how to go about publishing and labels

[mylesgm]

Ok, so I've been engineering/co-producing an excellent local artist, Georgia Fields. The main producer is Greg Arnold, the band is excellent, her songs are great, the arrangements etc all killer. We have been signed to PopBoomerang but I would really like to secure a better/bigger label and also a publishing deal. I've little or no experience in this side of the industry as most of my clients are either independant or are already signed. How do I go about promoting to labels/publishing and whom should I approach?

Any help would be appreciated and you can check her out here...


http://www.myspace.com/georgiafields

myles

[jkhuri44]

i see agents advertised in drum media...with supposed contacts...

is that something anyone has experience with?

these people advertise that they have contacts local and abroad.

sound like sharks to me...but maybe some people here know otherwise.

[heathen]

Send out demos and lots of them, send them to the big companies the small companies, anyone you think may be interested who is not full of crap. Even the biggest companies will usually get back to you even if it takes 6 months and they say no.

Get her on all the download sites such as itunes and cdbaby and she can probably make more than with a record deal.

[vanderlae]

Forget the 'agents' who advertise, if they were as involved at that level in the industry they wouldn't be interested in receiving enquiries through advertising.

G'day Miles.,

I know Georgia, (and her whole family is incredibly musical) she has talent and image to spare, little question, so it's more about what she's NOT doing at the moment than anything else. I also know Pop Boomerang through my dealings, and as lovely and committed as the guy is the fact is with their place within the indie label landscape they have very little ability to push themselves and consequently their artists too far. G is doing all the right things herself, and I don't know a more active person on the live scene than her, so she just needs a few more ingredients on the biz side to help her along. It's fantastic she has other people believing in her too such as your bad self.

Personally, as good as the 3 track CD PB put out recently was, as an exercise in leverage it was a little fruitless. I know that Scotty's intention was to get some reach into Radio and retail, but let's be honest - no one is going to buy it except fans at shows because retail ain't going to stock singles any longer (JB who has the largest market share stopped selling them a while ago). Margin on CD singles for wholesalers and retailers alike is basically zilch, so in terms of shelf real estate unless it's an actual EP, then singles are fast becoming a waste of money. She has plenty of fans - knows how to pack out a show - so the live thing is down pat. The cutesy girl look that graces the CD and press images won't sit with everyone, but at least she has an angle and sticking to it.

Securing a bigger label and/or publishing deal is a bit of a chicken and the egg scenario. Good publishing will help her reach labels, and a good label will likely present publishing opportunities.

As for labels, the best bet is for Georgia to try and get onto an Indie who has decent cred within the industry itself. Bigger labels rarely pluck from street level, most opt to keep a watch of who's doing what on the indie scene. Also major labels don't accept unsolicited demos/promos, so I would take a different tact.

Got to run right now, but happy to chip in some more to help out Georgia ;)