In past few years I’ve found many young singers completely don’t understand the basics of how to start a talk with a record label. I feel I’m in the mood today to give a 101 class to those who wants to have a music career and don’t have a clue how to start it. 

Dear Young and Self aclaimed Singer;

I’ve carefully read your email,  and I decide to give you some very honest suggestions – if you really want to enter the industry of pop music which by the way is not remotely as fancy and glamorous as it seem to be. Consider this email as a late spring festival gift.

Music business is show business. As a new singer you have to learn how to present yourself – that means:

a)      have a professional photo session taken and make yourself look astonishingly fabulous and SPECIAL in those pictures before you send out any pictures to management companies or record labels in my case. Remember we have all levels of beautiful people’s pics on our desk every day – and most of them even really pretty ones just aren’t special enough to be a star. Do not send out blurry pics that people can’t even see your face – it’s a waste of both your and that other people’s time. By the way the word special here doesn’t mean 1) no face expression or with a face expression of a moron (I don’t understand why there are people think that’s really cool),  2) looking at camera as if you have just lost RMB1000, 3) half of your face coverd by a tree or a dog, and etc.

b)      when you record a demo – do it right, it’s REALLY easy and cheap to record a singing session very professionally these days, if you don’t know how to do it – search online, ask people, figure it out, you have all the time in the world. Do not send out something that you don’t believe (that it will absolutely “wow” people) . Do not send something that 1) was recorded with the mic of your laptop, 2) was recorded with the mic of your mobile phone, 3) was recorded with the mic of a head phone, 4) was recorded in a netcafe or your shower, and etc. If you are a singer/songwriter – choose your best songs, if you are not a singer songwriter, chose 2 or 3 songs that represent your voice in a best way, again – normal or even “mum says I’m quite good” voice is not enough.

c)      If you really can’t write songs, learn to perform. All great singers are great performers. You need to dance like Katy Perry or sing like Adele (they both write songs by the way). And you have to be SO BRILLIANT to make it compensates the fact that you can’t write songs (example: Madonna). This cannot be done overnight, you need to practice on stage – start with small shows in your community, then local livehouses and whatever opportunity that you can get to perform. And when you are convinced that your performance is good enough – film it, film several songs and cut the best bits to make your own showreel.

d)      start a webpage of yourself as an artist, on myspace or whatever the trendy platform that kids use now. Put your recordings, your videos, you pics on, start a fanbase, talk to your fans EVERY day. If you are interested in mainland China area, learn what are DOUBAN and WEIBO and start to use them. Generate as many initial fans as you can YOURSELF, that what artists do nowadays. 

e)      when writing to any record label -  use their language. it’s only luck that the your email came to me, most of the staff in this office doesn’t speak much English – same applies to most record labels here in China. 

 f)       you are very, very young, please learn to write songs! Believe me it’s much more fun to sing your own song with your own words and express your own personal feeling, also it’s just so much cooler. 

 These are my advices for you, they may sound a bit harsh but I guarantee you they will help.  If you still consider to make music your career, please have a serious think about all the above and maybe get back to me again in the future.

Yours Sincere, 
A&R People