can send off your demo and expect to have your music as well as you to become popular by first signing in a record label company.

Now that you have learned where to find the necessary contacts of a record label company, it’s also important for you to learn how to contact them. This can be a challenging and intimidating part of breaking to the music industry, and you need to have a measure of courage and pluck in order to make yourself heard. By any means, find a label and breaking into the music industry is not impossible, and having a bit of knowledge is a great edge for you.

Though this might seem very obvious, the first thing that you need to know is that, unless there are extraordinary circumstances, you can’t simply and easily find a label’s submission address on their website to send your demo. Sometimes, the major label companies don’t seriously consider the unsolicited submissions, so you’re basically swimming against the tide if you don’t know or you’re a completely stranger to a producer or agent. The best way to find a label is to start or build a network; you will never know who’s who and who knows someone who can help you get a contact with a record label company. Keep your eyes and ears sharp about any resources or contacts that might cross your path, even if they unlikely seem.

Let’s say you don’t successful built a network, and don’t have any contacts. As mentioned above, a directory or contacts database should be your first place to go. The record label companies release information about the things like their contacts into the music contact databases. These databases are very valuable resources for you to find a label. They contain the necessary services and information to bring the labels and artists together. Sometimes, going through these service databases to find a label will allow you to submit your demos that done usually take unsolicited materials. You may be required to make a profile on those sites in order for you to see which A&R’s are seeking for materials.

If you successfully find a label that accepts unsolicited materials, you need to send them a package-tailored to their requirements for the submission. If they say they need some cover letters, you need to send over your cover letter. This is a 1-page introduction of yourself as well as the kind of music that represents you in a marketable and fresh way in order to make the A&R representative to get excited and want to see more from you. If the company says that they’re accepting packages or demos, immediately send over you packages, and try to look for the name of the A&R representative for you to send it to. The information need to be available by phone or online. You demo or the package needs to include your demo, cover letter, a band bio, a band photo, and if available, some press clippings. You may also try to email or call them to follow up your submission, but you need to always remember to follow the necessary guidelines in place. Ensure to be enthusiastic and polite in every encounter you make with them. Try to sell yourself or group, without becoming pushy.

For the independent record label companies, the rules are a little different, as the business models differ from one label to another. If the label is a small company, you will need to find the email address and street address posted on their site, to where you can possibly send any queries about where and if they accept demos and submissions. The degree to which the independent record labels consider the unsolicited submission differs. If the able is classified as open submission, you may directly send your materials, but ensure to read the guidelines of submissions if they’re shown or available. The independent labels are great opportunity for you to develop a relationship with the A&R representatives, so ensure to email them a follow up in order to keep the communication flow smooth and open.

Related : How to get radio airplay, buy hip hop and R&B beats online

R&B refers to Rhythm and Blues and is a form of contemporary music emerging from the African American community in the 1940s. We have seen a lot of pioneering in this genre of music with artists such as Rihanna and Drake being famous for their R&B songs. 

What is the scene of R&B in the world of today? I can only say this much that the scene is thriving. With artists such as The Weeknd and Johnny Rain emerging from the masses, the scene of R&B is nowhere near defunct. 

Let us take a look at the early history of R&B. Moreover, by that I mean the early 2010s. 

Continuing from the 1990s and early 2000s, R&B, like many other genres, drew influences from the technical innovations of the time and began to incorporate more electronic and machine-made sounds and instruments. The use of effects such as Autotune and new computerized synths have given R&B a more futuristic feel while still attempting to incorporate many of the genre's common themes such as love and relationships. The evolutions of the genre's production and instrumentation have spurred the successes of performers such as Beyoncé, John Legend, Frank Ocean, Pharrell Williams, Miguel, Janelle Monáe, Chris Brown, Tamar Braxton, The Weeknd, Ariana Grande, Tinashe and K. Michelle, who have embraced new electronic influences and kept R&B's original feel.

As this electronic element continues to grow apparent throughout the genre, many of these more contemporary artists are gaining popularity outside of R&B and continue to collaborate with non-R&B artists. For example, singer Miguel is popular in mainstream hip-hop for his many collaborations with rappers such as Wale and Rick Ross. Today's R&B is far more diverse and incorporates more sonic elements than before, as it expands its appeal and commercial viability. 

The Weeknd takes a lot of influence from artists such as Drake and yet, his style is unique in its own accord. His song, ‘Can’t feel my face’ has 518,801,406 views on Youtube alone.  His fan following is enormous and he has garnered unlikely supporters in the White House and even in Buckingham palace.

