So you think you're finally ready to submit your demo to some record labels; but how do you actually get it signed without it getting lost in the black hole of denied songs? There are 3 main steps and to this; and they aren't easy, but they work. Step 1: Humble Yourself. Believe it or not; you are not the best... yet. If you want to get signed, you're going to have to realize that you are not the best artist out there; so don't act like it. When I first started submitting my demos to record labels (2 years ago), I though I was all that and a bag of chips. I would brag about my accomplishments, mention everyone in the industry I know, etc... This is not appealing to record labels, it makes it seem as if you are puffing yourself up to compensate for your shitty music; even if your music is good. Its all about the image you portray, and believe it or not, the message you attach to your demo shows a lot. This makes it extremely important to humble yourself, but also come across as confident when sending your email to a demo. This short message/email worked for us: Hello, Our names our ______ and ______ and we are [Artist or Band Name]. We recently completed a new track named '__' and we thought that it would fit well with your label. It is currently unreleased. We hope you enjoy. -[Your Names] <Link to song WITH DOWNLOAD> Contact: Facebook: <Link> SoundCloud: <Link> Twitter: <Link> Instagram: <Link> STEP 2: FAN BASE, FAN BASE, FAN BASE!!! It is impossible to stress how much fan base effects everything you do as an artist. There have been so many times I contacted a label, publisher, or agency and they gave me the same bitter sweet response; its along the lines of this, "Hello ___, yadayadada... You are talented and have a lot of potential, but my best advice for you is to grow as artists without management yadayadayada." This email is very common with artists who have good music, but a small fan base. Its like being put in the friend zone with a record label and it sucks! This being said, it is extremely important to grow your fan base, not just on SoundCloud/YouTube, but on all kinds of social media. If you have 5000+ on each, that could mean around 3000+ followers all together. So spend a ton of time growing your fan base before you send your demo out, it will score so many brownie points with labels, and they might even contact you if you get big enough. [Quick Tip: A great way to get your name out there is through Reddit, Facebook, and REMIXES!!!] STEP 3: SUBMIT TO THE RIGHT PEOPLE!!! When you submit to a label, it is important to choose the right ones to submit to in both genre and size; but I'll talk about these individually. Genre: When you submit to any record label, make sure you pay attention to who they sign, and what type of music they release. So many artists submit to anything they can get their hands on. It's like they throw their demo out there like its a Hail Mary. It doesn't work. If you're going to submit to a record label, do you're research. See if there are artists that make similar music to you that they have signed; and if there aren't, chances are, they will say no. If the label has released similar songs to what you make, or at least in the ballpark, go for it; but if they haven't don't waste yours or their time. Size: Another issue other artists face when submitting to a label is that they submit to HUGE labels and no one even knows who they are. Many artists forget that you can sign an individual song to a label before they get signed as a whole. So do that! Catch the smaller fish, then move to the shark; and by that I mean submit your music to a small collective or label that is known, but not releasing platinum's left and right. Doing that is extremely helpful for your image because it shows that your songs have been signed, which shows that you are marketable as artists. Ultimately, what I'm trying to say is don't start by submitting to Sony, Warner Brother, or even something like Musical Freedom (If you know EDM). Of course, there are so many more minor steps or bits of advice I could give you to get you signed, but these are the three main ones, at least in my book. Feel free to comment any questions or concerns and I'll try to help you with them. SOME GREAT SONGS :) (Cus why Not?): 2 Man Embassy - DOPE: https://soundcloud.com/2manembassy/dope Louis the Child - Fire: https://soundcloud.com/louisthechild/fire-1 Subfer: My Trigger (Remix): https://soundcloud.com/subfermusic/my-trigger-subfer-remix
Submitted October 09, 2016 at 03:57PM by InsightfulWalrus https://www.reddit.com/r/edmproduction/comments/56nnlt/how_to_get_signed_from_experience/?utm_source=ifttt