Re: [microsound] labels

[rj valeo <rj@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

hey -

>  i have so far asked io-records who said i should send a demo

yeah - totally, we'll check it out. cool.

you would think what i'm going to say here is understood and known, 
but it's not - surprisingly not.

a few pointers from someone who receives demos.

1. label you damn cd, ok? it's not cool, or artsy or creative to send 
a cdr some place with out any info on it. do you know how many all 
silver cdrs we get? do we know who did them when they get separated 
from the case? did you know we use them as coasters? put your contact 
info on every piece of material you send. period.

2. include a note or letter or something with your package explaining 
exactly what it is you are sending and what you are hoping to get out 
of the label listening to it - ie. finished product looking for a 
home, demo looking for direction, an artists simply saying hello...

3. don't ask them for their address - chances are it's on their 
website, like mille plateaux - in canada and in europe - full address 
and everything. it shows you actually care and you are taking the 
time to do some work.

4. email, or better yet, get this, CALL them and say hi before you 
send it out - let them know that you are sending something. it really 
helps and starts a relationship.

5. keep in contact with them the entire time. email, phone, whatever. 
you really need to be aggressive about getting someone to listen to 
your work. don't feel like you are bothering them at all. don't.

6. do your home work - read their vision and listen to all you can 
that the label has released BEFORE you send your material in, to make 
sure what you are sending fits in esthetically with what they 
release. don't send them booty house if they release click house. 
don't send them minimal clicky field recording if they releases thick 
depressing wall of noise stuff.

7. give them time. most labels have other things to do (it's work), 
and they will make every effort to listen to everything they receive.

8. if you send something and don't hear back, send a reminder email 
asking if they received your package.

9. if you hear from them and they don't want it, ask them if they 
know of anyplace that they know of that might be interested.

if you do all of this and don't even get a response, well, chances 
are they aren't interested.

> mille plateaux responses=null
> mego responses=null
> staalplaat responses=null
> tiger-beat response =null of course.

those labels you mentioned are huge (relatively) - they have a full 
roster and are inundated with demos. find a smaller label and see if 
they'll check your stuff out. chances are, the smaller the label the 
nicer the personnel.

above all, don't take it personally if you don't hear back from 
someplace. it's really not a question whether or not your work is 
good, but if it fits in with what the label wants to release.

> also, as a practical joke/conceptual art piece, i want to send a 
> copy to mille plateaux so they can reject it.

if it's a noise piece, i would expect you to not get a response fro 
mp. they release clicky click house type stuff - you are thinking 
ritornell. good example of doing home work.

> ;) anyone have their address? (BTW, their website is pretty cool; 
> you should check it out: www.milleplateaux.com).

more homework - it's on their site. and their address is at 
http://www.mille-plateaux.net/info/index.html

their url is http://www.mille-plateaux.net/mp/ not not 
www.milleplateaux.com.. god knows what the hell that is - all it says 
is scene one.

remember : the label is doing you a favor by listening to your music 
not the other way around. don't be cocky - most labels are run by, 
yep, you guessed it - artists. artists that got fed up with other 
places not releasing their music and decided to do it them selves. 
most of us don't do this for the money, we do it because we love the 
music and the people who write it.

and, oh yeah - the only thing harder then finding a record label to 
pick up an artist is for a record label to find a distributor to 
carry their records.

i even updated our info page to include this info - much nicer and 
much simpler, but i put it up. i just couldn't stand to see another 
all silver cdr, er, coaster.

now i gotta go write some people about some demos they sent in.

peace

rj


--
out now at io:
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