The Let it Burn Blog

After the breakup of my band I took a break from playing the guitar and writing music for a couple of weeks to make sure I do not rush from one thing into another. I wanted to make sure that this is still what I wanted to do with my spare time. Fortunatelly my hunger for writing and playing music was bigger than ever before and so I happily (re-)stared working on songs.

Not being in a band anymore and also growing up as a musician and music fan my approach to songwriting was way more open minded than it used to be in the past. In fact I diminished most of my previous barriers and boundaries and tried to focus on the essentials that make up a great song, no matter what music-style or genre. Let me share some learnings I experienced lately:

1.) Take your time. I know this sounds odd but songwriting is something that will never work out if it happens in a rush. Make sure you have at least a time frame of 5 hours, mute your phone and close your email-client.

2.) Don’t aim too high. Face it, your song is most likely not gonna be the next “Smells Like Teen Spirit” or “Paranoid”. It might not even be a full song but only a couple of fragments in the end but that’s perfectly alright because you can and should always:

3.) Share your music with others. There’s only very few musicians who play and understand more than one instrument fluently. If you’re a guitar player the input from a real drummer or bassist is essential to get the most out of your song. Playing with others is also the only possibility to “feel” your song.

4.) Gear up. The fewer technical barriers you have, the more you can focus on the creative part. So if you need a certain software or hardware of if your instrument is giving you a hard time, go and buy some new stuff even. New gear is also a top motivator!

5.) Musical Jettison. I know you have heard this so many times before but LESS IS MORE! Keep in mind that there are other instruments, too (Vocals in the first place). Let your song breathe. In addition to that it is counterproductive in almost every genre to add too many parts and ideas to one song. Just pick the best and make sure they fall into place. Therefore also embrace the next hint:

6.) Unlearn your skills. Yes, you are a very talented musician, probably the best in town, but for writing great songs your musical skills might stand in your way. Most of the biggest hits ever written have the most pathetic riff(s) and harmonies (from a musical point of view). Usually the magic happens through the interplay of various instruments and not through the virtuosity of one.

7.) Write, write & write. The more songs you write the better they get. The routine won’t destroy your artistic creativity, it will more likely smooth the way to implement your ideas. If you happen to start picking over the bones by using old riffs for new songs at one point it’s perfectly alright.

Well, even if you internalize every single point there’s still one thing that’s more important than anything else when it comes down to writing amazing songs: Unconditional love for music. If your heart is not in it and if you’re not having fun writing and playing music you’ll never come up with one single great riff.

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We receive a lot of promo packages here at Let it Burn and to be honest: most of the packages we receive already fail at the first sight. Bands listen up:Sending out a promo package to a label is just like a job application (besides the fact that you will NEVER earn any money with music hahaha!), if there’s a lack of form or any other insufficiency, YOUR BAND - WILL - FAIL! Just keep in mind that there’s 6 gazillion bands out there trying to get signed and our time is limited. Thus we have to muck out radically and a bad promo package is definitely a knockout criterion. To not leave you completely hopelessness we decided to share our long lasting experience (infact we just want to decrease our daily grind):

1.) DON’T RUSH (time is relative from a label point of view)

Just stay well grounded. Is it the time yet for your band to send out your music? Are your songwriting and musical skills sophisticated enough? Is the band image full-grown, strong and unique? Is the label you are addressing the right size for your band? If the answer to any of these questions is ‘no’ you’d rather keep your feet still and wait until your time has come.

2.) DON’T MASS-MAIL! (and if you do, be careful!)

Every label knows that bands send out their stuff to various other labels, too but PLEASE make sure you adjust the cover letter and other papers that include the label-name. Also try to avoid things like “Deal record label”, “Dear madam/sir” (we’re not Warner! Even if you address Warner…) or other set phrases. Try to find out who is running the label and insert their namen and label in your cover letter.

3.) DON’T GENERALIZE (if you have to, make sure everyone’s treated equally bad)

Sending out 50000 promo packages to random labels does not maximize your chance of getting signed, that’s for sure. Rather make a reasonable selection and try to convince the label that you as a band have chosen them for a GOOD REASON. Maybe because of the bands they already have in their roster, the way the do promowork or simply because you think the label owners’ girlfriends are utterly hot. Try to constitute your decision and most of all: be honest about it!

4.) DON’T SEND INCOMPLETE PACKAGES (anything missing? Arrrgh, forgot to include the music!)

Sounds weird, I know, but it’s true: Some bands seriously forget to include a CDR with their music (or alternatively send a blank CDR…)! Almost equally as fatal: missing cover letter, bandbiography and bandpicture. Double-check your promo package before putting it in the mailbox.

5.) DON’T UNDERRATE DESIGN (it’s not only eye-candy, well even if it was…)

The sizzle sells the steak! Everything that looks great draws the attention. In addition to that a thoughtful and inspiring design that fits your band/music shows the label that you are able to think further than “Are we gonna do another chorus after the moshpart or not?”. Take note: Usually ‘your good friend who does artworks’ is NOT a designer. Go for a real one. It’s worth the money.

6.) DON’T SEND RAW AND UNFINISHED STUFF (a rough mix of guitars and drums and a lot of imagination…)

I know it’s hard but wait until your songs are truly finished. The complete cycle is: songwriting - demo’ing - recording - mixing - mastering. Each chain link drastically changes the overall impression of your music, so don’t rush into sending out demos, raw mixes or unmastered recordings. Labels don’t want to IMAGINE how a band sounds, they obviously want to HEAR it.

7.) DON’T FORGET TO PUT YOUR BANDNAME ON THE CD (a ‘blank blank’ is for the garbage can)

Things tend to get a little chaotic at record labels’ desks from time to time. Just make sure you put your bandname on the cd-label in case the tray and/or promo package gets lost. A contact adress is helpful, too.

8.) DON’T SEND REGISTERED MAIL (the label’s gonna hate it - no matter what)

There’s nothing more annoying than picking up mail at the post office. But it’s even more annoying when the package is not the highly acclaimed new rolex watch but a shitty promo by a shitty band (from an emotional point of view). Ttrust me, even if the music is good, after standing in the longest line for about half an hour and this huge disappointment NO demo in the world will make my day! 99,9% of all regular letters arrive their destination. If yours is not amongst them that’s bad luck, or karma. Or both. Your choice.

9.) DON’T BE ANNOYING (If you want a quick answer, it’s ‘no!’)

There’s exactly 2 emails allowed in the whole process of applying for a label deal. The first one is to be sent out before you mail the promo package to the label to ‘warn’ them that there’s something coming. You can also use this email to reconfirm the label’s street adress if necessary. The second email you are allowed to send out is 2-3 weeks after you sent out your promo package to ask the label if they have received it. That’s it. Any email in addition to that drastically diminishes your chance to get signed. If you don’t receive an answer, your band most likely sucks quite a lot (or the label is busy with other things, a way more pleasant thought, right?)

10.) DON’T SEND BULLSHIT! (calls for knowing what bullshit is…)

Sending out NO promo is way better than sending out music that sucks. If you’re not sure if your songs/recordings are good enough, just play them to someone who is honest and objective (NOT your close friends or crew members who celebrate every bit you do with your band anyway). It’s so hard to revise a first impression, so you must not fuck it up. I hope this helps.

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