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Leafs
by Gary E. Andrews - 03/04/24 12:47 PM
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Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 12
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OP
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I've been asking around trying to figure out how I should submit my demo to some punk rock, indie labels, and I haven't been able to get much help. The responses I've gotten elsewhere have been vague at best, or downright rude at worst. What I'm really looking for is an in-depth, detailed description of what I should include with my band's demo CD. It seems like the list is generally: 1.) A band bio, 2.) Our contact info, 3.) Our website/Facebook/ReverbNation/etc., 4.) Press clippings/reviews, 5.) Photos. All of this makes sense, but I want more information, or even a sample I can take a look at to get an idea of how to put this together. For example, one thing I'm uncertain of is if the band bio should be written into the cover letter and formatted like a business letter (like this: http://businessletterformat.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/business_letter_format_block_form.jpg )? Also, are photos really necessary? We have some live shots on our Facebook page, or do record labels (even local, indie labels) not take you seriously unless you have professional promo photos? Please help shed some light on exactly how I should put this little package together. Also, please refrain from nasty comments or other rudeness. Some other "musicians" I've asked about this have been really insulting and dismissive. I really want to put together something unique, attention-grabbing and exciting for these indie labels, but I want to do it the right way. Thanks!
Last edited by NNS; 03/31/12 12:37 AM.
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Joined: Sep 2005
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Joined: May 2008
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I am sorry to have to tell you this but sending a demo to a label will just be a quick trip to the round file. They don't really have time or interest to listen. Unless someone has invited you to send them a demo it just does not happen.
TFunk
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I highly recommend using your energy developing a following and relationships with someone at the labels in A&R. They don't want to put forth the money and effort to get you popular, they want you to be popular and selling your own cd's & t shirts to your regional shows. It is then they can envision a return on investment. Your in Brooklyn so find some labels in your state and make an effort to make contact with someone in A&R at a label who scouts your area. If you have that following, keep inviting them to a show until they come, nothing can replace them meeting you when you are rockin the house, they see you in your element and face to face meetings like that are worth more than a thousand faceless mail submissions that go in the trash.; good luck, get that following, tighten up, do that cd, make your own way happen and someone may want to join forces so you both make more money at some point, otherwise it is a very steep hill. All the roads are steep. If you insist on taking your route you should speak to someone there and get permission to submit and the name who invited you should be on the front of the mailer. Unsolicited submissions always go in the trash 1. because they get too damn many, and 2. their lawyers tell them to steer clear of the liabilities of unsolicited material. That's just the way it is.
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Hey NNS...
The above comments are sincere and truthful advice on what it takes to really get heard in the biz...no magic bullet...If you want others to invest in you...ya gotta prove yourself worthy..sweat, hard work, networking with others, and a provable fan base and talent are just a start...It is easy to get mired in the swamp...Unless your are golden there is no shortcut...Lotta sharks...Nothin' wrong with a dream... but it's a high cut in an extreme game of poker...The bar is so high and the pie so thin that many talented folks can't make a living...
This doesn't mean give up...just strive to be the best and enjoy the journey along the way...
Can't find the stairway to 'heaven'...but I know where the elevator is.
Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us" - Albert Schweitzer.
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Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 12
Casual Observer
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OP
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Thanks for the advice so far guys. A lot of it is stuff I've heard before, but I appreciate the sentiment.
Any advice on what I should send in to record labels, though? Writing tips? Do you recommend including a photo? Please refer to my original post for some of my questions.
Thanks!
Last edited by NNS; 04/02/12 06:12 PM.
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If you are on Reverbnation, you can sign up to have a press kit. It will guide you through making one. Needless to say, include only what makes you look good. No good sending bad music or photos. That does not mean you have to pay a lot of money for a photo shoot.
Other than that, nobody has the answer to your question because nobody gets anywhere that way. You need to be rubbing shoulders or calling on the phone.
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Hey NNS,
Have you been invited to submit material ?
If so, just a simple business letter, as brief as possible, just a few lines, and a thank you for the invite is fine, along with a CD if that is what has been asked for.
Generally, most stuff is done online these days. A simple email can work wonders. Once again, that's after you have established a solid enough working relationship to be invited. If not, a phone call can really be the best way to introduce yourself.
Another good tactic as a conversation piece is to say you're just starting out and would appreciate some advice. People are surprisingly open if you let them be.
cheers, niteshift
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Perhaps the reason you have heard ALL the advice before is cause it is the best advice. Ignore it at your peril. Most unsolicited stuff is sent straight to the trash without being listened to or even opened....FACT. First you must have something worth pitching so you need good quality recordings of great original material. In order to get heard you must be invited. There are two ways to achieve this. 1. You create a name for yourself by gigging and building a fanbase or by posting on some website like Youtube and getting a huge following with zillions of hits. Then you will be noticed and people will seek you out. 2. Do your research and homework and find out who best to specifically target your material to. You find out the individual for that label who makes the decisions and how best to contact them directly. You then contact them asking if they will let you submit. Many years ago I visited EMI studios in London with someone I used to work with. There were two huge unopened mailbags lying in the corner of the office...... they had just arrived that day. The office junior had the job of sorting out and dumping anything that was considered unsolicited in a huge skip outside. She said that out of the two bags maybe a dozen or so letters were expected and these could be identified easily without even being opened. They got mail bags delivered every day and sometimes she could not get through the door for other hand delivered stuff just popped through the letterbox by passers by. Nobody got buzzed inside the door entry system without being known or having an appointment. Now I am pretty certain that things have not changed and that this happens in every otherbig record company.
