People from lables are JERKS!!!

[fry112]

So I have been talking with a very large record label (Dont know if I should say the name)But they seem to be very interested in my music until I just got another call back,, Basically I am not sexy enough for the label, everything fits in place other than my face the person I am talking to said I am way to old !! im 28! and that I need to loose weight !! wow ! I know I got some shit to fix but damn...But the good part is , they told me that if I fix these issues I def need to contact them again!! ha I need some input on this BS and I will also post a picture of myself I guess since my sound is sexy I need to bring sexy back!!

[simonparker]

ur hot. Well Fry, welcome to my world. No one at the majors told me I'm fat and ugly for two reasons - one, they didn't have to, I already knew, and two, I wasn't looking for a deal, my clients are. But I feel your pain. It took me a while, but I finally gave up trying to bargain with "record companies" that it's about the music and not the look.... So having said such, I only work with clients between the ages of 13 to 24. Anyone over 24 I don't bother since no one I know at the labels will be interested. Sure there's the exceptions and AC/DC is almost in their 60s, but for new artists, if you don't have serious interest by the time you're 21, forget it. And if you're 21 and just starting to get interest from ppl, you better push hard to get that deal before your 24th birthday.Anyway for the 2nd part of what you write - not attractive enough, I remember in a call with Jeff Blue, who is an A&R consultant over at Jive, the topic of "the look" you just discussed came up. He mentioned that at his previous gig, there was an artist that had great music, but was a little overweight and didn't "dress very well". That artist didn't get a deal.We deal with pop culture much more than music in today's industry. Sure there are exceptions to the rule - there might be the occassional Axl Rose or Kid Rock, but even these artists fit in just as well in pop culture as their music. If you're not looking the part and under the age of 24, you're going to be fighting an uphill battle. This has become ever more the rule since the start of the 360 deals. With such deals, the "record company" (I now call them Marketing boutiques) are seeing where they can get maximum $$$. Most of it comes now from touring and product endorsement. So unless you're as pretty as Britney, you're in for a lot of hurting. And it doesn't matter if your songs are better than Britney's if you plan on using them for you as an artist.In fact, in my experience, record labels aren't as concerned about the music as much the dazzle of the artist...whether that artist looks great, can fill seats in concerts, and bring in revenue. No longer are they looking for ugly bands with drug problems that will evolve their music. They are looking for pretty boys with great songs but even more important, able to fill seats in the arenas.

[guscave]

Welcome to the majors in the 21st century... This is one of the reasons most Artists today prefer to go independent. The majors are looking for the 15 to 21 year old with less than 2%body fat.

[southpaw]

Jaboy, first off, i downloaded your album.. And listened to it yesterday, and it is awesome. Your vocals remind me a little of Jay-Z, but with more soul and a more diverse message. I was very impressed! And the beats were so refreshing.. Jazzy + groovy + Bluesy, just refreshing.Congrats on getting the interest of a big label! It rubs me the wrong way to hear the things the label told you. I could see it being an issue if you were trying to be a boy-band like artist, but a rapper? C'mon.. Hearing what simonparker said-also stings pretty tough for me personally, as well. Maybe this is just the hard reality of the business...? Man this kind of ruins my day. I guess life-experience and a perspective are of little to no interest for record labels...? Im a bit sour right now, so ill zip it before i lose my cool.. But you have talent man, keep at it.~J

[mojobone]

I hate to bring this up again, but every major record company turned down the Beatles. They were told that guitar bands were on the way out. This, just prior to what is now referred to as The British Invasion, sparked and led by who else but the Beatles? So that's today's music industry, the one described above, but you should concern yourself with tomorrow's music industry and start building it today. Start by finding one smart hardworking (hopefully) connected person who believes enough in you and your talent to start working for you now, for what you can afford to pay her now. Put yourself out there and start building a fanbase, because, just like Metallica, the industry will ignore you until they can no longer ignore you. Consider yourself lucky they said no, because they tend to like acts that they can completely control, another reason they likes 'em young. A deal will come when it's mutually beneficial-when you're ready for the next level, it'll be obvious, and the deals will come looking for you.

