SethJackson

Quit planning and start doing. All plans fail when confronted with the enemy. By this, I mean to just get out in front of people and start playing your music. Whether your songs are complete or not, just get out there. If you don't want a full band, check out Sarah Saturday. http://sarahsaturday.com/ She has a mixture of pre-recorded and live instruments she uses to play live. Don't let the lack of band mates prevent you from achieving musical goals! Seeing an audiences reaction to your music is the best way to know if you are doing it right or not. Always be writing new music. Don't make the mistake of coddling your handful of songs, waiting for them to be 'perfect'. They never will be. Record them. Move on. Write something new. If you want to go the YouTube route (which is excellent), check out the band Pomplamoose: http://www.youtube.com/user/PomplamooseMusic They don't play live, but have successfully used YouTube to sell their music online and get their music licensed in commercials. (They don't even have a good internet connection!) Getting "discovered" shouldn't be your goal. Engaging with people that like your music should be the goal. My opinion. Quit planning and start doing. Don't worry about perfection because it doesn't exist.

Personally, I know nothing of major labels other than to avoid them! However, despite my distaste for them, I spoke with Blasko (bassist for Ozzy Osbourne), and he had some good points. First, a band must have leverage in the industry. As John was discussing, a musician needs to understand the business and economics of what they are doing, AND then need to put it into action. A band that can be profitable first is the one that labels want. The more successful a band, the more leverage they can have when negotiating a contract. (A band with no leverage is going to get screwed!) This concept of leverage applies across the board. If you can sell out a venue, you can negotiate a larger cut of ticket sales. If your music videos go viral, businesses will want to sponsor you. Furthermore, Blasko says that major labels are good for one thing: writing a big check. If you need $10,000 for a top notch music video and another $10,000 for an excellent studio and producer, a major label can give you that money....(though that might be the only money you'll ever see)