1. Don't rush things. Take it step by step. Becoming a pop/rock star, takes more than a few weeks work!

2. Ambition is all important, but be realistic. Have a goal and work towards it, bit by bit. But remember, even Shania Twain took a long time to fine tune her vocal skills before she hit the big time. Don't push yourself until you're ready. Develop your vocal or instrumental skills, your songwriting and your image. Even your dance routine may need careful choreographing if you fancy yourself as a pop act. Get your act together before you look for a manager or launch yourself on an unsuspecting world.

3. Get your friends and family to listen to your music. Ask them for their honest opinions! But listen to friendly strangers more.

4. Always be self critical. Ask yourself how you can improve your songs and performance all the time. If you've got a camcorder at home, video yourself and look at how you can make your act or set even better. Compare what you see to how current 'superstars' look.

5. If you're keen to develop your instrumental skills, music magazines like Guitarist and DJ mags can sometimes provide useful tips. There's also some very good 'teach yourself' audio books and CD’s which you'll find in your local musicshop/bookshop.

6. Start reading music magazines. It's good to know what's happening in the music biz even if you just skim through ‘Billboard’, ‘Rolling Stone’, ‘NME’, ‘Tuned’ or ‘KERRRANG’, magazine.

7. As your music develops, it's worth reading music biz magazines like Music Week [the music industry's magazine], the Stage [good for checking out auditions nationally] and fanzines [free in music shops and good for info locally]. Future Music and Sound on Sound offer good advice and information on the latest technological equipment - ideal for DJ's, producers and dance music types.

8. Think about your image, don’t go stale - hair, clothes, style and presentation are all VERY important !
Look at current trends - but you must be one step ahead of the game by coming up with something different and fresh..

9. Don't send out demo's to record companies too soon. Do it yourself at first. Don't go anywhere near a label until you're absolutely ready. It's a common mistake to start contacting record labels too early. It can often take several years to get to the right point to be sending out material. It's also best to send out via a well respected manager. Record labels have A & R [Artist and Repertoire] reps who check out new talent. They are looking for the next big thing but they want talent that is well developed with something a little “different”. They're likely to sling your demo in the waste bin if you send them a CD made in your bedroom on a dodgy PC or if it features off-key, out of tune vocals, badly played guitars and drums, or a weak sounding version of a popular chart hit by Madonna, Emminem or KT Tunstall.

10. Never send a demo to a record company or music industry person unless you have phoned them first and they say it's OK to send a CD. Even then, you may not get a reply.
Since 9/11 no Industry folk will even touch an unsolicited demo in a jiffy bag...would you?

11. Develop industry links. It's essential to have friendly journalists on your side to give you decent write-ups and reviews.

Demos
1. Put your best track first.

2. Catch the listeners attention within the first 10 seconds. Make them want to listen to more.
3. Only send 2 to 3 songs on a demo.

4. Get the best producer you can afford

5. Always put your name and phone number and every conceivable contact detail on the CD label PRINTED

First Gigs

1. Don't gig before you're ready. Practice until you're confident you can perform in front of an audience. Make sure that you're well rehearsed.

2. Try for small gigs at school, college or in your local church or community hall.

3. Use your first gigs to try out various songs, sets and running orders. Perfect your performance and decide on a set that you're comfortable with.

4. Make every gig a special event. Create a buzz. Think about sound, lighting, presentation and the order of the songs in your set. Look and sound professional even if there's only ten people watching, Always do your best - you never know who might be in the audience !

5. Play a couple of try-out gigs before launching yourselves at a bigger venue.

6. Turn up early and be well prepared, have spares.

7. [If you are young] Get your family or an adult to help with transport and equipment. Make sure the stage set up is safe and the electrics have been checked by an expert.

8. Get the audience involved. Talk at them, [but only if you have something of relevance to say...rehearse the talking!.] 'work them', get them excited! If you're a pop act, you might use choreographed dance routines. If you're an indie or rock band, build up the excitement. Save the best till last and go out with a bang!

10. Keep your set short and sweet. Don't bore the audience by playing too long. Make them want more. A 20-30 minute show is ideal.

11. Be prepared for a few failures. Not everyone gets it right every time. Make sure you learn from things that go wrong.

12. Once you've started playing gigs, don't forget to tell your friends and fans. Posters, leaflets and fliers are good ways of publicising your gigs, and these can be produced cheaply and run off on a photocopier/pc printer.

13. Don't do too many gigs in one area.
Keeping it Live - Next Gigs
1. Once you've built up a good crowd at your gigs, think about playing in larger venues. Build things up over time.

2. Start thinking about doing gigs outside your immediate town or city. Build up useful contacts in other areas.

3. If you're at school, think about putting a schools tour together. You'll need to get your music teacher or head to speak with other schools.

4. Once you've built up a following, think about starting a fan club, fanzine or mailing list. [Perhaps the most important part...database/fanbase...your e-mail list has to be 30,000+ to be taken seriously by the industry, currently Myspace is the database builder of choice, among young bands particularly, but be aware that if Myspace disappears you have NO other way of contacting these people unless you have their real e-mail address]
You can start your own mailing list by collecting the names and addresses of fans who come to your gigs. Then you can send them information about future gigs, merchandise and band gossip. But remember keeping a mailing list going costs money (in stamps and envelopes/notepaper). [But Emailing costs practically nothing...except your time]
Producing a fanzine can be a cheap and easy way of publicising your band. If you have access to a photocopier and word processor, it couldn't be easier. [Again - a weekly or monthly Ezine with audience pics. in costs next to nothing!]
Band Biogs
If you are planning on getting gigs, you may be asked for a band biography. A band biog is a one page description of who you are, what sort of music you make and any highpoints in your musical career so far.

1. Your artist / band biog should be typed and not hand written. Make it look attractive to the reader.

2. Keep the biog short and simple - no more than one page.
3. Include any good quotes from reviews in the press if you have these.

4. Try to give the reader an idea of what sort of music you make.

5.Biogs are also useful for sending to journalists and record labels if you are mailing out demos.
Hot Shots
1. Include photos with your biog if you have good, professional looking ones.

2. Photographs should be simple and eye catching. No dodgy snaps.

3. Make yourself look striking and interesting. Simple but striking is best.

4. Always put your name and phone number on the back of a photo. [Print ALL your contact details - plus the title of the pic. on a label and then stick it on the back of the picture]

What Next?

A lot of wannabe pop/rock artists never get beyond dreaming about being the next Robbie or Trivium. If you want to be a pop/rock star, there's likely to be plenty of hurdles along the way so don't be afraid of failure. On the other hand, if you don't put yourself in the picture, you won't get anywhere. Only 0.1% of acts get signed to a record deal and end up on 'MTV' but that shouldn't stop you trying if you think you're good enough. Who knows, you could end up sharing the stage with Coldplay, The Rolling Stones or Gorillaz at the MTV awards.
Especially if you know and understand the 14 secrets contained in…
”So ya wanna be a Rockstar”