Submitting Material and Self Publication

Submitting your work to a publisher or record company is a little like sending your CV off for a job, it has to grab someone’s attention. Presentation is a very important aspect of marketing. So if you send in some unmarked CD with a cruddy Polaroid photo chances are it will not even be looked at. But if you put together a professional package using the right size envelope with a proper return address, not something scribbled, a well presented CD with art work and well printed 8"x10" photograph plus covering letter and biog., the person receiving it will at least get a warm feeling that the sender is serious. Of course if the music is crap then you have wasted everyone’s time.

When you send material to a publisher or record company ALWAYS phone before you send anything or you will waste your time and money unless you have a good contact within a particular company. (Yes it is a case of who you know, not what you know). The reason for doing this is to obtain permission or ascertain their policy on accepting submissions, if they are happy to accept your material then you have a person’s name and a reference, i.e. a contact and a date, to which you can refer. Here are a few tips:

· If you want your material back, send a stamped addressed envelop. Your material should be accompanied by a covering letter and biogs of the band, or yourself. Make sure that you have mentioned that there is a stamped addressed envelope enclosed for the return of your material.

· State what it is that you are trying to achieve, i.e. are you looking for a publishing deal and or a recording deal? Are you prepared to perform or not, are you writing for anyone in particular?

· Enclose as a minimum the lyric sheets along with your demo cassette/CD.

· If you are sending promotional literature to anyone in the business make sure it is of the highest quality.

· Make sure your Tape or CD is professionally presented

· Think carefully about any document you include with your submission. For instance craft a biog that doesn't give away the fact that you've been knocking on music business doors for 30 years, you need to try and create some mystery. For example don’t use the word "veteran" unless you have had a very successful music career "experienced musician" is much better.

· Make sure everything is marked with your name, address and telephone number and that the material is copyrighted.

Most importantly get the music right, this is your number one priority. If the music is just nondescript, no amount of beautiful presentation can save it. But if the music is good, and presented professionally, you just may just have something.

On the down side don’t be surprised if after you have done everything above you never hear from the company or see your CD again it can be like that at times.

If you don’t fancy this approach just get out there and perform your material, your audience will soon let you know how good bad or indifferent it is and you won’t have to deal with the vagaries and arrogance of some publishers and their A&R staff.

If this falls into the all to difficult category consider this, you could always do the whole process yourself but be warned you need to know a lot of people who are in the right places, you need a certain amount of investment  and you need to know the music business inside out. You could always go a step further and set up your own recording facility again this will be more investment. However, if you are doing it for yourself then it becomes more magaable and affordable. With the facilities offerred on the internet you can upload your material to all sorts of sites and in doing so you will get the exposure and you will have achieved self publication.