HitQuarters Advisory Text

Jump to skip: The right person, A&R-representatives, HitTracker - How to search, HitTracker - Updates, Finding the path, Knowledgespread, Songwriter, Artist, Producer, Musician, S&A&P&M, Territories, Company Hierarchy, Company skills, Your presentation, Your music, Image vs. Music, Touring, Mp3 vs. Record companies, The Jurisdiction, World Top 20 A&R Chart, The economy grows, Round-up tips, The end

HitQuarters is the most detailed store of infomation within the music business. It´s huge and will grow even bigger and more precise. What´s more, it will help you towards a clearer personal definition of success. The advisory text will explain how you can best use our service, and also elaborate upon those qualities a hitseeker should focus on in order to reach his goals.

We strongly recommend that you read through our advisory text. It might take you 10-15 minutes, but could save you years in your effort to become successful. We do not underestimate the complexity of the music business, and neither should you: it is home to more traps than opportunities. So if you seriously intend to make it, please take your time and read through.

Myth no.1: You must have contacts to make it.

No, contacts are not a prerequisite, although you will need to make them. The difference is more significant than it seems. It is not the case that all successful people happen to have had a friend or relative within the business - they built up their contacts from scratch, as you will have to do. But don´t despair, it isn´t as difficult as you think, you just have to work out which path to take and who to contact. Who is it in the jungle that will prove to be most useful to you?

Myth no.2: A record contract - wow!

Not wow, but so what? A record contract only means that a record gets manufactured. 99% of all record contracts end up being little more than a few boxes sent to the rubbish dump. A HIT, on the other hand, warrants a wow! What really matters is how your release is taken care of, how it is implemented in the market.

You might say "I don´t care, as long as I make a record, I´m happy". However, afterwards it doesn´t usually feel like that. No matter what your objectives are, a record contract without a hit is a missed opportunity, the opportunity to establish yourself with an audience and reap financial benefits which may enable you to work with what you are passionate about for the rest of your life.

We assume that you put pride and effort into your music and want it to be maximized with a release that does it credit. We assume that, even if you say that you are not commercially minded or driven, you prefer to reach as many people as possible with your music. Otherwise, you probably wouldn´t have looked for a website like this in the first place. Hopefully, you will realize that it is crucial to cover as much ground as you can before approaching your audience. Almost everyone fails to do this. Depressing? Not really. This lack of preparation is usually due to bad management, which can be corrected - starting here and now.

Bad management can be due to two factors:

1. The administrative side is not efficient enough.
2. The administration is efficient, but not tailored to the music it is intended to release.

HitQuarters provides answers to both these problems. We won´t tell you who lacks skills or is inefficient - that isn't necessary, instead we will tell you who has the skill. Only a small number of people in the business will suit your project, and it is these people we intend to help you find. Furthermore, we will take into account at which stage in its development your project is in, and in what territory you are based.

More than any other business, the music business is extremely personalised. Due to its glamour aspect, too, it attracts many more time wasters than any other business, and just around the corner is someone ready to do just that. The people of real value are much more difficult to come by. Looking at the business closely reveals that success seems to follow certain people around, regardless of which company they happen to work for. Basically, there are no good companies, only good people, and keeping track of these good people is the key to success, and the main idea behind HitQuarters.

A great person for you is someone that....

1. ... has a particular knowledge of your type of music and the audience you are targetting. He must have the ability to distinguish what will be a hit in your field of music. Someone who knows Offspring may not know anything about the Korn audience, someone who knows the Spice Girls may not know the Christina Aguilera audience etc.

2... has the ability to break new acts. It´s important to keep in mind that breaking an act and maintaining an act require very different skills. Selling another 5 million Sting albums will engage marketing techniques which are not those that will be used to introduce a new act. You are at a stage where you need someone to break you and establish your name.

3... loves your music. Don´t work with someone who says: "It sounds good, this should be a hit". What you need is: "I love it - it´s the best track I´ve heard in a long time." There is a big difference between someone who speculatively considers your song to be an interesting piece of investement, and someone who sees it as something he wants to keep in his cd collection for the rest of his life. It is important that your partner be able to identify with how the buyer feels about your music.

4. .... has the stamina to sweat for you, someone who is burning for the project. A major problem could be that people love your song, they have the know-how and the money to make it successful, but they are not hungry enough for another hit. Sooner or later, everyone loses the touch, usually due to a lack of hunger. If you have already been No.1 ten times, why bother?

5. .... has the financial resources to launch your music in a very tight and busy market. Also make sure that he backs you with as much money as it takes, and that he is willing to spend as much on you as on other artists in his roster, who may be already established and therefore higher on his priority list.

