A few weeks ago I was turned on to The Lefsetz Letter, a blog that covers the current state of the music industry. The Lefsetz Letter is run by Bob Lefsetz, and has been published in one form or another for over 20 years. Yesterday they ran a great article that I hope every aspiring musician should sit down and really let sink in to their heads.

11 Reasons Not To Sign With A Major Label

My thoughts? Bob is absolutely right. Now, first I want to say this; in the past, we wouldn’t have some of our great bands without record labels. It was there job to find and locate talent, get the talent in the studio, and promote their work for all to see and hear. To a certain extent, we need labels and promoters to motivate creative individuals to get off their collective butts and make a living doing what they do best.

I know of plenty of musicians who sit on their butts all day, dreaming of playing music for a living. It used to be the labels that would find them, scoop them up, and get them out their playing in a venue and on the radio.

Today, however, the landscape is changing. If you’re a real musician, you won’t want to deal with the labels. Why? Because musicians today are educated and know that the big time label that’s banging on their door wants only one thing, and any decent musician who gives a shit doesn’t want to give up their integrity to make a few bucks.

And because there’s people like me and Bob Lefsetz who are whispering in their ear, letting them know they can do it all themselves and make all the money they want to, under their own terms

It’s not that easy; in order to succeed, you have to replace all the promotion tools the studios use to promote your work. You have to think and act like the label. In the past, musicians gave up their rights so they could f around all day and play their music.

If you want that success, you have to work for it; you have to earn it. But at the end of the day, if you stick to promoting yourself and retaining all the rights to your work, you’ll not only reap the financial benefits of the business, but you’ll retain the pride associated with not “selling out”.

And you don’t have to do it alone - that’s what I’m here for.