demos rarely work

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SalJustSal

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Probably the best way to get an in on the major label scene is to become popular on the college scene. This is where most of the A&R guys do their looking. In other words make them come looking for *you*.

My suggestion is make some pretty polished recording and send them to radio stations, especially college ones. Touring would be a great thing too (if you got a band together).

Also, schmoozing would be a good thing. Try to get in close to the A&R guys as close as possible. Make as many contacts as you can. The old cliche - "It's who you know, not what you know."

Demos at Major labels generally get listened to (if even that) by some lower paid worker and chucked into the garbage.

This is my perspective anyway.

-Sal
 
I agree with almost all you said. For a band (or single artist) it is almost mandatory that you first create a local buzz, and then a regional buzz - and that is best achieved by playing college towns and eventually at the colleges. Certainly sending out recordings to local radio stations and arranging for on air interviews, etc. with the local on air talent can only help. A key marketing issue is selling your CD (from stage, from a web site, etc.). If the A&R guys do come calling, it is a huge plus to show that you have sold x thousand copies of your CD even without label support.

However, over the years what I have consistantly seen bands fail at is having a "comprehensive plan". You need to do some advance work, contact radio stations before you get in town, etc.

Now if you are trying to get a publishing deal as a writer (vs. as an artist) you may need to depend on demo's. However, once again a plan is needed. You need to contact publishers in advance to 1) qualify what, if any material they accept and 2) have a name of someone to send the demo to - hopefully you can bypass the lower paid. mailroom people. But even as a song writer, there is no better way to generate interest in your songs than to perform them for lots of people.
 
"make some pretty polished recording "

wouldnt that be a demo?.....
 
There is no "way" to get a deal..There are as many "ways" as there are deals..For a "major" you gotta have a hit..You should have a "radio" ready demo for your A & R contact to work with , because it has to go thru the chain..Airplay is good, thats the buzz these days..At least it seems that way to me these days..You could always go with a Indie and move some product and get bought..My 2 cts



Don
 
We sent demo tapes off to companies before we had even got a band together. There was just two of us in a studio. We got company interest and where invited down to the offices and the A&R guy told us to get a band together and arrange a one off gig to prove it would work live, and he'd come and see us.

We had a freind who already had a deal and he said the guys at his label and others kept asking about us. That's just on the strength of a demo tape.

But...

About two weeks before we where to do our gig the band totally fell apart and it all came to nothing. That's why now I just wanna be a writer. and not in a band, which leads me onto, how can you get a song writing only deal.
 
Toad Of The Brittish Variety -

Get another band together, man! If the A&R people liked your stuff, chances are it was the MUSIC(songs) they liked, not the band. Advertise and find some serious musicians and get after it! In the meantime, keep in touch with the label - let them know there's something big coming.
Good luck

Bob
2nd cabana from the pool
 
The reason demo's get chucked into the garbage, is because 99% of them are garbage...

Imagine this poor guy who has to listen for 8 hours a day to Creed and Nirvana wannabe garage talent...

Then when he finally comes across one that sounds good, he has to consider.. "Are they good live?".. "Are they all fat and ugly?" "The recordings are good and the playing is great, but the songs sound dated".. "Guitar player rips, but does he have an attitude problem?"

So, out off 100 cd's he listens to.. maybe 10 might be good enough for him to go on with my above line of screening, and then all of those ones will fail the screening...

Putting him at square one...


And maybe once a month, of listening 8 hours everyday.. a "Golden egg" will come along and that artist will get "the call"... and it's STILL iffy from there...

A/R people have such a bad rap.. You have to remember there job IS rejecting and screening...

If they signed every band they got a demo from, the state of modern radio would be 10 times worse than it already is today...

Think of the worst 4 track crap recordings we hear in the MP3 clinic here.... 85% of the material they get is that quality..

Go easy on them.. be happy, that 1/2 of them will at least sit down and listen to your stuff and "give you a chance"..
 
Vox -
I'd be interested to know how many A&R reps you have dealt with. Have you ever met one? A "Golden Egg?" What the fuck is that, exactly? An egg from a golden goose?
Once again, the old standby...."opinions are like...........everybody's got one!"

Bob
Bipolar And Loving It
 
I think I will pass on your whole post..