Read the 5 criteria again and imagine making do without one of these. Sorry, but it won´t work, and will send your music to the rubbish dump along with the other 99%. Of course, these qualities may be covered by various people. Perhaps you could have an old, tired, but hugely rich record company with an A&R representative that knows a hit when he hears one. Combine this with an independent promoter who knows the marketing bit and a manager with great stamina that pushes everyone to do everything correctly - then you're all set. Leave out only one of these factors, however, and you'd better start work on your next project right away.

Who should you work with? The choice is yours. Be smart, and don't settle for the first contract that comes flying your way - that mistake doesn't need to be made again! If your music is good, you will have time to shop around. Remember, what you need is a hit, and not a record contract.

The A&R of a record company is almost always the person who is most important to you. He is the one that presents you with a contract, and is responsible for the development of the act. He is the link between the creative side and the business side. He needs to know enough about both sides, how to make sure that your music is ready for the market, and that the market is ready for you.

The right A&R-person for you might seem difficult to determine. They don't usually appear with their name on the sleeve of their successes. How do you find out who is the genius behind launching a hit? Usually, you can't. If you contact a record company, they will either point you to what they call their A&R, who is often nothing but an apprentice opening the mail. If the successful A&R has left the record company, they will usually claim the credit themselves, when what you should really be doing is looking for the person in question. It's vital that you find the talented one. To do this you need to use unique searchpatterns, such as those featured in HitQuarters. You need to know who has done what, particularly which A&R has what track record.

For instance, did you know that ....

Only two of these A&R stars is still working with their respective company. The others have gone to other companies. It is more than likely that they have been replaced by someone with fewer skills. If you identify your music with one of these artists, then you need to find the team that made them successful.

Mostly, these A&R are very difficult to reach, so you need to find a manager, publisher or a producer that is already connected to them. By looking at their track records, you will find out who has the connection and who has not, and that's why we're here. We will help you pin-point the person who is most suitable to help you.

The HitTracker is the main feature on the site. It is a search-engine, designed to help you find the right persons. It consists of 4 parameters: Artist-reference, Type of company, Territory & Genre. You combine these to achieve a personalized search-result.

The most specific way to search is by artist-reference. If you write "Bloodhound gang", the search-result will show you who was the A&R, manager, publisher & producer that broke them. If you consider your music to be in the same style, these are obviously the people in the industry most suitable for you to work with.

If you want more results, choose some of the other parameters and leave "Artist-reference" blank. For instance:

This shows a broader selection, although the results will always display the person's track record. With these search-commands you will get a variety of results, but they will be classified by our recommendation-system, which is the key to HitTracker.

This is what sets it apart from a normal directory, and it will always appear automatically. The recommendations will make all the difference, because it is these recommendations that will enable you to assess who is valuable and who has yet to prove himself. We determine who is to be recommended by looking at an individual's track record. A simple address-register or yellow pages won't provide you with any guidance in a business as dynamic and personalised as this.

Our degrees of recommendation are:

Hit-recommended: A person with a Hit-recommendation is undoubtedly one the leading players in the industry on a world-wide basis. If you work with such a person, it can't get any better.

Recommended: A person which is likely to give you success in several territories, but is not among the hottest.

Locally recommended: A person who has very good skills, but only applicable in one territory.

Others: Persons who have yet to prove themselves. They could be anyone from A to Z. You could find good people here, since, of course, everyone that is recommended has once been just like any "other" person, but they are generally not to be recommended.

If someone is very successful, he will achieve hit-recommendation status. However, to remain at this level he must keep a steady flow of breaking artists. If he does not, he will be degraded to recommended and then others. That's why you will find the A&R of Elton John as "others". If he has not shown a particular talent in breaking new acts, then he is probably of little use to you as an unbroken act.

Just because someone broke an act 7 years ago doesn't mean that he can do it now. The music market is very changeable. What is important today wasn't important yesterday. To remain skillful in breaking acts one needs to keep up to date, therefore Mariah Carey, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Take That etc. are not in our pick-list of artist-references. They are, however, in our data base, so you can look them up on "free search" as classic acts, but you will find them without recommendations, unless their industry representatives have managed to break something fairly recently.

You will always find updated addresses and contact numbers (if available) for the persons, which is why a result could show a company which is not the same as that to which the artist is currently signed to, due to the movement of people in the business. Remember, it is not the company that is important, but the person. However, an individual working within a new company may be, although skillful, less resourceful, since he has yet to build up confidence and routines working amongst his new associates.

Unfortunately, some companies understand our objectives only too well, and realize that we want to give the credit to individuals, and not companies. This has, in some cases, prevented us from achieving the precise information that we have wished for, so you may find some gaps. If you find that you are missing something in particular, please drop us an e-mail and we will make your request a priority.

