A: Your chances are slim even if you are the most incredible singer, because there are so many people trying to do the same thing you are doing. That's why it's so important that you are prepared in every way. You need to have the talent, be serious, be in it for the long haul, pay your dues, know the reality of the business, and have a tough skin for all the disappointments you will experience along the way.
Q: Am I too old?
A: It's more difficult to get a deal if you are a female artist over 25, or a male artist over 35, or somewhere around there. It's not impossible, just not easy. Most of the buyers of the cd's and the concert goers are the young crowd, so they relate to artists around their age.
Q: Can you give me any guarantees?
A: Absolutely not. There are no guarantees of you getting signed to a major label, even with a ton of money. Money can help with tour support and radio promotion, but the bottom-line is that the label has to believe in you as an artist or act and really be sold on your talent before they are going to sign you.
Q: Do I have to pay anything?
A: We offer free consultation, but we have a fee for our services, including song-plugging, artist development, production of your demo/master, your photo shoot, etc.
Q: What does this cost?
A: The cost varies from project to project depending on what is needed, ie: how many songs are being recorded, which studio we are using, who will be the producer, if the artist needs to work with a live performance coach, if the artist needs a vocal coach, if they need photos, etc.
Q: Who have you gotten a deal for?
A: We have got several artists in the door, including getting them development deals, publishing deals, bookings and recording contracts.
Q: How many artists are you shopping right now?
A: We work with about 6 artists per year.
Q: What got you started doing what you do?
A: I accidentally fell into this business by pursuing an artist deal for myself years ago. When I realized it was not in the cards for me, I decided to use the experiences, contacts, and knowledge I had gained from my struggles to help other aspiring artists. I have found I enjoy this other side of the business much better!
Q: How many years have you been in business?
A: I moved into my first office on music row in Nashville in 1998, after working from my home for a few years.
Q: How long will it take to finish my project in Nashville?
A: How long it takes from start to finish varies from artist to artist. It depends on what is needed to put a professional artist package together. Some artists come to us more prepared than others so there's less for us to do. Others need a lot of work to get them ready to be in front of a record label. Normally it takes anywhere from 2 weeks to several months to get the right songs, prepare the artist for their recording session and cut the tracks. Each artist is completely different in their studio preparation. Some are quick with their vocals, while others need a lot of vocal coaching. So it really depends, but it normally gets done within a couple months from start to finish.
Q: How long will it take until I'm in front of the record labels?
A: That depends on the artist. Some may never be ready for us to represent them to the record labels if they don't meet the requirements we feel are necessary. If we pitch an unprofessional artist to a record label it will hurt our credibility with that label.
Q: Can you be my manager?
A: We act as a manager to the artists that we work with because we guide you step by step and help you move forward. But once we get you a deal, a bigger management company will step in to manage your career. We are more like your agent to get you to that point.
Q: Do I have to move to Nashville?
A: No, you do not need to move to Nashville. It's helpful for songwriters to be here to collaborate and get their songs heard, but many famous Country artists do not live in Tennessee.
Q: Do you accept credit cards? What forms of payment do you accept?
A: We accept checks, cashier's checks, money orders, and cash. We will give you a receipt for tax purposes.
Q: If I sign up for 12 months of artist marketing, what happens after the 12 months are over?
A: After the 12 months are up, we usually continue shopping an artist just in case the A&R person has changed at some of the labels. We also start shopping the artist to independent labels.
Q: Do you work with any hit producers?
A: Yes, we hire hit producers, and we have several that we work with. If the project is very low budget, we produce it ourselves.
Q: Do you work with any hit songwriters?
A: Yes, we use a variety of songwriters, many of whom have a track record of hits to their credit.
Q: Are your recording studios digital or analog?
A: We use both analog and digital recording studios depending on the project.
