Read on TwitterWe’re getting a lot of demos to @scuffedrecs at the moment - shout out all the productive lockdown artists - so thought I’d put together a quick thread for artists on how to send a good demo email to labels.
IMO half the battle when you’re sending out a demo is packaging it in the right way.
Keep in mind that this is all my personal opinion, not all labels will be the same - but just some thoughts from running Scuffed for the last couple of years.
Keep in mind that this is all my personal opinion, not all labels will be the same - but just some thoughts from running Scuffed for the last couple of years.
Firstly - please look into the label you’re sending demos to. We get sent so much stuff that just doesn’t fit with us.
Maybe you& #39;re thinking it& #39;s best to hit up as many labels as possible, but if it& #39;s a complete different genre it& #39;s a waste of your time and ours.
Maybe you& #39;re thinking it& #39;s best to hit up as many labels as possible, but if it& #39;s a complete different genre it& #39;s a waste of your time and ours.
Keep your email short. We don’t need to hear your whole life story, or about “your forward-thinking blend of influences”.
IMO, it& #39;s not hugely important if XYZ magazine/DJ has supported your stuff in the past. If the demo bangs, that& #39;s the only thing that matters.
IMO, it& #39;s not hugely important if XYZ magazine/DJ has supported your stuff in the past. If the demo bangs, that& #39;s the only thing that matters.
That being said, say hi! It’s nice to get a feeling that you’re someone we can get along with, not just someone looking for any label to release on.
You don’t need to sound like our biggest fan, but make it sound like you know who we are and why you want to release with us.
You don’t need to sound like our biggest fan, but make it sound like you know who we are and why you want to release with us.
The best option for sending demos is a private Soundcloud link with downloads turned on. Dropbox also does the trick. WeTransfer and Google Drive aren’t great, and def don’t attach a file direct to the email.
(On another note, if you’re sending a demo email, please send a demo with it. It’s pointless emailing us to say “can I send you a demo?” but not actually sending anything)
On demos being downloadable - for me, being able to test tracks in the mix, on radio or in the club, is essential.
320kbps MP3 is best. If it’s a demo I’m giving a test run, I don’t want to download a 100mb+ WAV. Also a self-master is fine. Trying to test a premaster is a pain.
320kbps MP3 is best. If it’s a demo I’m giving a test run, I don’t want to download a 100mb+ WAV. Also a self-master is fine. Trying to test a premaster is a pain.
If you’re looking to release a 3-4 track EP, I would say send through 5-6 tracks. It’s nice to have the option to choose which tracks we like. On the other hand, we don’t want to be overwhelmed by a folder of 20+ tracks.
It’s better to send a selection of demos and let the label decide which ones they want to release, rather than saying “I have this EP ready to release” - which suggests you’re not willing to be flexible.
Don’t give up if you don’t get a reply. We usually listen to everything we get sent and will always get back to people who a) will work well on the label or b) might not be ready yet but we can see working with in future.
Most people running independent labels have day jobs too so replying to every single person would be really time consuming.
Speaking from experience, we have a backlog of demos to check out so might take a while to get back even when we& #39;re keeping on top of things.
Speaking from experience, we have a backlog of demos to check out so might take a while to get back even when we& #39;re keeping on top of things.
On chasing - if you don& #39;t get a reply within a couple of weeks I& #39;d say it& #39;s fine to chase once. But chasing loads of times is just annoying. If you don& #39;t hear back, move on to the next label and hope for the best.
I think that& #39;s it for now, hmu with any questions and good luck sending your stuff out!
(Oh, just thought of one more thing - always send by email! Insta DMs are a sure fire way to get missed. Same goes for Soundcloud/FB messages, lots of people don& #39;t check em that often and they get easily lost in other spam messages).
