How Recording Artists Have Made Records

Most often aspiring bands will get their start by making demo tapes and doing live performances. It's their hope that a record company will pick them up. Demo tapes are usually made in garages where the band members use their own equipment or in places like music stores or studios where for a fee bands can record their songs.

Elvis Presley got his start when he went to Sun Records studio in Memphis wanting to record a couple Gospel songs for his mother. Producer Sam Philips liked his sound and had him record a song in the new rockabilly style. The record played well and Elvis was eventually signed to the major label RCA where he stayed tell his death. Johnny Cash also got his start with Sun Records shortly after Elvis did. He was much more proactive about it. He was turned down a couple times so he waited on the curb outside of Sun Records waiting for Sam Philips to show up. Philips listened to a couple Gospel songs and then recorded Cash singing Cry, Cry, Cry. Cash also released several records with Sun until signing on with major label Columbia where he stayed for most of his career.

Bands are also have been known to release albums on their own. The band Everclear recorded their first album Sound of Noise on $400 in a basement. The distribution of the album wasn't great but it was enough for Capital records to notice them and sign them on. Nirvana likewise recorded their debut on $606 but their's was done in a studio and before being likewise signed on they distributed 30,000 copies of the album. John Mayer released an independant album that got some radio play and unlike Everclear and Nirvana actually had singles from his release released and distributed by his major record label. Country music artist Alan Jackson played for his producer several tapes of songs he had written which were rerecorded and released until Jackson fifth album.

In more recent years the internet has played a part as well. Bands can distribute their work via Myspace, iTunes or other providers. The band Radiohead credits the filesharer service Napster with its success. Whatever the case has been in the history of popular recorded music it has remained that an artist much sacrifice on their own to have a record. It takes a record company that has the recording and distributing capabilities to make the artist popular and commercially succesful.