Ok, let's assume that you know the name of the person who you really want to work with. What to do? Should you call the head of A&R at Universal, New York? Well... that´s probably not a good idea. It´s highly improbable that you will even be able to leave a message with his assistant. So, how do you get to the right person? What good is knowing about him, if he won't even listen to your music?

Don't worry, there are many solutions, although it can get complicated. A variety of factors need to be taken into account.

First of all, it's important to be aware that the contact-paths within the industry are like a spider web of filters. You start from the outside and have to snuggle your way into success via masses of filters and "gatekeepers". The most powerful players have people around them, that they have chosen precisely for this purpose, and these people who act as filters have, in turn, their own filters to sort out what they should bring to the players above them. This web of filters is spreading out until it reaches the guy who has just made his first demo.

This is not a bad system. It's a necessity to save time and maximise effectiveness, which in the end supports you. The problem is that wrong music is tried in the wrong filter. Either your music will pass the filter, heading for a destination which will not prove to be successful, or you won't pass because it was the wrong filter. But this is what HitQuarters is here to change.

You would be amazed if you knew how many demos and packages are not even listened to; it surely makes up more than 90% of all the tapes flying around in the business. The problem, however, is not how many tapes are sent for nothing (apart from the economical waste of postage and tape), it's how many tapes were NOT sent to the right person.

There are five factors that will help you to determine whether your contact is a filter worth trying to get through:

1. The level you are at. What track record do you have? If you have no references, you must make sure that the person you contact is one that listens to everything that comes by. Probably none of the record companies featured in our recommendations do this.

2. The level he is at. A successful A&R is working with producers, publishers and managers who are already established - why would he bother with anything less?

3. How busy is he? Usually, most of the A&R's are very busy. In comparison, it will probably be much more useful for you to contact a producer or manager who is hugely successful than an A&R representative who is less so, simply because they tend to be less busy. People simply don´t think of producers and managers as possible contacts in their quest to break new music, when it is these people who are, in fact, working as filters for the A&Rs.

4. Territory. It matters a lot where you are. USA and UK are differently structured than mainland Europe ( this issue is covered in more depth further on in the text ). For instance, if you are an American rapper, it might be easier for you to become a star by engaging yourself in Germany. This may improve your chances of success, since the business there is much easier to get into and Germany lacks American-speaking rappers for a rap-hungry audience. It will, therefore, be easier to break in USA via Germany, because you are using a smarter way through the web of filters.

5. How easy-going and relaxed about new contacts is he? People in the same territory at the same level of success can vary a lot in how easily accesible they are. This factor is very difficult to determine. That's why it will play a small part in your strategy, but still must be taken into account.

A basic rule: if you do not get a personal response from a contact person within the company, don't waste time on it. You need a fair evaluation of your music from someone who is willing to take the time to listen to it. It may be tempting to send a tape to the big guy, feeling that it's like a lottery ticket, but chances are you´ll be disappointed. You should instead concentrate on learning about the industry and devising more worthwhile strategies. Of course, there is little harm in buying a lottery ticket, just don't let it draw your attention away from things that really could make a difference.

If you can't reach a person, look for who you can reach that can reach this person. If you have the right kind of music, nothing will stop you from playing your first demo to a semi-successful producer or publisher, who will then play it to his manager, who will present it to a local A&R, who will present it to the international A&R that loves it. This process could be completed in only 4 weeks if you map out the right path through the spider´s web. If people believe in your music, it travels fast. But if you go straight for the top, you'll be waiting in vain for an answer, because that's not how the industry works. You need to work your way through the filters, or your music will sadly end up in a box.

How big a difference will the knowledge of HitTracker actually make? Haven't people already become successful without it and managed well enough?

The answer is both yes and no.

Yes. - Of course, successful acts are created and released everyday. But almost all of them have gone through a long, intense period of self-learning to reach their goals. The question has to be why spend 10 years establishing yourself when you can do it in 2? Or why spend years re-inventing the wheel, when all you want to do is take a ride? The knowledge is already here, the work has been done for you. Stop wasting time! Don't fool yourself into believing it is a quick job, just because you hear an easy tune on the top of the charts. How did it get there? How many years did it actually take?

No. - The sad fact is that most people never make it, nor do they even come close. Most musicians spend their teens and 20s trying to make a dream come true. After that they usually give up, because they have not found a path through the jungle. Why? Does it have to be a struggle? - Absolutely not.

There are two possible explanations for a lack of success:

The contacts can be improved through HitTracker, but what about the music? Fortunately, it can! A lot, probably more than most people realize. How so? The keyword is - knowledgespread.

Why do cities, such as Manchester, Berlin, Seattle or Stockholm, suddenly become hotspots of musical activity, with successful acts pouring out of them at a stunning rate? Because at a given time in those cities 27 years ago, a large number of people were born with a musical gene? That´s hardly likely. The answer is knowledgespread.

