ARCH ENEMY singer Angela Gossow has issued the following:

"How to get your band off the ground - start up advice!

I get a lot of questions regarding 'how do I get a record deal / how do I get gigs' from artists/bands. I have compiled some tips and asked Leif Jensen from Century Media for advice as well.

There is also a real niche for companies who offer such services/help for start up bands. One got in touch with me, he comes across being genuinely honest and experienced, so you might like to check it out: Studio 12/18 Entertainment - Band-Aid.

A record deal is not necessary anymore to become a successful artist. The poster boys for this kind of 'do it yourself' approach are the Arctic Monkeys I guess. There are quite a few bands who got big via Myspace alone. A label offers expertise and money for recording and tour support upfront. If you have a little knowledge and a few funds its quite easy though to do high quality recordings yourself, tour in a van and get somewhere. You need discipline, endurance and good songs for this. You probably wont be able to afford a producer.. It really is down to how well you can manage yourself. You need to be socially cabable of making the connections to other bands, promoters, bookers, a publishing company and distribution companies. It's a lot of work and a label covers some of these jobs.. If you are a bunch of gifted musicians but really want to focus on the music - that might not be sufficient enough to get off the ground. With or without label - there is lots of work to be done that has nothing to do with jamming tunes in the basement. Unfortuantely! But you are trying to get a foot in the industry. INDUSTRY. It's a business and if you don't find the right partners you wont go anywhere except the funeral for all your dreams and aspirations.

So, set your eyes straight on your goal and work hard. And don't forget to practice your instrument as well!

Promoting a new band today has become harder, but also easier in some aspects. There are too many quality/semi-professional bands and too many labels who are releasing albums which has lead to an overkill of the market. The kids simply don't have the money to buy all the albums and see the live show, so they download most or even all of their music 'for free'. This obviously leads to a severe drop in sales, the labels drop the bands.. and we start from scratch.

Best is the 'do it yourself as much as possible' approach. Use all the promotion tools and opportunities you can get. The internet offers a lot of possibilities. Host your own website, use Myspace, Facebook and Youtube. Play live!!!

Drop your demo and biography at (local) clubs and promoters. We - Arch Enemy- were basically going to play a show in Helsinki without a support act now, because the club/promoter couldn't come up with a support act! When I heard that (5 days before the show) I asked a bunch of people myself and Leif suggested a band we took on. A lot of bands misss out on that opportunity! SPREAD THE LOVE - ie. Your DEMOS/CDs!!!

You need to built a fan base. You can achieve this via the internet and playing live. You need people who believe in you, who support you, who will buy your album/come to the show once you get out there. When you have this kind of back up, it's a lot easier to catch a labels attention.

Leif: "Yes, of course the music is the most important aspect. Nevertheless, if somebody writes good songs but doesn't perform these live and doesn't show any self-initiative - than its def. not that interesting to me.. I prefer bands who work hard on all frontiers!

Timing, originality, an interesting general concept/image (cool artwork, pictures, good sounding demos and a professional look/design for example) make a huge difference. A band working with a good booker (even If its one of the guys in the band!) and a manager (can also be one of the band members) have better chances. It helps to push the band - the label is NOT the management and booking agency as well! These are services the label usually doesn't cover. So you need to go out there and find these 'partners in crime' yourself! This is obviously my subjective take on it, others might suggest a different approach."

There are some good books on this subject as well. You might like to check out these: Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook: 201 Self-Promotion Ideas for Songwriters, Musicians and Bands on a Budget

Myspace Music Profit Monster

Good luck to you all!"