The Weeknd is however, better known for his instrumental tracks. He carries the beats of the drums with the jazzy background music with an elegant poise that others have not yet mastered.

Ariana Grande, another famous R&B singer received more than 480 million hits on her R&B beats song Focus. The teenage R&B sensation has captured the world of music by surprise. 

Another budding artist in the field of R&B, about whom not a lot of people have heard, is Johnny Rain. His song, Harveston Lake, had a mere 145,756 views but that does not mean he is bad. His style and rhythm is special and unique.

Let us look at the dark alternative scene of R&B. Remember Rihanna’s song Disturbia?  That was a fusion of contemporary pop and R&B. Lana Del Ray’s songs such as ‘Young and beautiful’ is another perfect example of dark R&B. There are dozens of playlists on YouTube of The Weeknd instrumentals that border on dark R&B.

Related : Music Trends for 2016

You are an artist, your friends and your family love your music but, at this point, you want to increase  your fan base. And you're right, people are said to be the lifeblood of any business. It is therefore highly imperative to build network and establish relationship with these people in order to foster trust and loyalty. This will surely result to potential increase in profits. One of the best ways to build or establish relationship with individuals who share the same interests, passion and desire is to develop a fan base. 

Building a fan base is crucial for the development and success of your business. There are actually many ways to increase fan base but using social media will surely lead you the way to ultimate profits, attention and exposure and all these things play essential role to your business success. 

Utilizing social media is a great and cost efficient way of maximizing your business success and supporting your effort to establish a solid and increased fan base. There are several ways on how to use social media to increase fan base and some of these are as follows: 

• Start with your Site 

Starting with your site is one effective way to increase fan base but you have to make sure that you have included necessary social connect buttons in your website. You also need to include buttons for subscribing and connecting to your other social media accounts such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter accounts where you can possibly be found. In case you have a Wordpress website, this can be done easily through a plugin. Position the social media sharing buttons on every page of your website that contains relevant content such as merchandise, event calendars, music and more. 

• Invite People 

Inviting your friends, families and colleagues to like your social media page or follow you on Twitter and subscribe to your exclusive YouTube channel. These are actually one of the quickest and most effective ways of increasing and growing your fan base especially if you are just starting your endeavor online. It can also be of great help to link to your social media profile and ask them consistently to follow you through social networks. Collecting various email addresses can also help you increase fan base especially if you have mailing list. 

• Run Social Media Campaigns 

If you do not consider this way to increase fan base, then you are missing lots of great things. If you are into business or any other profitable venture online and do not have enough money to use for costly campaigns, you can make use of social media. You can increase your fan base by means of running social media campaigns. The beauty of these campaigns is that they are inexpensive and have the power to grow not just your brand but also your fan base in a targeted way efficiently and quickly. Individuals who might just be interested to what you are offering and what you are doing may find and follow you online. 

These are just few of the many ways on how to increase fan base using social media. If you devote some time to research, you will surely find more ways that can help you increase your reach and grow your fan base with ease and convenience. 

Related : Getting Radio Airplay

Welcoming the year 2016 is the perfect time to set our sites and ears on the fresher and latest trends in the music industry. So what’s coming next? According to the latest news, between SXSW, The Grammy and CES, the next few months will going to bring a lot of exciting set of pace until the rest of the year with both classic and up-and-coming artists outside the line. With the combination of established and new artists along with uprising and resurrection of variety of music genres, the year 2016 is sure being a rock to your ears. And now that the rush of resolution is already behind us as 2015 bids goodbye, it’s time to look forward of what’s fresh and new this year ahead. To give you a glimpse about the latest music trend this 2016, we’ve outlined several of the upcoming music trends that’s going to reign this year:

Electro Rock

If you think that rock is dead, well, 2016 is the year for rock revolution, and with new rock music genres that’s going to appear. The new rock genre this 2016 fuses the element of EDM, metal and slow rock and heavy rock. The rock genre is expected to boats high energy-tracks this year, making people mosh and bang their head along with the beat of music. The beats are modern and broad like EDM, but the arrangement will be more progressive and aggressive in metal and rock music. Instruments use energetic and live sounds like guitars and other synth elements like saw waves and bobbles bass. The rock music this 2016 will have multiple genres of EDM like dubstep, electro, trap, and others all in one song. Vocals will also give some hint of rapping verses and singing hooks.

