The Let it Burn Blog

One of the most agonizing questions in the music business is which bands get signed by a label and why. Agonizing because there is a good number of bands who are trying really hard to meet the record companies’ criteria without really knowing what that is. We’ll here’s a few hints….

First of all you should internalize what a record label is actually doing: selling records. This is (or at least should be) the main motivation of every record label, no matter if indie or major, the impetus of all their actions. Sounds very logical, however most bands completely forget about that when getting in touch with labels. The either think of labels as some kind of “musical welfare organisations” or “fame-making magicians”.

Wake up, this is a business. It might be a bit nicer than other industries, yet still, there’s a lot of money, competition and hard work involved. Anyway, here’s some inside information that might help you and your band to avoid making a dick out of yourselves.

No record label would ever sign a band that…
…sucks (your music is a product and the label is the merchant who has to sell it. If the product sucks no marketing strategy in the world will help to solve this problem, If you’re not sure whether your band sucks or not just ask a stranger who is familiar with the music style you play but not your band. Don’t ask your friends or family who constantly tell you that “you rock”, anyway. If your band sucks indeed then take it like men and get better.)

…has no live experience (this is a tough one but if you haven’t got a list of a couple of dozens noteworthy upcoming and past shows - OUTSIDE your hometown! - or the reputation of an extraordinary live act, you’re probably not gonna attract too many labels, no matter how great your music is. Touring is still the most effective promo you can do and labels want to see that you’re doing your homework.)

…are not networked (one thing is for sure: you’re not gonna make it all on your own, you need partners, and these partnerships do not end with a cool record label. Ideally a band is closely connected with a booking agency, a management (I am talking of someone who is actually helping you and not 90% of the managers out there who only schmooze you in constantly telling you that you’re the best band in the world, which is no help at all), a whole lot of local promoters, some press people and, last but not least: fans. You won’t be able to create such a network with a snap of the fingers, so you better start networking now instead of complaining that noone cares about your band.)

…has no style (sure, it always depends on the definition of “style”, take Kvelertak for example, they look like a bunch of hobos, but that simply fits their music and attitude. However it is impossible to “sell” a band or its products, if it’s not attractive to anyone. The harsh reality of most A&Rs daily routine is that they look and the bandpictures first and if it doesn’t “work” they won’t even take a listen.)

…shows no appreciation (even at bigger record companies you still find a lot of highly dedicated people who actually like what they do and care a lot about music. So whenever a band comes along that does not know anything about the label or any of the bands they are currently working with (and on top doesn’t give a shit about it, anyway) it will be very hard for them to find a label that is willing to invest time and money in them. Just one example for “not appreciating”…)

…is not truly dedicated (Every musician thinks of himself as the most dedicated human being to ever walk the earth since Jimi Hendrix and constantly repeats well-known flowers of speech such as ‘I would do anything for…’, ‘It’s always been my biggest dream to…’ and ‘I am simply made for…’. Well, there’s A LOT of bands who talk the talk and only VERY FEW who actually walk the walk. I could write a whole column about this topic, maybe I should do this soon, but spending a weekend in your comfortable van that daddy gave you to play 2 shows and for the first time in your life sleeping for 4 hours instead of 9 is not what I mean when I talk about “dedication”.)

…is not organized (Everyone is very understanding that you want to play music and not keep books or revise contracts. However self-organisation is the most basic requirement to even start talking to labels. You don’t have to know everything yourself - find partners (see above) - but in the end your band is as much of a business as the label is and you should at least try to face them at eye level.)

 …to be continued.

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Goddamnit! Before your throw your email text into google translator you better throw it into a shredder…. This demo submission email arrived the other day. As always all personal data has been X’ed out but I do not promise to keep this service up forever.

———————————————————-
Hallo,

Wie geht es Ihnen?

Mein Name ist XXXXXXXXXXX.

Meine Band XXXXXXXXX gerade unser neues Album mit dem Mentoring-Hilfe von Jim Vallance.

Jim Vallance hat mit Bryan Adams, Kiss, Aerosmith, Tina Turner und viele andere Künstler gearbeitet.

Wir sind die einzige unabhängige Band mit ihm zu arbeiten, die viel sagt.

Wir suchen aktuell für unsere neues Album zu veröffentlichen und ich wollte es Ihr Etikett zu senden.

