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Promotion Whites/demos Introduction Wherever you're sending your music - journalists, record labels, management companies or whoever, there are some basic rules that will cut down the amount of time and money that you spend doing it.  Read on for: Getting names Publishing companies Get your contact details right Following up Other ways of getting heard "White labels are sent out to tastemakers, radio deejays, to start creating a buzz on the record you are releasing." Lisa Lindahl PR Manager The Playcentre Getting Names It's a better bet to target a few named individuals than to just randomly send your demo out to anybody and everybody. Look at record sleeves to find out which labels are releasing tracks like yours and contact them. Find a name of someone who you feel is relevant, call them (probably several times before you actually get to speak to them) and make sure they are still working there and are able to help you. This will ensure your demo will be received by someone who's expecting it and interested in it.  "Try not to just send demos, try to set up meetings since the A&R can see better what you are about." Terri Walker Publishing These guys make their money by buying the publishing rights to your material and collecting when your tracks get played. Nowadays, they are more likely to sign new talent with a view to developing them than major record labels are. They're more concerned with the quality of your song-writing and your ear for hooks rather than looking for totally finished saleable product. Many artists have made fortunes with publishing and never even recorded! That's because if someone else records a song you've written you still get paid even though you're not the one performing it.  "Build up relationships with people in key departments. Especially the assistants of the key people... remember, they have contact with the person you want to impress." Phyllisia Adjei Project Manager Soul2Streets Everyone is in A&R By now you've probably thought about the best places to send your tracks - record labels, publishers, pirate radio and prospective managers - the usual suspects! But there are also many other people in this industry who could help. Entertainment lawyers, who are solicitors who specialise in music business contracts, are often the link between the many different areas of the industry. PR companies are also well connected and often help new artists to get their deals so it's worth considering them also. "You can get your white labels to deejays through a promotional company. Deejays tend to trust the judgement of these companies and will give material preference over independently sent tracks." Phyllisia Adjei Project Manager Soul2Streets Label Everything Check and double check that all the details you send out with your demo/vinyl are correct. Is the phone number you're giving out going to get cut off? Is your e-mail account going to remain open if you can't check it for a few days? Sounds obvious but it really is so crucial and worth checking. Incorrect contact details could mean no deal. Put your name, contact details, logo, e-mail and website address on everything you send out. Most importantly your name and contact number MUST be on the CD on record. "A&Rs get a lot of demos so make yours stand out BUT be professional about it." Phyllisia Adjei Project Manager Soul2Streets Following Up Once you've sent them your track, wait a week before you make a follow up call. This will allow them some time to really form an opinion of your track and get some other reactions to it. If you phone twice and they seem like they're still undecided or unwilling to give you their opinion they probably don't like it so ease off and let them make the move. They probably get 30 - 40 demos a week so they are getting loads of calls already and won't appreciate it if you bug them. When you do get contacted make sure you're ready. If you're asked about live PAs make sure you know when your last one was and where your next one will be. If your track gets played on air, can the listeners hit an up to date and fully functioning website - are the MP3s and pics relevant and downloadable? And can they leave their contact details? "Try and follow up send outs with a brief call or e-mail to see if they received it and what they thought of it. Again many of the top deejays are very busy but if you don't ask you don't get." Lisa Lindahl PR Manager The Playcentre Alternatives Building up a vibe on your tune in the record shops and clubs can be another way of getting attention. There is a strong link between the record shops, deejays and club promoters so getting known in these circles can be very effective. A&R will want to know what's selling in the shops and what's hurting the dance floor so getting your tune talked about this way makes a lot of sense. After all it's often the record shops that bring the tunes to the deejay's attention.  "Know your scene inside and out. Know who's up and coming and which deejays the kids want to hear. Being in tune with what the punters want is the main thing." Izzy Promoter Dekefex - Brixton More... from How to... Press vinyl http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/1xmusic/distribution/vinylp01.shtml Use distributors http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/1xmusic/distribution/distributorsp01.shtml Promote your releases http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/1xmusic/promotion/promotep01.shtml Approach the media http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/1xmusic/promotion/mediap01.shtml Use a street team http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/1xmusic/promotion/streetp01.shtml (c) 91Èȱ¬ 1Xtra 1XMusic 2006