Create a unique brand of music within a specified genre. Choose your niche, whether it be folk-rock or electro-pop. Write songs following standard genre principles, but break free from the form. Perhaps you could write a country song and include a fuzzed out guitar to go along with your slide guitar. Music industry professionals are looking for marketable bands that fit tried and true molds, but are always on the lookout for the next big thing. The music industry can be fickle and what's big Monday will be old news by Friday. This principle applies to songwriting, stage presence and image. Follow form and trends, but feel free to break away from them.
Create an outstanding press kit. Record a CD of your three best songs. Get a professional picture taken. Include a bio, press clips, merchandising and other vital information along with your CD and photo in your press kit.
Record labels receive massive amounts of press kits on a daily basis. Make yours stand out. Write your bio from a unique perspective. Perhaps you could write a fantastical story about your band that never happened, but highlights the group's image. Experiment, but don't go too wild. What labels are looking for are artists with professional materials who can show they've been taking the right steps and doing hard work. Send your press kit to record companies and other businesses that fit within your market. If you're a heavy metal band, don't bother sending your press kit to a pop label. Press kits, in fact, rarely lead to record deals. They are a mere scratching of the surface in your goal to get noticed in the music business, but you should nonetheless make one.
Network like crazy. The best way to open a door in the music industry is to have a friend who can open it for you. Attend seminars, festivals, shows and any other music industry gathering relevant to your career. Meeting a record executive at a bar and simply being social can lead to new possibilities. Put yourself out there, but be respectful and courteous. Everyone else in the industry is trying to make connections too. Don't be phony. Try to make real connections. For example, a songwriter might strike up a conversation about music with another songwriter with industry connections that may lead to a songwriting collaboration and open doors.
Brainstorm new strategies to reach your audience. Be different. California rock band The Matches drew attention to themselves by playing acoustic guitars outside of big-name concerts. Book your own shows. The Matches did this as well, producing their own L3 (Live, Loud & Local) shows.
Take advantage of the Internet. Dallas, Texas emo band Forever the Sickest Kids, posted their song "Hey Brittany" on PureVolume and received so many plays they ended up signing with Universal Motown, having never played a show. Create pages for yourself on every social networking site available. Post videos on a regular basis. Hold contests offering free merchandise or CDs.