Marketing Music
Will
Griffin
Talent Contests or Searches:
With large national contest/searches, as with the major labels, your chances for getting discovered and getting a break are pretty dim and grim, even if you are indeed by far the most talented. They do have a value to help someone face their fears of rejection and failure and tend to make artists rehearse and practice to seriously present their artistry before an audience and tough industry insiders.
Local talent shows are also as meaningless as an indication of how successful an artist might be. Many times a club or bar will have a "Battle of the Bands" as a means to get free entertainment, to draw a crowd for food/beer/liquor sales. Bands thus bring their own following, so the tavern owner have another means to bring more customers through the doors. The cover charges usually pay far more to the tavern, than may be the total value of the prizes. And food, beer, and liquor profits are usually pretty good for them too.
These talent searches, contests, and "Battle of the Bands" do not generally sell artist product, benefit artists in furthering their career, nor to get paying gigs. If you choose to do any of these in your area to get some kind of local exposure, you will need to work the crowd, more than you do on-stage (while in the crowd), by talking to patrons, passing out cards and selling CDs and t-shirts yourself.