"How To Get The Attention Of An A & R Rep"
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Music Publishers |
No matter how good you think you are you will never get a recording contract if you are not discovered first. In this article we will look at how you can get your demo tape listened to and what it takes to get the attention of an A & R Rep.
Record labels rely on A & R Reps to sift through all of the demo tapes they receive. Put yourself in their position. It is physically impossible to listen to hundreds or thousands of songs every week. Even when they listen to small pieces of your song you stand a very poor chance of getting heard.
You have to become your own marketing machine. Getting the attention of an A & R Rep means generating interest in who you are. This can be everything from television and radio appearances to playing clubs where you know they are at.
Getting articles on the internet, in magazines, is one way to get your name out there. Sometimes it is who you know, and getting a recommendation from promoters, DJ's , journalists, producers, etc. can help you get an A & R Rep's attention.
Knowing a little about the company where the A & R Rep works is a good idea before contacting them. Before you contact anyone learn which person favors certain styles of music. Contact the secretary of the A & R department to get the name of the person to send your demo tape to.
Do not expect to hear back. However you may get a rejection letter. Expect this and know that even many big time performers received many of these before becoming successful.
If you are playing a well know venue call the A & R department a week before you show and let them know where you will be playing. Invite them to attend. Be as pro-active as possible when it comes to promoting yourself.
If an A & R Rep likes what they hear, they may request more information from you. Send it to them right away. Mark the package requested material and send it to the attention of the A & R Rep you heard from. Be sure and put your name or the band name on the outside of the package as well. Call and confirm they received it.
A & R Reps are very busy, but their job is to find talent. If you are fortunate enough to get a face to face meeting don't get your hopes up. They may just be wanting to get more info on seeing you play. Do be prepared to talk about your career goals, who your influences are, what you have accomplished this far, and so on.
From here you never know where it will take you. It all starts with getting noticed and then the rest is up to you and your music.
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Brian Cook is a freelance writer whose articles on music and songwriting have appeared on many websites.
You can find more of these at SongwritersGuide.com.
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