Talking About Demos

Recording, packaging and sending them is a time consuming and costly process yet it's often been said that most A&R (Artists & Repertoire) people don't even listen to unsolicited demos. If this is the case how do you get your demo noticed and listened to?

Well, here are a few tips that may increase your chances:

Things to include:

- Track Lists and Running Times.
- Composer and Copyright information.
- Artist or Band Photos.
- Bios.
- Copies of any Press releases, or any articles that have been published about your act.
- Your contact details including Postal Address, Phone Numbers, Email, Fax.
- Your website details.
- Recordings of your three best songs with the best one first.

Things you should do:

- Demonstrate ways in which your act is Uniquely Marketable.
- Presentation is the key to being noticed. Think about your packaging including how your demo looks when it arrives in the mail. Use a CD labeller rather than a marker pen. Spend some time on a CD cover. Demonstrate how your product could look as the finished article. A product that is ready to be reproduced and sold may be more appealing to a record company than one that needs a lot of grooming. Use a computer to prepare your cover letter and support information. Don't hand write anything, even the envelope if you can help it. Don't use a font that is difficult to read no matter how arty it looks.
- Be professional. This is the music BUSINESS. A record company wants to make a profit. They'll run a mile if they think you're unreliable. The New Zealand music industry is full of tales of acts who threw it all away through stupid behaviour. Drugs might make you think you're more creative but they'll also make you unreliable and impossible to deal with. Excessive alcohol consumption will also make you do dumb things. Take it from someone who learnt these lessons the hard way.
- Send a response form and self addressed stamped envelope. One band I was in massively increased the responses to its demos by doing just this, making it easy and simple for A&R people to give feedback. This also helped us produce better demos the next time.

Recording your demo:

Pick your best song and finish it. Hire or bludge some session musos and a studio. Alternatively if you're a bit of a techy you could buy or hire some good quality recording gear, set up in a nice sounding room, and run your own sessions. (There are a number of good quality, affordable options on the market now but be careful not to invest in technology that's beyond your technical ability to operate.) It's best to pay your musos something and get them to sign a release form (basically a bit of paper saying they hold no rights to the song or recording). This could save a lot of grief if your song does well and they come calling for money. The studio should release all rights to the recording once you have paid them (unless you have agreed otherwise and they are going to help you in the marketing) and should never be given any rights to the song. At the end of this you should have one really good song ready to package and send out. If after a few weeks of listening your song sounds shite stop here and start again. If it still sounds good then this is the song you are going to try to sell to the A&R guys.

Once you've got your first song in the can use whatever resources you have left to record one or two more. The purpose of these songs is to show that your first song wasn't just a fluke. The production can be slightly lower quality but the tunes must still be good. If you don't have any more good songs keep writing until you do. Don't send more than four songs in total. They wont get listened to. Don't send recordings of just vocals and acoustic guitar unless your songs are just plain brilliant. No really, just don't! No more! Ever again! Ever ever ever! Please!!!!

Don't send your also rans. If they're shite why inflict them on others. It just wastes everybody's time. If you're not sure try them out at a songwriter's night or a jam night somewhere and get some mates to impartially measure crowd response. You're looking for people who will be honest here. Not people who will just tell you what you want to hear or people who will use it as a chance to rubbish you. Measure crowd response yourself too but be honest with yourself. Getting someone to video the gig (including crowd shots) will let you come back to it later and see what really happened. This process is a basic business skill called 'Test and Measure' Use it on every song you write.

Other things to consider:

- Register your songs with APRA.
- Learn about copyright and intellectual property law.
- Learn about the music business first. Knowledge is power!
- Contacts are critical. Foster relationships with other musos and industry people alike. Take any opportunity to work with respected names. This builds up reputation and credibility.
- Ask questions of everybody you meet. Other peoples knowledge could save you a lot of pain.
- Go to the excellent free seminars run by APRA, IMMF and others. These are usually advertised in NZ Musician and /or APRAP. If you learn just one thing that helps you along the way then it was worth going.
- Don't be greedy. Half of something is better than all of nothing. Be prepared to give some potential profits away at the start in return for help in the right direction. If you make no money from your first release but it opens a door for your next one to show a profit then it's still achieved something.
- Hang out with positive people who want you to succeed. Seek honest advice and constructive criticism from those you have found you can trust. Weigh all advice in the balance. (Even what you're reading now.)
- Sound like yourself. No one wants to sign a mimic.

If at first you don't succeed:

- Gig a lot and release your recording yourself! This can really work. If you're gigging, getting good revues, and have your own product which is also getting noticed then the record companies will be more interested. At the very least do something! If you're out there doing it your credibility increases hugely. Record companies want artists who will get out there and promote themselves on stage and through any other medium available.
- Team up with a small label and work together to release and market your product. A small label wont have much (if any money) to put into your project but they will have enthusiasm and possibly the ability to help promote your product to the big labels with the money to push it further.
- Try to get your demo on indy radio stations and any other medium which will give it a chance. Our radio stream at www.gavland.fm will play any New Zealand recordings that meet our quality and content criteria.
- Get a web site. There are now many affordable hosting services available and most people know someone who can put a basic site together. Even with our site incomplete we were getting hits, feedback and leads from all over the world.
- Do as much as you can yourself. Treat marketing your songs as a business. Learn how to run a business and how to promote your product.
- Believe in yourself and keep on getting up and getting going. The difference between success and failure is directly related to the number of times you try. Think about the differences between yourself and Mick Jagger. He has two arms and two legs just like (almost) everyone else. He has eyes and a nose and a mouth. He has a brain just like everyone else. So what's the difference between Mick Jagger and you? One thing: When he had the chance to join a band,learn to sing and practice his skills, write some songs and promote himself in the right way to the right people, HE DID IT!

Good luck!