Can you imagine the amount of knowledge required to build a house? To build a house you need bricks, so you need to know how to make a brick, and what tools you need to make the brick with, and how to make the tools you need to make the brick with, and what materials the tools should be made of, and in the end you want to make sure that every brick is in place so that the whole house won't fall apart. Today, people can build huge towers reaching more than 1000 feet. The knowledge required to perform such a task has been developed throughout milleniums. People are not born with the knowledge required to build skyscrapers written in their genes.

This is exactly how it works with music as well. It's a bundle of knowledge put together to create a song. To create a song you need to know how to equalize a basskick, how to compress vocals, how to build a bridge, how to use vibrato in the right places, how the intro should be structured, how the phonetics match with the melody, how long the basstones should be, etc. All this needs to be done perfectly and in a world-class if you want success. A person might be born with more or less musical ability, but being successful with your song is something else.

To turn a music entity of any kind into a success, it is necessary to establish various conditions. All of these conditions are to do with how people around you act and what kind of knowledge they can provide you with. Knowledgespread is often a gravely underestimated factor in the development of a successful song. No matter how good you are, you need information on how to improve and keep up to date. It is important to get the right kind of information. That's why the quality of your music is very much dependent upon the quality of your contacts.

Almost all successes have required some form of teamwork and certainly a wide variety of skills and knowledge. One-man projects very rarely make it through. It is vital that you have skillful people around you. When someone with valuable skills comments upon your music, listen very carefully to what he is saying! Please, consider this fact for a while. The possibilities and opportunities will grow with your awareness of this concept.

This is one reason why you need to contact only those people who can give you some sort of feedback that increases your knowledge. At the same time, don't get involved with people who do not have the skills that you require. Only small number of players will be able to provide you with what you need.

Here's more detailed information, with separate categories for Songwriters, Artists, Producers and Musicians (click to jump).

Whoever feels that they do not have the proper skills or equipment to present a production would be wiser to contact a publisher or a producer rather than a record company. Songwriters very rarely get any help from a record company, even though that's where 90% of their tapes go. To get your songs to become a hit, you need a great artist to cover them. Often it is the A&R at a record company or the manager of the artist that chooses the songs. However, usually they do not accept songs that are not properly produced or at least close to master quality.

Presenting a song to an artist is usually a tricky matter because they have problems hearing the brilliance of the composition if the production as a whole is not top-class. The vocals, in particular, are very important and should not, under any circumstances, sound amateurish.

In order to get your song placed, contact a publisher. A good one (check the HitTrackers recommendations) knows the industry and the right people to contact. He functions as a filter and therefore has access to the top A&R´s precious time. He also has money to get your songs properly recorded, but, most of all, he has the skill to help you with your songwriting.

His knowledge is crucial to maximise your work. Which of your songs should be presented? When is the song sufficiently well-recorded for it to be played to the important people? What details should be changed in the song? Are the lyrics credible? Do they need to be - what is the aim? Is the structure too long, too short? Is co-writing an option? etc. These are factors that he will supervise, and, if he is good, he will know better than you.

Again, an influx of constructive ideas is vital, no matter how big a genius you are. Not even Diane Warren or Max Martin deliver finished compositions that remain untouched after the A&R has done his part of the show.

The record company usually asks the publisher for songs, so he knows when someone needs what. Otherwise, much of the above goes for the producer as well. He could be a valuable asset in your effort to get your music further. The producer generally has less interest in songwriters than the publisher, but, on the other hand, he´s generally not as busy, and has the material means to help you through. He is also used to listening to raw demos of songs still at an early stage in their conception.

If you have an already established artist in mind for your songs, then contacting the producer of that artist might even be the best solution, since you are going straight to the source. The producer also works as a filter to the record companies, and, particularly if he is the person who is directly responsible for the artist, there can be no better way.

As a songwriter, it is less important to find someone that can break you. It is possible that you will have your first hit with an already known artist.

An artist usually means a lead singer. Few record companies sign an artist who is not represented by a manager or a producer, so therefore it is almost useless for an artist to contact a record company or a publisher, the latter not dealing directly with the artist at all.

To show off your talents, you need a fairly well-produced demo. This is something that only a manager or a producer can provide, simply because they have the means and financial resources to record in the right conditions. And because the manager is more involved with the extra packaging that goes with the music, he will usually have a more specific knowledge of the resources you will need than the producer. A manager also knows the signing procedure with the record company and knows how to put the right demands. And because he is only focused on you as an artist, and is not involved in the production, this might make him the person most able to meet your precise demands.

Going straight to the producer also has its advantages. He will often be looking for artists to cover his new projects, which might lead you to the source more quickly. A manager with an artist needs a producer, but a producer with an artist doesn't need a manager to the same extent.

