*Note: This article is written from the standpoint of recording artist shopping their music and in no way warrants or guarantees a record deal from the advice given within
Its every artist, songwriter and producer's goal to get their music in the hands of the right people. Though there is no set rule on achieving this, there are some pretty common do's and don'ts. In this section, we’ll help to assist you in preparing to shop your music We will cover everything from the actual recordings down to the packaging you use to 
send your material. With that said, let's begin digging into how to your music heard by A & R’s.
First and foremost, lets start off with exploring the core of what you're ultimately trying to sell: your music. What tends to happen is, artist focus 10% on the music and 90% on shopping. Actually, it should be the other way around. You should make sure your music is together before you ever start shopping to anyone. Remember, you only get one shot and first impressions are usually the only impressions.
A major factor of any record is the quality of the recording. The quality of the lyrics, vocal, instrumentation and equipment used to record the track can alter a lot. I'm going to start with the lyrics because it's the substance of what you're doing. If you were to strip the music from a song you have nothing. Your lyrics should be strong enough to hold their own, meaning your lyrics say something that a majority of people can identify with. They invoke a certain mood, and of course it helps if they are catchy. Cutting vocals is a hard task to teach but there are some things to look for that identify good vocals. A good vocal will sound authentic. It will bring to life the mood of the lyric. The instrumentation or music, should be strong but also compliment the vocals. Take Usher's hit song "Yeah", produced by Lil' John. The track was relatively simple yet it complimented Usher's vocals. Last but not least, is what you choose to record on. You don't need multi-million dollar equipment to produce a quality recording. However, whatever you use shouldn't distort your record. Together, everything should work as a whole. Note that your record doesn't have to mastered to be presented, but a good mix is mandatory.
Once you have accomplished that, your music is ready to go onto the next stage of preparation for shopping: >>>>>>>>what?
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