music business | Are you Release Ready?

Are you Release Ready?

So you’ve recorded your music, taken your promotional photos and you are about to expose yourself to the public and the media.

Question

Are you Release Ready?

What does it actually mean to be release ready?

I’ve used this term to define when an artist is in a position to effectively present him or herself to the outside world, be it the public or a recording company.

If most artists who have released recordings actually took a good look at themselves, they would have to admit they are really not ready. Most artists have relied on good luck and good looks to get them across the line.

How do you become release ready?

Well the truth is there is no definite finish line to say “hey I’m ready now” but there is a definite stage where you can say I believe I done enough and can continue in the public domain.

The key thing  thing in the opinion of many in the industry is to make sure you know who you are. Many artists who are currently in the market have no real definite sense of self. Many are copies of established artists, most don’t actually know why they are in the industry other than they like to sing.  If you love to sing brilliant, but as I always state to really make an effective mark on the music scene you must have something more.

When we state that you need something more, we are talking about defining a brand. Artist branding is and will increasingly become essential for any artist thinking about being successful. It has been shown you can become successful in music and then apply your artist branding to various products ala JLO and others, but in today’s super congested marketplace, having a well defined artist brand from scratch is more and more necessary.

Sometimes I like to be a bit obstinate and ask an artist “What’s your point?” This question often confuses the person it is aimed toward; they do not quite understand that they should have a point, even if their point or purpose is to bring a smile to the listeners face, or move the listener to dance. If this is your purpose, then why are they? Have a reason for your existence, have a point, don’t just expect people to buy your product because you released it.

There are the obvious areas to being release ready like artwork, press release, marketing and sales plans etc. These areas are not usually the domain of the artist, but as an independent you will have to adopt these duties or the management of them. Most importantly if you spend a little time working on your brand, your brand values, concept etc. You will be a lot more release ready then the major music population that exists throughout the world.