28 Jan Sending Your Music to Record Labels
Sending your music to record labels and getting a response can be a tricky process. Many producers end up feeling discouraged after sending their tracks and seeing their email inbox remain unanswered for days, weeks, or even months.
However, let’s shed some light on this matter to at least avoid frustration.
Types of labels to send your music to
The first thing to understand is what type of label you are sending your music to. In this regard, we can identify three types of labels:
- Major or big record labels
- Labels that respond to everyone
- Labels that rarely respond (and probably the ones you’re interested in)
Major labels handle the task of finding new artists on their own, and the essential requirement for them to take notice is simple. You need to have a solid and large fan base – very large – as well as music that aligns with popular and mainstream genres.
Labels that respond to everyone are not recommended, as they often exploit producers’ work. They listen to everything, release everything, pay little or nothing, take the money the tracks may generate, and sometimes even charge artists to release their music.
Labels that rarely respond are recommended, as they generally have popularity within different niche music styles and carefully curate their catalog. That’s why many people reach out, but only a few are fortunate.
Why don’t they respond?
This could be due to various reasons, involving several factors. It might be that a single person handles everything. Imagine receiving 20 demo emails every day, let’s say an average of 3 tracks per email. That means 60 tracks per day, at an average of 5 minutes per track, resulting in 300 minutes. In other words, 5 hours a day listening to music. If you consider what happens in a year, it amounts to 21,900 tracks per year and an average of 1825 hours (76 days). These numbers can overwhelm anyone, but they are not as outrageous as they may seem.
If the label is relatively new, the person in charge may have enough energy. Still, if it has been around for a while, they may have lost that initial energy and are looking for shortcuts to solve this problem.
So, who do they respond to?
They respond to profiles that interest them and artists they already know personally. In fact, that’s the shortcut mentioned in the previous point.
Letting go of ego when submitting your music
This is a crucial point for artists/producers. Though it might sound harsh, they have to understand that nobody is obligated to listen to their music. Getting upset over not receiving a response only harms the one waiting for it, as they are essentially asking someone else to fulfill their requests for… nothing? You can submit your music, but nobody is obligated to respond.
The solutions
There are several solutions:
The first is to release music, and if the music is genuinely good and of interest to people who run other labels, they will get in touch with the artist. But where should you release it? The most effective way is to release it on your label and use networks and promotion services to spread the message. If the music is genuinely good, it will reach the ears it needs to, but it’s not the artist who decides that; it’s the people who listen to it.
The second is to be sponsored, meaning that someone with direct access to the label introduces you. Direct access means someone with a solid relationship, not just an acquaintance. An acquaintance would only make things more difficult.
The third is to know the person who manages the label directly. But be careful with this; if you know the person in question, it’s not advisable to send with the goal of publication. It’s more advisable to simply ask for an opinion. No one likes being told what to do, especially when it involves time and money.
The strategy
It basically involves working on the third solution. The first can be worked on to some extent, and the other part is completely beyond our control. The second, well, you wouldn’t be reading this if you had the second. So let’s go for the third.
How do you meet new people? By making yourself visible, introducing yourself (you, not your work), and establishing a friendly relationship. Imagine you’re on the street, and suddenly 15 strangers start talking to you about something all at once, and at that moment, you see a friend. What do you do? Do you stay with the 15 strangers, or do you run away with your friend? Now change the word “you” to “label,” 15 strangers to 15 demo emails, and friend to an artist you know. That’s exactly what happens.
However, if you present yourself as you would in any life situation and let that person or label ask you to show your music, everything will be very different.
In any case, we can go back to the first solution. Start your label, begin with the digital option. You can use platforms like Bandcamp to sell and CdBaby or Distrokid for streaming platform releases. For promotion, obviously, use social media. If your music is of interest (since the term “good” is subjective), I’m sure some label will be interested, and that’s good.
Conclusion on sending your music to labels
Sending your music to a label is essentially a type of social relationship, so it’s something you need to work on and consequently take care of. Sending and expecting a response isn’t enough. In fact, if a label responds to everything and releases everything, they are likely benefiting in a way they won’t share with the artist.
MUCH MORE THAN sending your music to record labels
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