Marc: You state, "and like Peggy, or Ott, a lot of people want to go spend lot of money on demos, and want people to hear them, but there is no real fornat for them to be heard. If there is not an artist, you are in trouble in this day and age . . . you are going ro have to realign your thinking for the reality of our age", and "I am trying to get people not to do demos on songs anymore without artists involved".
First of all, I do not sing very well at all. My guitar skills are minimal. If I posted one of my work tapes on any music site, most rational people would mercifully cut me off in the second line of the first verse. So, when I decided I wanted one of my first tunes demoed, I picked a professioal demo firm in Nashville, Beaird Music Group, to do the demo. I even got to pick the professional vocalist. The tune won me an "honorable mention" in the Billboard World Song Contest. Pretty heady stuff when you're just starting out. I could have entered the same tune using my own voice and vocals, but wait! The song was written froma female point of view! What ws I supposed to do? Entrer using my own vocals, and add a note to the entry explaining that? When a lot of the tunes submitted to this contest are of professional quality? Your suggestion that people who enter these contests should not submit their best I disagree with. If I post up a tune anywhere on the internet, it's going to be the best I can do, every time.
No formats to be heard? I've tried MySpace, Reverbnation, TAXI, Songramp, and a few others, both free and for profit. I found TAXI the most professional, and their peer to peer site most invaluable. There is a lot of pro level music on that site. Lots of places to at least put my music out there. But only with a professional quality demo. I have also used professional demo producers in Los Angeles and Minneapolis, and have won songwriting awards with them as well. A lot of these songs were posted here on Songramp - two of them even won Song of the Month on this site a year or so ago. Given that around 1700 songs a year are posted on this site, I was pretty pleased with that. Further, because of connections I made on this site, I collaborated with two different artists in Europe, and they both came up with several professional quality demos, which I also posted up here. One of those songs was one of my Song of the Month winners. And I did not have to pay a dime for any of those high quality demos. I think one of the reasons they worked with me is that I posted up high quality songs -- all professionally demoed.
Your comment," I am trying to get people not to do "demos" on songs anymore without artists involved." This is truly a chicken/egg statement. Which comes first? What do I do? If I develop a contact in an artist's inner circle, am I supposed to send them a set of lyrics? A work tape with me singing (especially laughable if I'm writing for a female artist). I'd consider it a coup to get an artist to simply listen. If they did, they would hear a quality professional demo. I don't want the artist to do my demo. I want them to do my song.
So, I don't think I have to "realign my thinking". If I decide one of my tunes is worth a demo, I will have it demoed. You never know in advance what will fly and what won't. Even so, I am fully cognizant of the extremely slim chance of ever getting a cut. . But, You never know who might be listening.
Currently, my best contact is in Los Angeles, a gentleman who has won multiple Granny's. Who I met on line because he produced an album for one of my demo singers. I e-mailed him, pointed out the lady whose album he had just produced had demoed a couple of my songs that had won awards in a couple of song contests, and would he be interested in listening to my music? That was a couple of years ago, and he still listens to my new stuff, and even compliments me on it. Even had me do a re-write of the lyrics on one of my tunes that he particularly liked. Maybe something will come of it, maybe not.
So, Marc, I'm doing the best that I can with the resources I have. In my case, that includes professional demos. Always a pleasure exchanging points of view with you!
Ott