I am currently in a band that has been active for only about 4 months and I was wondering if anyone had any advice on how to get into the music business. Any advice would be great thank you.

depends on what you consider the music business to be and what you're expecting to get out of it. how many shows have you played?

based on the idea that your band is ready to try breaking into the business after 4 months but you don't even mention anything about how many songs and shows you're band has under its belt, or even the most basic press kit i'm going to assume you're still a minor.

unless you were born to a mom with a disney cock in her mouth then you're not getting anywhere until you hit legal age. if you happen to be 'that' good you'll get noticed by some other local musician type who'll know people who know people etc. like through a local music teacher.

going back to the press kit. you don't need a full on high quality pro kit to start out and get a gig at the club down the street, but at the same time it's how you present yourself (and your band) to a lot of potential future contacts. do not half ass it. again it really depends on whether or not you want to be considered a serious commercial band or just one of a group of friends having fun on the weekend.

bare minimum is a brief bio of the band, maybe an 8' x 10', and most importantly a good demo disc.

demo discs are also kind of tricky, a lot of people just consider them to be low quality versions of their future albums. this is WRONG. the purpose of the demo disc is like the demo to a video game or the trailer to a movie, it's made to entice the audience into investing time and money into your thing. in this case the audience is booking agents and if you're in a busy area these people are getting tons of discs per week.

having said that, start your demo with your best song, have other people decide what your best song is too. a lot of times musicians want to choose songs that show off their talents as being their best work while the audience prefers something simpler. as for the quality of your demo, if you can't afford a half decent recording device or studio session for a demo disc then you're probably not ready for a stage either. it doesn't need to be pro mixed and mastered but at the same time it has to sound a bit better than a vocal track recorded on your pc over an instrument track being played on youtube. a simple clean 4 track recording should be more than sufficient as a demo. most music stores offer a rental service if you don't own one too.

i know it seems like a bit of a bureaucratic hassle but there's a whole hell of a lot more of music than the sounds you hear, especially if you want to do it for a living.

Listen to this guy, he's saying exactly what everyone I've ever asked this question of who took me seriously has said. Probably the best advice you'll get. But let me add, you have to have extreme tenacity and positivity to go for this. In other words, if you knock on a door and no one answers, or if someone answers but tells you you suck, just find another door to knock on. Listen to criticism, when someone says they don't like what you do, ask why and take it to heart.

I run a review thread on another forum and when I tell people they make crappy music, lots of times the response is, "You just don't get what I do! You have no idea what you're talking about!" And with that kind of attitude, you can expect to get nowhere. You have to be thick skinned, ready to hear what people think, take it to heart, and modify if necessary, if you can't do that cause your feelings will get too hurt, find another career choice.

Wow. In today's world, I think you guys are giving the wrong advice. Don't worry about getting "discovered".

1 - Play as many shows as you can possibly play. Play for free. Play at parties. And keep playing. Even if people don't like you at first.

2 - Record, record and record some more. Try to find some experienced local musicians who can help get you rolling. In this digital age, recording is way more fun than it was in the old days with a Tascam four track (from when I was your age). Don't need that much gear to put together rough recordings.

3 - Use social media online. Do a myspace or facebook page. Share your music. Get a fan group together.

4 - And did I mention play as much as possible?

Good luck!

this is great advice for someone who wants to be a musician, but the OP was asking for advice to get into the music business. not quite the same deal.

I think it's obvious that while he said "break into the music business" he didn't mean that, he meant get signed. That's like saying, "We're a new rock band from Ohio and we want to know how we can become part of Artist Relations at ASCAP!

this is also top notch advice and very important. although really the individual has to make the choice between wanting to be a musician and wanting to be an entertainer that plays music before really pursuing either side of the spectrum.

myself, i'm a musician, i don't care if you like my music or if you hate it, i'm gonna play it the same way on a stage as i do in a jam room (not that either has happened much at all in the last year or so )

for an entertainer you need to be able to take shots and keep smiling. my cousin plays in a local country rock band and it is work. their songs are crafted and polished and they do listen to constructive criticism. part of being in the industry is selling product and in order to successfully sell product you need to know what the market wants. the supplier does not dictate the demands of the market.

Exactly, the beatles sent their stuff all over to label after label before even being considered, then when George Martin gave them a chance, he told them their songs still sucked and made them write all new ones. Don't let a no keep you from knocking and reknocking on that door.

Hhhmmm. I guess we read the question differently. I still take it that he means that he wants his band to get discovered. I don't take it that he really means the "business" side of the music industry. But I see how you could read it that way.

Maybe flyingtigers89 should revisit and let us know

he's probably too busy touring right now