How do you get your demo signed?
It can be an infuriating thing, you’ve probably heard your new production on a loop for the past 3 days and gone from “This is the best thing ever!” to “Hmm actually maybe it’s not that great” and back again. You’ve given yourself that pep talk and built up the courage to send your demo to your favourite label / artist and finally breathe a sigh of relief that it is now in the hands of fate and you’ve done your part, then SILENCE….
Well not always, the most common response when A&R’s do listen is “Not for us this time, please send more when they are ready” and you think to yourself, well at least I got a response. It can be something that is soul destroying and time consuming, but only if you let it.
The first rule of thumb, don’t let this throw you off balance! I’ve sent out hundreds of demos over the years, about 5 years to be precise and signed to some industry leading label’s such as Snatch!, Toolroom & Glasgow Underground to name a few. I recently sent my first demo out for my brand new artist alias ‘Elijah Wolfe’ to two people, Detlef & Michael Bibi. Detlef said no, I waited a few weeks and Michael came back with the message in the photo above.
Consistency is key, from time spent in the studio producing, to sculpting your perfect email list of DJ’s, labels and more. Having persistence and passion is the only way to succeed in this game. You have to develop your own unique sound and identity that is ahead of the curve, without compromising your style or integrity, only then is it time to start sending your music out.
Do your research – Know where your sound will fit, find out the parties you want to play. Don’t send a Minimal Tech track to Deadmau5.
Make sure your music is ready – This is the most important one, a great idea will not be picked out if the mixdown is not right, or it’s a dodgy self mastered track. Ideas are subjective, less so a mixdown. (Check out our Mixing & Mastering service to give yourself much better odds for success)
Find the contact details – Utilise Google, Soundcloud, label websites and Trackstack to find out how to contact them. Direct message them on instagram, be polite and ask them how to get your music over to them. About 40% will respond and if you’ve made a good first impression, they might just check it out there and then.
Find out their preferred way of receiving demos – Most big labels will require a private soundcloud link with the download enabled, if their first impression was positive, they will most likely want to road test it (great promotional tool if you get footage)
*Top Tip* Make sure that the stats are hidden on your Soundcloud link if you want to send to multiple labels. It’s like sending a romantic message to every love interest in your contact list and leaving them all on CC, no one wants a reject or sloppy seconds 😉
Try to be personal and not robotic – DJ’s are just people at the end of the day, most of us have got to where we are in this industry by being approachable and relatable. Don’t send a message like “Hi please see my music for your record label” as it just looks spammy, alternatively don’t send them a message paragraphs long like a breakup text to your ex, no one has time to read that, not even your ex, basically don’t tell them your life story. Write a few words about the track and say you think it might be a good fit for their label. If they have hundreds of demos to get through, make sure they know you are sending the right genre, I almost guarantee they receive so much music that is not even in the right genre, you’re already one step ahead, let them know. “I’ve got a big room techno track that I thought you might want to check out for….(Insert big room techno label name here)
Be patient – I know I know, you just want the answer right away, going back to the message above, I received the good news about my track being signed to Solid Grooves 4 weeks after sending this to them. Don’t pester the label for an answer and wait patiently after they download (check the Soundcloud stats for who has downloaded if you have an artist account)
Rinse & Repeat – If they have downloaded but have not gotten back to you within 4 weeks (most labels will send an automated message outlining how long to wait) then try some more labels. I use a tier system, where I have my dream labels, send to them first, and work my way down until it is signed. Don’t be ashamed to release on a slightly smaller label as long as you ask questions about their campaign strategies and if they are using a good PR company to promote your music, even releasing on smaller labels may open doors if they run a comprehensive campaign. It’s better than your music music sitting unheard on your hard drive and you’ll learn about promoting your track, win win.
Remember that every no brings you closer to that yes, and you never know, you might be closer than you think!
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