The producer can proceed in a variety of ways. If he already has a project that he wants to launch, he can contact a record company, although this possibility very much depends on what level the producer is at and what status the record company has. If he wants to reach to the recommended persons in the HitTracker, it won't probably work out. He can get help from a manager, either his own manager or by getting a good manager for the artist of his project. He could also contact the publisher of the songwriter, or he could contact a production company. Today, there are not many production companies that will pick up productions and forward them to record companies, in this way acting as their filter, although we predict that there will be many more production companies acting like this in the future.

If you do not have a project and are looking to produce, then you need to find a publisher who will put you in contact with a songwriter in his roster, or even a manager or a production company who need producers for their artists.

If your ambition is not to be the star of an act, or write or produce songs, but you still, nevertheless, want to make a living by playing your instruments or doing session jobs etc., the prospects are actually much better than you might think.

There isn´t a huge amount of money in it for the musician, but there is a lot of work around. Many producers need backing vocals or instrumentalists. Usually, those who are established don't come cheap, thus creating great opportunities for newcomers to offer their skills at a lower rate. A great chance to make contacts and to be able to show them what you can do!

Tour agencies are also in constant need of musicians. They are listed in Ads / Business cards. As they usually have little to do with breaking an act, they are not included in the HitTracker.

If your goal is to tour the world and become famous, rather than to work in a studio, then we recommend that you team up with an artist. Don't start your own band and try to squeeze a frontperson into your concept - that won't work. Try to find the new Jon Bon Jovi, Gwen Stefani, Axl Rose etc. who is a fix-star and has charismatic potential, and settle on their conditions.

The musician has little to gain from record companies, publishers and managers.

If you belong to several of the above categories, which many of you do, you will combine the advice given to suit your particular needs. It's important when you approach people that you provide them with a clear picture of what you do. It's also important to determine what function you will fulfill within the industry. Many players try to cover everything themselves: composition, production, performance and management, often with poor results. It is difficult to dedicate 100% of your efforts to every aspect, and stretching yourself too far could mean you end up with a rather messy set-up. It's definitely better to focus on only one thing at the beginning, although if you are ambitious enough to want to do everything yourself, we simply suggest you wait until the timing is right.

Introducing yourself to a record company by stating that you play rock, pop, soul, r&b and dance, for example, is not advisable. Stretching your talents to everything will not impress anyone. They want you to be 100% committed to what you do best.

No one has ever broke as an artist by covering many different styles. It may be accepted that an already established artist wants to show off a wide variety of skills, but never do the mistake of comparing yourself to an already successful act. The difference between them and an unbroken act is huge in every aspect.

When you begin to make contacts within the music industry, much is dependent upon which territory you are working in.

In USA and UK, it's a complete waste of time to contact a record company unless you are a renowned manager or publisher. All the major producers have managers and it's a tough market to get heard in. The artist and the producer are better off contacting managers, and the songwriters would do best to establish a connection with a publisher. Really, these are the bridges that need to be built to get to the real decision makers.

On the European continent, it's a somewhat different story. Managers do not exist to the same extent and are often poorly regarded. At times, it might even be a disadvantage for an artist to have a manager instead of dealing directly with the record company.

However, it isn´t wise for an artist to contact the record company directly, as they will usually be looking for more than just a great voice and good looks. An artist is therefore better off contacting a producer, so the artist is able to present a song to the record companies. This song should be a song meant to be able to break the artist and not just a presentation, such as a cover version.

The role of managers in continental Europe is much disputed. HitQuarters looks positively on the function of the manager, but unfortunately a large number of bad managers have made people stop believing in them. A bad manager is one who is more interested in the spotlight and the glamourous parties than working for you. Make sure yours is organized and can take the administrative hassle, and doesn't suffer from hubris. Let the HitTracker help you to be very picky in chosing a manager. Because you could undertake many of the managerial functions by yourself, make sure that the manager has exactly what you lack in order to earn his share of your money (usually between 15-25%). An entrance to the record company A&R is probably the most valuable thing he can provide.

In small countries, it's easier to go straight to the record companies. This is not always an advantage, however, particularly if you want to be successful abroad. For instance, if you are living in the Netherlands and want to work with BMG USA, you are probably better off contacting someone in the US who works as a filter to BMG, rather than contacting BMG Netherlands. Communication across the borders within the major companies is usually poor and will help you to do nothing more than get stuck in company politics. Once you are signed to BMG Netherlands, that's where you´re most likely to stay and be managed from, which will limit your progress.

A good way to find out if a company is small- minded is to ask if they accept material from abroad. If they don't, they are not worth bothering about. That is unless your ambition is to make music in the local language and you only care about local success. For those of you who do feel this way, HitTracker also features a local recommendation status, which is assigned to someone who is very skillful but whose skills are only deployed in one territory.

