5 Steps For Sending The Perfect Demo Submission

If you've been writing and recording music for awhile, chances are you're ready to submit a demo in hopes of getting your music heard, and maybe even signed. Here we look at five steps in crafting the perfect demo submission.

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Guest Post from Write Rhythm

How do you submit demos to record labels to give you the best chance of getting signed on Write Rhythm?

You are now ready to add ‘Music Producer’ to your bio. You’ve been making music for a while and found your sound. You’ve finished a couple of hot tracks and are ready to send them to record labels. Now it’s time to get your music heard and signed. Here are 5 easy steps to sending the perfect demo tapes to record labels via Write Rhythm.

Step 1 – Choosing your Tracks

Select music you are 100% happy with. Get some close friends to give a listen to your tracks and keep the best ones. Focus on sending the tracks that you are most proud of. Record labels do not want to receive your entire catalogue if they have never heard of you. If the record labels really love your selection, they are likely to ask you for more songs. If requested, send over the other tracks you have lying around.

Step 2 – Preparing for Sending

Do not even consider sending short demos or teasers. Send the full length tracks preferably 320 kbps. If the A&R department cannot hear the quality of the track, they are unlikely to come back to you asking for a better version. Instead, they will just get annoyed that you wasted their time and will never respond. Upload your selected tracks to a private Soundcloud link to make it easy for the receiver to play. Ensure you disable the free download option.

Step 3 – The Demo Submission Message

It’s time to write the email, but what on earth do you write to a record label? Put some thought into writing your demo submission. Keep in mind that you are asking a company to do business with you, so be professional about what you are writing to them. Compose a sleek demo submission email using our simple online form. Create an attention-grabbing subject line. In the body of your email, explain who you are, what your music is about, and what you are searching for. Include your personal details, track descriptions, press shots, album art and of course — links to your music. A number of formatting templates are available for you to personalise your email campaign and express your style as an artist.

Step 4 – Sending to the right Record Label(s)

Don’t bother anymore about looking up manually for the emails addresses of the record labels you are interested in. Once your demo submission email has been put together, Write Rhythm will then present you a filtered list of record labels that are relevant to your music. Behind the scenes, our service uses a filtration system to find appropriate record labels based on the information that you provided about yourself and your music. From here, you simply tick the boxes of the record labels you like and wish to send your demos too. The more record labels you choose, the more likely you get a record deal.

Step 5 – Be ready to respond

The fun part. Check your email inbox regularly for feedback and release offers from the record labels that dig what you do. Our advice, be responsive to all replies, but also be patient with your decisions. The A&R department are busy people and won’t always respond to your submissions immediately. Allow some time for responses before finalising any offers. Do not sign the same track without communicating with the record labels involved. Any correspondence with the record labels following the demo submission is entirely up to you, so be professional. Write Rhythm has no part in the discussions or negotiation of agreements that follow on from any demo submissions, we are simply helping you get heard, and ultimately get signed.Fancy sending your demos via Write Rhythm? Register as an artist here.