Ever dreamed of singing a national TV jingle or earn a living singing in the studio? As a former talent booking agent for the William Morris Agency and after singing countless national TV commercials, I can tell you that singing for a living is very rewarding. There's very little else satisfying then to know that you're earning a living, doing what you love! So how do I get there, and break into the jingle and session singing market you ask?
It all starts with your voice, but ultimately ends with these next few steps. And the problem is, that many try to avoid what this business really calls for and they end up back at their day job and dream every now and then about what they could be doing. The problem for most singers, is they want it now, without any costs, and without any effort. "Let me try to find someone online who will represent me" - really? Who are they going to represent? What's in it for them? The average talent booking agent, works a very long and hard day securing dates for acts that already have momentum. Why would they bother to try and find singing gigs for someone without any recognition?
Before you think that all hope is lost, there is another way. This way though, does take time, does take resources, will not be overnight, but you can see your career grow into singing national TV spots if you will follow through with these next few steps.
Let's start with your jingle singing reel. This is where it all happens. You absolutely must have a fantastic sounding jingle reel. There are no substitutes. Don't record into your laptop or think that poorly made video clips are going to get it, because they simply won't. You have to have a jingle reel that spells wow, the whole way through. This will either make it or break it for you. For years, we've helped folks with their jingle reels and getting started, and it never ceases to amaze me, at just how much people are willing to spend money on, but they don't have it to record a professional jingle reel. They'll spend $4 at Starbucks a number of times a week or on appetizers or fairly expensive alcohol when they go out, but they don't have money to spend on their career. If you want a career in this business, you must invest in your jingle reel and your career.
One of the biggest misconceptions is that folks will buy a usb mic, plug it into their laptop and think, "Gee, I'm ready to go." When in reality, their reel, will no more stand out, get recognized and earn them work and a business that will grow, than doing nothing at all. We can not stress this point enough - record a great sounding jingle reel that showcases your singing abilities.
What you will do when you record your jingle reel, is to include enough styles, say 7 - 8 jingles, that have different genres, showcasing your ability to sing them and to wow the listener. Your reel should move along and probably not every spot will get played fully on the final reel after individual spots have been recorded. What most do, is to create a montage of all of the clips and generally they keep the reel no longer than 3 minutes. Keep in mind that like A&R Directors, the jingle houses will listen to a few seconds and keep listening if they really like it. So make your reel pop from the beginning and only include what pieces turn out really well. It would be better to not include all and have a great sounding reel, than to include every spot and every second of every spot and it not be your best.
Once you have decided which styles to include, you must secure a studio of good reputation to record your tracks and vocals. If you need to enlist some help on the writing side of the original jingle tracks, feel free to contact us for suggestions and ideas. I'm sure there are others out there as well, but it's harder than you would think to find companies willing to write jingle production tracks specific to singers. Once you have your tracks in place, you are ready to sing your lead vocals and background singer parts, if the tracks call for it. Be very specific about your singing delivery, being deliberate about your pronunciation of each and every word.
You might consider taking a few weeks to practice your spots and have them right on, before recording in the studio. Oftentimes, this produces better vocals and doesn't cost as much as you're not "practicing" in the studio as you're recording. We highly recommend that you take some time on the front end, to practice, come up with background harmonies and have this in place before the recording of your vocals.
Our next article will focus on marketing and what needs to follow after your reel has been recorded and produced. We get many questions regarding the marketing part of the equation and so we will write to that extent in the next article in this series. This is a key concept, so watch for this next article and don't hesitate to contact us with any questions. Singing jingles and commercials is an obtainable goal!
