How do you get a singing job?

Answer 1

FIRST make sure you can sing. Get other peoples opinion other than friends and family. Record or video tape your voice singing one of your favorite songs so you'll be confident. Choose a song with variation so it will show your voice. Send it into any entertainment buisness such as your local radio station or any music producers. Then you'll know how it goes from there.

Answer

There are various ways of entering the music-singing industry depending on what of the various levels of 'hope' and success you are aiming at: making the old demo tape for distribution is one of them.

Many simply 'do time' in shows, pubs, dances, bands or with disc jockeys.

In a different manner, my son and his friend worked for about 18+ months almost every night in a back street cheap studio, because the friend worked during the day and my son also had work from time to time ... so they worked hard for 4 to 8 hours through the night, learning the recording and sound production techniques and industry, developing themes and making songs, doing support track work for other artists, etc until they finally clicked with a sound, by gradually meeting other suitable people in the industry. When he met the right partner for his developing sound, they then spent another 12 months of mainly night work.

Eventually, they were bold enough, even though they had booked virtually no stage shows at all, to produce an entire album of their own that people hooked onto. They went on the Net as "Gypsy and the Cat", and built up quite an international following before even appearing on stage or releasing any material. They had potential managers all over the place wanting to take them on: eventually the contracted managers paid their way to UK from Australia for signing record contracts with RCA and for other publishing contracts. They were to receive a great upfront payment plus royalties.

I tell this story because, as they said in personal interviews, "we know we did things backwards, but it worked best for us".

The singing-music industry can be wide open to various entrances: some do these things via formal qualifications - degrees, etc.

Others simply start going around to clubs, RSL's, hotels, etc., and leaving their call cards with the owners/managers. Eventually, one of them gives them a go. Sometimes, you have to follow up during slower business hours on the phone to those managers.

I have a lifelong friend who sings and 'strums' at RSL's and pubs with another music partner, and has had some of these contracts going for 20 or 30 years. He, 'Skaf', and his mate, 'Happ', know most of their intineries for the year from the start of the year ... in addition, people hear them and ask them to perform at private weddings and various other celebratory functions. They don't have to advertise at all now. The work is not "full-time", though it does them quite well nevertheless.

To start, basically, you can put yourself in the phone book [Yellow Pages], on the Net (MySpace has proved useful for the boys, but they are international work), hand out business cards to Big companies that hold regular "dinners, luncheons" for their clients and fellow-business 'BigShots', etc.

Basically, it's advertising, networking and a lot of 'leg work' when you are getting going over the opening years.

From there, you build up regular custom - people who happen to like YOUR style. They stay with you - then you can do less chasing or work.

Remember, You are only looking for a niche to get into the business.

Whatever you do, remember that very, very few singers or artists are able to make singing their full-time careers. It's almost entirely, part-time work.