The problem with unsolicited demos is not the potential for lawsuits regarding possible future hits (that maybe the Major Label Hit Artist pulled some inspiration from a demo tape sent in by Murray in St. Louis), nor is it that you absolutely have to get to the power brokers through a music lawyer or other big-league player.

The fact of the matter is - as any honest A&R guy will tell you - the vast, vast, vast majority of submissions they receive are just plain bad, talentless, worthless, and a complete waste of their time. Using a lawyer or pitching service acts as a sort of filter, eliminating the truly bad compositions and performances before they ever waste thirty seconds of the A&R Executive’s afternoon (which is about how much time your voice and song have to impress him or her enough to give you another thirty seconds).

I’m nowhere near a power broker in this business, nor am I an A&R exec at some successful label, and even I get inundated with emailed mp3s and requests to check out someone’s myspace page. I have no idea how these Big Label guys ever get the time to blink, let alone make it through the myriad requests for their time and ears.

So this morning I got yet another email offering a ‘fresh’ and ‘unique’ talent (I’ve edited a few identifying details) :

To whom it may concern:

I am emailing you to invite you to listen to a fresh new innovative talent…His name is XXXX XXXXXXX, He is a XX year old country singer out of CITY, STATE. He has been singing since the 4th grade and Professionally for 7 years with the XXXXXXXXX band. He has performed many times in numerous different counties always proving to be a huge crowd pleaser. When performing he illuminates an immense stage presence and within seconds he is captivating the stage and everyone is on their feet going wild. At the end of the show the crowd is always chanting for an encore, Which he is proud to give to please his fans. Many fans travel to different locations just to listen to him sing.

XXXX has a wide vocal range and a unique sound all his own. His tone changes appropriately to each individual song making it more appealing. He has a tender nature about him making him charming to the women and wilder side which appeals to the gentlemen of the crowd. I know if given the opportunity, XXXX XXXXXXXX would be a very significant asset to any label well proving to be an essential contributor to the country music industry.

I have attached a piano/vocal demo for your listening pleasure…Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your time…Sincerely

XXXXX XXXXXXXXX

Well, suffice it to say, the demo sucked.

Again.

Average song, nothing special, certainly not FRESH and INNOVATIVE.

The email was addressed to my actual email addy (one that has my NAME as part of the address), yet they didn’t take the time to write a personalized salutation. I don’t need someone to mention my dog, or say my kids are beautiful or that they love my work, but maybe using my name is decent starting point when asking me for a favor.

On top of that minor irritation, there was the travesty of not getting a demo for some FRESH, NEW, INNOVATIVE singer talent, but instead getting a demo for AutoTune! I mean, it was almost the proverbial ‘Cher-effect,’ no joke. It was laughable. And this on a demo that was just piano and vocal (which, ironically, is the one thing they got right about the submission).

Not sure why, but I felt the need to respond and actually offer the best advice I had for this well-intentioned but amateur artist and manager :

Ok, well, you asked.

I have two points for you to think about.

One. When asking a label or a producer to take the time to listen to your ‘fresh new innovative talent,’ the minimum decency would mean addressing the email to an entity other than ‘To Whom It May Concern.’

Two. When sending music that is bare/sparse (piano and vocal - normally a good idea, and preferred by myself and most of my peers), it does not HELP your artist’s case to use AutoTune (or any other form of pitch correction), in fact it HURTS it.

FYI, your email (as it is currently composed) would normally not get a response. Don’t know why I took the time to respond this morning… I’m just amazed at how some of the basics in this industry go overlooked time after time after time after time. Take some comfort in knowing that you are FAR from alone with these problems. In fact, there’s part of the problem. The industry is looking for something unique, and it’s sad to say that at this point ‘unique’ could be defined as someone who simply addresses an email to the person they’re sending it to and someone who can actually sing on pitch without the help of software.

I really am trying to be helpful. You did say “Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.”

kind regards,
Daniel

So take note… get some real feedback from industry professionals before sending it off to the email list you bought from some service or culled from the ‘net. There are plenty of places on the web that offer to review and critique your songs. I happen to like one in particular, Taxi, because it’s run by a friend of mine, Michael Laskow. We only became friends because a song that I co-wrote (with my dear friend Mike Standal), I Wanna Be, was forwarded by Taxi to Columbia Records a couple of years ago. We’ve made lots of money from that one song placement (and the Emma Roberts record on which it was the first single was not exactly a commercial success), and Taxi got five bucks. $5. That’s it. No commission, no publishing, and I’m willing to bet they rarely even get a ‘thanks’ from most people who get forwarded. So, hey, thanks Michael. Hopefully some young artists who are looking for that next step will take my advice and sign up with your fine company. I know it doesn’t matter directly to your bottom line if they ever land a deal, but one of the reasons I’m such a fan is I know your greatest happiness comes from seeing those you’ve helped get to the next level of the industry. Anyone who sends me stuff and asks for some feedback, I plan on continuing to send them your way.