When I first speak with an Artist I can immediately tell if he or she is someone I can work with. If they start asking questions like "What ALL you do for ARTISTS?" or "Will I get a cash advance?" I know they are NOT the ones I want to work with. These days Artists have to carry their own weight there are only 3 major labels now and they are NOT making the large investments in an Underdeveloped Artist. There are no QUICK FIX or PLUG to a successful career, staying focused and learning about the business is the key to success.

Does that mean you're only looking for artists who do not care about their salary and maybe even provide for free?

That means I look for Artists who intend to make this a MONEY MAKING business but also willing to do their part to help themselves and NOT just look for the FIX (someone else paying their way)

Andre Fleischer I do not work for free and I do not EXPECT you or any other Music Industry Professional to work for free. I do EXPECT Artist to realize their music career is a Business and JUST like any other business there are expenses as well as profits. I hope this answers your question intelligently.

It does, thX Yvonne. bg

Good post Yvonne. I very much agree your sentiments & mindset in this area . Such moves are even more relevant in the age that we're in. Why? Because the ability to self promote, buld a following and a higher visibility standing without a label in sight has never been more widely available to the wannaba musician or producer to make their own brand impact. Frankly, logic says that if an artists can establish a brand presence +++ then perhaps that will actually draw the attention of the labels,my view. Best, DP

I know some Independent Artists who DO NOT even attempt to follow their Twitter followers back, They say they are TOO busy to click FOLLOW. Interesting because those are your potential fans who MIGHT come to a show but if you are TOO busy to click FOLLOW then they MIGHT be too busy to attend your show. Some Artists has told me, "Yvonne, I don't care about fans!" WOW That is a very harsh statement because where WOULD any performer in the Music Industry be WITHOUT Fans?

Right Yvonne, I completely agree with you. The fans are the main characters in this game. For whom, if not music is made for the people?

It would be nice if Independent Artists could have die hard fans like Major Artists have, you know the KIND that will walk in the rain just to see you in concert OR buy the music just because it is from your FAVORITE artist. The Role of the A&R Manager is to make sure the A&Rs build the image of the new artist to ensure loyalty. We A&Rs look for Artists who are willing to respond to as many fans as possible to embark on positive relationship and feedback between Artist and the Fan.

Thanks for the tips!

In my opinion there are many attributes required for an artist to make it in an ever changing very competitive industry some of which are mentioned here by other commentors. It is a big ask indeed hence one of the reasons why so few actually do make it. I see many artists failing to pick up on the fans they do acquire, failing to reach out & respond in any meaningful way hence losing the opportunity to develop meaningful relationships which goes hand in hand with ensuring they are creating music people want to hear & which is meaningful to the consumer rather than the artist. Arrogance, cockiness, bitching & disloyalty are not good attributes to have & which are all too often adopted by struggling frustrated artists trying to navigate their way within a tough industry & market place who so often turn their venom on the very people who are helping them when things don't work out as expected. I'll leave it at that before I end up writing an essay on the subject.

Susanna, you wrote an excellent post on this subject! This is exactly what I needed to read because thru all the disappointments and setbacks the Artist, Manager and Label still have to stay focused and on their page. This ROAD is rocky and filled with bumps, dips and hills. It is hard to reach and maintain a good connection with fans and potential Fans. I read a Facebook post that said Artists do not need Internet or FM Radio because fans can use Spotify and other streaming services to listen to their favorite Artist. Spotify and other streaming services are good for listening to established artists but what about Artists they never heard of?

Thank you Yvonne. I agree all your points. Thank you for bringing up streaming services. I have two further points to make regarding that which is since visibility for unknown artists as you say rightly is poor we are looking to help unknown artists become more visible on sites such as Spotify by introducing a piece of software, developed by a friend of mine, which works with the algorithms of streaming services to ensure the work of unknown artists gains more visibility. In fact we used this piece of software on a track for a client & obtained No.18 chart position in the Official European Independent Music Charts. The software has been undergoing some further development & we expect to be utilising it more extensively once a few more bugs have been ironed out. Another point is we are partnered with & represent an International company called Wefuture Ltd in UK who, amongst their activities have a Crowdfunding Platform specifically designed to crowdfund, shows, gigs, tours for developing & established artists this in my opinion is particularly useful model in that it can very much help build the presence of developing/unknown artists whilst also engaging fanbases & building buzz. We have been featured in top publications including the real Billboard which is a great way of getting unknown artists brands noticed & talked about too. We hope our efforts will help to smooth the rocky road, hills, bumps & dips & just make life a little bit easier for all. Thx again for a very good discussion all round,

For me it is a topic that is continually evolving. With so many artists out there now everything is so watered down. Too many artist releases so how do artists get noticed? For me the role of A&R man has changed significantly over the years and I think Yvonne was right in an earlier post about there being now only 3 majors and them not having the money to buy into an artist like it used to be done. Therefore the role of A&R man becomes even more of a requirement for new artists as the A&R person can build a platform for new artists that the artist would be unlikely to do on their own. Therefore a good A&R persons knowledge, experience and understanding of the music industry is more valuable than ever before so every bands/artists and songwriters too should think of A&R Consultancy as a major step in giving them the right foundations and platform to launch or further enhance their career. Unfortunately there aren't a lot of top quality A&R people around as there are nowhere near as many major record companies and major publishers as there were. It is essential to find the right person to work with. After all as an artist you don't want to be stuck with an A&R person who cannot see your point of view or understand your music industry battle plan and likewise as an A&R person you don't want to be lumbered with an act who clearly cn't see the wood for the trees, have a bad attitude or who are simply difficult to get on with. A&R person's will become the architects of independent music industry consultancy and a must have for any act intent on going places. Simply because so many artists are around now.

Artists now have to be LIKE the NIKE commercials always on to stay in the minds of people when they decide to buy or listen to music. Artists should also Join playlists like MY Collaboration Playlists on Spotify and YouTube that I create to ALLOW Artists to add their on music to the list, so I can promote globally to HELP Artists earn revenue. Check out the Virtual EPKs that I also create to help gain attention http://magazine.inthevirtualcityradio.com Also join Hit License http://www.HitLicense.com to submit to Music Supervisors. When POSTING online alway include your Twitter Account Name @WriterPublicist that helps people like myself find you and keep up with your latest news or music. Request that you Publicist release Press Release regularly.

This is to correct a typo: Artists now have to be LIKE the NIKE commercials always on to stay in the minds of people when they decide to buy or listen to music. Artists should also Join playlists like MY Collaboration Playlists on Spotify and YouTube that I create to ALLOW Artists to add their on music to the list, so I can promote globally to HELP Artists earn revenue. Check out the Virtual EPKs that I also create to help gain attention http://magazine.inthevirtualcityradio.com Also join Hit License http://www.HitLicense.com to submit to Music Supervisors. When POSTING online alway include your Twitter Account Name @WriterPublicist that helps people like myself find you and keep up with your latest news or music. Request that your Publicist submit Press Releases regularly.

The advances hardly exists anymore . And for sure not for newcomers.