Air POP

Air pop genre will be bringing different elements of ambient like Trip-hop, Psy Rock and Pop. The revival of big dirty hip hop is also expected to bring live bass control and 808s at the bottom, with vocals which emancipates soft, calm, dark and mysterious elements. Bands like Massive Attack, Hooverphonic, Portishead started this trip hop years before, but with incorporation of new beats and rhythm, they are expected to give a new wave of sound for music lovers this 2016.

Glitch Soulazz

Glitch Soulazz is the combination of DJ-produced electronic music (also known as gitchhop) and traditional jazz added to blues elements. It is not a jazz and it is also not a normal wobble-nerd glitch hop. Glitch Soulazz is far better than jazz and glitch hop because it reinforces sexier and slicker version of the two which really makes it in-trend this 2016.

Country Dance Music 

For country dance music enthusiast, you’ve got to rejoice for the revolution of more country dance music this year. CDM (country dance music) is a combination of 4-in-one-floor rhythm and electronic production that are being overlaid with folk melodies & vocals. But this year will do a lot of experimentation on Country Dance Music as artists’ fuses a love-it-hate-it genres. 

Related : New R&B and alternative hip hop

Whether you’re a lead guitarist or a songwriter, you’re probably wondering how to find a label and make your rock star (or rap star, or country star!) dreams come true.  And for many artists, one principle component of those dreams is hearing their songs be played on radio stations around the world.  

Too many artists falsely assume that you have to already be a big star to hear your work be played on radio stations.  But that’s just not true—as a matter of fact, plenty of today’s big stars got started because they knew how to make a radio hit song, even before their first single blew up in stores.  In fact, getting radio airtime could be the very thing that helps an artist move from back-alley bars to becoming a headliner! 

Getting Started—Choosing Which Songs to Promote

The instinct might be to choose your favorite song—but keep in mind that an artist’s “best” songs aren’t always the ones most suitable for airplay.  After all, even Stairway to Heaven doesn’t get played in its entirety on the radio very often!  Length is the primary reason for this, so keep in mind that the songs you choose to promote should be of reasonable length. DJs are familiar with classic songs that are longer, but they’ll be more likely to overlook an unknown if it’s too long.  Another thing to be cognizant of is language.  As a lesser known artist, it’s best to choose songs without profanity to be played on radio stations.  

Choosing How to Deliver Your Music

You have two basic choices here. The first is physical delivery—essentially, burning your music to a CD.  The second is digital delivery.  If you do choose to deliver your music via physical media, make sure to clearly label the CD itself with the artist or group’s names, contact information, and the name of the song.  If you opt for digital delivery, don’t try sending your music as an email attachment. Like many corporate enterprises, radio stations are wary of email attachments from unknown senders.  Instead, choose a known and trusted digital upload service, like Soundcloud. 

Follow Up!

Regardless of which delivery method you choose, follow up with the radio stations you’ve contacted in a day or two. This keeps your music fresh in their minds and ensures that if you do make a radio hit song, it doesn’t slip between the cracks. Before you know it, you’ll be picked up by one station—and that’s all it takes! Once your song is chosen by one DJ as good enough to be played on radio stations, others will be more eager to add it to their repertoire.  It’ll spread like wildfire.  This could very well be the first step to a long, successful career in the music industry.  Having the right agent or executive hearing your song on the radio could be just the boost you need to find a label and become a star! 

Related : How To Increase Your Fan Base,  How to Write a catchy song

There are lots of significant factors which are needed to compose a catchy and great song.  A lot of songwriters have struggled continuously make their masterpieces, while some seem to have the gift of cranking out gems which surface into the world and never leave the minds of many people. Some depend on their own imaginative resourcefulness while others utilize a songwriting program from online stores. In spite of their method, there’s no denying that the result should consist of many integral parts.

Lyrics That Listeners Could Connect To

How are listeners supposed to appreciate words which do not make sense to them? Common thoughts and feelings in songs offer listeners messages that they could connect to. If the song lacks this, many will look for other music to play which allows them to have something in particular with the lyrics. This will enable them to relate to the lyrics in an emotional state. A tune might consist of a deep thought, significant message as well as beautiful poetry, but when it doesn’t make listeners feel touching sensations which are easily available to them, they will lose attention and look for it anywhere else. 

Catchy Hook:

Just about each successful song on air has a catchy hook. You have to know what makes a great, catchy hook and practice writing them. A lot of the songs are totally based on the hook. 

