How to get signed today: what labels look for, and a realistic route in
Labels now scout from streaming and social data, so getting signed starts with finished releases and a real audience. Here is what they look for, a realistic route, and what a deal asks of you.
Want this done for you? See our YouTube music video promotion service. Related reading: Label services vs distribution · EPK for musicians · How to promote your music. Or browse all music guides.
Key takeaways
- Labels scout from streaming data, TikTok velocity, Shazam spikes and social growth, and filter out artificial streaming (Berklee). Bought numbers work against you.
- The odds are long: the UK's competition regulator counted 153 new signings by the major labels in 2019, while around 400,000 UK artists were streamed in 2020.
- You do not need a deal to be on Spotify. A distributor puts your music there, and Spotify says more than a third of the artists who earned $10,000 or more from it in 2025 were DIY or began that way.
- Have a music lawyer read any contract before you sign. Blue Leopard Media cannot get you signed and has no label contacts.
The short answer
Getting signed today mostly means showing a label an audience and finished music, because labels scout from data. The UK's competition regulator counted 153 new signings by the major labels in 2019, while around 400,000 UK artists were being streamed in 2020. Blue Leopard Media cannot get you signed and has no label contacts, but our music marketing builds the audience a label would check.
What labels look for now
Berklee's career pages say an A&R research analyst sifts streaming platforms, TikTok velocity, Shazam spikes and social growth charts to find unsigned talent, and builds models that filter out artificial streaming noise. A label's A&R executive discovers and signs artists and coordinates the recording with managers and producers.
Berklee publishes no checklist, but that process points to four things. Independent labels sign too, though no public count of their signings exists.
- Finished music that is already out, not a demo.
- Real listeners: saves, repeat plays and watch time.
- Growth between releases, online or at shows.
- A page a scout can check in a minute: bio, links and contact.
That is also why bought streams, bots and fake followers backfire. If a scout's models are built to filter out artificial numbers, padding yours only hides the real ones. Spend on reach you can show, such as a video campaign that people choose to watch.
A realistic route in
- Release independently. Spotify says distributors handle distribution and pay royalties, and most charge a fee or commission.
- Collect evidence. Three or four releases, a mailing list and a few shows show a scout you can keep going, and give you numbers to quote.
- Make it easy to check. Our free EPK template puts your bio, links and contact on one page.
- Approach fitting labels, the ones already releasing your genre, with a short email and two links, following their own submission rules. Do not send the same mass message to everyone.
Be wary of anyone who asks you to pay to be signed. The CMA says traditional deals typically involve significant upfront investment by the label.
Signing is not the only route
Staying independent is a real career path. Spotify's 2026 Loud & Clear data says more than 13,800 artists generated at least $100,000 from Spotify alone in 2025, and roughly half of its royalties were generated by independent artists and labels. The CMA also notes that fewer than half of the major labels' active UK artists are profitable for the label.
A deal buys funding and a team, and you pay for it in royalty share, time and often ownership. Some artists sign only after they have proved the audience themselves.
What a deal asks of you
For new multi-track contracts with the major labels in 2021, the CMA's UK data shows an average gross royalty of 23.3%, a minimum of 3.0 commitment periods, and label ownership of the copyright in perpetuity in 26.4% of contracts. Costs are usually recouped from your royalties first.
How the options compare:
| Label deal | Distributor only | Blue Leopard Media | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your share | About 23% royalty on new major-label deals | All revenue, less a fee; 10% commission is common for DIY (IPO) | No royalty share: a payment per release, from $249 |
| Recordings | Often owned by the label | Yours | Not affected: you pay per release |
| What you get | Funding, A&R, marketing, distribution | Delivery to streaming services | A YouTube campaign with guaranteed Google Ads views, plus a feature with your cover |
| Best for | Artists with proven momentum who want funding and a team | Artists who want control and low cost | Building audience evidence first; not a route to a label |
Have a music lawyer read any contract before you sign. Musicians' Union members in the UK get up to an hour of a specialist solicitor's time free. When your next release is ready, contact us and we will plan the audience around it.
Sources
- Competition and Markets Authority: Music and streaming final report (29 Nov 2022)
- UK Intellectual Property Office: Music creators' earnings in the digital era (Sept 2021)
- Berklee: A&R Research (career role)
- Berklee: A&R Executive, record label (career role)
- Spotify for Artists: Getting music on Spotify
- Spotify: Loud & Clear 2026 highlights (11 Mar 2026)
- Musicians' Union: Contract Advisory Service
Frequently asked.
How do you get signed to a record label?
Release finished music independently, build a real audience, and make your bio and links easy to check. Berklee says analysts scout from streaming data, TikTok velocity, Shazam spikes and social growth, then label A&R teams sign artists.
Do you need a following to get signed?
In practice, yes. Scouting runs on streaming and social data, so an audience and a release history are what a label can check. A demo alone gives it nothing to measure.
Do you have to be signed to be on Spotify?
No. Spotify says to work with a distributor to get your music there, and that a signed artist's label usually already works with one. Most distributors charge a fee or commission.
Should I pay to get signed?
Be wary. The CMA describes traditional recording deals as involving significant upfront investment by the label, so a company asking you to pay is selling a service, not signing you.
Can Blue Leopard Media get me signed?
No. We have no label contacts and do not broker introductions. We sell YouTube campaigns with guaranteed Google Ads views and an editorial feature with your own digital cover, from $249 per release.
Keep reading.
Label services vs a distribution deal vs a record deal: who owns what, who pays, and the split
Label services vs distribution vs a record deal: who owns the masters, who pays, the split and the term, with figures from UK government research.
Read the guide MusicEPK for musicians: what goes in an electronic press kit, and who reads it
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Read the guide MusicHow to promote your music: a week-by-week release plan for independent artists
How to promote your music in 2026: a week-by-week release plan, from Spotify pitching and pre-saves to YouTube ads, Shorts, press and a $0 to $1,000 budget.
Read the guideShow a label an audience.
A YouTube campaign with guaranteed Google Ads views plus an editorial feature with your own digital cover, from $249 per release, planned around your release date.