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Joined: Nov 2006
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Serious Contributor
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Serious Contributor
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"Sending Demo to Labels- What to Include?"
For starters...good songs. There are people that will tell you that there is one way to go about sending material. Like using business letters, shrink wrapped Cd's, Bio's, Press Kits, full glossy pictures and all that crap. Sure, if it make you feel better about sending people all that stuff then go ahead. It doesn't hurt to look professional. But I can promise you this...if the music you have created makes people feel something, then that matters way more than anything else. Looking good is important, but music is magic. My point is, send what you want. With that said, don't send a cd-r with the song titles written with a sharpie. Unless you draw really well. Books, Links, and all music business information are very useful to everybody. Take what is useful to you and use it. But the music business is not a by the book kinda place. It might actually help to do something different. You want to get a cd into somebody's office? Send some flowers to a top A&R chick somewhere, with a cd inside. I bet that would make more of an impact than a bio in business letter format. Guarantee it gets to her. For guys, have a bottle of champagne delivered with the label replaced with your album cover, and attach a usb key with your music to it. Point is, do things your way. Not necessarily how books tell you to do things. Books are a valuable resource for knowing how things are done. But you might find a way that works better for you
So, I was reading this thread and I just wanted to post a quick parallel about unsolicited material, and share some scattered thoughts...
In a modern world, you get pelted all the time with Spam in your email box, right? From people you don't know, right?...Now, do you reply to this Spam? Of course you don't. Because you don't know who sent it to you. How could any one be expected to get something in the mail and go, wow, I need to listen to this...right now, when you don't email back to people you don't know and say "Yes, I'll take all the Viagra you have, I'll take that free iPad too, and that Wire Transfer to a bank in China is on the way" Spam is a little harsh. So, you could change that to email from somebody you don't know, and have never met.
It's very similar to the music business. Someone you don't know has emailed you about their product, and you don't reply. Why expect a reply if you tried the same thing? Because you have something to sell? Doors get slammed in the face of lots of people selling door to door all day everywhere. You don't know them, you don't know what they are selling or why, and you don't care. Same with the internet. Just more junk, as far as you are concerned. Welcome to the world of unsolicited. These people don't want stuff they didn't ask for, any more that you do.
The old "proper" way to get your music heard is through somebody. Somebody that can help you. Without "somebody", it's hard to fight through the mailboxes, weird phone calls, or email that gets sent in copious amounts daily. Also, one has to understand that the music business is a very hectic, very busy place. In order for somebody to take time away from something important (work), there has to be a good reason. A cd in the mail, a phone call, or an email from an unknown entity, is not a good enough reason. After all, they have "people they know" to do business with.
Plus, 99% of the time the unsolicited music they get sucks...bad. Would you sit and watch an awful television channel for 24 hours straight, because you thought there was a glimmer of a chance something good would come on for 30 minutes, but you'd have to watch forever to get to it? Probably not. Then what if nothing good came on? You just wasted all that time for nothing.
Now, would it make more sense to listen to music that has a co-signer? At least one other person that thinks it's good enough for you to consider? Well, yeah. How about going to check out a band that has 1,000 people lined up at the door? Proof that it's good, at least to those people.
Advice - Use the internet as a tool. Get some fans, Prove you have sell able music, do shows, go to shows, meet people, be seen.
Getting into the music business isn't as hard as some make it seem. Everybody's path is different. For most, it is certainly a lifestyle. It's not just a job, or a career. You're whole life becomes it. It can be hard at times, and at times it can be great. Many people aren't built for what it takes to succeed. Many people don't realize it. It's kinda hard to grasp. Those people come and go. Believe it or not, there are people that are actually genetically suited for this specific line of work. Just like people who enjoy and excel at other types of work. As hard as it is to believe, there are people in finance that actually enjoy crunching numbers all day. If I had to do something like that, I would find out that I was completely wrong for even attempting such a career. Basically, if you can take the punches, you might be able to learn how to fight. Getting into the music business is not hard. But it is certainly much harder for people who aren't cut out for it, or can't figure it out. It very much like high school. You just have to figure out how to be "cool". Music can be your life, don't let anybody tell you different.
There is no "one way" to do anything. Try everything you can think of. The music business is trial and error for everybody. You could very well email something to somebody and get a reply. Lord knows, somebody got that "Viagra" spam on just the right day...replied, and had a case of the stuff on their door step the next week. I guess we all just have to convince everybody that we have the best Viagra
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What a great response, Stevens. ^5
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