how to present your band to a....

[xconnyx]

...booking agency or a record label.


how would you think, bands should represent themselfs to a booking agency or a record label!? i personally it's not enough just to send them a demo cd.
Even if it's all about music in the first place, you have to present your band some other ways.

for example; like a presskit, a multimedia presskit (video stuff)... fancy infomaterial.

but maybe i'm wrong and the anr's really only just listening to the music and if they do like the music they'll ask for more material...?

or is it really all about live gigs and having a big portion of luck?

thx!

 

[musickey]

Wondering about that myself.

 

[-Gavin-]

Don't do what we did.

 

[musickey]

Don't do what we did.

lol What might that be?

 

[smy1]

It's mostly about who you know. I can't really talk about metal these days (because I haven't played in a metal band since 1998), but in all other genres I work in it's mainly about who you are connected to. Especially when you talk about bigger labels.

I guess the idea is "since most bands are average anyway (there's only one Nirvana every 20 years) - why not work with the bands we know?"

I don't want to discourage you, but knowing the right people is often 90% of the deal.

That means: go network. And possibly move into a town where the right people are.

 

[azzxaa]

well when I played with one motion, I just called to EMI and told them that universal are intressted ( which was a lie) and EMI wanted to book a meeting right away, then when I got that meeting I call BMG, Universal, Sony and got meetings with all of em

Even talked on the phone with atlantic records ect in usa.

So thats a start....just make yourself very intressted and build up a "hype" even if its a fake hype they will start getting intressted....
and most important!
Write good music

 

[Radd]

well when I played with one motion, I just called to EMI and told them that universal are intressted ( which was a lie) and EMI wanted to book a meeting right away, then when I got that meeting I call BMG, Universal, Sony and got meetings with all of em

Even talked on the phone with atlantic records ect in usa.

So thats a start....just make yourself very intressted and build up a "hype" even if its a fake hype they will start getting intressted....
and most important!
Write good music

That's awesome. I can't believe you got away with all that. Did any of them end up signing you? What's the farthest it got you?

 

[greyskull]

suck satans cock

 

[Metal Overload]

Send your material to somebody you know, who know somebody some guy knows and that guy know somebody which is friend of somebody who know somebody in a radiostation that some guy work, and this guy know sombody who knows someb.......
And your material needs to be kick ass out of your mind.

Or go with minor labels, that have enough will and contacts to make a good product and good promotion stuff and all that

 

[lilhermiejobo]

have someone (or everyone) in your band put together a press kit including:

semi-gloss band photo (usually this is greyscale)
references (venues, promoters, show listings, performances with "such and such", etc)
very polished demo cd around 3 songs (most labels don't listen to more than 20-30 seconds of each track before passing it along or discarding it with the rest)

basically that and everything everyone else has said but I'm not sure how often you'll be able to get an appointment with satan. busy busy lady.

play a crap load of festivals and all that jive

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

Sell that image bitch.

 

[BLOODROOT]

I can tell you how my friends in a well known metal band from my home town that is talked about here frequently did it.

They got a record deal in less than one year after doing this. So the story is told. I think there was more involved but this is the short version.

They bought "The Indie Bible"

Once it arrived they made a list of music attorney's from the book. They called them all and made another list according to what clients they have worked with previously. All the attorneys that had successful bands on their list were on the next list. This list they called them all back and asked how much money for retainer to shop their demo. They paid someone 5 grand retainer plus points on first 2 cd's if signed. The Ttorney didnt get them a deal but from that attorney shopping them, they made another contact to a manager who actually got them a 3 cd deal with Epic records which they have renewed since then. They have all became millionaires, traveled the world, toured with korn, slipknot, 7dust, coal chamber, Ozzfest just to name a few. Ive since talked to quite a few people who have done it similar. How do you think they get all these bands no one has ever heard of. You wont get discovered in a dive bar.

 

[JonWormwood]

I can tell you how my friends in a well known metal band from my home town that is talked about here frequently did it.

They got a record deal in less than one year after doing this. So the story is told. I think there was more involved but this is the short version.

They bought "The Indie Bible"

Once it arrived they made a list of music attorney's from the book. They called them all and made another list according to what clients they have worked with previously. All the attorneys that had successful bands on their list were on the next list. This list they called them all back and asked how much money for retainer to shop their demo. They paid someone 5 grand retainer plus points on first 2 cd's if signed. The Ttorney didnt get them a deal but from that attorney shopping them, they made another contact to a manager who actually got them a 3 cd deal with Epic records which they have renewed since then. They have all became millionaires, traveled the world, toured with korn, slipknot, 7dust, coal chamber, Ozzfest just to name a few. Ive since talked to quite a few people who have done it similar. How do you think they get all these bands no one has ever heard of. You wont get discovered in a dive bar.

Would you mind unveiling what band this is?

 

[azzxaa]

That's awesome. I can't believe you got away with all that. Did any of them end up signing you? What's the farthest it got you?

we got the whole way except signing hehe...we had the contract in our hands from EMI, but at that time we got a attorney who is called "Carl blom" he have "the hives" "Cardigans" to name a few and it went all down in the gutter......we got to excited and listen to all the attorney said....so in the end we asked to much and got nothing.

 

[Wolfeman]

Would you mind unveiling what band this is?

Lamb of God is my guess, one of the only 'metal' bands on epic

 

[Jackal_Strain]

They're hardly "millionaires"...

 

[Wolfeman]

They're hardly "millionaires"...

Could be Mudvayne also, but they aren't very metal in my book, and they don't get talked about on here....

 

[blackcom]

I think maybe the only reason my band got signed was because Hellhammer from Mayhem/Dimmu made his label head listen to our demo...I guess It's ofthen about who you know....

 

[JeffTD]

I'm going to go out on a whim and say it's Chevelle. They just resigned to epic after 3 records, and have been on Ozzfest before. Not millionaires by any stretch... but very successful as far as todays standards go.

 

[everybody's x]

whether "band x" are millionaires or not, the key here is "entertainment lawyer"