PRACTICAL APPLICATION
Hey Kev, good to see you. Now here we go tilting the "OTHER WAY.' I am not saying "don't do demos." We have to have demonstrations of our work at all times. If we are trying to get our songs out there they are going to have to be well represented. We continually make contacts, draw people to our web sites, even still get the opportunity for pitches. So they are still as important as ever. Actually probably MORE important, since so much is done online.
And I don't want to be seen as "picking on Ott, or Peggy. They are simply the one's "doing demos" without artists right now. I am more talking about the future than what they have already done. That is done. We have to look to the future.
My suggestions are tempered by reality. In this day and age, ALL ARTISTS are writers now. they don't just sit around 'looking for songs." They think they can write them all, whether they can or not. And the higher level (signed or about to be signed) artists are going to be surrounded by their own songs, the people who promote,.produce them, (AND SIGN THEIR PAY CHECKS), so those are gone.
It has my overall practical applcation:
#1. Spend as much time seeking out, meeting, networking with ARTISTS, as you do writing. Networking is the key.
#2. Write with artists or established (better connected) writers as you can. Prioritize.
#3. Write a lot of songs and make sure they are TESTED OUT. Perform or have them peformed. Play them for friends privately. Get as much feedback as you can.
#4. The top songs that stay around for a while, I would suggest months, and still work live, with other people, web sites, THOSE ARE THE ONES YOU DEMO.
#5. Never demo MORE THAN THREE SONGS at a time. Unless you are an artist doing your own CD project.
#6. Always write,always perform, always network.
What Peggy, Ott, Kevin, and others have done is not wrong or bad. But they are operating in a vacumn and need to get out of the living room before they spend a lot more money or time on songs. That is all I'm saying.
In everything, I sit around, read what you guys talk about in your lives, what you are doing, where you are trying to pitch songs, the companies you are talking about AND the reactions you are getting. Nothing. Silence. Crickets. All of that should tell you something. Unless you are planning on ponying up money, don't expect a lot from anyone. You are not performers out there building fan base. So you are NEVER going to be a priority no matter how good your songs are.
I have to do EVERY SINGLE THING I AM TELLING YOU TO DO. I have to work to get recordings financed. I have to work with multiple artsits to help them move their career along and make common sense decisions. I have to help them adjust to new information and situations that arise. I found out yesterday that one of the artists I work with could very soon have some VERY interesting things going on. So I have to plan around that as well.
And as far as money, I have studios coming out of the WOODWORK trying to get me to bring my artists over there. Thney want people to record with them, and even sometimes go as far as to try and knock me out of the way. That has happened plenty of times over the years. I have a number of "friends" (I use that term loosely) who always want ME to do something for THEM, but it never seems to come back the other way. On the other hand, I have some other Friends, who constantly promote me. I try to do the same.
So those are my total feelings on demos. I don't really consider that we are doing so much DEMOS, anymore as RECORDINGS, which are radio ready, and can promote a career.
If you write a song by yourself, you only have YOU to pay for it, promote it, perform it, move it forward.
Write it with someone else, particularly an artist, while you may give up some control, you have people to share in all the elements. You have someone to perform and promote it as well as yourself. You have multiply your chances. You have someone else to put it on their web site, their CD, their potential YOU TUBE efforts.
You multiply your chances.
UPPING THE LEVEL OF YOUR ODDS. That is the whole ball game!
MAB