Presentation cot'd

The most important part of your package is the demo itself and your contact details. However some people like to submit additional information to give the recipient a better idea of what the band are about and the image they portray. This is sometimes helpful and you should consider including the following along with your demo:
 

A biography. This is a piece of text that tells people a little more about the band. The kind of info you should include in your bio is, a bit of history on the band, high points in your career thus far (big gigs/support slots), names and roles of all members, future plans and perhaps a description of your sound (or at least how you see it). When writing your biography try and keep it under a page long. People don’t like to receive packages containing numerous sheets of paper to tell them how great your band is. Be concise and to the point and don’t elaborate on anything too much. If somebody wants to know more they will ask you. At the bottom of your bio try and include some quotes from reviews and press that you have received (if any). It is good if you can back up what you are saying with the opinion of the music press as well!!! .

A photograph. Again, do not send a whole photo album. Pick one photo and include that in your package. The photo can be a live shot or a still of any/all of the individuals in the band.

With CD writers being so cheap some bands are beginning to include all of the above information, music and text/photo’s on one CDR. This is known as a dual mode CDR and means that your music, bio and photos are all on the one disc and will never be separated from each other. Using such a format means you don’t have to send a large package to anyone. All you need to send is a CD, which from the recipient’s point of view is ideal.

The only disadvantage to this method is that a computer is required to access the info on the band. A lot of the people you send demo’s to will be on the road a lot of the time and tend to listen to demo’s in the car or on a personal stereo etc.

Once you have a promo package ready and if you have not already done so, you need to put together a list of contacts. Whatever your demo is for you need to put some time into researching who exactly you are going to send them to. For example, if you are sending them out to record companies then there are a few things you need to consider;

Which record companies are you going to contact?? You may already have an idea of which ones you want to contact. Perhaps they are the ones who release the music that you enjoy listening to and you think your music would interest them. If you aren’t sure about who to contact then you need to think about a number of things. Independent of major label?

Do you want to get interest from a large label who have the means to offer you a massive deal or are you more interested in going with an indie label whose ethos is more similar to your own. Think about this. Also, there is no point submitting your demo who does not release your genre of music so find out about the labels that would be interested in your sound

"Targeting labels is super important........and it doesn't hurt to explain your choice"

- Matt Thornill, XL Records

Once you have established which companies you are going to approach you need to then find out which person in that company you should send your package to. Try and find out who is responsible for music of your genre and who is most likely to be into what you are doing. Look on websites, ask other bands and get in contact with the companies themselves to find out. This can make a big difference in how your package is treated so it is worth the research before hand.

Finally, once you have your list of contacts together go through it and check that you have spelt everything properly. The name of the record company and especially the name of the individual you are sending it to should be correct. This is easily done and is worth doing to be sure. If somebody receives a package and their name is incorrectly spelt it gets you off on the wrong foot and suggests that you may not have made any effort in researching your contacts.

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