Word man thxs. What im gathering is i should first focus on making a brand for myself and making a network of connections. I have a few connections but in terms of reaching out to the general masses idk how id go about that. I was thinkin maybe put together almost a simultaneous entrance into the market, make a signature design for myself an put my shyt on youtube, soundclick, soundcloud, etc. I already tried getting myself out there once but i didnt have the material or the knowledge to put it together. From what you said it looks like I should hold off on having my own site for now. Mayb when I see actual rappers interested in my beats ill move in that direction. Also I have some work comin out with some artists so when that comes together i might start a site an have my credits an shyt there.
When it comes to making connections online, is twitter/instagram the way to go or should i be emailing A&Rs and what not? Like i said i have a few connections and my uncle makes music videos for the biggest names in music so maybe my path is laid out already. Im supposed to be in this group of producers and the guy i talk to says hes tryin to get us signed to labels, dude got offers from sony and universal an now hes a intern at mmg. Ive been sendin him beats an i just asked him whats goin on with the group but hes kinda dodgy, he only rly talks to me for beats or to tell me crazy info. Hopefully hes keeping me out the loop on purpose so I can do my own thing in terms of getting better.
Social Networking is definitely a great tool, and a lot of connections have been formed through it. For example that's how J.Cole linked up with one of his main producers "Elite" and now they both are in better places. Nothing is wrong with sending beats out to A&R's you never know what could happen, but I wouldn't bet my future on just sending beats out to A&R's. I would take the next step of going to conferences, and meeting people offline as well. With social media, Face to face meetings have become all the more valuable.
Twitter/Facebook/instagram that's great as long as you have the footwork to go along with it. Who are you going to lookout for first someone you know/met personally, or a person who just sent you beats over the internet. In terms of signing with a record company, it all depends on your situation, sometimes signing a record deal isn't always the best thing to do. People covet it because they believe that signing a record deal is the holy grail to success. Sometimes record deals help, it all depends on the situation and what you are trying to gain.
It's also great to have people with great connections to the labels or those that work for the labels pitching your music, however even with that, getting a placement is difficult, because there are a lot of things that go into getting a placement.
Basically you want to get out and build relationships with everyone. When it comes to your brand you want someone to say "Oh...I know that guy!" When everyone knows you its easier to build and sustain success. (I started this post when the forum was being updated so there was more information and part of the question that I didn't get to or got cut off. As always feel free to ask me anymore questions you might have.
