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001 PART TWO "How to
be a Pop Star in 12 'not so easy'
lessons!" PART TWO
Top Tips
Remember, don't rush things. Take it step by step.
Becoming a pop star, takes more than a few weeks work!
Ambition is important, but be realistic.
Overnight success is rare in the music business. Have a
goal and work towards it, bit by bit. But remember, even Celine
Dion took a long time to fine tune her vocal skills
before she hit the big time. Don't push yourself until
you're ready. Develop your vocal or instrumental skills,
your songwriting and your image. Even your dance routine
may need careful choreographing if you fancy yourself as
a pop act. Get your act together before you look for a
manager or launch yourself on a unsuspecting world.
Get your friends and family to listen to
your music. Ask them for their honest opinions!
Always be self critical. Look at how you
can improve your songs and performance all the time. If
you've got a camcorder at home, video yourself and look
at how you can make your act or set even better. Compare
what you see to how 'superstars' look;
If you're keen to develop your
instrumental skills, music magazines like Guitarist
and DJ mags can sometimes provide useful tips. There's
also some very good 'teach yourself' audio books which
you'll find in your local bookshop.
Start reading music magazines. It's good
to know what's happening in the music biz even if you
just skim through 'Smash Hits' or 'Top of the Pops'
magazine.
As your music develops, it's worth
reading music biz magazines like Music Week [the
music industry's magazine], the Stage [good for
checking out auditions nationally] and Making Music
[free in music shops and good for info on equipment]. Future Music and Sound on Sound
offer good advice and information on the latest
technological equipment - ideal for DJ's and dance music
wannabees.
Think about your image - hair, clothes,
style and presentation are all important !
Don't send out demo's to record
companies too soon. Don't go anywhere near a label until
you're absolutely ready. It's a common mistake to start
contacting record labels too early. It can often take
several years to get to the right point to be sending out
material. It's also best to send out via a well
respected manager. Record labels have A & R [Artist
and Repertoire] reps who check out new talent. They are
looking for the next big thing but they want talent that
is well developed. They're likely to sling your demo in
the waste bin if you send them a cassette made in your
bedroom on a dodgy karaoke machine or if it features
off-key, out of tune vocals, badly played guitars and
drums, or a weak sounding version of a popular chart hit
by Madonna, Emminem or Christina.
Never send a demo to a record company or
music industry person unless you have phoned them first
and they say it's OK to send a CD. Even then, you may
not get a reply.
Since 9/11 and the Iraq conflict no Industry folk will even touch a jiffy bag...let alone open it...would you?
Develop industry links. It's good to
have a friendly journalists on your side to give you
decent write-ups and reviews.
Studios
So you've
got the songs, you've impressed your mates, and you may
have even played a few gigs. You're itching to get into
the studio and make your first proper demo tape. It's a
scary prospect ! Scarier than Scary Spice in fact !
What's the best time to go into a studio?
Before you even think about a trip to a studio, make sure
that you're 100% happy with your songs. It's tempting to
go into the studio far too early, before you're ready.
Better to wait and get the songs, and your vocal and
instrumental skills 'spot-on'.
Where should you go?
There are studios across any country and they
vary in what they can offer you. For instance, in the UK, Generator has a list of
studios and a guide to prices. Some community studios
offer cheaper rates and some like Northern Recording in
Consett and The Studio in Hartlepool offer training
courses for young people.
How much will they charge?
Making a studio demo can be an expensive business !
You'll have to start saving up your pocket money or pay
from your weekend job OR get your parents to help.
Studios charge anything from £70 to £250 a day. The huge Hit making studios are way beyond your dreams...so don't even think about the cost. You'll
probably need at least a couple of days to lay down 2 or
3 songs [less if you're doing 'cover versions' to backing
tapes].
An
alternative to the big, flash professional studio is to
build up your own basic home based studio.
A very cheap
option for pop performers singing cover versions of songs
is to buy a basic karaoke machine / backing tracks, and
sing-along to them. It's a useful starting point but it's
not very helpful if you have serious ambitions to make a
'knock-out' demo.
What will you need to know about the technical side of
the studio?
The studio engineer should be able to work with you to
make the most of your songs and your sound. Get them to
listen to a rough tape of your songs before you go into
the studio so they can hear your style and your material.
Talk about what you want to get out of your trip to the
studio.
Make sure
that the studio has the right equipment for your music.
You write your own lyrics but what if you don't have
any music ?
So, you and your mates sing, dance and write your own
lyrics but where do you get the music to complete the
perfect pop song ? Local recording studios may be able to
supply music and musicians [they'll know good 'session'
players]. But beware - this could be expensive? A lot of studio owners just see the size your cheque book [or your parents' cheque book]
Another
option is to find a programmer who you can pay to come up
with some music for your outfit. Before you agree to work
with them, ask to hear a selection of their music.
Why not hook
up with your local college ? A student[s] could make a
project out of making music for you. There would be
minimal cost to you and you may even be able to get free
recording time in the studio.
Some studios
also make use of their less busy times ['downtime'] by
offering projects. Singers and bands can get the use of
studio facilities at little or no cost, if the studio can
see the potential of a commercial success. You need to be
very wary about signing contracts in this respect because, if you hit the
big time, this studio may want some kind of financial
'pay off'.
CLICK HERE for Part 3
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