Big George focuses on how to hit your intended target... right between the eyes. This is the 15th article in a 26‑part series.
There is one common thread to over three‑quarters of the correspondence I receive. It isn't "I wish I was more talented" (which I certainly do), and it isn't "I've made so much money out of my music that I want to give some to you, Big George", (although I am eagerly awaiting that particular communication). No, what the majority of you want to know is this: who should hear your music, and how do you get it to them? I've dealt with this issue before, but, by popular demand, I'm going to revisit it this month.
Who?
If you're part of a 'boy band', with all the moves and the correct brand of shell suit and hair gel for this week's fashion, then people like Nigel Martin Smith (Take That) or Tom Watkins (East 17) are your targets. But before you send them your tatty karaoke machine‑recorded cassette, just think: how many wannabe artists who are prepared to do anything for fame, or pushy parents, or just plain hopeless wasters, are knocking on their door?
Sometimes it isn't the people with the highest profiles that will serve your cause best. Find out who the big names work with — secretaries, assistants, promotion departments, and so on. Having a dialogue with someone who is part of a situation that you want in on can prove highly beneficial. Also, do you really know who your 'who' is? To find out, check credits on record sleeves and TV shows, and names in trade papers, to obtain a "who is doing what" overview. This activity will also offer an insight into the identities of those on their way to becoming the person you want to know.
This is not really an 'overnight success' business — well, it may be for a very few, but more often than not, that kind of success lasts for one Top 20 track which earns you zero pounds. Consolidated success is not about a string of appearances on Saturday morning childrens' shows. The music industry thrives on meeting after meeting, people having to wait until they have the same opinion as their boss, caution before investment, and hedging bets. Making solid contacts at all levels of the industry is not just useful, it's essential!
When you call a company, get to know the receptionist (they are usually the nicest person in the company anyway, and they know who everyone is, so don't get all superstar on them). When you meet a team of people, don't just focus on the main man, hang out with everyone. The person you are looking for may not be the one you think it is.
How?
Pop your package in the post, wait three days, and hey presto — you're a star! Sounds easy, doesn't it? And believe it or not, most people consider sending demos in the post to be the best way to embark on a lucrative career in music! Well, the postal service are the only people to profit from this approach.
Let me say this for the trillionth time: unsolicited tapes never* succeed (*you may have read about an artist who sent a tape to a record company and everything happened for them in a flash. This kind of tale is more likely to be a publicity angle for promoting an act than a true account of what actually happened. Even if it's not, and someone got signed on the back of an unsolicited tape, the chance of achieving success by this route is so tiny as to be impossible to calculate as a percentage of the number of people sending unsolicited tapes. For all practical purposes, it's fair to say 'never').
Even if someone with influence listened to your demo and liked it, if you don't become acquainted with them your Big Chance might just disappear. Such people are inundated with crap every day. Your demo arrives and it's better than the average din, but they lost the accompanying letter, and even though your number is on the tape/CD, they can't read it while it's playing. And when it's stopped playing they're onto the next batch of worthless nonsense. So, if you've got something which will knock someone sideways, don't just throw it at them.
Bumping into people is a good way of making sure they get your work and associate it with you, or your representative (if you're the sort of person who can't take criticism, or have no social graces, maybe you should get someone else to press the flesh and shmooze on your behalf). Knowing where to bump into people means doing some detective work. See where they eat, drink or party. Chance meetings can often turn out to be a direct route to where you want to get to. Maximising the chances of them happening is not the worst thing you can do.
The best approach to 'how' is personal introductions. Whether it's the office cleaner or a child/parent of who you're after, having someone on the inside to start the ball rolling is priceless. And before you start moaning that you haven't got anyone with any pulling power, dig a little deeper — friends, neighbours, cousins. If you can get an introduction, it will be worth it.
If you can't, don't let it bother you. The main thing against you getting where you want to be is negativity. So paint on that positive smile, go get 'who', by whatever means you can devise, and show them 'how' you will make a difference to their life, project or company!
It's Good To Talk
Keep those emails coming to big.george@soundonsound.com — it helps to know who you are and what areas of the industry you want me to have a poke around in.
I'll be embarking on a nationwide tour until the summer of 2001 presenting a seminar entitled 'How To Make Money Out Of Music For The Media'. For details of venues and ticket availability, check my web site (www.biggeorge.co.uk) or write to Big George, PO Box 7094, Kiln Farm, MK11 1LL.