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Article 1	Submitting a demo I When submitting a demo to a music company, it's more effective to send a CD and the web link. The A&R man might only have time to listen to music when driving back and from home. Driving and browsing the Internet????
Article 2	Submitting a demo 2 Never show your laziness to music companies by sending incomplete information. Record companies hate lazy artists who just want the money. This business is no joke!!!
Article 3	Importance of self promotion Do not think the record company automatically knows where to sell your music. Help them sign you by letting them know where your strongest fan bases are and what to do with your music. If you find a crocodile in your mailbox in NY City will you smile? At least you will want to know what to do with it.  Your fan base should not be just your friends but people who have bought your music. This is a deciding factor to sign you.
Article 4	Why start with an Indie? Reason: One advantage in signing with an indie is that their contracts are usually less demanding. An indie may be prepared to conclude a deal for just one record, or with a very limited number of options. UK major record companies ask for five or more albums when signing an artist and the US major ask up to seven or eight albums. You get hooked, when the deal is bad.
Article 5	Submitting a demo 3 When submitting a demo through an online link .... make sure the link navigates directly to where the songs can be played and refrain from giving the A&R rep. confusing information and links. That could be reserved for the receptionist; the A&R rep has less than 30 seconds for each song in his pile. The two most important things that counts when looking for a deal are: 1. Making sure the first two songs on your demo are the best. 2. A strong career reference (Not story).
Article 6	Submitting a demo 4 What matters here is how clear and strong the vocal arrangements are on a demo that is in the rudimental form. If you plan to submit an incomplete demo to a record company, make sure the vocal arrangement is very clear and strong. Undermining the record company's expectation which is "Hit song or forget it" becomes strongly enforce when a recording is not backed by a solid instrumental back up. Who loves the garbage can???
Article 7	The negative responses Move on! Do not let the negative responses make you feel you worth nothing; you really worth more than any company will offer. Negative responses are very common in every competitive business and the music business is no exception. You don't get negative responses because your pal is not working there or you look ugly. The record company pays dearly for the artist's work and takes 100% marketing risk. A&R Rep's fear to be blamed for an unsuccessful artist. I strongly recommend you seek a professional review of your songs before submission. Never rely on what your mom or friends say about your work, because they love you and may not have the courage to tell you they smell rat.
Article 8	Always a negative response...WHY? Some of the common reasons Some of the common reasons for negative responses are: 1. Demos made in a hurry. 2. The first two songs are not ear-catching. 3. Poor packaging. 4. Broken links or links that do not navigate directly to the song. 5. Incomplete packaging. A complete packaging must include everything about you and anything that supports and prove you are ready. The song alone will not convey that message. They want to know how you perform live, so if you have a video send it, your interaction skills; how you communicate musically with the audience, etc. If you cannot present a professional package, find someone else to do it and desist from trying to undermine the A&R Rep. They hate when people test them; get this straight. You must satisfy their needs and not yours. A time will come when they will satisfy your need, but not when you are at their mercy. This web site offers professional packaging service.
Article 9	Back to the Studio...No Way! Fact is composers hate to be told something is wrong with the song. I have written over five thousand songs. A few released, but the majority not, and I am not worried about that. Every songwriter loves his/her composition and may be vulnerable to accepting critics of any nature, also constructive. The wisdom here is when somebody (Professional or not) tells you something is missing with the composition, take the slap, give yourself time to recoup, and try to find out what the hell is missing that you don't hear. The reason is when you feel content with your composition and run without heeding the warning, run for a record deal, the A&R Rep. will be wondering why you did not listen carefully to your song before submitting. The work you are very proud of ends in the garbage can. This fact is the reason you need a producer for your studio session. A producer does not necessarily need to be the best instrumentalist or vocalist; producers are people who are skilled to hear what your composition calls for and in which direction you are trying to move musically. This web site offers professional packaging service, which include getting the song right.
Article 10	Unsolicited Material? What the hell does that mean? It means you must send your demo to a particular name at the A&R Department under his/her permission. Music companies will use that clause to scare off robbers, but fact is you are not a robber but a wannabe superstar or star asking them to listen to materials (Songs) you have spent your precious time composing. The A&R reps are becoming lazy and do not want you to overload them with work, so they have devised the clause "No unsolicited materials." The point is how would you know the name of A&R reps in a company in say Germany when you live in China? Furthermore, they do all they can to keep those names secret from you. My advice is send them the demo tapes or CDs addressed to the A&R Department without a name; Someone there is assigned to listen to them. And one more thing, do not tell them I asked you to disregard their clause. Thank you!  This web site offers professional packaging service, which include getting the song right.
Article 11	Dos & Don'ts When Submitting a Demo! 1. DON'T: Do not submit a demo link where the web site requires the A&R Representative to Sign up before he/she could hear your demo. Example of such sites are such "Soundclick.com/artist name & mp3.com, just to mention a few. 2. DO: Make it easier for the A&R Rep. to find and listen to your music.  I recommend sending a CD.
