How to Become a Singer

The process of becoming a singer is not as difficult as most people think. Even if you have acquired a modicum of skills, you can already proceed to the next step as long as you have the enthusiasm and the motivation to succeed.

Let us say that you already have some vocal training under your belt. The next step is to meet other people who have the same interests and goals as you. This would include finding other singers, guitarists, pianists, and drummers. You should also widen your search for possible managers, agents, record producers, and anyone who can help you break into the music industry.

With time and patience, you will soon find yourself a part of a duo, trio, or even a band. If you weren't successful in this goal, you also have the option to go solo. Whatever you decide, you will need to move on to the following stage, namely getting yourself noticed and known in your local area. During this stage, you will need to be creative and diverse. Not only will you have to develop more skills in terms of performance, you will also need to devise some sure-fire tactics to be able to promote yourself.

To do this you must start in your local area. As a soloist or as part of a band, you will need to promote yourself through advertising and/or actual performances. You have to go the extra mile of approaching local bars, restaurants and other similar establishments, so that they can audition you for singing gigs. By combining your talent as well as some salesmanship skills, you are sure to find yourself singing on stage for a few nights each week. Try to get gigs in as many establishments as possible, so you can get a wider audience.

Another way to promote yourself is by looking for "open mic", or simply karaoke, opportunities in your local area. While karaoke should never be considered as an effective substitute for an actual performance, going the rounds of karaoke bars will help in a big way in removing performance anxiety and stage fright. You will also be able to determine which music genres are popular among the audience, and you might want to consider this especially if you have plans of performing your own music.

As mentioned earlier, creativity is necessary in self-promotion. You will need to stand out if you want to get noticed. While many singers prefer to be recognized for their talent, it may be necessary to come up with some cool gimmicks, like outlandish costumes, so that you will stick in the minds of your audience.

Soloists and bands who find themselves playing at a particular venue for a longer period of time have the opportunity of making a live portfolio of their performances. Making demos out of these gigs can be used to get you and/or your band noticed by a record company. If you are successful in this endeavor, you will soon have record labels or publishers knocking at your doorstep.

Once you have gotten through the door, you now have to consider security for yourself and for your band. Let's face it! The music industry is a cutthroat business. You probably have heard the histories of some popular singers who have been scammed early in their career by crooked managers and small-time record companies. You will need to acquire the services of a lawyer who will honestly discuss with you matters pertaining to contracts, agency commissions and other issues. In fact, some contracts may seem lucrative on first reading, but as time passes, you end up on the losing end, with the company reaping more of the profits. In these cases, you need to be tremendously successful to get the financial rewards you have been expecting.

You also have to anticipate possible conflicts and stress over band management. Chances are you might experience problems with record companies over their policies and what they want you and your band to do. Some professional singers even leave their record labels if their career has not flourished or they are forced to make in their style which they do not approve of. However, once you have resolved this dilemma or at the very least reached a compromise with your record label, you will come to understand that you have done well for yourself so far. But even then, you should still be focused on maintaining your success, considering how music trends change almost every two to three years.

Some performers have decided to go the independent route rather than sign on with the big recording companies. If you are planning to go independent, there are many disadvantages to this move. Among the problems that you are likely to encounter include looking for the financial backing for recording, CD production, distribution and advertising. There is also a chance that you are putting yourself in a very vulnerable position in terms of litigation and copyright infringement. The only advantage to going independent is that you have greater creative control over the songs that you churn out.