Continuing the ultimate guide to breaking into the music industry, welcome to Step 2 of our 4-step series.

There can be no doubt that being signed to a record company can mean the difference between playing to a worldwide audience or only a dozen people in the local pubs and clubs. The competition to get that deal can be fierce, with unsigned bands and artists around the world vying for record company attention - with few actually achieving it.

You may know what record companies do in general, but it is vital that you understand how they are structured. This audiobook will tell you who’s who and what’s what inside a typical record company. You will benefit when you know, precisely, the roles and responsibilities of each department and how they directly impact on what you’re trying to do.

We take a look at the A&R department, the producers, promoters, and publishers - each department is outlined in detail, giving useful information on how they work and their responsibility to you. You will also learn how to overcome one of the most difficult hurdles in the process of becoming signed to a label, which is the art of drawing attention to yourself.

Learn how to stand out from the crowd and how to create a solid, loyal fan base that will do much of the publicity for you, making the A&R teams sit up and take notice. For next to no cost, you can achieve an online global presence, build up an army of followers, and upload videos of your performances. You can increase your chances of being noticed by a record company with such a profile in place, so take these tips on board now and get ahead of the game.

Being signed to a record company is just part of the whole package. To avoid encountering any major problems and disappointments, you will want to surround yourself with a team of professionals on whom you can depend to offer the best advice and the best service.