Article 12	Are you ready to come to terms with the realities of today's music market? I said "no" to the same question 20 years ago and still made a remarkable success. Today I will say "yes," and the reason is 20 years ago musicians were declared drug addicts, alcoholics, and sex offenders, so no one took them serious or cared to partner with them to build a business called Britneyspears.com. The issue of adjusting to market needs has been a major fear, if not an obstacle to success, for many artists, especially the "I want to be me types." Believe it or not today's music business operates under the same marketing and sales principles as any other business. The satisfaction of the customer is prime and not that of the artist. Failure to adjust to customer needs could create problems not for only the artist but also the entire team that supports them. AND THAT IS THE REASON  RECORD COMPANIES ARE SIGNING THOSE WHO UNDERSTAND THE MARKET AND NOT JUST THE MUSIC. The question now is have you ever thought of assisting the record company in marketing your music? You could increase your chances by suggesting a fan base or a radio station that plays your music. Now submit your demo professionally. Goodluck!
Article 13	The First Impression I have repeatedly advised artist to refrain from provoking the A&R Reps who listen to your music by presenting an incomplete package. The A&R Representative or rep does the listening and could open the doors to a successful career. Unfortunately, every one of them work under constant pressure and sometimes loose their job for signing the unproductive artist. People working under such pressures have little or no tolerance for non professional presentations. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO GIVE THEM MORE WORK TO DO by sending them incomplete packages. Every artist owes part of his/her success to packaging. Improper packaging could cost an artist his chance of getting signed to a record company. Packaging is the first impression you give about yourself, therefore never let it fail in its purpose. We strongly recommend you present a profession package or seek the service of a professional. We offer professional artist-packaging services that place you ahead of the competition. I want to know more about Artist Packaging Service.
Article 14	Dos and Don'ts: Demo Submission Some artists/bands have the habit of scaring away record companies by submitting weird photographs. We work in the interest of the musician and will do everything possible to safeguard his interest. Some bands still submit photographs of very strange objects and promote what looks like "The Demonic Chapter," some have photographs of guns hidden in a Bible; some of the CD covers have the artist licking blood on plate, etc. Remember record companies avoid trouble makers and strange people, so please refrain from "killing" your chances. The record company intends to sign a working agreement and work with you. My point is, would you feel comfortable working with someone who plays with the gun or get fascinated seeing blood? The obviously answer is NO. You can be weird all you want, but please keep that to yourself; it's unprofessional. Do: Give the impression that you understand the business of making whoever works for you comfortable and rich. How to do that? Act like a business minded artist/band. Do: Your music and personality sells you, so be careful not to allow people think you are not a nice guy. How do you do that? Curtail the anger and keep the smiles. You want people to like you so build an atmosphere that is comfortable for you and them. Smiles could make it happen. Do: Make more friends than enemies by being generous to people. Don't: Do not show the devil in you.
Article 15	The First Stage of selling your work During the first stage of selling your work, you invest a lot of energy money instead of earning money. It may seem obscure to many but fact is it takes some if not a lot of investment to establish oneself in this very competitive music business. Some people are very lucky to find sponsors (Yes, but based on the quality of the material presented). I added the note in parenthesis because many think it takes only luck to succeed, but my view is "Forget it; nobody will sponsor a product that has no chance of succeeding." Yes, you spend money selling your ideas; yes, you need a budget to promote the material you created. Often, non-established artists and bands have financial difficulties, but every record company knows that some of the bands spend more money on clothing than investing in the product they present. My point is do not compromise the goal with irrelevancies. The goal is to have success and only a good product can partly guarantee that. As ex-artist and producer, I know that one thing is true; YOUR WORK MUST SOUND BETTER THAN WHAT THE CHARTS CARRY. Most musicians like me hate what the charts present, but believe me people who buy music don't care about your thoughts. It is wise to invest not only energy, but money as well in your efforts to win.
Article 16	When and why is demo reviewing necessary? The answer to the "When" part of the title of this article is quite simpler than the latter; before the final mix and before you submit to a record company. Why is demo reviewing necessary? It is necessary to submit your demo to a Demo Reviewing Agency for two major reasons. Reason number 1: Demo Reviewing Agencies work directly with record companies or are businesses operated mostly by ex or current A&R Executives and Reps. The A&R can determine within 3 seconds if the music is ready or needs more work. Therefore, you need to outsmart them by having your works reviewed by a professional, who knows exactly why the A&R will dump your demo. Reason number 2: Everybody loves his or her compositions and may undermine petty mistakes or not even know how to identify them. I strongly recommend that you review the song before attempting a deal. It cost less to pay for a professional review than blowing a chance. A good demo review could improve every bit of your music production T&T Music offers demo reviewing service and artist packaging. Our offer covers a very detailed music review that stretches from the CD artwork to how best to sing the song.