A company's hierarchy can be worked to your advantage. It´s good to be aware of this fact, since it might provide you with more opportunities.

For instance, a successful act can have several managers working at different levels. The first manager picks up the artist from the street. He might not know a lot about the business so he contacts another manager that does. The second manager contacts an A&R that might pass on the act to another A&R department, which also makes him a manager for that act.

Within a record company you might also find a Head of A&R, Pop A&R, Rock A&R and various assistants all over the place. As you know by now, there is usually only one of those who you really want to work with, although contacting his colleagues could be a good idea. Sometimes the record company also has its publishing company inhouse, and, in this case, it could be good to contact the A&R via the publisher.

This spider web structure of filters does offer advantages, as you may want to contact any one of those filters in between you and the person you wish to work with, depending on your level and theirs. Just always make sure that you get some sort of personal feedback, otherwise you are obviously enquiring at an excessively high level. Also, make sure that you do not get stuck with a person in between that insists on working with you, instead of helping you to get to the person who you really want to work with.

Many companies brag about being both manager and producer. Many record companies are also publishers. The important question to ask, though, is what field they are actually useful in. Just because a record company has a successful act doesn't mean that they are also a great publisher for an unknown act. Even if a person is a superb manager that does not mean that they can supervise a production as well as a producer or an A&R can. Again, check their track records in the HitTracker to determine in what field they have proven their skills - it's usually only in one.

More often than it is believed, the decisions are taken by the producer, who owns the act and then licenses it to the record company. This is vital information if you are a songwriter or an artist, because it means that you can contact the producer directly rather than waste time with a record company.

When you make contact you need to make a presentation-package which includes a demo. How good the technical quality of the demo should be depends totally on who you contact. HitQuarters does not have recommendations concerning the money and time that should be spent on increasing the potential of your demo - that´s up to the individual. Neither will we recommend various studios, although you will find them listed in the Ads/Business cards section.

The format of the demo matters little, but along with it you will need to include various complementary elements:

• Pictures - Very important.

How will the act be presented to the audience? The presentation of an act without pictures is like a movie without sound: it is impossible to judge the project as a whole. Today, the visual aspects of an act are becoming increasingly vital. Try to get the pictures you are sending to give a fair idea of the artists´ looks, so don't go for sharp contrasts or photographic effects. Big tits and hairy chests may well add entertainment value, but if you make it too obvious it will draw attention away from the music and make the person who is presenting it look cheap.

A songwriter will not have to provide pictures when presenting his songs.

• Character.

Try to determine what it is that is characteristic about your act and emphasize it. In today´s broad output of music, one needs a profile to break through. Your particular characteristics can be featured in the music, the pictures, the image or the presentation, wherever it feels comfortable. Just make sure that whoever you present your demo to has understood just what it is that makes you special.

Also, send your demo in a package that looks exciting and demands attention at first sight.

• Commitment & Drive.

Most parents and friends to the hitseeker claim that making it in the music business is impossible and that he should get a real job. Every major player in the business knows that this is uneducated nonsense. It is possible to make it big, for anyone.

If you want to make it big, one thing that is essential is that you believe it is possible. If you make excuses and express doubt when you present yourself, you will come across as mediocre. You need to make it perfectly clear that the project you are presenting is something to which you are 100% committed, and that you have the drive and belief to work with it as much as it takes to make it successful.

When sending a demo you will need to write a letter explaining that this is your ultimate goal and dream. It is preferable to do this face to face in a meeting, or over the phone, but, in any case, you will need to emphasize how much you want to succeed. Never express feelings of self-doubt such as "maybe this is not good enough", or "why would I of all people succeed", or "I'm sending this in the hope that maybe..." etc. Even though realizing your limitations and being open to advice is vital, you must not betray a lack of self-confidence. Who´s going to believe in you if you don´t believe in yourself?

Therefore, also make sure that you always present your best material. Be picky, and never present more than 3 songs. You might not get all that many chances. It is commercially unwise to show off the broadness of your repertoire, as you will end up looking like someone who is not able to determine what is good or bad.

HitQuarters will not advise you on how to make music - we trust you to do that. As a general rule, however, it is the vocals that you want to take most care over. If they are not professional, whatever else you want to present, such as a good production or a composition, will be overlooked.

Getting to the essence of the song as quickly as possible is also a good idea. When presenting your songs to an industry person who does not have a lot of time, they will usually skip a track if there is nothing to grab their attention within 90 seconds. You might want to make sure that the potential of the song is demonstrated early on.

Listen carefully to the comments you get, provided that the person making the comments has skills. Bear in mind that if they say that they want something in the style of a group which is successful at the moment, it doesn't mean that you should create a carbon copy and sound exactly like that group. It means that they are looking for something with as much unique potential as that group.

