You just got the record deal you’ve been dreaming about your whole life. The label has dropped a fat ass check on you so you buy a couple of whips, a MTV crib, and a diamond encrusted charm that looks like your face. Your single is being played on all of the stations across the world and you’re gracing the cover of every hot magazine…Okay…slap…slap. Time to wake up.
I was just hanging out with an artist who had just inked a deal with one of the hottest hip hop labels in the game right now (names are irrelevant to my point). Upon congratulating him about his accomplishment, he replied “thanks, now the real work begins”. I knew exactly what he meant.
See, all the grinding, mixtapes, and hustle doesn’t stop when you ink that deal. Fail to come up with a song that the label thinks is a hit and you can sit on that roster waiting in a slow moving line.
You have to put out more material. Keep building your buzz and getting the local support of radio which should be a little easier now that you’re officially signed. You see, the label may have an artist like T.I. on it, who is golden goose. So why should they take the risk of removing resources from him to put into you?
The artists who go into a label with strong leverage are those who have built a powerful fan base independently, or who have released a single on their own that’s doing very well. Soulja Boy is an example of this…yeah I know, “booo I hate Soulja Boy”, is what you’re thinking. Those of you who feel this way should look at his success as proof that a good work ethic can overcome what may appear to you to be a shortage in talent.
It’s to your advantage to build as much of a buzz as you can before looking to sign up with a label. If your buzz is large enough, they’ll come looking for you.
Funkworm
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