Develop your talent. Study with a voice or instrument teacher and practice consistently. You'll need solid musical skills if you expect to achieve a record deal.
Record three to five of your best songs as a demo CD. Distribute this CD to record labels and radio stations.
Create a publicity packet to accompany your demo CD. This packet should contain professional pictures of you or your band, a description of the type of music that you play and your musical background and experiences.
Search for small labels that might be interested in your music. You can perform searches online based on genre or location. One site that offers this type of service is Allrecordlabels.com.
Contact potential record companies to see how they prefer you to submit material. If possible, deliver your material by hand so that you can make personal connections with people at the label.
Audition for the record label if asked to do so. Perform a range of songs that showcase your abilities.
Build your fan base by playing live music in public as much as possible. A record label will be more likely to sign you if they know you already have fans who are likely to buy your music.