Urban A&R expert, former GM of Urban Music for Tommy Boy Records, Ian Steaman (Queen Latifah, Naughty by Nature, De La Soul, House of Pain, etc.), returns to Getsigned.com to answer your questions about press kits, clean versus raw rapping, selling more of your CDs, being too old to be signed and much much more! Got a music 'biz/urban music question for Ian? The only place to ask him is here!

Q. Dear Ian: Can a rap act be too raw? Also, when sending a demo to a record label, how do A&R scouts feel about cursing? What is too much? Thanks, Angelz

A: Angelz, this question speaks to the heart and soul of where hip-hop is right now. Many acts have got it so twisted that they think to be hardcore or to “keep it real”, you have to curse. The best counter-argument I can think of to that is that Rakim, one of the most respected MCs to ever touch a mic, never cursed once on his first three albums (which coincidentally were his most successful).

To answer your question as directly as possible, I think it depends on the context and kind of music you are trying to create. Many aspiring artists think they have to curse or use violent imagery for people to feel them. Obviously when NWA said “F-ck the Police,” part of the song's appeal was the "shock value", but beneath that shocking aggressiveness was some valid social commentary. Obviously many music lovers missed the social commentary aspect and only got off on the aggressive “f-ck you” attitude and many artists thought gratuitous cursing was now the way to get over and released some very ordinary music in the process.

All I can really say though is create the music that you feel in your heart. If that means candy-coated commercial sounding hip hop like Will Smith... then do that. If that means outrageous, expletive-filled street anthems like NWA, the Lox or the Geto Boys...then do that. The only truism in hip hop is that those who tried to push the envelope in terms of their beats and rhymes and were truest to the artistic muse within themselves, were generally the most successful. Look to pioneers and respected artists as diverse as Nas, Scarface, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, Dr. Dre, Public Enemy, Biz Markie, the Wu-Tang Clan and Outkast for your inspiration as you start your own career.

Q. Hey Ian: I run an indie label. A band I'm helping is giving me nothing but problems. If there is no signed contract can I just move on and forget about them? Thanks, Tina.

A: Tina, this is a hard question to answer without more explanatory details. Obviously if the relationship between you, as the label, and the group is not working and you have already made efforts to repair the problems at issue without success, then move on.

The only thing to perhaps consider is ethically, are you planning on cutting this group loose in the middle of an ongoing campaign for a record you and they have just released? If so, consider working out some kind of plan to continue promotion of the project (if this makes economic and business sense for you) so as to help the group maintain their career while looking for a new label situation and to help you sell more units of a project you are already invested in.

Relationships between artists and labels can be strained at the best of times and not every artist is right for every label. Here’s a couple of examples: 50 Cent, likely to be the biggest hip hop if not pop success story of this year was signed by the hot Trackmasters production crew to Sony/Columbia where he languished for a few years releasing only a couple of well-received street singles and recording an album that was shelved. Not to pick on Columbia again, but they also had Alicia Keys signed to them via their label deal with producer Jermaine Dupri before she jumped to j records and became the biggest pop/R&B success of last year.

The one caveat to take from this is to try and explore a possible artist signing from every angle before committing to a deal. The relationship between a record label and an artist is like a marriage but with not only the emotional investment of believing in the artist’s creative vision but also the financial commitment of recording, developing and promoting an artist. With those kind of stakes in play, a lot of due diligence needs to be done before commitments are made on either side. While I say this, trust me when I add that even the most successful of labels don’t always follow this credo.

Q. Dear Ian: I have recorded a Hip Hop/R&B/Latin demo and put together a press kit. I have a total of 20 songs and picked out my best 5. I'm ready to shop my demo to A&R reps and have selected a few to begin with. Since I hear that there are over a 100 submissions a day at each record label, how can I make my demo stand out and have them listen to it? (My music has been recorded in a professional studio and songs are hits from what I hear).  Thanks,  Sebastian.

A: Sebastian, reading your question, the #1 red flag that immediately pops up is your self-description of having made a “Hip Hop/R&B/Latin demo.” Are you trying to appeal to all these markets at the same time? Other than an artist like Jennifer Lopez, who is arguably the top priority artist within the Sony Music Group system with all the resources and marketing muscles that comes with that as well as being one of the top movies star draws around the world, trying to successfully cover all those bases as a new artist is probably an impossible task. Hip hop fans aren’t necessarily looking for Latin or even R&B music in their hip hop artists’ music and vice versa. Mastering a more focused musical vision should be your first step.

While I think you have done the right thing in recording a lot of songs and picking the best ones before you start sending out demos, try and use resources around you to make sure you have made the right song selections before you start sending out demos. If you have relationships with local music journalists, radio programmers, dj’s or retailers who work in your music style, consider playing them some of your music and getting their feedback.

