For indie artists searching for their first record deal or artists looking to score a career-changing record deal, it can be hard to know where to start with submitting demos and getting noticed by revered record labels.
Each record label will have its preferred way of accepting new artists; there is no universal rule of thumb for the best way to submit a demo. One of the best pieces of advice we can offer is to do your research, understand what a record label wants from a submitting artist and prove why you’re a good fit for that label. If your submission pitch makes it look like you’ve just fired off submissions in all directions, prepare for the radio silence from them.
In this article, independent artists will find helpful tips on how to make the best first impression and recognise the pitch pitfalls before falling into them.
How to Submit Your Music to Record Labels
- Prep Your Demo
Whether you are contacting a major label or an indie label, you will need to have a primed and polished demo that proves why you are a good investment for the record label. Just because it is called a ‘demo’, that doesn’t mean that is advisable to send poor-quality music to a record label.
If you don’t feel that your demo reflects the best of your ability, don’t send it until it does, and always avoid sending unoriginal material, such as remixes of copyrighted material. Where possible, ensure that your demos are mixed and mastered. A great way to know if your track is submission-ready is to ask for feedback from other industry contacts that are happy to give you their professional opinion.
Once the track is finished, make sure it is in the label’s preferred format and it is correctly labelled. Some record labels will ask for streaming links, while others prefer MP3 files or Dropbox links.
- Do Your Label Research
God may love a trier, but record labels don’t, especially when artists disregard their music preferences and submission guidelines. Doing such extensive research may be time-consuming, but it is the most time-effective way of sealing a major deal.
One of the best ways to find potential record labels is to find other artists on a similar level to you or with a similar sound and submit music to their record labels. Once you have checked out your competition’s labels, start curating a list of the record labels that you want to be signed by the most.
Below is a comprehensive checklist of the things that you will need to consider before submitting a demo.
o Does your music fit the label’s style and genre?
o Do you fit in with the rest of the artists signed to that label?
o Do you have the right contact information?
o Do you know how to make your submission personal to that label?
o Does your submission comply with the demo policy?
o Have you got an up to date electronic press kit?
o Is your demo in the correct format?
- Avoid the Common Demo Submission Faux Pas
For everything that you *should* do when contacting record labels, there are plenty more things to avoid. While it is important to try and create contacts in the industry, it is crucial to ensure that you never overstep the mark. Where possible, always use the official contact methods for A&R reps; never use their private or public social media accounts to send unsolicited demos. Usually, details on how to submit a demo are on the label’s official website or their social media profiles.
Another mistake that artists make is saving their authenticity for their music and not their pitch. Keep pitches short, but don’t let them fall short of wit and style – whatever your USP is flaunt it, and always create attention piquing subject lines. Perhaps the most vital piece of advice; artists should know where the line is between overselling and underselling themselves in their pitches.
- After the Submission
As record labels get so many submissions, expectedly, some of them never get opened. For this reason, follow up emails are more than acceptable – if the record label permits them. Remember that it could take weeks for big record labels to get around to your submission, and never be standoffish with the record label for not getting around to replying to your submission – always keep follow up emails polite.
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At A&R Factory, we bring the record labels to independent artists. A&R reps are constantly scouting our site for the next big thing; if you want us to help showcase your demo, Submit Rock Music here.