POP DEMOS

[evanmcgill]

I'm fairly new to TAXI and (I guess compared to most people here) fairly new to writing. I think my biggest confusion with these listings (I usually look at Record Label Pop, A/C and Country) is what kind of demo is going to make it through and if the song has potential, will they shoot you down because you aren't that good of a producer and your demo is good, but far from great.

I think looking at this listing and I have a song that fits it, but the demo is OK. I'm not Dr. Luke!! Everything I've learned tells me a studio band will basically do the song over if they sign it. Yes? No? and how does TAXI view these?

Any feedback on demos and what is acceptable would be appreciated. Thanks!

[Kolstad]

The pop market (Aguilera, Spears, Cole ect.) generally requires demos that sounds like records, with the exception that you shouldn't copy their style exactly, as it then inevitably will sound old (as in something they've already done). So good sound and production is definitely required IMO. For A/C it's more likely you could get away with a simpler demo (2-5 instruments: piano, vocals, strings ect.).

For country it's tricky, as they need great full demos with 'the Nashville sound' (mostly a singer sounding 'country'). But the standard Nashville studio demos can also get a little lost in the mix, so it's about finding a way to stick to tradition while standing apart, at the same time. Many does this with more rock sounding demos now. But great piano/guitar/vocals demos (including some sort of lead instrument for interest) still works in country also.

These thoughts are partly from my own experiences and partly from Eric Beall's great book "Making music, making money" http://www.amazon.com/Making-Music-Make ... 8763900760

You are in direct competition with great demos from top studio's, with great performances and productions, so the competition is fierce! I think you'll need one step up from the ones on your Taxi page. I'm not saying you should run out and spend studio money, just that you should consider adding more to your arrangements, providing more melodic themes and hooks to make them sparkle.

It's just like when you love a song yourself. What ever it takes.. make'm fall in love with your music!

justmyopinion-nocentsinvolved

[jonathanm]

I hear ya man, but don't be fooled. Polish is required. There a many good apples being peddled in the market. When the buyer is presented with 1 nice but unpolished one and 99 nice and shiney ones, where's he going to spend his time?. The demo has to sparkle. It's not a matter of the customer being able to hear past mediocre production. It's a matter of keeping up with the very, very good competition.

This is not to say you need a major label production for the demo, but the demo must carry the energy of the song very, very well. To hear where the bar is set, listen to stuff from Big Blue Barry, Mazz or others that are making the grade. Listen to the TAXI featured artist listed on taximusic.com. It's a fairly high bar, but you can get there once you decide to. Also, put your stuff on the peer-to-peer section of this forum and you'll get good, constructive feedback on the quality of your demo.

[evanmcgill]

I think you'll need one step up from the ones on your Taxi page. I'm not saying you should run out and spend studio money, just that you should consider adding more to your arrangements, providing more melodic themes and hooks to make them sparkle.

Yes, I have stepped up since those 2 songs on my page. Those were the first 2 songs I ever wrote, but I haven't put more up, since I've been unsure of demos quality. I have purchased some higher end stuff, such as Logic 9 and some other softwares. WOW DOES IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!! Like I said, I'm not Dr. Luke, but I believe I can produce what needs to be produced to even be competitive, and I'm still young so I'm learning too at the same time. Obviously there is a lot of time involved, but thats why we love it!!! Thanks!

[evanmcgill]

I hear ya man, but don't be fooled. Polish is required. There a many good apples being peddled in the market. When the buyer is presented with 1 nice but unpolished one and 99 nice and shiney ones, where's he going to spend his time?. The demo has to sparkle. It's not a matter of the customer being able to hear past mediocre production. It's a matter of keeping up with the very, very good competition.

This is not to say you need a major label production for the demo, but the demo must carry the energy of the song very, very well. To hear where the bar is set, listen to stuff from Big Blue Barry, Mazz or others that are making the grade. Listen to the TAXI featured artist listed on taximusic.com. It's a fairly high bar, but you can get there once you decide to. Also, put your stuff on the peer-to-peer section of this forum and you'll get good, constructive feedback on the quality of your demo.

Nicely put! I'm still learning all of this music business stuff. Much more than just music!!

I think it's more challenging when you're just one guy who can play one instrument. You can only take MIDI so far, but if it's far enough, thats fine I guess. Guess you need to spend money to make money.

[jonathanm]

One other thing that we often forget about (and Michael Laskow reminds us about constantly):

Make sure the song is the best you can make it before you spend time and money getting a quality recording of it. This is another area where peer-to-peer really is helpful. Put a rough recording of the song out there before you make the full demo. Pay for a custom critique from TAXI. Be prepared to get criticism of song structure, phrasing, lyrics, etc. Be prepared to change, even re-write your song. It's an iterative process, but it helps keep you from spending time/money on a good demo of a mediocre song.

Good luck!

[evanmcgill]

One other thing that we often forget about (and Michael Laskow reminds us about constantly):

Make sure the song is the best you can make it before you spend time and money getting a quality recording of it. This is another area where peer-to-peer really is helpful. Put a rough recording of the song out there before you make the full demo. Pay for a custom critique from TAXI. Be prepared to get criticism of song structure, phrasing, lyrics, etc. Be prepared to change, even re-write your song. It's an iterative process, but it helps keep you from spending time/money on a good demo of a mediocre song.

Good luck!

Great feedback! Do you know of people, who are "on their own", like me, who would actually hire a studio band once a song was "complete" or does it not have to be that professional? Thanks.

[jonathanm]

Yes. Several here have done that.

For country, www.nashvilledemostudio.com is a really good one.

For pop, www.studiopros.com is very good.

There are others. I'm sure some of our folks can recommend their favorites.

As a songwriter, it does help money-wise and creativity-wise to learn some production, increase your skill instrumentally, etc. to be able to do some parts of the production process yourself. However, ya gotta be careful to keep the focus of your time on learning to write really great songs.

[evanmcgill]

OH WOW! This is amazing! You just saved me so much time! I owe you dinner at the Ralley without question!