Like it or not, the days of being discovered singing in the local lounge, or getting a recording contract from a simple piano-voice demo, must be relegated to the archives of rock history.

The demo is the vehicle for your hopes and dreams of becoming a recording artist, and it will be the first connection between you and the record company. On the basis of your demo, you will be asking the record company to spend tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars to record you as an artist. Therefore, your demo must meet certain standards and be an accurate reflection of your artistic and commercial potential.

Just as the quality of recorded music has progressed very rapidly, so has the record company’s expectation of demo quality. The aspiring artist must be ready to meet the challenge because you need more than a good voice in today’s music scene to get a record deal.

Remember, your demo is your calling card and the representation of the product that you're trying to sell, mainly you! 

The first point to consider is how many songs are enough to show your style as an artist. It is better to have four strong songs than eight songs when you want only two songs to truly stand out. Keep in mind that it is quality, not quantity, that is going to impress your A&R listener and make them want to seriously pursue you as an artist and/or songwriter.

It is crucial to show a consistent musical direction on your CD. If you mix too many different types of music, i.e., hard rock, pop and R&B, it becomes difficult for your A&R person to know who you are as an artist. Make sure all the songs on your demo reflect the musical direction in which you want to go. Always put what you believe to be your strongest song first on the tape. If A&R likes the first tune, it is more likely that they will give a careful listen to the remaining selections. You must have potential hit songs using original material. There is occasional success doing a cover version of an old hit, but you are much more likely to be signed as an artist based on the strength of the original material on your CD, and your interpretation of it.

-Spend some money. Buy laser-printer compatible labels and research who you will be sending the package to.  It's also a good idea to actually call that person and get permission first to send your press-kit. Go to an office supply store and stock up on insulated large envelopes, spend some money on a nice 8"x10" glossy, have someone at your local college's art department design a computer-generated logo for you (crisp black & white line-art is recommended).  And here's a BIG TIP: create a logo for your make-believe management company (obviously this one's only for those without formal management representation) and put this on the letterhead of the typewritten note you'll enclose with your press kit. Your cred-factor has just scored major points and you just might get that foot in the door.

    -Stacy LeFevre

-Prioritize who gets what. If you want to reach a lot of media sources and simply can’t afford to send everyone CDs, do this: Send your CDs to the high-priority contacts and places most likely to respond. Send lower-priority contacts your bio and a photo. In the cover letter that goes with them, ask the recipient to contact you if they want a free review copy. That way, you’re only sending your CDs to the people who really want

    -Bob Baker

-Many artists and bands writing their own Bio, just throw together a bunch of stuff about how “good” their music is, and infer that the music will speak for itself. There is no doubt about it, the music is the centerpiece, it is the axis upon which the potential success of an artist’s career rotates. However, that “good” music may never reach the ears of many gatekeepers, if the artist doesn’t pay close attention to all aspects of the business, and the “instruments” of that business must be carefully considered and prepared. In many cases the Bio will be the first introduction a gatekeeper receives from the artist. It should speak clearly and directly to the needs of the reader.

It can be quite useful to “take an inventory” of an artist or band’s talents, skills, lyric content, stage presence, attitude toward life, and the business of music. Many useful facts can emerge as this inventory is taken. Bands should really take some time to sit down and talk about the music they make, what they feel their image is, and how they can best preserve an honest image throughout their career. Being clear about who you are, even recognizing who your influences have been, and what you want to say with your music, can make writing the Bio an enlightening, and useful experience.

    -Christopher Knab


"Okay, everyone, it's really important that when you're sending your picture out through email or posting it online, make sure the file is not too big.  When taking a picture, full resolution can be a few meg large, but when posting it online, it should not be more than 100k. Otherwise it will take too long to load and people may lose patience. [I do :)] To solve this problem, try bringing the file into Microsoft Publisher or another program where you can resave the picture at a smaller resolution"

    -Kieth

-Don’t be gimmicky on your envelope. A hot-pink envelope may catch the eye, but it will not reflect a professional presentation.

-Don’t oversell yourself in any introductory letter. Be positive and confident in your presentation of the facts, but if you sound arrogant or obnoxious, it will hurt your cause rather than help it.

-Don’t telephone your A&R person 20 times in one week, waiting for a response. Diligence is appreciated, but remember they have hundreds of CDs and demos to screen. One follow-up call after several weeks will suffice. Please don’t say how bad current music is today and that your tape is the salvation of the music scene.

(reprinted from our Fall Newsletter)

Madonna Dumps Record Industry


We put this list together to help our clients. If you want to delve deeper into it, click on the link above Madonna and it will take you to a very interesting article.

Times have changed and the music industry no longer operates the way it used to. But the old mentality of "I NEED A RECORD DEAL" is still whirling around many artists heads and causing them to look in an area they may not be ready for...yet.

You don't need a record deal to:

1. Get yourself & your music professionally produced
With the advances in technology, it's now possible to produce a professional, world class recording for a small fraction of what it would cost only 10 years ago. It's no longer necessary or desirable to have a big record company budget, which has to be paid back to the record company from the artists tiny share anyway. (5-10% typically)

2. Artist development
This stopped being done by the major record labels many years ago. They expect artists to come to them already developed, with a sound, an image, songs, fans, etc.  The artist development must now be done by a qualified team at the music production company, like SkyeLab.

3. Manufacturing
For an artist, it's no longer necessary to have the record label manufacture hundreds of thousands of records to service all the record stores across the country (and the world). This enormous expense was again, charged to the artist, whether the record sold or not. You don't need it anymore.

4. Distribution
To get your music out there for the world to listen to and buy, you know longer need the major distributors. Online distribution via the internet has completely revolutionized the music industry.  Speak to us about the various options available now to all our SkyeLab Artists.

You don't need a record deal to take the first step on the road to your dreams. So give us a call and start now!!!