Form a band. If you aim to be a singer in your own right, there's no need to do this. But to become either an individual singer or part of a successful band requires talent. Make sure the people around you are as talented and committed as you.
Practice. This is absolutely essential. Work on your singing or playing until you know your songs back to front. Experiment with different styles and genres of music. Make sure your sound is unique, or at the very least, marketable.
Play gigs. No amount of practice substitutes for the real thing: getting up on stage and performing. Not only does this stage time help make you a more polished band or artist and build up a fan base, it also rewards you for all those hours spent practicing.
Create a website. To get noticed these days, it is important to have a digital presence. Create a MySpace Music account and sign up on websites such as Unsigned Band review (see Resources). These websites are full of useful tips about how to land a record deal. They are also a good way to build a fan base.
Send tracks to record companies. The old method would have been to send a CD by mail, but if you know a contact's e-mail address, send them links to the tracks you have posted online. It saves them and you a lot of hassle. Showing the record label you already have a considerable fan base online doesn't hurt, either.
Invite record label scouts to your gigs. Sending tracks or e-mailing links is all well and good, but a record label wants to see you play live. Concerts, after all, make up the majority of a label's revenue these days.
Network, network, network. Make contacts online and in real life. Go to gigs and talk to people who work in the music industry. If they can put a face to that name that keeps popping up in their e-mail inbox, they are much more likely to take your dream of landing a record deal seriously.