How to Find Music Industry Contacts and Grow Your Career

What music contacts do I need?

If you're making music as an emerging artist or band, you'll eventually reach the point where you need some outside expertise from various music industry contacts. Here's just a few examples of where input could be needed to propel your music career to the next level:

Finding a great recording studio and producer to help capture and elevate your sound

Getting exposure for a new single, EP or album release by reaching out to radio stations, music blogs & press or finding a reputable music PR company

Building a solid team by working alongside an artist manager, booking agent, record label or music publisher

Expanding beyond your local live music scene into other UK towns & cities, by reaching out to gig promoters and grassroots venues

Meet music industry contacts IRL at gigs, conferences & workshops

Making connections in real life is always one of the most effective ways to meet new people and build relationships. So whether you're out and about at gigs, or plan to attend music conferences and workshop, be mindful of the face-to-face connections you could make.

You may have any idea of who will be at a particular gig or music workshop. If you're heading to a music conference you can always check the attendee and speaker list to try and pinpoint any music industry contacts you'd like to make an effort to chat to.

If you're able to swap email addresses or Insta handles, then be sure to follow up in the next 24-48 hours with a short message and a link to your music. There's some great tips in our blog here about preparing ahead of networking events, how to strike up a conversation and how to follow up after your meeting.

Make connections online

Making meaningful connections online can be tricky, but it can serve as a good jumping off point to connecting in real life further down the line. You can use a professional networking platform such as LinkedIn and search for roles suitable to you - A&R, artist manager, radio plugger, music supervisor, booking agent. Don't just request to connect, but make sure you engage with their posts & activity initially, before reaching out properly.

You can use social media, such as Instagram and TikTok in similar ways, by searching relevant hashtags. And you can also track down useful contacts via SoundCloud and Bandcamp, where you may find promoters or labels commenting and engaging with similar artists.

Use music contact databases such as The Unsigned Guide

Accessing a database tailored specifically to emerging artists & bands can be a time-saving way to tap into all the music industry contacts you may need, in one place.

The Unsigned Guide music industry directory is a useful resource containing thousands of UK music industry contacts including record label A&R, artist managers, music publishers, booking agents, gig promoters, venues, radio stations, music pluggers, producers & more.

Filter your searches to find contacts for your genre, and save and organise music contacts for specific projects, such as planning a release or booking a tour.

Find out more about The Unsigned Guide here.

Get introductions from your network of musicians

Tap into your network of musician mates to ask for their recommendations of industry contacts they've worked with who may be able to help you. If you can be given an introduction, all the better.

Get your ducks in a row before reaching out

Before you start flooding inboxes, step back and view your artist profile through the eyes of an industry professional. Do you have a professional biog or EPK (Electronic Press Kit)? Are your social media channels active and consistent? Most importantly, is your music polished and easy to access via a high-quality streaming link? You only get one chance to make a first impression, so ensure your branding and digital presence are as impressive as the music itself before you start building your network.

What NOT TO DO when reaching out to music contacts

Of course it can be tempting to gather a list of email addresses for music industry contacts and mail them in bulk with your new track. But this is NOT the way! Reach out individually and make it personal - reference a single they've produced or released that you love, or a band they've worked with who you admire and has influenced your sound.

Check out more tips on how to make a good impression when submitting your music here.