Anyone you speak to who has made a career in the music industry will tell you that it's a business of hard graft, passion and commitment. But once you've written your song or put your band together, what happens next? How do you get the gig, the promotion, the manager? How do you get people to hear your music?

Click here for the A to Z of releasing a hit single, or here to learn about the skills needed to get your song noticed.

Industry insiders give an insight on what the people who surround you will focus on, while Honey Bianchi, who has worked with the likes of The Who and Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, gives her top tip for what'll make your band stand out.

Get your music heard by fans (and potentially the record labels) by putting it up on a personalised page on a social networking site like MySpace.

Alternatively here is a small selection of sites you could try that enables unsigned bands to showcase their talent (there are many more, do a google search for your country):

    Sellaband is a 'social music' site where you can upload your music for free. Visitors to the site can choose to invest in an artist they like and when a band hits $50,000, the operators of the Sellaband take them to a recording studio and promote them to the record labels. The money invested in you by your backers then pays back out, based on your success.

    CD Baby is an online music store that sells CDs of independent artists direct to consumers. It can also submit your music along with other indie tunes to the leading online digital music retailers.

    indiestore by 7digital allows independent artists and labels to sell their music direct to their fans online. A do-it-yourself digital music download service, indiestore artists can sell their music through a self-generated and managed store.