Playing your music for these "objective ears" will help you in a couple of ways:

1) since they spend their time trying to identify and champion “hit” music they may be able to give you feedback on whether you are going in the right direction or not and

2) since they also deal with record labels all the time in their various capacities, if they like what they hear and think you have potential, they may be able to hook you up with some of their contacts.

As a new artist, you need as many friends in this 'biz as possible.

Q. Hi Ian, I am a 17 yr old girl from Australia, who has formed a group with a close friend of mine Matt, 31. I was just wondering, due to our large age difference, will it be easy or hard to get signed? Our music is 'mainstream' for Australia, and we have sold about 300 of our debut home-made CDs. Help!! Thanx heaps Ian!! --Casey

A: Casey, first of all, I applaud you both for selling 300 copies. While this isn’t a huge number of units, depending on the amount of resources you have put behind promoting the CD, selling, even this small amount shows some dedication on your part and some interest in the marketplace in what you’re doing beyond begging your immediate circle of friends and family to buy your music. Selling a huge amount of your indie CDs on your own takes time, patience, and some serious marketing strategies. But you can do it!

As for your question about age, while that is a pretty significant age difference, it is not an insurmountable problem from a marketing perspective. First of all if the music is working, this is really the key. People aren’t really going to have a problem with how old you both are if they love what they’re hearing. Also with the right styling and imaging, the difference between you can be minimized or played up in way that makes it intriguing or interesting to consumers.

While I won’t claim to have cure-all answer to this question, the one thing I will say is that if you continue to focus on writing and recording great music, your other “problem” will work itself in one way or another.

Q. Ian: What should be in a cover letter? Can you give us a "template" of the perfect cover letter to include in our press kits? Please??????? Really, I'm serious. A template. Thanks man, Juztafide.

A: Juztafide, I have covered this question before in previous columns so I’m going to reiterate the points I made then.

First, a cover letter is irrelevant if the music is great. You are in the market to be an artist not an executive assistant. As long as your contact information is included and you don’t insult the label or the A&R exec you are writing, you should spend more time worrying about the quality of the music accompanying the letter.

However, here is my guide to writing what I consider an effective cover letter that, if you follow it, you can use for a “template”:

First make sure the letter is individually addressed to each person you are sending a package to, contains no spelling errors and highlights any key points that could hook in interest from a record executive.

Information should be conveyed in bullet-point form, which lends itself better to catching the attention of short-attention span A&R's (or their assistants) who may only quickly glance at your package to see whether it warrants further attention. Relevant information would include:

- the name of any one who may have made a referral to the particular person you are sending your demo to,

- key sales or airplay data if you submitting a package of an independently-released project,

- other notable marketing data such as whether you have toured with or opened for national acts etc.,

- the names of any marquee musicians or producers who may have been involved in the production or recording of your demo and

- the names of any other key industry players who may be involved in your project, if that involvement is significant. For example, "We have just signed for management with The Firm..." or "CAA has already signed us for tour bookings" would likely catch someone's attention if either were the case.

If none of these points are applicable, keep the cover letter to the most basic but relevant points: who you are (e.g. "we are a 3 man alternative/punk group"), where you're from and what kind of a demo you are submitting (e.g. "this is an 8 track, home-studio recorded demo...," "self produced," "produced by Joe Blow..." etc.) and, most importantly again, how to contact you should be clear and easy to find.

The tone of the letter should be kept professional, but light. End the letter by thanking the A&R in advance for their time and attention in listening to your demo. The whole thing should be no more than the equivalent of 2 short paragraphs in length.

Peace,

Ian

This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  Website Back	Ian Steaman
	Ian Steaman is an A&R and marketing executive with almost 20 years experience in the music industry. Most recently he was the General Manager of Tommy Boy Music's Urban Music division where he guided Urban acts such as Coolio, De La Soul, Naughty By Nature, House of Pain, N.O.R.E and many many more to Grammy award-winning, multi-platinum sales success.
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Comments (1)

dear ian

dear ian: im an Artist that got more than one talent
i rap and sing.and i really want my music to get signed
its just that im afraid to upload any of my
music on any site just so nobody can steal any of the ideas or music & lyrics and i really need your help ian
so ican take the right steps.
i just want my music to be safely published
im really willing to take my music to the next level.
i just want to know how can i have the access to be heard safely, i've recorded
many tracks and i want to post atleast 2 or 3 of them ,plus i want to know how can an artist get signed
especially if he gt what it takes.
thanks alot ,zigzag.

ZIGZAG , September 29, 2009

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