Top tips for sending out demo CDs

[Dom in Dorset]

It helps a lot if you remove the plastic wrapping first. Imagine that you have to open , look at the biog and play mail bags full of disks, it takes ages to get the plastic wrappers off!

[namefail]

You must be very clever, being able to burn a cd while it's still in its packaging.

[Myke]

I watched a presentation on this recently. A lot of people now prefer to listen on the internet. Soundcloud, website or some such other platform, rather than listen to a CD now a days.

[Dom in Dorset]

[quote name='namefail' timestamp='1390749688' post='2348934']
You must be very clever, being able to burn a cd while it's still in its packaging.
[/quote]
People have them manufactured , they come wrapped.
[quote name='Myke' timestamp='1390750040' post='2348940']
I watched a presentation on this recently. A lot of people now prefer to listen on the internet. Soundcloud, website or some such other platform, rather than listen to a CD now a days.
[/quote]
Most people I know prefer CDs, links to band's souncloud pages etc turn up among all the other email, you have to find time to listen before you forget about them, a CD may end up in a big pile but it doesn't get forgotten about. A lot of people in this situation farm out the task of sorting the wheat from the chaff to friends and family (hence my involvement) this is easier with CDs.

Edited January 26, 2014 by Dom in Somerset

[namefail]

[quote name='Dom in Somerset' timestamp='1390750428' post='2348945']
People have them manufactured , they come wrapped.
[/quote]

Aha, silly me. Can't say I'd pay the money for that service.

[Dom in Dorset]

I should say I'm talking about music festivals rather than record companies. The smaller festivals (and small stages some at larger ones) Are run by by people who are doing other things for the rest of the year, listening to demos is fitted in around other commitments.
I'm no expert but having gone through a bag of disks for a friend the wrapping is a pain!

Edited January 26, 2014 by Dom in Somerset

[Dom in Dorset]

[quote name='namefail' timestamp='1390750716' post='2348950']
Aha, silly me. Can't say I'd pay the money for that service.
[/quote]
The home made ones are far easier to open, and so far the most promising one in my batch was in an unwrapped cardboard sleeve with the tracks written on in marker pen.

[The Admiral]

FWIW, a couple of bar/restaurant owners I know don't have any way of playing CDs, as their music is all MP3 now and consequently when they get demo CDs in, it has to be something really eye catching to get them to make a point of sticking it on in the car on the way home. Their standard MO for new acts now is a link to a video, as they want to see the band as well as hear them, and so image is more important than ever. They watch them on the iPad or office computer, so it's more about the images than the sound quality - all very bizarre to my mind, but they have music three to four nights a week, so someone is obviously falling into line with their policy as they have a regular turnover of new bands. This may be an isolated issue, but I do think that there is an expectation that people can access things on their phone/iPad immediately - no waiting and ultra convenient.

[ambient]

I have music business classes at uni, I'm sure I was told that people don't listen to CD's, you're best to send a link to a website like soundcloud, or your band's/artists website.

Probably different if you're talking about small festivals I guess.

[Dom in Dorset]

I've been "filtering" submissions for smaller venues at a major festival , the organizer gets bag and bags full and to ease the work load gave me a bag to sort into no (on style or quality grounds) or maybe , they get sent links and CDs , everything does get listened to.
but I did get to the point of disliking bands before I'd heard them just because it took so long to unwrap a CD.

[Spike Vincent]

Save the CD's for selling/giving away at the gigs. Use websites to get your music to promoters. Personally, I find it much easier to stream music whilst working on the laptop than going through piles of cd's that take time to take out of the envelope, unwrap,insert into a cd player and listen to.

[CamdenRob]

I thought the days of sending out CDs to promoters etc were well over....

[BigRedX]

We always check with the person were sending our promo packs to, and send them what they want.

For the last single we sent out about 50 physical copies and about 500emails that either had MP3s attached or links to a Soundcloud Page.

[Lw.]

I've found you'll be much more successful in your application if you already have a dialogue going with the people you're sending the demo to, old fashioned as it may be calling does really help.

A few people still accept physical copies if they know it's coming & promoters are more likely to than labels/publishers but I don't know anyone that would listen to unsolicited CDs - places I've previously worked had sacks piled up in the corner that were never listened to & then thrown away when someone could be bothered.

[Graham]

[quote name='Dom in Somerset' timestamp='1390751053' post='2348960']
I should say I'm talking about music festivals rather than record companies. The smaller festivals (and small stages some at larger ones) Are run by by people who are doing other things for the rest of the year, listening to demos is fitted in around other commitments.
I'm no expert but having gone through a bag of disks for a friend the wrapping is a pain!
[/quote]

A couple of pals of mine run a smallish metal festival in Leeds, one of them had a submission turn up where they'd not paid the full postage and he had to make up the difference at the Post Office. I'm pretty sure they didn't get booked.....