Samples to record companies

J

Jack Simpson

New member
How would you go about sending your demos to a record company? Does it have to be a perfect recording or will they look at standard cassettes? I'm not interested in submitting anything yet but I'm just interested.
 
most subsidiary record labels require no more than a cassette... however, if you want to send to MCA or Sony, I would recommend a higher fidelity!
 
Could somebody give me tips for demo submission? Is submiting an entirely instrumental cassette a good idea? What will record companies laugh at or what will they seriously consider?
 
is it instrumental because you don't yet have a singer, or instrumental because you are an instrumental group?
 
Actually... before you even worry about quality, most A&R people won't even look at anything anymore unless it comes from someone they know or trust (ie, cold submissions have almost no chance of getting a hearing!)

Try to get some sort of buzz going locally, if you can get some media attention and have THEM "pass along" your stuff, you'll have a much better chance of getting heard.

Bruce
 
If you're instrumental, but wouldn't mind getting a singer...then it sounds to me like you're still in the "getting a band together" stage. Wait till you get your shit together.

Everything I've read was basically summed up by Bruce. You have to have a strong following to demonstrate success before you'll be looked at...and then they'll come to you. Now that might not apply to smaller indie labels. Which are you targeting?

Slackmaster 2000
 
Well the thing is, our singer lives 200 miles away. When he comes here to visit, we play anywhere we can locally. We have best support for a band in the area because of how we play live. I just found out that there is a small recording studio in town and this spawned my interest in recording demos and what not. I don't really want to get signed up with an independent label and make a record that only 7 people hear. It is just too much money to spend. But then again, Creed recorded with Wind-Up records for $30 an hour and they got huge, but I don't know that WHOLE story. So the best advice for me would be to get a lot of local support and stir things up until an A&R guy comes to us, right?
 
Unsolicited material goes right into the ole' round file pal. (The trash can)
Have you considered joining taxi and making submissions through them?
 
and if your singer lives 200 miles away and you only play when he comes to visit, then you guys arent a serious band yet...sorry....

when you guys can commit to playing full time and sacrifice everything for the music, you may have a chance.....
 
Gidge said:
and if your singer lives 200 miles away and you only play when he comes to visit, then you guys arent a serious band yet...sorry....

when you guys can commit to playing full time and sacrifice everything for the music, you may have a chance.....
Click to expand...

a little harsh gidge.... there are a few bands that work together trans-continental thanks to the advances of the internet...
 
tell me how many bands you heard of getting signed as a result of an internet collaboration.....

talk to 100 A&R guys and almost all will tell you they wanna see a band packing em in live, getting a following local and surrounding areas at least......
 
For the most part yes........but what about C&C Music Factory, Enigma, and few other "project bands" who never play live? I remember seeing the Pet Shop Boys and although the music was good, watching guys with just keyboards and computers was not exactly inspiring.
 
greggybud said:
For the most part yes........but what about C&C Music Factory, Enigma, and few other "project bands" who never play live? I remember seeing the Pet Shop Boys and although the music was good, watching guys with just keyboards and computers was not exactly inspiring.
Click to expand...

greggybud may have a point. A&R usually want ot see a following for rock groups and rappers. If you do electronica, pop, etc. it may not be as crucial. But this is only my opinion, so I'll shut up now.
 
If you're not going to play live, then you need to hit the indie labels. I would say a majority of the bands out there were bought from independent labels. It may only be "7 people" listening to your album, but that's better than NONE, which is what most people get.

Besides, there's no rush when it comes to selling your soul.

Slackmaster 2000
 
Gidge knows what he's talking about.

Don't they publish books of lists, that contain mailing addresses and A&R phone numbers for various record companies? One way to start would be by getting on the phone, calling people up, and asking if they're accepting demos.

Oh, and take the shrink wrap off of your CD. :)

And this...

Besides, there's no rush when it comes to selling your soul.
Click to expand...

was hilarious. :D
 
yeah...this don't happen much

In the old days, maybe you could send a tape to an A&R guy and he'd listen to it. But then, in the old days, David Crosby and Neil Young were allowed to be rock stars...It'd never happen nowdays.

The Beatles would have been told to dump Ringo and learn how to dance.

These days, it's who you know...I agree on the indie labels buzz..
 
Getting Signed

I wouldn't bother any labels if you don't have a vocalist unless your instrumental songs are better than Dream Theater's. Last I checked, even they aren't on the radio. Most of the guys here are right, though. You NEED a strong local following. By local I don't just mean your hometown. You need to be able to sell out any club in a hundred mile radius. If you could pull that off, you just might get that great record deal with 1% of CD profits (minus expenses, minus your advance, minus recording costs).

The scariest thing I ever heard was from a band my old band (http://www.mp3.com/statik) opened up for three years ago. They could pull 900 heads in their hometown and fill any club they played. Without a label they sold enough merch to live well (about 70k a year each). They got signed to Sony, got a $150,000 advance (to share between 4 guys), and went on tour. 6 months later they got dropped because they didn't sell enough units. Now they are stuck with the bill for the CDs that were produced (about a million dollars), they don't have a record label, and all of the songs on their debut CD are owned by the label. Yeah, being in a band that wants to get signed is hard.

My advice is to build up a strong, profitable following in your local market and expand it at every opportunity. When the labels come beggin' for a piece of your pie you can bargain for a better percentage.

Just a thought.
 
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