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Saturday, 12 June 2004 |
One of the primary ways major labels look for up-and-coming artists is what is known as “the research method.” The reason they call it “the research method” is because it is based on the reports the major labels receive from Broadcast Data Systems (BDS), Mediabase, and Soundscan.
One of the primary ways major labels look for up-and-coming artists is what is known as “the research method.” The reason they call it “the research method” is because it is based on the reports the major labels receive from Broadcast Data Systems (BDS), Mediabase, and Soundscan. As Bryan Farrish has discussed in his recent articles, these are companies that track airplay (BDS and Mediabase) and album sales (Soundscan). Major record labels pay large sums of money to have complete access to this information, for both unsigned and signed artists. The A&R people at the major labels can access this information and even have programs that sift through to display only the unsigned acts. Once that information has been distilled, the A&R person then reviews all the artists on the list. The artists with the most compelling research (highest amount of sales and/or airplay) will soon get a phone call or e-mail from the A&R person asking for their material. The artists found in this manner have a much better chance of getting a record deal as opposed to artists without research.
The reason the major labels use the research method is because it has proven to be a good indicator of future sales. In fact, one of the first bands to do this was Hootie and the Blowfish. They had sold 25,000 copies of their EP before they got signed. Every A&R person at the major labels had solicited their material because of it. Hootie’s first album went on to sell over 14 million copies!
The research method has increased in popularity since then. Today, every major label has a least one A&R Research person (in fact, some labels don’t sign anything that isn’t researched-based!). The research method continually proves that it is a reliable model as evidenced by current bands such as P.O.D., Creed, and Sugar Ray, just to name a few.
For the artist, the research method provides a great deal of benefits. The first benefit for the artist is that it shows, by the amount of sales and airplay, that there is a demand for your music. When major labels see a large demand, they know there is money to be made and they are more likely to invest in them (side note: an album in today’s market takes a minimum of $1.5 million to release nationally!). Another benefit of the research method is that it puts the artist in a position where they have more leverage. This will prove to be useful not only in getting a better recording contract but most likely receiving higher priority at the major label once they are signed. And the third benefit to the artist is that even if the major label does not promote the artist’s music (for whatever reason), the artist has the built-in insurance policy that their fan base will still buy the album. Chances are that once the major label sees higher sales (especially when the album is first released), they are more likely to put marketing money behind it. This increases the odds that the artist will be successful.
For the above reasons, I encourage all artists to sign up with BDS, Mediabase, and Soundscan. Not only will it increase the odds of getting a record deal, but will most likely insure longevity for the artist.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 12 June 2004 )
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