(F.A.Q.) FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
-1-
QUESTION:
Do recording companies really listen to demos people send them in the mail?
ANSWER:
Yes some absolutely do, however some do not. This website researches
and uses our connections to find only record companies who are
accepting and listening to demos in our monthly updated assortment of
record companies provided to you as a member of our website, for you to
send your music to.
-2-
QUESTION:
What do the words "Unsolicited Material" mean?
ANSWER:
In music business talk, "Unsolicited Material" or "Unsolicited Demo"
means music of yours that you send to a record company which the
record company did not specifically ask you for. For example: if you
sent a demo CD to Warner Bros. record company without a Warner Bros.
employee representative giving you permission and asking you to send
your CD to him, this is what would be considered "Unsolicited
Material," a demo CD that was not requested by the record company.
So if you call a recording company on the phone and ask them if you can
send your demo to them and they tell you, "Sorry we do not accept
unsolicited material." this means they do not accept or listen to music
sent in randomly from the public.
-3-
QUESTION:
Which record companies accept "unsolicited material"?
ANSWER:
This is not a question that can be answered directly, because some
companies accept your material and some don't. However there is a
theory which generally stays consistent...The larger, more popular and
older a record company is the more likely they are not to accept
unsolicited material from the public...However the companies that are
newer or indie (independent labels) usually will accept
unsolicited material.
-4-
QUESTION:
How do I make my "unsolicited" demo material "solicited"?
ANSWER:
As mentioned above, in order for your demo to be considered "solicited"
someone from the record company needs to give you permission to send it
to them or ask you to send it to them, this can happen in a variety of
ways. If you hire an agent, like a real talent agent, or a fairly
respected manager or entertainment lawyer, and they contact the record
company and submit your music for you, then this is usually the most
common way of making your material solicited. Many record companies who
don't accept unsolicited demos really mean that they will not accept
them directly from you, they require an agent to submit your music to
them on your behalf, an agent who is professional and knows the
business. Also a record company talent scout might see you
perform somewhere or might have heard of your reputation and they see
you in a club someplace and give you a card and tell you to send them a
CD. This is also considered sending your material in as "solicited."
If you are just getting started as a new artist trying to get your
first deal it is recommended that you don't try to get an agent
to represent you because this can cost you lots of money and if your
music "sucks" it
will still "suck" as a "solicited" CD that your agent/manager/lawyer
representative submits to you. Paying an agent to submit your music to
a record company can cost you $1000's more or less. As a new
artist you are better off sending your demo to recording companies who
accept unsolicited material directly from you. If you have real talent
you will get noticed.
-5-
QUESTION:
Do people really get record deals from sending demos to record companies?
ANSWER:
Yes they do. For a fact they do. Members of this site have
gotten deals, and it is not just normal people who subscribe to this
site, there have been some fairly well known people who have used this
site. People who were on reality tv shows and things like that where
they are not hugely popular but do already have some public
recognition. Mostly though it is regular people with talent who get
opportunities from this website. One thing you should be educated
about is that getting a record deal or getting the opportunity to work
with a record company does not mean you automatically get rich and
famous, it means as the words say, the record company is willing to
"deal" with you to give you an opportunity to prove that you have work
ethic, work well with others and are not insane and if you show promise
you will get more and more opportunity and money that comes along
with your performance as an artist. Too many people watch too
many movies and think that record companies have unlimited amounts of
money and they hand out million dollar checks like they were handing
out candy. Unless you have family members in the recording industry, or
have proven yourself on a smaller record label it is very
unlikely you will see much money on your first deal as a new artist.
Music is not a get rich quick plan, you have to work hard, be willing
to learn and have patience. Most of all you have to be good and have a
good demo CD recording. Anyone who says they sent their demo CD
to tons of record companies who accept unsolicited material
and never got anywhere with it are artist whose demos were not good. It
IS TRUE that most people do not get signed from sending demos to
record companies, but this is because most demo recordings are
very bad, the sound of the recording is bad and the songs are either
also very bad or sad attempts to copy the style of another artist or
group. If your demo has a good audio sound and the
songwriting is excellent and the singer or rapper doesn't suck then you
will usually get some kind of positive response from the majority of
record companies you send your demo to. And that's the truth.
-6-
QUESTION:
How do I get a record deal?
ANSWER:
A short and simple question but a question that gets asked frequently.
You get a record deal by first making a recording of your music and
then getting someone at a record company to hear it and enjoy it by
either mailing a CD to them, a Myspace page link or other website link
with your music on it or by someone from the record company
hearing you perform somewhere and you impress them so much they want to
do business with you.
-7-
QUESTION:
I want a record deal !?
ANSWER:
Unsure if this is a question or demand, but it is a frequent request.
The answer to this is first decide what music you want to play, develop
your skills, make a decent recording put it on CD or mp3, get opinions from
friends and when you think you are ready, begin the process of sending
your music to record companies.
-8-
QUESTION:
What payment options are there to pay my membership subscription fee to this site?
ANSWER:
The only payments we accept at this time are by VISA, Master Card or
JCB credit card payments or VISA & Master Card Debit Cards/ATM
Cards.
Also we accept online Check payment, if you have a checking account you
can pay by secure e-Check. Sorry we do not accept Money Orders,
Cash, or PayPal. All of our payment transactions are handled by the
internet's most reputable, state of the art and trusted secure online
payment
processor VEROTEL . If you ever have any billing questions or concerns
you can contact their customer service 24 hours a day and they will be
happy to assist you. We understand that not everybody has VISA or
Master Card credit or debit cards, but because of the way this website
is integrated into an automated payment and customer password access
method, our online payment processor is not able to manually add new
memberships if you send in money orders or cash at this time, nor are
they set up to accept PayPal, PayPal and VEROTEL are 2 different
payment processors that use different software systems. Sorry for any
convenience. Maybe this will change in the future.
-9-
QUESTION:
How do I become a member and get full access to your Music Biz Etc. Site?
ANSWER:
Go to the sign-up page
and pay your membership subscription fee, you will then you will
immediately get your access codes to be able to enter the members only
area of this website, then you can begin the process of sending your
music to a variety of record companies who will listen to
your demo?
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