Q & A
Each month, MusicBizAdvice.com answers your questions about the music industry.
Demo Package Contents:
Q: What should a demo package contain?
A: It depends on the purpose of the demo package. We’ll get into
that in a minute, but regardless of the purpose, every item in your demo package
should be clearly marked with your current contact information--including the CD
itself, and its jewel box. This is because many companies file paper and music separately,
and also because if you’re very lucky, your CD will get passed around from office to
office, and you want to make it easy for them to contact you.
If the purpose of the demo package is to get signed: the hard copy of
your demo package should contain either a CD with three or four of your
best songs, or your full CD with the titles of three or four of your best
songs highlighted for the listener’s convenience, a current
black and white 8x10 of the artist, a brief, current bio (one
page or less), and if you have them, a collage of press clippings. (To do
this, take your clippings and attach them to an 8x10 piece of paper in collage form with
the dates and names of the publications visible, and photocopy this. You can also do it
with your computer, but a photocopy ensures that the clips were real.)
If the demo package is for promotional purposes for radio and TV--in which case
its called a promo package or media kit--add a fact sheet with a few
interesting factoids and career highlights in bullet form, double-spacing between each
one. This makes it easy for on-air personnel to glance down and bring up points during a
live interview. Make sure your 8x10 is print-quality, and have good
quality jpegs, and at least one print-quality color slide
available upon request.
If you’re a cover band and the purpose of the demo package is to get hired
for live gigs: the CD should consist of well-recorded live performances
of the best three or four songs from your set list, as well as a paper copy of the current
set list. You should also have available upon request a well-recorded live
VHS or DVD of your show. (Don’t expect to get them back;
they should only be made available to potential employers.)
And finally, have electronic copies of everything on your website, using short
audio and video clips of your songs. (If you have full versions of your
songs on your website, you’re reducing their marketability--and why should a label or
publisher pay you for something that’s already out there for free?)
Q&A
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Answers in the MBADC Q&A are to be taken as general advice only and are not intended
as a substitute for legal advice from a competent entertainment or intellectual property
rights attorney.
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