Right Arrangement of Instrument in the Song

After making a demonstration recording of the song utilizing a piano or guitar part with a vocal track, the time has come to choose which instruments must be involved with song recording. A simple, proper arrangement which is ideal for the piece is normally the best way. This will let the listener hear all of the musical instruments as well as audio clearly without needing to listen to the lyrics in distraction and misused musical instruments which are cluttering up the significant portions of the composition. The vocals should be heard over the rest of the musical instruments so as for the song to be loved to its fullest extent. 

Keeping a journal is a smart idea to know human emotions and feelings. Channeling emotions are an integral skill to know for a songwriter. Always remember that good and catchy songs are frequently very emotional. A songwriter that makes a habit of writing emotions on a piece of paper often says that writing a journal will help write high quality and better lyrics. 

Even some skill is indeed needed in order to achieve the objectives written above. Great help and assistance in the area of writing a catchy song could be provided with the use of reliable software. A simple look on the website for a music store will let you write and make your own personal, memorable songs which you will sing in the bathroom rather than someone else’s creations.

All in all, to write catchy songs, there are lots of factors to consider like proper arrangement of instruments, lyrics that can connect to listeners and using a catchy hook. 

Related : Getting Radio Airplay

Success in music industry can be compared to our fingerprints ; its uniqueness determines the musician’s career path. Though the definition of success to every musician varies, still it is in their hand on how to handle it. And one would be lying if he/she will tell you that getting successful in the music business is easy. But it is not impossible though.

How can one succeed in this industry?? Here are some guidelines and tips that could help you. 

• Improve your talent and find a place for it. 

Honing one’s talent is really important whether you have already received rejection. Ignore them. Instead let these rejections be your stepping stone for a better you. Practice more. We’re talking about the asset that you have. You should harness it perfectly. One cannot be a vocal prodigy, but he/she can excel in song writing.  Everyone has their own room and sooner you’ll going to find the place where you really belong. Work hard, keep grinding and you will find success in the music industry. 

• Build connections.

These connections will drive you to your progress. Connect with those who can help move your career along. This business is a matter of fame and contacts that you have. Creating creative projects with fellow musicians is a nice idea. You can have it presented with a local promoter.

Welcome new powers and be ready to take the responsibility.

Social media right now is really powerful. It now becomes the new stage for all the musicians seeking for fame and getting a name in the music industry. It has already given you the chance to produce and distribute your own music. Technologies provide different means of looking, searching and researching for the companies. This is a call and a dare to be different. 

Be aware that music business offers a lot of opportunities which are multiplying by the day.

Today non-music industries seek ways to add music to their mix. This is their way spicing up their strategies and building alliances in creating multi-dimensional music career.

• Be versatile. Be flexible enough.

If you’re just starting out your career, create several revenue streams for you to make money. It might be constructing a love song, singing on a friend’s funeral or playing a gig on a birthday party. You might not know, these experiences could give you the biggest break that you are waiting for.  Flexibility is something you do that you don’t normally do. Adjusting to the music industry is really difficult, doing things differently from time to time, but then it is often needed for sake of achievement that you are aiming for.

• Know your strength and weakness

Know what you’re really good and hone it with the team around you.  It is really good to have people that you can rely in things that you don’t know that much such as booking a show, expenses of the artist, or even how the contract works. At some points, it is better to leave this task to someone in the music business who know what to do about it and focused on the areas that you are best at.

Related : Sell music and earn from your passion, Getting Radio Airplay

If you have created your masterpiece in music, then you must be proud of it. You can let the world know and experience your music through uploading it online or on different sites. As a tip, here are the lists of the most reliable and valuable sites wherein you can upload your music for the reason that they are considered as well to be the most visited sites once looking for different music types and you’ll never know your music can be one:

• YouTube – This is considered as the biggest site for sharing videos all over the world as well as second as most popular search engine next to Google. It is known to be on the top search once internet users are looking for music online. If you are to upload your music on YouTube there will be an assurance that it will be seen by many internet users.

• Last.FM – This is the most popular and original site for music discovery. It is capable of tracking music everyday then recommends it to millions of people. Since many people are into using this in order for them to discover latest music it would be of great advantage if you are to upload your music here.

• Bandcamp – known to be nice and rich hosting site for music. Through uploading your music in Bandcamp there will be an assurance that many people can listen to your songs and a lot more. 

• Facebook – this is considered as the biggest social network in the world. Since many are into using Facebook almost every day it will be of great importance if you are to upload your music on Facebook music player allowing many users to listen as well as share your music to more friends. 

