Article: http://music3point0.com/2017/02/23/4-things-record-deal/ Author: http://www.bobbyowsinski.com Bands tend to think that the holy grail is scoring a record deal. I imagine a lot of that thought process comes from the need for validation of their art. There is nothing wrong with that but in this digital age a recording contract is not necessarily the end game. Many a career has been established at the hands of many independent artists for many years. But nothing can change the fact that whatever your goals are, if you want an actual career in this business you need to build some kind of foundation and fan base with your music. I and many others put a lot of stock in bands that can build a strong social media presence early in their career. However, Blasko recently came across a post written on Music Three Point 0.com by Bobby Owsinski that somewhat argues my position and kicks it back old school.   He writes:  It wasn’t that long ago that A&R execs at record labels were scouring the online platforms, looking for acts with the high view numbers, page visits or Likes. All that’s changed as artists and their webmasters became more sophisticated in gaming the system by using bots or fake users to drive up their numbers. Today you can easily purchase big numbers of views or likes for a relatively small amount of money, but does that actually help you get that elusive record deal?  Gone are the days of A&R executives scouring artist's social media to determine an artists popularity. Now, these executives have in many ways fallen back on older methods of gauging whether an artist will be a label success. Here, we look at four factors they are likely to be considering. Do you actually draw an audience when you play a gig?Do you connect with an audience in a live show as well as you do in an edited video?Are you charming and memorable in off-the-cuff interviews and interactions?Do you actually sound good live? In this episode, we go over each question with real world examples. We encourage you to send any questions/comments you may have for us and the podcast. Email Blasko at askblasko@gmail.com. Follow Blasko on Twitter and Instagram: @Blasko1313 Follow Mike Mowery on Twitter and Instagram: @Mikeoloop Get Mike’s “Music Management Primer – The Business of Being an Artist” at OuterlopCoaching.com  Use the code: mentalflag to get $30 off your next order at ArtistFlags.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices