It's really hard to get a Record deal. An artist writes and writes and writes, giving up weeks or months of his life, dedicating himself to putting words down on paper. He puts off having a family, or doesn't spend much time with the one he has. He works all day and then comes home, locks himself in his room, and writes. Once he's finished, he submits his Demo to agents and publishers and what does he get? Nothing. Sometimes, not even a letter saying “Thanks for sending us your stuff, but we can't use it at this time.” Sound familiar? Hiphop instrumental artists are going through the same struggle. You've spent a long time writing your music, getting the beats just right, practicing and recording. You've put off important life events like having a family or going to college, or you've ignored your family, to pursue your dream, and you're sitting here, without a record deal, thinking that no one is going to buy beats if you can't get signed. The thing is, many authors have decided that rather than going through the whole submission process only to get turned down yet again, that they will simply publish their books themselves. With the internet, it's surprisingly easy to publish a book. Their market may be smaller, because they aren't in big bookstores or having publisher-sponsored book signing events, but they're making more money than they would be if they had never published at all. Independent publishing isn't just for authors, though. In the past, hiphop artists have relied on giving away free beats in the hopes that people would buy hiphop instrumental music from them. But we know this isn't working. Free music does not serve as an introduction to a new artist-it serves as a substitute for people who are too broke to buy beats. The real pay day for you as an artist comes when you sell beats, and the truth is, you don't need a record label to do that. Yes, this goes against everything you have ever been told. Everything you have done since the day you realized you could rap, was to try to get a record deal.

Anyone can upload music to the i-store. You can sell beats on Amazon, and some other independent sellers as well. And when you self publish your hiphop instrumental music, you don't have to share the profit with the record company. Sure, you're going to have to arrange all of the promo this way, but if you're going to be paying for promotion anyway, why not make it on your terms, on your time, and with you making all the profit? You've put this much time and effort into writing, practicing and recording your beats. The thought of releasing and promoting your music yourself might be a bit overwhelming, but it's something that will bring you an amazing return in the end. You may never play a major arena or ride in a limo, but maybe, just maybe, you can make sure that your family has what it needs. Right now, how much are you making from your music?