You’ve spent countless hours perfecting your music and recording it. The next step is to distribute demos and get your music noticed on popular music blogs. Like many artists, you might not know the best way to start this process. This article will explain how to get your music out there so that labels can hear what you’re all about. You’ll find tons of advice on how to go from unheard to famous.
- Build Some Buzz on Your Own
There are many tools available to artists to get some exposure, without the help of a record label. Get active with your own marketing to start building a fan base in the real world or on the Internet. For instance, enter some remix competitions, post your tracks on Soundcloud, and start compiling an email list at shows. Between making and recording music, you might not have so much time for marketing, but put a little effort into it and labels will recognize that people already like you.
- Make the Best Music You Can
The sad truth is that the music industry is awash with artists who want to get a little recognition and “make it big.” Unfortunately, few of them are as good as they think they are. You can avoid this by making the best possible music. You can do this by practicing your instruments, practice playing as a band, take a little more time to perfect your songs, play more live shows, and get the best possible recording. Creating a good recording has never been easier so take the time to make it shine. After all, it’s going to represent you as you send your demo out.
There are few rules for the contents of a press kit, but almost everybody agrees that you need to have one. Things to include: photos of all band members, biographical information about the band, any positive press you’ve received, and the dates of any upcoming shows. Don’t be afraid to get creative. Boring press kits are a dime a dozen, so put a little personality into yours to stand out from the crowd. Also, include some contact information. You want your fans to respond to you, so give them an opportunity to.
You are singer ? Songwriter ? Download 10 Free Pop instrumental Beats. Credits: Sony ATV, Universal Music, MTV, VH1..
Blogs, radio stations, and labels get many releases every day. Some are never heard. Some are only given a cursory listen. You want to up your chances of getting reviewed. So make a professional package of a normal jewel case with the best artwork you can afford. And then choose 4 of your best songs to send or even less. Reviewers don’t have time to wade through your entire album so make things easy on them. Just give them the best songs you have. Get a professional pressing of your CD, including graphics and text on the CD itself.
One of the biggest reasons that demos are never heard is because artists ignore the submission guidelines of labels and blogs. They will toss your submission aside right away if you don’t follow the rules, so make sure to find out exactly what they want. Then compile a list of places that you plan on submitting your music too. Adhere to their guidelines precisely and you just might have a chance of getting heard. Also, address your submission to the correct person at the label or blog to expedite the process.
- Send Your Music and Take a Break
Once you’ve sent out hundreds of physical demos and digital files, don’t expect an immediate response. Your earliest response probably won’t come for at least two weeks and maybe longer. So, get back to practicing, play some shows, do more recording, or just take a vacation. Following up won’t yield any results right away, so forget about it for a little while.
After a few weeks, feel free to send out emails and make phone calls to follow up on submissions. A few questions to ask:
- Did you receive my release and have you had a chance to review it?
- What did you think?
- Is there any chance you are interested in hearing more?
The easiest way to mess this process up is to appear needy. Don’t waste people’s time and don’t come across as desperate. A quick phone call is all that you need. Hopefully, you find somebody that really connected with your music. If you don’t..
- Don’t Take It Personally!
There is a lot of music out there and it might take some persistence to get it noticed. Some artists struggle for years in obscurity. Maybe you need to sharpen your musical skills. Maybe you just didn’t find a receptive audience and you need to send your demo to other labels. At any rate, don’t take non-response or negative feedback personally. Just think of it as absence of positive feedback and keep making the music you love.
© Copyright - All rights reserved - Any reproduction or duplication prohibited.