It is always the song that breaks a successful act. Don't fool yourself by saying looks and image are doing it - that´s not the case. Every one of you reading this has probably, more than once, felt that an act is not worth its success, and believe that their success must be due to their image, and that no one can really like their music. This is nothing but a cynical remark, often reflecting one's own failure or limitation in understanding that kind of music. It's better to be modest and admit that you do not understand all kinds of tastes and appreciate the fact that music is a broad form of entertainment. Spending time and bitterness over the spread of multiplicity won't help, but defining your own goals will.

This awareness is very important, because a lot of effort today is spent on developing a cool image. There is nothing wrong with that, although it shouldn´t affect the time spent on the actual music. It's vital to realize that the group that you dislike actually has an audience that likes their music and that they are popular because of their music and not their image. This will help you understand music in general and focus upon what you should be doing, which is making great music.

Nevertheless, image is significant and must not be ignored. To make a mark on the industry´s massive output, it is an advantage to look like no one else. An act cannot succeed on image alone, but an act can fail due to the lack of one. Note the difference here. No one will buy your records because you have green teeth or are showing your naked butt, but it might help to get attention, rather than looking like everyone´s neighbour.

Don't get too caught up in beauty. It is good entertainment and a good basis to become a successful artist, but it's far from everything a successful image needs. A successful image has more to do with charisma, character and the look of something new. Age could be a problem if you are supposed to be the face of the group, but if you are, focus on character and don't try to hide the fact that you are above the average age of most chart contendors. There are plenty of possibilities out there.

Try to map out your target group. What are they like, what do they do and what are they wearing? When this is clear to you, level your image a little bit above them, but not too far. If your audience are 12 year olds, act as a 16 year old. If your audience are Hells Angels, be a little bit tougher than them. Try to stay ahead of your audience - they usually need someone to learn from and admire. Not necessarily idolise, but admire. Don't speculate too hard, though, on what you think it is that an audience wants from you. It must be something the act can carry and feel natural with and enjoy, otherwise it won't work

Go through your image with care, but before you get your head buried into clothes, videos, poses and what cool things to say in an interview, just make sure you get your priorities straight - the music must always come first.

Touring is a much debated means of becoming famous. On one hand, touring is, in most cases, useless, in that it will not break an unknown act, although on rare occasions this might happen. An act is almost always broken through radio or TV. On the other hand, it can give you a good chance to show yourself to the music industry players that will be able to get you onto radio or TV.This depends on what kind of music you play and in which territory you are in. Obviously you will have a bigger impact in showing yourself as a live-act if you are a rockband, than if you are making dance music. In the US, live shows play a bigger part in the industry than in Europe, while in third world countries touring is about the only way of becoming famous.

Live performances do provide you with a great opportunity: it will give a music industry representative an immediate idea of how committed the band is. A live show is usually filled with an energy and drive which is difficult to demonstrate on a recording. Spending your time on recording in a studio is generally advisable, although it's a matter of individual choice. Touring can be a very good experience and a lot can be learned from facing an audience, not to mention the thrill of it, of course.

Today there are a large number of Mp3-sites on the internet where you can put your music for others to download. So far, this business is having very little effect on record sales, radio airplay and TV viewing rates, all of these regarded as the means of measuring the success of music. However, it is growing very fast and it is difficult to say what will happen in the future. Today, there is no doubt that you can only be successful by using a record company as a medium to properly release your music.

In October 1999, the biggest Mp3-site, mp3.com, was the first site to pay the artists that post songs on their page, by giving them a slice of their advertisement profits. The most downloaded song received 4.500 USD. The number one on the Billboard Album Chart that month received more than 600 times as much, only for its record sales.

Posting your song on an Mp3-site is not what you should do if your aim is to become a successful act, although it might lead to opportunities which could help you along. This is just speculation: today, we know little about which music industry players use Mp3-sites as a way of finding new talent. We know of no artist who has been successfully released after having been discovered on an Mp3-site, but it might be worth a try. Keep in mind though, that having your song all over the net at the time of a traditional release will hardly increase your sales.

The whole Mp3 scene is very exciting, but also chaotic, therefore HitQuarters refrain from making recommendations at this moment. The HitTracker only lists artists with some sort of sales or media success, and, as yet, no act on an Mp3-site has achieved this. You will find the biggest Mp3-sites on our link-page.

The fact that acts like David Bowie and Public Enemy choose to release their records on the Internet has no direct impact on your possibilities. The music establishment is currently in waiting mode, registering what happens, but it is all going to change radically within the next few years and so will the mediums that will successfully release your music. It will become increasingly vital to keep up with the changes, and you can trust HitQuarters to do just that.

