How does my Garage Band get discovered?

This was the general topic debated on the Music Panel at Columbia's own MBA Media and Entertainment Conference last Friday. The panel included distinguished members of the music label world, music subscription services, and A&R folks. All pointed to the fact that the fragmentation of albums into singles has pushed many artists into the world of creating only singles. (re: Kelly Clarkson)


Tip #1: Write all Singles for your next "Album"

Remember when you finished listening to Achtung Baby and thinking, "That is a great album!" Well, these days, artists are pressured into making radio friendly songs and slapping them together on an "album." This is to satiate the demands of buying songs one at a time in the iTunes model. Mr. Carreras, of RCA Records, spoke about the worried nature of traditional record labels as they pour the same or more money into album production & marketing, only to helplessly watch one particular song sell for $0.99.

Tip #2: Sign with a Major Record Label

As we asked on the panel - how do I distinguish my band from all the others on MySpace? Answer: Sign to a Major Record Label!!

A vicious cycle indeed.