• Blip.FM – This will be like Twitter of music. There can be two great edges once you are to consider this if you are planning to upload your music. And these are to be discovered and the potential to become a powerful DJ. 

• thesixtyone – Users are provided with the chance to get rewards and points once they are to review and discover songs. This can be a perfect site in order for you and your music to be discovered.

• MySpace – This was once considered to be the world’s biggest social network but was replaced by Facebook today. It is considered to be the most music-friendly site so it rebuilds itself as music-center site entirely wherein you can definitely upload your music. Though YouTube and Facebook are now on the top of popularity many people would still choose to visit MySpace once they are looking and wanting to hear music.

• Sound Cloud – This is considered to be alike with YouTube for Mp3s. It is being used by many in order to easily upload song then embed it to a certain website and finally allow people to listen as well as download the song. 

Related : How to increase your fan base with social medias

You are working on a serious project and you feel like you need some professional help ?

Here is a place for you : SoundBetter

From production to mixing and mastering, you will find a lot of talented and experienced people ready to help you go to the next level.

Each freelancer do his own price and you can easily see chat everyone does.

There are also tips about mixing and recordings if you are working alone.

So if you have a budget, think about it and take the chance to work with the best to get best sound and make some heat !

Nowadays, no need to spend hours in a studio (after waiting weeks for a session) to record a song. The evolution of technology and its accessibility make it easy to be able to record at home.

This article is aimed at both beginners and those already involved in musical creation. Know that, if you want to make a living out of music , you will have to invest to in you! How do you want people to care about you and listen to your songs if you do not make the effort to offer them (and you) something professional (or close to it) ? To do this you must make the right choices ! So what does it take to record at home ? 

The heart of the studio: the computer. 

This seems obvious but the first thing you need is a computer. And do not neglect it ! It will be the heart of your home studio. Windows or Mac, you have the choice, what is important is to choose a powerful machine with a large storage capacity. If you have a computer dedicated to creating it's even better! Desktop or laptop, you be the judge depending on your usage. 

Capture your voice : The Mic 

Second obvious equipment, the microphone ! It is also important that the computer because it is what will record your voice. There are several types of microphones. USB microphones are generally more used for podcasting than singing. Opt for a condenser microphone. Prices start around $ 100. If you have the budget, you can focus on the models at around $ 200 and you will find very good value for money. I have the "BlueBird" by Blue and it is great! 

Get your wires up : The Audio Interface 

It is what will connect your microphone to your computer. Most interfaces have a USB connector. Prices start quite low and go high! Everything depends on your usage but be careful while choosing a good model because its quality will impact on your recording. I have the Apogee Duet 2, (because i work on Mac) which also allows me to connect my monitors* ! This is a very good piece with a nice design and the recording is quite transparent. Price is quite high, you can find good products to start at around 200$. It is second most important piece after the computer to record yourself at home.

Listening: Monitors* and Headphones

Before recording you must think you will want to hear what you sing ! Monitors (speakers) are here for. In fact, the built-in speakers in computers usually color the sound (highlighted bass, treble too bright ...). The monitors will provide a neutral listening without disturbance. I use the Yamaha HS 5 which fully give me satisfaction. 

During recording, you'll want to have a return of your voice that goes into the microphone. The headphone can also be used to check the mix and some details that you will not ear from your monitors. I think Audio Technica offers ones of the best headphones on the market. Several models are available and the prices are affordable. 

Okay.. but how to record : The DAW

Once the main equipment acquired, let's get a software ! Windows or Mac, there are several softwares called DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) : Cubase, Protools, Logic Pro, Ableton Live, Reaper... You can start with free software like Garage Band on Mac or Audacity for Windows. If you want more options for editing and mixing you will have to buy one of the softwares I have mentioned. But for your first recording it will do the job.

You now know the main equiprement you need for recording at home ! Before pressing the "Record" button note some additional elements that can help you improve your recording 

• Choose good quality cables 
• Think of the acoustic ! Foams exist to insulate your room and avoid sound reflections. 

You must record your voice on original and quality music. People do not want to listen to a new artist who uses old and already heard instrumentals. That is why you will find high quality beats online on my website. Original and ready for recording you can buy Hip Hop and R&B instrumentals for your next project.

Remember, you can have the best equipment, what will make the best recording before everything ... is YOU ! 

Work Hard and Be inspired !

Related : How To write a catchy song