[jchitty]

I'm gonna call this the Revenge of the Boomers....sooner or later, the industry's youth fixation is gonna backfire on them. Music sales are already in gutter, and for them to say 28 is too old, well, that's just sad. I know they like younger people because it takes a long time to develop an artist, but geez. I don't think you're overweight at ALL, but then again, I'm from the South, and we eat good down here.Take heart though, Fry, you got your foot firmly in the door....most people would never be able to even knock on it, so if you try to work with them, you're in if you want it bad enough.Good luck!

[billg]

Well, I think you should use this experience for inspiration and write your next song called "Kiss My Old Fat Ugly Ass" and in the meantime keep pitching to other labels and developing yourself as an artist.

[jchitty]

May 14, 2009, 12:24pm, billg wrote:Well, I think you should use this experience for inspiration and write your next song called "Kiss My Old Fat Ugly Ass" and in the meantime keep pitching to other labels and developing yourself as an artist.

[jay10music]

I'd like to throw down on this subject. I completely agree that the industry is too obsessed with youth. It's not ANYTHING new though. It's been this way for at least a couple of decades. Some of the blame can be placed on MTV and the age of the video.A valid reason the industry has had is that kids buy much more music than boomers do. Several people have tried to launch boomer labels, but have failed. It appears that we boomers are too busy with jobs, life and soccer practice. However, one could point to sales by artists like Celine, Josh Groban, Norah Jones, etc. to counter that argument. One could also point to the ticket sales for concerts consistently being much larger for classic bands/artists like the Eagles or Country acts that cross generations like Kenny Chesney.There's little doubt that 13-24 yr. olds consume the lion's share of music, but what has come back to bite the industry squarley on the butt is that the VAST majority of kids who consume music also STEAL the music they listen to. You'd think the industry would GET that, but they haven't yet. Then again, I have seen a few serious initiatives to court the boomer market die on the vine. Funny enough though, sales at legal download sites like iTunes show a pretty decent percentage of adults showing up.One valid reason labels don't like to sign "older" acts is that if the act is 35 when they get signed, they'll be 37 when the first record comes out. They tour the act for 18 months to sell the first record, then spend another 18-24 months working on the second record, and poof, before you know it, you've got a 40 year old artist on your label. That can work if the artist started out as a young'n and built their fan base over time... think Rolling Stones. But it's a tough sell to break and sell a 40 year old... never say never, but not a great bet.And yet one more valid reason labels don't sign older acts -- mature people who are married with kids, own a home, and have adult responsibilities don't make great touring acts. You can't count on them wanting to do their first couple of tours sleeping in vans and Motel 6s, living on shoestring budgets at best. Hell, I've known plenty of 20 somethings who've caved and run home the first time they got the girlfriend ultimatum, "Come home now, or I'm leaving you."Many a signed act has lost a key member or two because of that syndrome. It kills the label's entire investment when a girlfriend gets jealous that her BF is getting a little nookie on the side in the dressing room. Did you see Almost Famous? ;-)Songwriting and film/TV are easier on your bones, your relationships, and in the end, a better bet for long-term income. That's why yours truly has always been a champion of the two. Long before it was fashionable.Then again, playing in front of 20,000 per night is pretty intoxicating, and I've personally seen a lot of dressing room debauchery in my life time. Most men I know would have a hard time saying no to that... no pun intended. I wonder if Celine enjoys that aspect of her stardom? Prolly not... the ladies are much less, well... you know, ummmmm, how do you say it... never mind.ML

[fry112]

I think I am more shocked that "Hiphop" is now part of this watered down industry I mean come on I grew up on (Biggie) who's eyes went in all directions, and big pun who died from being fat..and I am not even close to being overweight plus I have over 100,000 registered female fans ! I think I am just pissed because I worked this entire year on a project I knew would get me signed and the first thing a huge record label says is "great music ! ugly face!" Also check out my albumhttp://rapidshare.com/files/229598718/Depression10.zipAlso check out a song I cut from the album called "Divorce" let me know if its good enough for the albumhttp://rapidshare.com/files/232732591/The_Divorce_Song.mp3Oh yeah they also told me that my album cover sucks but thats not the first label that said that! So I am hiring a new artist to dram me something else up, and I also booked me some time with the treadmill