It is advisable to contact a lawyer when you are about to sign deals. You can follow our recommended links for this. It will benefit you in the long run to have everything set up properly from the beginning. Set up contracts with everyone to avoid future conflicts. Many great teams have split up because of this.

For songwriters and producers we do not recommend exclusive deals, as, in our experience, it is rare that anything positive will come of it. It will only limit you to one collaborater, who won't be enthustiatic enough about the majority of your songs anyway. It will be better to let several publishers and record companies work with that part of your work that they really believe in. Let them prove themselves by working on a piece of your material. If they do it well, you will extend your co-operation.

Featured on the HitQuarters homepage is the "World Top 20 A&R Chart". It is mostly there for entertainment value, and to let you be the judge for a change, but also to let the A&Rs know that their performance is being tracked. As an artist, you go through the industry being constantly judged and pressurized, so it's also healthy for the industry to be put under some pressure and be made to feel the competition. You are the content provider in a gigantic industry and therefore it's normal that you should be judged more carefully, but on HitQuarters we have reversed this concept to make you realise that you also have a lot of important choices to make, and to show you that the power is not all on one side.

Earlier in the advisory text we wrote that more than 99% of all projects fail. Does it have to be this percentage? Can there be only one at the top? Is it a battlefield, where one man's loss is another man's gain? Actually - no.

The answer might surprise you, but the economy isn´t a big undynamic cake where the total amount of pieces is always equal to the whole, it is growing and getting bigger as people are building and creating new things, and room is created for more and more players.

Of course, there can only be one song on top of the Billboard chart, but apart from this inevitable fact, the music industry is growing fast. The interaction between the musicmaker and the listener will grow greater than it is today, and this will benefit everyone involved. An act with a small sales profile that floats on 20.000 albums a year will sell 40.000, if the industry doubles itself, which it has within the last 8 years. There is no reason why the industry shouldn't be able to double itself again in a shorter period. Everytime this happens, obviously the amount of people who will be able to support themselves by making music also doubles.

Do you think it sounds like a naive utopia, that more and more people should become musicians? It´s not. It's merely a change in our society which is best understood from a historical perspective. 200 years ago, about 80-90% of the population needed to work with agriculture to support a hungry country. Today, it takes only 4% to feed a whole country in the industrialized world. People are working to produce other things, and the fastest-growing sector is entertainment, which was almost unheard of 200 years ago. What we see today is a continuation of a trend that has been going on for a long time and is now speeding up with the internet-era.

How does an economy grow?

By cutting out time and resources in the making of a product and by shortening the time and cost for it to reach its consumer. Applying this to the music industry would mean, for instance, less extra work for an artist to get his song released. When the economy grows this is shown e.g in cheaper music equipment, greater flow of inspiration from other artists and an easier way to find your collaborators, the latter being helped by this web-site.

HitQuarters's aim is to improve the music industry as a whole by making the communication between the creative and the administrative side quicker and more precise. Instead of beating around the bush for years looking for ways to expose your music, go straight to the most potentially useful source. We hope that we can act as a catalyst and boost your chances of becoming successful. Working with music is a real job, and has come, not only to stay, but to grow.

It's important that you gather as much knowledge about the business as you possibly can. Most people with an artistic character, which probably most of you have, don't care much about the business side. This is ok, perfectly fine. You don't need to - BUT, you need to collaborate with someone who does and you need to choose that person with the utmost care.

Use HitQuarters in your search for the right partners. Relate to this service as a guide, and not a phone book or yellow pages. You are wanted in this business. People are hungry, and are constantly on the hunt. The question is just to find the ones with which you can found a mutually-beneficial relationship. Be relaxed about letting people change your music, just make sure the right person does it. Listen and learn from the knowledge people are feeding you with.

Being a hitmaker is reserved for the skilled. Fortunately, these skills are not predetermined and the opportunity is there for everyone, although you need to keep in mind that the only shortcut must be not to take shortcuts. Proceed through the industry thoroughly and precisely - that will be your shortcut. You cannot get a highly- paid job without first geting an education. The music industry is no different: it's just a very different type of education and our aim is to boost yours.

And even if there are loads of things to take into account in order to become successful, remember to always enjoy yourself and have fun. That's how it starts off, but unfortunately not always how it ends. Please keep that in mind.

Hopefully, our words are encouraging. If you have absorbed this knowledge, you will be left with many more possibilities than before. Keep questioning, even us. If you disagree, please tell us - let's spread knowledge! Spread yourself - leave your business card here, start to make contacts this very second.

If we have been of assistance to you, please tell us - it would truly make our day.

Good luck,

HitQuarters Advisory Board

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This text will change as the music industry changes, and as knowledge and wisdom accumulates. In order to be updated on changes and important new advice from HitQuarters you will need to leave your e-mail address.