Getting Signed: Hit The A&R Blogs

In our series getting signed we discuss what everyone is really looking to do, get a record label. Despite all the options for an artist to go it on their own these days, many artists want to get on a label and who are we to argue? We are here to help! In this series we will give you the advice of what to actually do once you have a finished demo/EP in hand.

One of the often overlooked ways to get the attention of labels big and small is to get on one of the attention of Internet’s A&R blogs. There are a few sites that aggregate which bands are worth checking out for the labels of the world. These sites are a respected source of information as to who is worth checking out. If you play music that is massively accessible, it is a huge mistake to not try to get your music to the people who run these sites. After the jump I will give you an introduction to my three favorite sites that do A&R aggregation.

Crazed Hits is an awesome A&R blog that keeps very current with the zeitgeist of music today. In addition to aggregating which artists are worth checking out, they do fantastic video interviews with the music industry’s biggest players. They takes submissions via myspace links only here.

The Daily Chorus is a great musicians resource. In addition to aggregating the hot bands of the day they also post great music industry news and thoughts on a regular basis. While the site leans a little more pop punk/emo than the rest, they do take on a wide variety of music. Another site that is worth checking out to keep up on what is going on in the industry even if you are not looking to get your band on to the site. You can submit your band by posting on their forum.

Kings of A&R has been on the Internet since dinosaurs ran it by running in a mouse wheel. They have always been a current and relevant source of which bands are up and coming in the industry. KOAR keeps it mostly to buzz and industry news with the occasional rant thrown in for good measure. They take submissions via email here.