So we’ve touched a little bit on the difficulties of getting a demo heard in the previous blog. Thankfully it’s not all doom & gloom!! If you can’t get to the record labels, let them come to you. There are a few things you can do to get your name around. We’re all familiar with Myspace, just keep in mind you have many millions of other artists on this space trying to do exactly the same thing you are. If you are able to set the time aside there are other pages you can put profiles on, such as;
http://www.unsigned.com
http://www.soundclick.com
http://www.showcaseyourmusic.com
http://www.purevolume.com
http://www.garageband.com
You can even go as far as being genre specific or location
http://www.indieiniative.com
http://www.fasterlouder.com.au
These are just a few of the many, many places you can get your music heard, & it’s FREE!! You can also do a general Google search for other sites that offer free music profile pages. So get out there & start uploading!!
Having said all that, it’s very easy to get lost in a climate where everyone wants to be famous & everyone wants to be a musician. If you are serious about your music the best thing you can do for yourself is make a STANDOUT demo. Naturally this costs money but there are a few things you can do to keep your costs to a minimum;
* Focus on your writing before you go anywhere near the studio.
* Make sure you have more than enough songs to choose from. It’s not always the case that the first songs you write should be on the demo. Songwriting is something that develops & gets better with time so write as much as you can & be brutally honest. I’ve known many artists who rushed the writing process & ended up having to do several demos. It’s a waste of time, money & it can damage your confidence. With the right material your demo will stand the test of time & it won’t have to be updated every few months.
* If you think a song is just ok, chances are so will everyone else. Choose songs that you feel strongly about & that you can deliver.
* Work on the tracks you’ve chosen BEFORE you go to the studio. Make some rough recordings on your home computer or recording device. Listen to it carefully & work out where you can improve things, what works & what doesn’t. You will lose time & money if you go to the studio just hoping things will fall into place.
* Choose your recording time wisely. Many studios offer cheaper packages if you book an 8-hour day. This is a great package for a band recording various instruments. For a vocalist this can be too taxing on your voice & you may not get the best results so make sure you are up for it. Not everything works on the first take!
* KNOW YOUR PARTS!! Learn your words & know your parts before you get to the studio. This is not a rehearsal folks!
* If you put all these things into place your demo may very well end up being something that can be turned into an EP. In that case you’ve just forgone the “demo” stage & you’re on your way to being an independent artist.
Next time we’ll discuss “the demo versus the EP”. For now remember, Rifunit says – If you don’t have anything good to say…SING!!!
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