What Record Labels Looking For Artists
I just finished reading the LA Reid book Sing To Me. If you don’t know who LA Reid is, well he ran some of the biggest record labels in history like Def Jam, Epic under Sony Records, LaFace and Arista.
He has an ear for who can be a SuperStar. I mean this guy literally discovered OutKast when they were 17 and now they are legends. He signed artists like Rihanna.
He’s not even just a record exec before that he was a songwriter, he has even written songs with Michael Jackson.
I say all this to show this mans credibility and in this video I am going to talk about what I found in this book that he looked for in talent to sign as well as a few other things.
He specifically said, he looks for style before anything. This is something that sets the artist apart. If they have something
special they stand out from the crowd and he can develop the rest of them AROUND that.
I have been telling you guys this on the Smart Rapper channel for a while now. You have to have that UNIQUE SOUND.
When I do my Live Streams on YouNow reviewing music every Thursday at 6PM… put that in your calendars…
Don’t you guys always hear me say, Develop you voice to almost every single person. This is WHY.
Finding a unique sound that helps you stand out from the crowd helps you stand out from the crowd and that means you stand out to record label A and Rs who can hear YOUR POTENTIAL with that sound.
With Pink she was actually part of a girl group and he knew she had talent.
And he told her to go make a project that was HER, and not to listen to the other people. She came back with her ATTITUDE and SOUND and that is what turned her into a star.
If you sound generic or like another artist, how are you going to stand out against the other 10 million music artists out there.
You need to find your SOUND so as soon as someone hears you they can say “Hey That’s HIM/HER Without a doubt”
I’m going to make a video that I’ll release this week on the channel on how to find YOUR VOICE and Message for yourself so you can start really making waves with your music.
Some of the cool parts of the book to me were the times where he described WHY he liked and SIGNED Usher, Justin Bieber, Pink, Meghan Trainor and more.
The moments where he KNEW they were star material.
It was because when he heard their music or saw them in person and they performed for him, they had this different swagger and confidence that allowed them BE stars.
Now I know that NOT EVERYONE Has confidence levels through the roof because we didn’t all have parents that wiped our ass for us or were so amazing they always kept us happy and believing in ourselves.
My mom gave me up and my dad died all before I was 8 years old and then I was put in behavior homes and behavior hospitals and thrown around different schools kicked out of here and there etc.
This type of instability made me feel like no one wanted me. I say this not to be like BOO HOO Rob but to let you know I resonate with you guys and girls out there that DONT HAVE confidence. I was always shy and never believed in myself because no one ever believed in me.
And it took me a VERY VERY LONG time to believe in myself and build my confidence. That’s why sometimes I come across as cocky on this channel because my confidence is built on what I’ve earned and accomplished, not a natural confidence that people with happy lives have. But either way, it’s a confidence that allows me to believe in myself and push forward and I want you to know that you can build a confidence too okay.
Where you walk in a room and you OWN IT and everyone in the room goes… who the fuck is this guy.
Okay anyways, Don’t worry if you don’t have confidence, you can build it.
But you NEED TO KNOW that building that confidence is essential in being a music artist. You have to exude a confidence that shows people I AM GOOD, BELIEVE ME MAN, I WORKED VERY HARD TO BE THIS GOOD.
You ever met someone with a SUPER EGO AND CONFIDENCE you’re like damn, this guy has gotta be good…. That’s the effect it has on people.
Even if when you hear them and they aren’t even good. That confidence makes the music BETTER BEFORE someone even hears it.
Think about it for a second.
Also think about how having confidence lets you walk up to girls and the girls instantly think… why is this guy so confident… what is so special about him… If he does this right I wanna find out.
Think about it for a second.
If you can show them you are willing to work hard enough that you already have your own fan base and you have buzz, they can throw gasoline on your fire and help it blaze plus use their resources to help you grow faster but they can’t do that if you don’t already have a fire started.
When I got a deal with RBC Records who has done deals with
Chief Keef, Gucci Mane, Method Man, Tech 9, Boosie etc.
They told me “All we are here to do is dump gasoline on a fire you already have going”