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Hi,

My name is Amadeo, i'm a 21 year old singer/songwriter. I've been absolutely obsessed with songwriting for the past few years (and still am), and my main goal/purpose in life has been to improve my songwriting skills. I know that sounds cliche but it's the truth. Everything else is secondary to me, I eat, sleep, dream, and breath nothing else. Now I think my work is finally up to a level where I think it might be time to start aproaching record company's and/or managers etc. but I have no clue where to start. What's the next step I'm supposed to take now? Do I get a manager first, should I try submiting my material directly to a record company first, what do I do now? I'm totaly upto the whole coffee house scene, but want more then that. In the long run, I really don't see the point of playing endless gigs in little coffee houses. I want more. I want the real thing.

I've tried the whole band thing, and that hasn't worked wel for me. Pretty much every time I tried that, nobody seemed to really be able to keep up. My influences/interests (though I don't exactly sound like them) include Nick Drake, Bob Dylan, John Lennon, and lots of artists from the whole 60's folk, folk-rock scene but not really the fluffy pop-folk. I'm not really interested in what's going on in the musci biz these days, but I think the whole lot 'em are aching for something new. I think hip hop /r&b is on it's decline if not decay, but the popular rock scene isn't doing to well either, though the record companies seem to be trying their best at creating a "scene" much like the Velvet Underground, with their White Stripes and Strokes stuff, which I think is not successfull because it's been done and it's been overdone. Although the Velvets were great, but that's because they where the real deal.

I am a strong believer of originality, anything that lacks it I am not interested in. And for me the worst thing about what's going on these days is that the lyrics don't matter sh*t anymore. Whatever happened to the Rock-Poet? I'm talking guys like Jim Morrison and Bob Dylan. The poetry of the lyrics is for me one of the most important aspects of a song. And I was into poetry way before I ever picked up the guitar, that's something I've been into since I first started reading, so yeah, it's been a while. And that's given me quite some time to develop a very keen but judgemental eye for lyrics and the poetry there of. And again, I know that sounds arogant but what the hell, it's the way I see things.

Now, i'm looking for some guidance as to what to do now. I'm ready for it, and it's taken me quite some time to be able to be able to say that. I point that same judgemental eye for lyrics and poetry on my own work and have "discarded" endless projects because of it.

I've got some home-demos for anyone thats interested, but please note that all the material is copyrighted, so song-sharks be ware. Email me if you're interested, but only if you're seriously interested and have some value to your words, i'd love hear your opinions on my work, but please note my influences, if you're into Korn or some hip hop bull, don't bother.

If you've got some helpful advice for me, I'd be more then grateful, if not, please spare me the bull. And forgive me for my arrogance.

Thanks for reading all this, and i'm really interested in what some of you have to say.

-Amadeo

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Comments

maintiger Fri, 12/31/2004 - 20:18

Just go out and play for the people any chance you get. If I had a chance to be 21 again that's how I would do it. I would not wait for a band or recording chops or better songwriting skills, I would just get my butt out of the door and play at any change i got for anyone who would listen.

That's my opinion in hindsight. I spent many years recording and not playing enough- if you are a singer-songwriter performance and showcasing your music is your life blood. Everything else is secondary.

anonymous Thu, 01/13/2005 - 01:04

for starters....drop the whole know it all atitude about the music business......ramble on about that to a label exec and theyll likely ignore the rest of what you have to say......which could be costly in the end. Second play shows, get out there and play, get yourself a dependable van, book some shows, get all the help you can from anyone you can thats willing to help. Labels like artists with a strong DIY ethic......it shows commitment and thus drives them to commit to you. Third, get yourself a good entertainment lawyer, as submiting your demos yourself will get you nowhere........no unsolicited material means just that.......labels only take new material from certain recognized people in the biz......your not recognized so you go right in the garbage can with no entertainment lawyer. dont just go get any lawyer who will work for you.....find a good one, and if hes not willing to take you on yet, ask him what it would take for him to take you on.....then go do those things and come back when your ready.

after you do all that, the rest should take care of itself

Doug102938@aol.com Sat, 01/15/2005 - 00:02

So where does one find such a lawyer? I have looked around some in florida, talked to a few major studio owners and other entertainment laywers who do not shop to labels and came up empty handed.

There are plenty of entertainent lawyers that deal with all sorts of things but few of them shop to labels AND have an actual pull with them.

Anybody know where they are hiding? What if you dont live in a media hot spot? Do you go with someone in another state like California or NY?

anonymous Sat, 01/15/2005 - 09:31

If your in Tampa then there should be plenty of places to go come up to orlando and play at clubs like the social or go down to miami and find places to play if you go there there should also be some lawyers down there id suggest you drive down to miami one morning and just look around at the clubs down there and the different lawyers if an entertainment lawyer around doesn't shop to labels im sure he knows one who does so just ask if he cant help you im sure he can tell you someone who can

anonymous Tue, 01/18/2005 - 00:13

Easiest way i can tell you to find a lawyer to shop your stuff is to go open up some CDs of artists that are similar to you......find out in the linear notes who handles their legal representation and get in touch with those people.......itll take a little bit of detective work to get numbers and email addresses for these people.....but it can be accomplished pretty easily.