How To Present Your Demo
Andrew Dubber of NewMusicStrategies.com has a really good post up discussing your demo and how to present it. Here are some of the key points that I have picked up (and agree with):
- - Call it your promo, not a demo.
- - Present your promo in both mp3 and CD format. Have both available for different contexts.
- - When you go to conferences, take CDs as calling cards. Have your details printed on them.
- - Packaging, artwork and design are crucial (I’m not sure it’s as crucial as Andrew might think, but it has to get them to open and listen to the CD at least so don’t go pouring hundreds into this)
- - Mp3 etiquette - don’t email them the file. Put it up at your website and send them the link to the page where they can just hit play and listen to it streaming rather than download it.
- - When you call to enquire about sending your promo to venue managers, be sure to ask whether they’d like it as an mp3 recording or by CD. Most places get CDs just sent in and not many get mp3’s. If you can get the mp3 sent across, you will stand out.
Joe Kirk from NoiseTrade left this suggestion in Andrew’s comments:
I’ve thrown away a lot of CDs at places like SXSW because I didn’t have room in my luggage for the flight home. But I don’t think getting rid of the jewel case is the answer. Instead of giving me a disc when I’m standing in a club or a coffee shop or whatever, ask for my card and tell me you’ll send me a CD later. Then mark the envelope “requested material” so it gets past the intern and goes straight to my desk. When I open the envelope, it will be the only disc in my hand and I’ll be sitting in front of my laptop if I decide I want to hear it then. If not, I’ll at least put it in my MIGHT stack instead of throwing it away before I get back to my desk.
What are your thoughts on this?
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Thanks for the tips!
Those tips are about the minimum you can make. One has to try out everything.
Promo is better then Demo, for sure.
If you have the chance to physically meet the promoter, it’s always better. Sit with him and show your tracks. A small dvd player with some shortcuts of live performances is quite a good investment.
If you have to email something, a message or newsletter with all links (to bio, pics, tracks) is one way.
Anyway, always ask the promoter what kind of material he wants and how in which format.
I’ve used http://www.sonicbids.com where you get your EPK (electronic portfollio). But sending the EPK through their system was received as a spam message. I got better result with sending a small message including the link to the artist’s page.
Try out everything, but remember that there is nothing better than a personal contact.
I definitely agree with Eric, in that meeting people is the thing ! However it takes time.
In the mean time while mp3s might help , CDs seem to stay the reference, plus they are more solid than mp3s, and will last a bit more in the hands of the promoter, see what I mean.
Promo instead of demo, hmmm, I didn’t think about it, maybe…lets try,
Thanks for the tips,
MJ
From my experience, CDs are still the most widely accepted format, so I view mp3s and EPKs with some doubt. This isn’t to say the practice won’t be changing, but I think a lot of the people on the listening end are still used to receiving CDs and that’s what they’ll want.
Calling it a ‘promo’? I don’t know… It has a better sound to it, but frankly I’d give the music industry people some credit of intelligence. For a start, once they play it, it won’t matter what you call it - the quality of production and musicianship will be apparent. Furthermore, the other material provided with the recording (if only a verbal introduction) will most often quickly show whether the artist really has a product to promote or whether he is offering a demonstration of a product he could produce with help. Calling something a ‘promo’, when clearly it isn’t promoting anything (i.e. your band isn’t selling music yet - in whatever form), sounds amateurish to me. Lastly, the word ‘demo’ has been accepted in the industry for years and everyone is comfortable with it. Since ‘promo’ sounds like something serious and slick (probably prepared with the help of a marketing team), you’re asking for trouble if it doesn’t live up to the listener’s expectations.
Having said that, it might well be that the word ‘promo’ will soon become the currency of choice among all the young hopefuls submitting music to everyone around and will quickly devalue to the level of ‘demo’, so the point will become moot.
When I attend conferences, I prefer an exchange of business cards. I don’t have room to carry a shopping bag of CDs with me, nor do I have the interest to lug such a bag around.
When you write me, with the issues surrounding P2P file sharing, etc., I much prefer a link to page on which the MP3 can be found. When addressing me or my website, your first email should be an introduction. Tell me about yourself and your band. Be careful not to send me large, over-sized photos. Your email may not be the only one I receive that day, and it doesn’t take many large files to fill our mail box, regardless of the size of our mailbox–which is huge because of the volume of emails we receive daily. I am certain other music zines and sites feel the same way.
Inquire of my mailing address.
When you send me a copy of your “promo” (personally, I prefer this term), accompany it with a letter of introduction. This, again, must tell me something about your band and music. It can be brief, as my time is important, with care given to proper sentence/paragraph construction, free of typos. If you cannot write a well written letter of introduction, find someone who can. I will judge you based on what you write me. IF you don’t care enough to write me as if you have some modicum of intelligence, I am certain your CD is going to reflect this as well.
Lastly, take some time, to put some effort into the creation of your cover. With the user friendly software that exists today, it is not difficult to create a cover that shows some creativity. Imagine your CD in a bin with other CDs. If your cover design will not attract my attention, arouse my curiosity, and intrigue me enough to pick your disk from this bin, it will not stand out when it comes across my desk.
In writing the liner notes, and make certain you include liner notes, include a brief introduction regarding your band, written as if I have never seen you before, and the tracks -in order as they appear on your CD, the title, and possibly the length of each track in minutes and seconds.
And forget about lengthy “thank yous.” Although properly crediting the people responsible for helping you is important keep it brief. This should be a mention of your producer, your lead engineer and the members of the band.
What is most important in presenting your material is knowing the person to whom you are presenting and what s/he would like. If the information is not stated publicly online, then I make a phone call to determine the requirements. Unless the person wants more information about my work when I speak with him or her, I do not provide it. At most, I tell them from whom the package or email will be arriving, provided s/he is open to receiving it (moving forward I will also use the “requested material” marking idea from Joe above). I find that following instructions shows the recipient respect for his or her time and so I’m likely to make a more favorable impression. As for artwork, I do think it is important and you don’t have to spend tons of money. If you are just getting started, then partner with a graphic designer who is also trying to build his or her portfolio. I’m pretty certain that the appearance of Peace in Progress was what convinced the Virgin Megastore to blow up my album cover and stick it in a big display right next to major label artists at the New Music Listening Booth at the entrance. I didn’t even ask for this marketing, but I felt fortunate to have received it. Of course, great artwork with crappy sound will likely produce a response that would be worse than if you sent the crappy sound with crappy design. So first make sure your production is up to snuff and then give it the loving touch before sending it out in the world. I’m not sure I care whether it is called demo or promo — as far as I’m concerned, everything is promotional material, regardless of whether you are selling anything yet or not. Whatever will be understood by people is best. I have created an email with links to my Sonicbids EPK, but I also include a direct link to sounds, as well as a direct link to video. I find that some people still insist on a hard copy of the CD, but that increasing numbers are willing to sample the music online first. If they really need the CD (such as radio promoters) to make a decision or to help promote your work, then they will ask for it after hearing the online samples. I appreciated the comments from Dave King and Joe Kirk above. When I go to conferences, it is a pain to carry around CDs to give to people. Their suggestions mean that we can all lighten our load. I suppose it is a good idea to carry one copy in case someone wants to have a look, but if it is your only copy then you can’t relinquish it. If you’ve sparked any interest, you are more likely to generate more interest if you can exchange cards and then follow up. My guess is that following up is really the part that is tough, which is why I think it is just easier to unload CDs on whoever is willing to take them. So thanks to Dave and Joe!