Wir haben mit Pennywise, Gob, Unwritten Law, The Ataris, Die Mannequin, und vielen anderen Künstlern innerhalb der gleichen Gattung tourte.

Klicken Sie auf den Link unten, um das Album zu laden.

Vielen Dank für Ihre Zeit und Überlegung,

XXXXXXXXXXXX
———————————————————-

This 12MB email just landed in the Let it Burn Records mailbox. The translation below does not even come close to how ridiculous this demo submission. Actually I shouldn’t have crossed out he bandname. Unbefuckinglievable!

——————————————————
hey,
wir sind XXXXXXXXXXX und haben eine Band……..wir haben auf eurer seite gelesen, dass ihr gerne ein paar demos hättet die ihr euch anhört(finden wir echt geil).
Wir spielen Hard Rock bis Metal haben jedoch keinen Sänger und machen deshalb instrumental Stücke.
Wir würden gerne eine Kritik hören…..cool wäre wenn ihr was hättet wo wir featuren könnten oder ein Sänger der mit uns ein feature aufnehmen könnte.
Im Anhang findet ihr ein paar Songs.
LG,
XXXXXXXX

Attachment: <5.The masturbating elevator chicks(Black!White).mp3><6.Thích Qu£ng  éc.mp3><12.4 Adriana.mp3><2.I have dream.mp3>

Translation to English (I tried my best):

——————————————————
hey,
we are XXXXXXX and have a band…. we read on your site that you would like to receive some demos from us to listen to them (that’s awesome!).
We play Hard Rock to Metal but we don’t have a singer, that’s why we are sending you instrumentals.
We would like to hear your feedback… it would be cool if you had something to feature us or a singer that would record a feature with us.
Find a few songs attached.
Best wishes,
XXXXXXXXXXX

Attachment: <5.The masturbating elevator chicks(Black!White).mp3><6.Thích Qu£ng  éc.mp3><12.4 Adriana.mp3><2.I have dream.mp3>

I guess I am something like a “heavy user” when it comes down to Facebook. Not that I post extensively myself but with over 700 “friends” and equally as many pages that I follow, I am obviously using this tool a lot and most of the times I really enjoy myself doing it.

However it is quite obvious that bands (also businesses, brands and other page-owners, but they’re not even half as desparate as most bands) tend to extensively abuse our beloved Social Media stronghold for a new weird kind of “self-marketing”. It reminds me a a lot of the friend-collecting-virus that Myspace infested once. The result was that bands connected with bands and 15.000 friends on Myspace basically just meant that you either used a friend-adder-tool or that you basically had no life and spent nights after nights to add all those pages yourself.

Oh yeah, I’m off the point. The social web and facebook in particular is a complex matter. Most people don’t understand the various technical, social and emotional processes that persuade people to “like” your band, not even most self-proclaimed Social Media Managers. However bands invest a considerable amount of time to promote themselves on Facebook. Most of them with one predominant result: comprehensive annoyance.

Here’s a little subjective How-To-Guide for Bands on Facebook:

• If you haven’t got anything to say, shut the f*** up.
  I’m dead serious. If you’re a boring person your band postings will be boring, too. That might be because your band itself is boring. Maybe you should find a new hobby but in the meantime stay away from Facebook.

• (More than) One posting a day keeps the Likers away
  I love to find out about band-news on Facebook. However most bands tend to post basically every unrelevant piece of information. Dr. Social says that’s what Twitter is for. People want to read REAL news. Announcing a new tour? Got signed to a label? Have a new video on YouTube? Albumstream? Lineup change? You got it.

• “Give us a like and you can hear our songs” - Eeeehm… no.
  There’s a mean logic error in this strategy. How can you ask for someone to like your band/music before getting the chance to listen to it?! If you’re only hunting a figure to boost your ego instead of attracting real fans you should install a visitor-counter on your website and press F5 all day.

• If you have “big news coming tomorrow” then don’t post about it today
  Tease me, please me… Announcing news that are most likely going to happen in the near future is very odd. I know your plan is to thrill people and fill them with excitement but in reality no one gives a “F”. Save your breath until something is actually happening.

• What’s that stupid question again?
  Yes, you’re right, the social web is about interaction but who would ever be interested in the answers to “What did you guys have for breakfast?” or “coke or pepsi?”? Just try to avoid empty buzz and in so make people believe your are doing something meaningful like writing songs or practising.

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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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