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Is only way to get pro-sounding vocals,
i.e. from someone who will just sing the song per the scratch track
(literally: re-sing and replace my track) note-for-note,
phrasing as-written, without changing anything:
is to hire one who advertises themself as a "demo" singer?

Cheers,
Peter R.
www.soundcloud.com/funsongs-1

It's not the only way.
Lots of collaborators can deliver broadcast quality vocals too.

I would hire a demo singer in those instances where I already have written the lyrics, melody and recorded the music, because at that point it wouldn't really be fair to involve a collaborator (for either parties), allthough you can of couse still choose to do so, which some cases may justify. But at that point you are pretty much married to what you have, and need to follow that trail to the end (which may well be the first submission that states that the lyrics need a serious rewrite ). At that point you start to wish you picked a collaborator that would have debated the issues with you at a much earlier point. Often "professionalism" is an enemy, if it means that they will just take your money and do what you want, without addressing important aspects of your song. As songwriters, our mouths are too often much bigger than our ears, and it does us no good.

So, in most scenarios I would much prefer to collaborate. When you can't sing the song yourself, chances are that the input from a singer would improve what you have, in terms of phrasing, words and even melody. But also when you feel too secure on your stuff, it's great to have more opinions to compete about desicions, imo. And it's by far the most flexible, when you need to rewrite. Great songs write themselves, but most of them are just good, and a good song is a rewritten song.

What is considered a professional vocal also depends on the imagined end use. For film music a mature 50+ woman with an untrained voice that shivers can be exactly what works, for a tv track a nasal midaged man with poor english can sell the ticket, and for a Nashville demo, a voice they haven't heard already on a hundred demos, can be refreshing for some publishers.

Of course, demosingers can work well in some scenarios too, so you have to be real about your goals and what you have. Here's three of the "official" places to find demosingers. Of couse many in these forums would do demowork, I'm sure, but also surf Soundcloud, Bandcamp and Reverbnation for singers you think have a sound that will suit your production and the end use you have in mind. Many demostudios also have a list of available singers on their website, so you can just send in your track, and they will record to that so you just have to pay for the singer.

Purevocals.com http://www.purevocals.org/
Demosinger.com http://www.demosinger.com/
Singerspro.com http://www.singerspro.com/uk/

Remember to talk about terms, and send them a work-for-hire letter/contract, in advance.

justafewinputz

I know from my own experience to pay for a custom critique of the song to make sure it has the what it takes to get a placement. Then look at hiring a demo singer.
Also there are many members looking to team up and split the copyright or at least the money generated for their services. 10% to 50% for participating in a song. It also gives you a pretty good idea if the song is worth them investing their time too! If they're not interested then it may come down to the quality of the song.
As a business person I am more realizing it is wise to take the same approach with music. Explore options, trade services, offer a piece of the song for trade.

I have much to learn too.

Good luck!

Bill

Billovinmusic wrote:I know from my own experience to pay for a custom critique of the song to make sure it has the what it takes to get a placement. Then look at hiring a demo singer.
Also there are many members looking to team up and split the copyright or at least the money generated for their services. 10% to 50% for participating in a song. It also gives you a pretty good idea if the song is worth them investing their time too! If they're not interested then it may come down to the quality of the song.
As a business person I am more realizing it is wise to take the same approach with music. Explore options, trade services, offer a piece of the song for trade.

I have much to learn too.

Good luck!

Bill

+1

I have used three different demo firms. The first two, Beaird music Group, and DBW Productions, offered me a palette of demo singers. I was very pleased with the vocalists that did my tunes. I picked the vocalist both times. The third demo firm, AKMusic Productions, offered me alternatives after the first tune they demoed. The vocalist was Kendra Glenn, who got a very positive response on this site. I liked her so much, we've done another six tunes. In each case, the vocalist was a work for hire. If you are going to pitch songs in today's music world, I think you have to have professional production and vocals out of the gate. Ott

Magne, Bill, Dean, Ott... thanks.
It's money well-spent, if you can afford it.

I did not say I could afford it. I paid up for a lottery ticket. Maybe I'll write a song about it. Ott

Ideally, in a studio environment, everyone on the premises is focused on the goal of making the track all it can be. Are there demo singers that'll come in and sing the notes? You bet, but there are also demo singers that will diplomatically point out where a phrase can be adjusted to make it more melodious and/or easier to sing, or that a particular instrument is clashing with their backing vocal. Serving the song and/or track and sublimating one's artistic ego are part of the job description, and credited or otherwise, everyone involved with tracking is a collaborator, even when working 'for hire'. Er, ideally, that is.

Mojo: You are absolutely correct. I throw my lyrics out to the ether, and my producer takes a look. He arranges a track to them, and then he uses a vocalist who is a pro, and brings her expertise to the production. She does not just sing the lyrics. She and the producer collaborate to my lyrics, and bring magic to them. On the very remote chance that I ever get a cut with a recording artist, I would think that a vocalist who brought that magic would be entitled to a cut. Though that cut shrinks continuously with sites like Pandora and Spotify. Ott