Hey a,

Most artists dream of getting signed to their favorite record label.

But no one is thinking about who you need to become to make that dream happen.

So let's do a little mental roleplay.

Put yourself into the shoes of someone who's running a respected label.

What's your typical week looking like?

• Hundreds of demos in your inbox
• Lots of admin work for your existing artists
• A high bs-detector for everything that wants your attention

So… who are you gonna sign next?

The label people I know (and as both an artist and in my role as a mastering engineer, I've been in personal touch with a lot of them) would all answer this very similarly.

Here's the tier list of artists you'll most likely sign next:

Tier 1: Artists you've already successfully worked with.

Of course you'll sign their next release, assuming the style fits your label's direction.

Tier 2: Artists who were personally recommended by trusted sources.

Since your time is limited, those demos are the ones you listen to first.

Tier 3: Cold demo submissions by artists you don't know yet.

You probably can't even listen to all of the demos you're receiving and you somehow have to filter the signal from the noise here.

And this is where it gets interesting.

Who from these hundreds of cold submissions actually has a chance of getting signed?

Let's say two cold demos land in your inbox.

The first one is by an artist called Ashton.

His tracks sound phenomenal.

In his demo submission, he's writing that this is the first time he feels ready to put something out after five years of relentlessly producing tracks in his home studio.

He now has the skills, the gear, the confidence.

Then there's this other artist, let's call her Charlie.

She's been producing for three years and her tracks sound great as well.

Technically not as perfect, but it sounds like she's already found her signature sound.

There's something unique about her music.

In her email she mentions that over the past three years she's put out five self-releases, of which the first two really make her cringe now listening back at them.

But she's managed to improve with every release and even grew a small but loyal following on her socials.

She writes that marketing isn't her strength but that she's at least found a way to connect with the people who actually care about her music in a way that feels authentic to her.

So… who would you rather sign?

I'll be honest. Both releases could become a success. Or flop.

But every label manager I know would instantly pick Charlie.

It comes down to one trait every industry professional instantly recognizes:

She treats music production as a strategy game and knows that she won't win if she doesn't go out and explore the map around her.

While Ashton has built the perfect castle defense until he finally felt "ready," she's gone out and conquered 70% of the map.

Bringing this back to music, here's what that means:

• She's willing to go outside of her comfort zone early and learn from mistakes
• She knows that long-term success can only happen through iteration and real-world feedback
• She doesn't shy away from tasks that are simply part of the job and asks "how can I do this my way" instead of taking the easy way out aka "promoting my music is something I just can't do"

Record labels aren't investing in who you are right now. They're investing in who you can become.

And the easiest way to become attractive to a record label is to show that you're on a trajectory.

By the way, one of the artists in our program just got signed to his favorite label. I'll share the entire story in another email soon.

And guess what, he did a really cool self-release before, which already set a foundation.

He never felt "ready" to send that demo. But he did it anyway when the opportunity arose.

Your music matters. Make it count.

Philip

PS: Compressing four to five years of trial-and-error into one year of growth is exactly what we help with. Real, personalized feedback and 1:1 coaching so you make tangible progress. If that's what you need right now, book a free discovery call here and we'll see if it's a good fit.