how do iget a record deal?

Answer 1

Get yourself and your music out there as much as possible. Play as many gigs as you can - no matter how big or small. If you can record a demo, I suggest you do. Sell it at your gigs. If your local radio station has a local "homegrown" show, get yourself on it. The local music venue near you that brings in national acts - make friends with their booking people. If a national comes in without an opener, clubs often book their favorites. (label people often come check out their acts in big cities like NYC, LA, Chicago, Miami, etc.)

DO NOT waste your time sending your demo and presskit to record companies unless they ask for it. They all have policies against accepting unsolicted matieral - and anything they get goes right in the garbage. Reason being - let's say you send your demo to a record company and one of the artists happens to hear it and uses one of your songs or writes one that sounds just like it. You'd be p*ssed, right? You'd probably sue to get your name on the song or some of the money it makes, right? Yep. Hence the "No-unsolicted material" rule.

I have friends who got Atlantic records to see them because the best friend of the girlfriend of an A&R rep liked them and the A&R guy heard the music. I have other friends who got signed to Sony records because they got their name out there. There was once a showcase at a big club in NYC that they didn't make the cut of, so they played on the street OUTSIDE the club. 90% of it is right place, right time.

Answer 2

you have to know people... try to set up a myspace music account and people will look at you and see if they like your stuff...