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Presenting Your Demo
By Just Plain Folks Mentor John Braheny
I think it's always enlightening to get a scenario of what happens behind the
scenes in the office of a person who listens to demos. Here's a sample from my
own experience and that of friends who torture their brains and eardrums in the
all-too-often futile search for that killer song or sound.
You should know that if 5% of the songs are in the ballpark, they're doing very
well. They engage in this masochism because they know that when they find that
one-in-a-thousand song that brings tears to their eyes and makes the hair stand
up on the back of their necks, they'll forget about all the bad ones they just
listened to. The rejects aren't even all bad. Some have lots of imagination and
no craft and some have lots of craft but little originality. The right
combination of ingredients is rare but they know it's there somewhere. They're
anxious to find it as soon as possible. Some listen in the order they receive
the tapes. Most others don't. What they do is look for the most likely
candidates.
First, they look for the names of writers they already know are good. That's
where the odds are best. Next, they listen to tapes referred to them by other
industry people whose tastes (or power) they respect. Next, when faced with a
stack of anonymous tapes, they look for a package that is professional, neat
and imaginative. They hope the songs will show those same qualities. The odds
still aren't great but they're several points above the lowest. The
least-likely candidates are the ones that look like the sender doesn't care.
The lyric sheets, if any, are scribbled illegibly on the back of a menu and the
cover letter with no return address says, "I no thees songs wood bee grate
for Garth. Pleez sen them to him." What do you think the odds are that
you're going to find a really 'grate' lyric here? It's not about bad spelling,
but about not caring enough to find someone who can check the spelling. It's
easy to get the impression that this person doesn't care enough to find out how
to write a good song.
Though the above scenario is most common, don't get the idea that all pros
listen in the same way. I've heard stories from A&R reps who were actually
intrigued enough by that funky looking package to open it first and who have
actually found something worthwhile. If you want to play the game with the odds
in your favor, however, you'll pay attention to these guidelines.
NOTE: With the advent of technology that lets you cut CD's at home, and
play CDs in the car, this medium is increasingly popular. They're lighter, easy
to mail and more convenient to listen to. Ask before you send, but when in
doubt, send cassette tape. Audio Files, however, are the most convenient (see
below). Don't send DAT tapes unless specifically requested.
Here is a checklist that will maximize your chances of getting heard and
respect the listener's time.
1. Never send more than three songs unless specifically requested otherwise.
Demo listeners like watching the "in" pile diminish and the
"out" pile grow as quickly as possible. If the listener has a limited
time to listen, which is usually the case, the tendency is to listen to a
tape/CD they know they can complete. So if you send a demo with ten songs on it
and someone else's demo has one song, you can bet that the "out" pile
will grow quickly with one-song demos. There's also the psychology that
implies, "I've sent you the song you need!" This is particularly true
in pitching songs to producers for a specific artist. Along those same lines,
most people resent getting tapes/CDs with 20 songs and a letter that says,
"I know you'll like at least one of these, so just pick out what you
want." They want you to do that and send them three songs or less. songs
you totally believe in. If you're not far enough along to be able to decide,
you're not ready. When sending CDs with more than three songs, highlight three
you want the listener to focus on first, and include the numbers of the cuts in
your cover letter and lyric sheets (so they have a reference while the CD is on
their player and they can't see the label). If they like those, they'll listen
to the others. And please, remove the shrink-wrap!
2. Place your best and most commercial song first. If you have a strong
up-tempo song it's a good bet to start with that. If they don't like the first
one, it may be the only shot you get. If you're sending a cassette, put all the
songs on the same side and put the label only on the "play" side.
3. Never send your original master tape or CD. You may never see it again and
it's not fair to saddle its recipient with responsibility for it.
4. Always cue your tape to the beginning of the first song. You don't want the
person to start listening in a bad mood because you just wasted his time making
him rewind your tape. When you make your copies, leave four seconds between
songs. Most cassette decks have an automatic search feature, which finds the
silence between songs, stops the fast-forward and automatically starts playing
the next song. Obviously, this isn't a problem with CDs. If your CD contains
more than the first four you want heard, clearly mark on the on the CD and
printed insert, which ones you want them to hear.
5. Send a lyric sheet, neatly typed or printed. Letterhead is impressive. It
says "This is my business and I take it seriously." Some don't like
to look at lyrics while they listen, but most do. It's a time saver to be able
to see it all at once and to see the structure of the song graphically laid out
on the page. Lead sheets (with melody and lyric together) are not sent out with
demos. They're good to have at the point where a producer wants to record your
song and you want to be sure he/she has the correct melody, but since the
current copyright law permits tapes to be sent for copyright registration,
their importance has diminished. Lead sheets are bulky to mail, it's too
difficult to follow the lyric and visualize the song's form, and many industry
pros don't read music anyway. It also pegs you as a songwriter over 50 who has
no experience in submitting demos since this practice went out of style about
25 years ago.
When you type out your lyric sheet, separate the sections of the songs with a
space and label each one (verse, chorus, bridge etc.) at the upper left side of
the section. Do not type your lyrics in prose fashion. Lay them out with the
rhymes at the ends of the lines so the structure and rhyme schemes of the song
can be seen immediately.
6. Make sure there's a copyright notice (© 2001 I.B. Cool, All Rights Reserved)
on the bottom of the first page of the lyric sheet and on the tape or CD label.
Technically, this isn't necessary but it alerts everyone that your song is
protected, whether it's copyrighted or not.