In fact, I will just pretend I didn't see it ;)
 
I think you have a point about the quality of the demos sent in Voxvendor. I've heard a few demo tapes that people I know have sent to record companies that where dire. One guy I knew used to sing his vocals and do the guitar bits vocally in between the singing, sort of like Beavis and Butthead, and record staight on to stereo cassette.
As for forming a new band Buffalo Bob... I'm in a new band and we do it just for fun. I think I'm a little to old for starting that sort of thing seriously. The moment has gone. But I'd quite like to be a writer or, dare I be so bold, a producer. Thanks for the encouragement though.
 
Toad,

that's a pity. Sounds like you'd done the hard part: getting A&R people interested in you. Would they not have contacts to people who might be interested in you solely as a songwriter, or a band which needed some songs?
 
Hi Guys and Gals:

I'm afraid you won't make it very far with the major labels if you're on your own. First, most A@R people will not even listen to an unsolicted demo for legal reasons. They don't want the possibility to occur that one of the songs on your demo would be similar to one their company releases in the future and you would sue their tails off.

Go through an agent for representation of your product. Handle it professionally, and you should get listened to.

For the song writers, it's the same thing. The odds of even having your material listened to by the right people are so low it's not even worth your efforts to try it in the majority of cases. I have stacks of material on my desk that will just be tossed. Go through a song publisher. These guys have connections with the right people and they WILL get your material heard. Of course, they will also take about half your earnings in the process, but it still is the best way.

Finally, this is not an advertisement, but I am always looking for original gospel material. If it gets past me, you WILL have it listened to by a major producer who produces known groups.
 
Voxvendor-
I'd like to publicly apologise for my recent comments to you. I've been going through a bad patch lately, and lashed out unfairly. It was totally uncalled for, and I hope you won't hold it against me.
It's been bothering me, and I wanted to set the record straight.
If you're ever in Miami, I'll buy you a beer.

Bob
 
I thought you were just kidding anyways... I didn't even think twice about it...

No worries man.. Sorry Don't drink, but I LOVE TO EAT!! :D

See ya there!


Joe
 
Cool.
p.s. I checked out some of your stuff, and you've got a great sound! Huge - I like it.

Bob
 
Another thing to consider is that major record companies ARE corporations. They have detailed marketing plans. They run everything on budgets. They protect their market position by targeting specific demographic groups, diversifying their holdings, and keeping a stable of developing artists to replace front-line artists who aren't producing. They like to deal with known entities; ones that can fulfill a specific role in their organization.

Usually these companies are just business units of a publicly-traded parent corporation. The people who run the record companies have to answer to CFOs, who in turn have to answer to shareholders (often institutional investors).

Unless you've got an MBA to go along with your MFA, you likely won't make any more money with a major label than you will with a decent indie. Of course you could become fabulously wealthy too, but you're about as likely to get struck by lightning while a shark bites off the arm in which you're holding your winning lottery ticket.

I'm not bitter or anything......
 
I've always thought that to get songs off the ground you must go through a Publishing Company NOT a record company. It's the publishers who flog songs to the record companies.

cheers
john
 
“Of course you could become fabulously wealthy too, but you're about as likely to get struck by lightning while a shark bites off the arm in which you're holding your winning lottery ticket.”

ME: But.....but...If I, or my group, will just write enough songs and produce enough albums, send them to the right people and keep on keeping on with the live performances, sooner or later RCA or Columbia will discover me and sign me to a $500,000.00 contract. We're in the money!

Horsey hockey. FACT #1: even if you're one of the best talents out there, the odds of you being signed and succeeding with the major labels are so low they are almost nonexistent!

FACT#2: From their very own statistics last year (this may have been year before last, don‘t remember), the major labels as a group signed only 50 unknown acts in all genres of music. Out of those 50 signed, only two actually made a go of their career with the label.

What happened to the other 48? Don’t know. But I do know that these advances the major labels give up front are just that: advances. This is not your cash, it is theirs and if you don’t make it, you are expected to pay it back. Of course, they very seldom sue us dirt poor musicians because they know they can’t get blood out of a turnip. But they could.

Go with an indie who will cut your stuff right in the studio, do their best to promote you as a performer, and work hard to get that tune charted. This business is just as much hard work as any other. We indies may doze, but we NEVER close.
 
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