no step by step process im aware of.....

what kind of music? is there a band involved? tell us more about your songs and your music, and your experience.

in my limited expierience there are things that you will need before you can be taken seriously:

copywrite your songs
register your band name
write more songs
have a manager
have a lawyer
have gigs booked
write more songs
sell cd's
get a web site
get some press
have a press kit
take photos
write more songs
get to know some people in the industry
do covers
if you have a band, incorporate under the band name
write more songs
be lucky
write more songs

....and have something to fall back on...........

my music is more like pop/rock i play the guitar, sing, and write songs and my guitar teacher's manager also manages NOT BY CHOICE so i already have some connections, and my songs are emotional and some are just fun edgy songs

imagineaudio wrote: ....and have something to fall back on...........

YES. dont give me that 'you have to be 100%' BS, you always need something to fall back on if you are in an industry thats pay isnt 100% set (sports, music, so on).

and, connections are good, just keep getting em. get to know em. youll get hooked up. they arent just good to get you popular, they can also give some REALLY good tips. one band ive hung with gave me and my bassist some good tips regarding record labels.

and just get to know as much as you can about the industry. get to know the labels, what recording studios are good, especially important the hot places to play in your area. it all starts with small gigs, and usually in the area there is a place that is 'the shit'. play there and you got what it takes type of thing. its a good test if they invite you back that you are ready to move onwards.

also realize that being in a band is going to be a career. there is no career where you sit back and have fun all the time. you have to still set time to 'work', and be able to get together and practice/write songs/discuss band issues even when you dont want to. being on the road isnt all cake and icing, if you cant cook it in a microwave or eat it out of a bag, you probably wont eat it, so gotta make sure you eat good stuff. gotta be willing to tour 6 months straight (or more), thats your income, and at first youll need all the shows you can possibly get. youll struggle to break even at first.

cdbaby.com has some very good information on starting a band and what to expect, as well as some very good tips. its in a FAQ somewhere on the site.

c_brasch wrote: my music is more like pop/rock i play the guitar, sing, and write songs and my guitar teacher's manager also manages NOT BY CHOICE so i already have some connections, and my songs are emotional and some are just fun edgy songs

First of all, your songs sound crap. No one is going to like ''emotional and some are just fun edgy songs'' by that description. Your just plain stupid if you think your going to get ''recognized'' for playing crap like that. Grow up a little. Or a lot.

Your still being to vague about what the hell your actually doing. You don't have a band set up? Do you hope to just go round playing these songs by yourself? Connections? What Connections? your guitar teachers manager that also managers NOT BY CHOICE? What does that even mean? Are you from an English speaking country?

Wow Tez, over the top much, or are you just bitter becuse your pet project took a dive? Oh no I think I know, your one of those Im a real musican and all these people that are buying this 3 or 4 chord bull with lyrics like I'm so happy I could eat a pie are making you jealous that your truly inspired work doesnt get recognized. Screw off man, let him write his own music and if someone needs to grow up, its you. Now to address the topic of this thread. First thing a big time lable is gonna hear are vocals. If you vocals arent up to muster than man play the indie scene, self finance, and have a blast, but there wont be a carreer there. Its sucky but the recording industry is out to make money, and people like pop/rock songs based almost solely on vocals. See if you can find me one band that has "made it" that has only so so vocals. Even in pop/punk you will find some of the tightest harmonies out there. Thats hard for me to type because I dont really like giving any credit to the pop/punk crowd :oP You can get by with mediocre percussion/bass/guitar lines (as long as they are tight when playing together, its the writing I'm talking about) if there are amazing vocals in front of it. Second thing is the kick drum and the bass guitar NEED to be locked on to each other tight as HELL. I have heard stories about whole bass lines being rewritten halfway through tracking because they guys writing the check said so, and if the bassist is too proud of a musician to play the new line they get fired, fired as in those last six years they spent playing in the band means NOTHING. That is all just getting a product to sell, then you have to go sell it, which is another beast all together. Thats where the commitment comes into play, commitment and merchandising. I really just play in a local band around my hometown, but it kicks ass when you see someone you dont know with your bands tee-shirt on, free publicity baby. Any way another suggestion would be a website, oh and a banner of some kind to hang up while you are playing so everyone the whole time can see your name, the band name whatever, just something they can take with them away from the show. Typical conversation on a college campus, "Man that band the other week was awesome!" "What band?" "Um, Metroid Primus, or no I think it was Prime walnuts, no no, it was Jacobs Concord and the Boiling Water Pots I think." And saying your bands name ten thousand times in a show is lame, when you start, and when you end is cool but more than that is overdoing it. Also when you play a show have someone introduce you, even if its just your friend or something it looks a lot better than you standing on stage wondering if you should say something or just start playing or what. Anyway hope that helps some.

You should learn to paragraph your messages, it makes reading them easier.

And no, I don't get annoyed by people buying ''3 or 4 chord bull with lyrics like I'm so happy I could eat a pie''. I buy that stuff myself if its fun to listen to.

Tez-Petrucci wrote: [quote=c_brasch]my music is more like pop/rock i play the guitar, sing, and write songs and my guitar teacher's manager also manages NOT BY CHOICE so i already have some connections, and my songs are emotional and some are just fun edgy songs

First of all, your songs sound crap. No one is going to like ''emotional and some are just fun edgy songs'' by that description. Your just plain stupid if you think your going to get ''recognized'' for playing crap like that. Grow up a little. Or a lot.

Your still being to vague about what the hell your actually doing. You don't have a band set up? Do you hope to just go round playing these songs by yourself? Connections? What Connections? your guitar teachers manager that also managers NOT BY CHOICE? What does that even mean? Are you from an English speaking country?

hahahaha.. harsh but true.