7. Cover letters should be short and to the point. Let the music speak for
itself and avoid hype. A professional presentation will do more to impress
someone than "I know these are hit songs because they're better than
anything I've ever heard on the radio," or "I just know that we can
both make a lot of money if you'll publish these songs." Avoid the temptation
to tell your life story, and don't explain how you have a terminal disease,
you're the sole support of your 10 children and if these songs don't get
recorded they'll all be homeless or worse. In fact, don't plead, apologize or
show any hint of desperation. It only gives the message that you have no
confidence in the ability of the songs to stand on their own.
Here's what should be in your cover letter:
a. It should be addressed to a specific person in the company.
b. It should state your purpose in sending the demo. Are you looking for a
publisher, a producer, a record deal for you as an artist? Do you want the
listener to pay special attention to your production, your singing, your band,
or just the song? Is it targeted for a specific artist?
c. List any significant professional credits that apply to the purpose of your
submission. If you want your song published, list other published or recorded
songs, contests won, etc. If you're a performer submitting an artist demo,
resist the temptation to grab at weak credits:" I played at the same club
that (famous star) played. Tell them what drives you, what inspires you. Keep
it short. List real sales figures. Don't lie.
d. Include any casting ideas you might have if you're pitching to other
artists.
e. Ask for feedback if you want it. Odds are you won't get it but give it a
shot.
f. List the songs enclosed and writers' names in the order they appear on the
tape/CD. (Lyric sheets should also be enclosed in the same order the songs
appear on the demo.)
g. Thank them for their time and attention.
h. Include your address, phone number, Website URL and e-mail address (if you
have one).
8. Send a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) if you want your tape or CD
back. There are two schools of thought about this. On the pro SASE side, if you
don't want to lose all those tapes, you can't expect to get them back without
it. There's another school of thought, though, that if you say you want it
back, you're assuming they won't like it, there's no guarantee that you'll get
them back even if you do send a SASE, in which case you're gambling even more
money, and worse could happen than that your tape or CD sitting around a
producer's office. Your decision may depend on how many tapes you can afford to
lose.
9. Your name, address and phone number should be on the tape or CD, box, and on
every lyric sheet. It seems like such a common sense request. In fact it would
be embarrassing to even suggest that you might forget to do it if I didn't see
it happen constantly. The problem on this end is that, between listening
sessions at the office, the car, and home, it's so easy to separate the tape
from the box or lyric sheet. Once they've gone to the trouble to find your hit
song, not finding you is a fate they don't deserve.
10. Be sure you have adequate postage. Also, don't send your tape in an
ordinary stationery envelope. It's risky because rough postal handling could
force the edge of the tape box through the envelope. Use a special envelope
with an insulated lining. Some people also prefer the soft "bubble"
tape box because it doesn't have sharp edges and it's lighter to mail. CDs have
an obvious advantage in this respect as there are very lightweight sleeves
available for them.
The main thing to remember is to make your demo submission as easy as possible
to deal with.
USING THE INTERNET: YOUR DEMO AS AUDIO FILE
An increasingly popular strategy is sending your demo as an audio file. It's
rare these days that a record company, producer or manager doesn't have a high-speed
Internet access line. Obviously, many of the above suggestions don't apply to
sound files.
Giant Records A&R Executive, Craig Coburn says: "In the future, I
would love to see people soliciting the record labels - whether it's artists,
managers or lawyers - using the internet. I'd like them to send me a letter
asking me to check out their web site rather than sending me the music.
We're not getting that many electronic submissions yet and I'd like to. When
I'm talking to people, I encourage them to send MP3's The Quality of MP3 is not
exactly up to the quality of a CD, but it's absolutely close enough for an
A&R person to hear the music and to know if it's something that excites us
or not. (Music Connection 01/01/01)
The most popular formats are MP3 and RealAudio. The fidelity is not quite CD
quality but still adequate to show them what you do. There are a couple
different procedures for this:
1. Send an E-mail with the audio file attached. Follow the suggestions listed
above for cover letter (Include phone number(s). Also include your website
address so they can click it and go directly to it. When they get to your site,
they'll hopefully find additional bio material, photos and lyrics.
2. Just send them an e-mail intriguing enough to get them to go to your site
and hear your music there.
Indie marketing guru Tim Sweeney suggests that because of the limited amount of
time someone may want to spend at any site and the degree of difficulty their
online access speeds may present, it's important to help them decide quickly
which of your songs may be of most interest to them. You can help by providing
a short description like this one provided on the site of Franklin Spicer and
Valerie Ford's Pegasus Project, a soft jazz, world music group.
One People
The first song Franklin ever heard from Val was a reggae tune she had recorded
called One People. He really liked the positive message and the infectious
chorus. Franklin talked her into doing a rewrite and making it a Pegasus
Project tune. They wanted to share a positive message of how we all are part of
one global family. This song was shaped from a number of African musical
influences, including the Tuku style. The huge chorus backup vocals were done
in two days of recording using seven different singers.
Note that the description includes information on the style, what it's about,
why it was written and how it was recorded. Their site also includes lyrics to
all the songs.
Your demo will introduce you to the eyes and ears of many music industry professionals.
Take this introduction very seriously. It's your job interview. It should look
good, have something important to say, and say it well, There are a lot of
other applicants for the job. The pros are looking for the best. Be it!
John Braheny, is the author of the best selling Writer's Digest book "The
Craft and Business of Songwriting," a Music Biz Magazine columnist, a
JPFolks mentor and a songwriting/music biz consultant. Contact him at
john@johnbraheny.com, and read more of his work on the Just Plain Folks Home
Page in the Mentors Section.