I get requests each week from unsigned bands asking me to listen to, or download, their MP3s before heading over to youtube to watch their video. I often do and I’m happy to offer a critical ear or constructive advice.
What I cannot do, so PLEASE STOP ASKING, is get your band reviewed on Drowned in Sound. DiS do not review unsigned material. If you’ve spent any length of time on the site this year, then you will know that.
So with that in mind, here’s lesson #1:
DO YOUR RESEARCH.
Seems a bit harsh, doesn’t it? Well, tough. If you’re going to go cold calling booking agents, PR, labels, managers etc. then the first thing question you should ask is, “Is this (insert person / organisation here) suitable for my music / band?”
Yes, they may all be waiting for the next big thing, and you might be it, but you need to check these simple things before sending out CDRs willy-nilly, wasting your time, money and opportunity. Think and target your approach, strategically!
So, if your band make fierce drum n’ bass or grime, would you send your CD in for review to Mojo? I should hope not. Stick to what you know; who you know; and the people that influence the genre you work in. If you want your stuff reviewed by a website online, my recommendation is God Is In The TV. Also, the friendly and funny podcasting of Bren and Sophie Jones is worth submitting to: check out This Reality Podcast (100,000 subscribers).
This is the first of many posts I’ll be writing to try to create some kind of guide to the tricky world of the unsigned, and I will also include some reviews of stuff people have sent – just bear with me as it takes a while.
And, please, no opera CDs…