Guidelines for Demo Submissions
intern assisting a&r department
Change in unsolicited demo submission policy: We are no longer accepting cds
With twin goals of conserving scarce resources and embracing digital technologies which are widely available, we will not be accepting physical demos any longer. From now onwards, please send us links to your web pages. We prefer myspace and youtube and will not follow convoluted weblinks which may lead us to viruses. Please send your links with a covering email to:
Intro
We receive a significant amount of material so please allow a few weeks for us to respond. Unless there are unforeseen circumstances we reply to submissions.
We cannot, however, guarantee to return any submissions and though it may sound obvious PLEASE do not send in any 'masters' or 'original' materials. In fact we are no longer accepting any physical demos, only web links to your music.
Also once we have received your demos we reserve the right to dispose of it as we see fit.
In response to writers and artists looking for advice about submitting demos we've prepared these guidelines:
Approaching publishers
We tend to prioritize listening to demos which have been recommended by people we already know eg artist managers, a&rs from other companies, writers already signed with us, music industry lawyers etc. The thinking behind this is that there has already been a filtering process; someone else, whose opinion we trust, is endorsing your music.
If you do not have representation and have to send in an unsolicited demo, make the best possible case for your music. If you are an artist include links to web pages with reviews, biog and pic. If you want to write for others make suggestions of which artists you think are appropriate for you songs. Also have a look at the "Presenting Demos" section below.
Unsolicited demos do get listened to but they cannot be a priority. New work by our existing writers is our first priority followed by the recommendations from our existing network of contacts. Hence it may take several weeks before we respond.
Presenting Demos
How many songs
No more than 3-5 songs- if we like what we hear we'll ask you for more.
Level of production
In theory if a song is strong enough, a simple guitar and vocal or piano and vocal should suffice. However we are increasingly expected to present virtually finished product to record companies- the growth of high quality home recording equipment means that the industry's expectations of demos has been raised. Also you are trying to get noticed amongst established writers who have the facilities to produce high quality recordings. In our experience good production can help enormously as can a good vocal which suits the style of the song.
Different song styles
If you are an artist you should have a coherent thread running though your material-though this does not restrict you on genres necessarily. If you are a songwriter planning to write for other people across genres, it is perfectly acceptable to cross genres- just send us the best example in each genre you work in.
Format
- We prefer links to myspace/ youtube/ or your own website
- We will not follow convoluted weblinks which may lead us to viruses
- Please DO NOT send us physical demos ie cd/ cassette/ mini-disc
- Please DO NOT send us mp3s as they clog up our email system.
Feedback
Please also note, much as we would like to, it is unfortunately impossible to give individual notes and feedback about submissions. This is partly because of the volume of demos received and partly because our main priority is giving feedback to existing writers on our roster. Suffice to say we listen to materials sent in and if we feel we would like to explore your situation further rest assured we will be in touch.
Enquiries regarding whether we have received material should be made with our Receptionist. Please note that due to the volume of submissions it may take several weeks for your submissions to be reviewed or for your information to be logged on our system.