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Originally posted by sioux:
Hi all,

I'm just getting ready to start recording my first cd. After it is professionally mixed, mastered, duplicated and the cover designed...it's a finished product...what is the next step to take if I want to find a label. I've just looked in the recommended reading section but I don't want to read those books yet or I'll get overwhelmed and freaked out and won't do well on the music. I just want to know this:

My music is in the vein of Tangerine Dream and Hybrid. So would I contact the same people who did their cds?

Cheers,
Sioux

Not necessarily.

You want to contact someone who will be interested in YOUR music not someone who is interested in the type of music you are performing. The record company already HAVE an artist doing what you are doing so why would they want you if you are doing basically the same thing? They may want to "mold" you into something that is the same yet different but let them make that decision.Cover bands usually cannot get signed by a company for just that reason. The company wants something DIFFERENT yet familiar.

Try and get to an A&R person at the record company and let him/her judge what you have to offer. Have them bring the CD into the company. They are the ones you want to impress.

Many times record companies DO NOT WANT a fully done CD. They want to have some input into its creation. If you are thinking that you will hand them this CD and they will put it out - it probably will NOT happen the way you envision it. Then again the way the record companies are all hurting for cash they maybe interested in doing just that.

I would shop around to various New Age companies and try, if possible, to do this IN PERSON (you may have a real problem even getting in the front door so do some investigation and find out who their A&R people are BEFORE you make an appointment)

Record companies really do not want unsolicited material brought in for fear of copyright infringement and/or someone later on claiming that the record company stole an idea from an unsolicited CD. They want to "find" you and then bring the material in house.

This is not meant to be negative but simply what is happening in the record industry today.

Best of luck and keep us informed of your progress in finding a record company.

Thanks Tom. That was VERY helpful !

Regards,
Sioux