Contacting labels

[Kid_Kong]

Is it really essential to have a large following on soundcloud/twitter/whatever, before contacting a label with a demo?

It might seem like a dumb question but im a bit clueless as to how it all works now a days, it seems followers/likes/comments/views are the key to getting noticed.

[ehbes]

No.. Believe it or not it's more about have good music than soundcloud followers

[garethom]

No.. Believe it or not it's more about have good music than soundcloud followers

[topmo3]

^ both are right.. of course it's essential that you make good release-worthy material but it's also good to have a steady following/fanbase so that there's a market for your tunes and in this day and age amount soundcloud followers says at least something... you'll certainly create more buzz among labels if you have tons of followers thats a given
on the other hand some people have huge amount of followers yet they make bullshit tunes so what can u say.....

[thinking]

No, better you have one sick tune than ten thousand people idly clicked a button.

[Kid_Kong]

^ both are right.. of course it's essential that you make good release-worthy material but it's also good to have a steady following/fanbase so that there's a market for your tunes and in this day and age amount soundcloud followers says at least something... you'll certainly create more buzz among labels if you have tons of followers thats a given
on the other hand some people have huge amount of followers yet they make bullshit tunes so what can u say.....

right ok, but would you then say its still fairly straight forward for somebody with only 100 soundcloud followers to get the attention of a label if his material is...good or 'worthy' or would it be wiser to hit up djs first to get the buzz of the tunes growing?

[ehbes]

i think first you should worry about that after you have good music...

[Kid_Kong]

No.. Believe it or not it's more about have good music than soundcloud followers

I dont believe it, na jokes.
but seriously I am aware of the importance of good substance before mass marketing etc... but from my past experience with a previous label I was on, we had a bit of trouble trying to get our material published because we werent 'popular enough' as a label. And this label was ran by a friend whos been producing and releasing for 15+ years so it wasnt some shabby bedroom label being totally naive to everything

[Alistairr]

when im looking at approaching someone in the hope to sign a few of their tracks, first obviously comes the music, but then a whole host of factors like:

too many followers they probs wont be interested (as we are a small label)
too few and to put it from my perspective, its a risk on my part- each release is an investment in my books and if i went throwing money at people "willy nilly" lol i would find myself with a large debt- which i dont really want, each release will take a long time to make a return especially at the stage we are at label wise, however money is not over-ruling which is key.
sound and identity- would they make sense with the dynamics of the label? do they add something or do they just sit comfortably within the sound of the label- do i want that? unfortunately everytime you release something different, u get some people saying exciting and others saying ur diluting the brand, if u could call it that/

and other factors as well come in to play, like reliability, language and the ability for the producer to regularly produce the goods, like not just once but a page of decent tracks- this creates more choice for me and will help grow the label in times to come.

thats just me,im sure others are different, but it hopefully gives u some sort of picture of what goes through someone's mind who is keen to sign.

[Soulstep]

sick tunes get signed.

When i find a largely unknown producer with sick tune(s) that no ones clocked on to yet, signing them feels like a massive win

[Kid_Kong]

when im looking at approaching someone in the hope to sign a few of their tracks, first obviously comes the music, but then a whole host of factors like:

too many followers they probs wont be interested (as we are a small label)
too few and to put it from my perspective, its a risk on my part- each release is an investment in my books and if i went throwing money at people "willy nilly" lol i would find myself with a large debt- which i dont really want, each release will take a long time to make a return especially at the stage we are at label wise, however money is not over-ruling which is key.
sound and identity- would they make sense with the dynamics of the label? do they add something or do they just sit comfortably within the sound of the label- do i want that? unfortunately everytime you release something different, u get some people saying exciting and others saying ur diluting the brand, if u could call it that/

and other factors as well come in to play, like reliability, language and the ability for the producer to regularly produce the goods, like not just once but a page of decent tracks- this creates more choice for me and will help grow the label in times to come.

thats just me,im sure others are different, but it hopefully gives u some sort of picture of what goes through someone's mind who is keen to sign.

this totally helps mate, not much i can say in reply to it but loads i can take in

[Kid_Kong]

sick tunes get signed.

When i find a largely unknown producer with sick tune(s) that no ones clocked on to yet, signing them feels like a massive win

But how can i get the attention of a label that would suite my music, and understand my direction?
I really like all this 'trap' influenced stuff, but i dont know which label or labels to contact in order to make sure that i dont get taken for a 1 trick pony, or a bandwagoner. I like to think my music will demonstrate this, but maybe some background info would help avoid that?

[Amantus]

the only essential thing is that your tune stands out from all the other tunes sent in every day

[topmo3]

^ indeed. i'm fairly sure that just a regular e-mail written with kind words and a few download links is the best approach. the music should speak for itself though. it's also good to send your stuff out to djs with radio slots and tons of listeners, good way to get your foot between the door.

the tune in your sig sounds fairly tight, i wouldnt mind that being released

[pete_bubonic]

I don't give a shit about how many followers you have on anything. The very WORST producers I know of in Bristol have the most soundcloud followers, and trust me they're a bag of crushed arseholes.

We put out a deliberate mix of unknowns and established names. Those who literally have never been heard of before and don't have a fanbase through to the biggest names we can sign. It's the music that matters, a good introduction, a link or two to your bestest tracks and little to no arrogance, will pretty much guarantee you a reply.

[__________]

yesyes Lance
Send your shit to as many respected (by you) DJ's as you feel comfortable doing. People hearing your shit and asking for rewinds is the best way to get signed I think!

[Immerse]

agree with mr dime above me. if you can get a few djs to regularly spin your tunes, youll begin to get a following, or youll at least have some djs backing you. dont be afraid to give VIP's djs love that

ps: soulstep im really loving your releases, expect to hear from me when i finish up my ep.

pps: oh shit alistar and and soul motive you guys have some awesome releases too.. i guess i need to start paying more attention to smaller labels.

[Hircine]

No.. Believe it or not it's more about have good music than soundcloud followers

can't stress this enough.

[Immerse]

No.. Believe it or not it's more about have good music than soundcloud followers

can't stress this enough.

getting gigs as a dj however.. probably the opposite

[Be-1ne]

All about the quality of the music! Nothing else matters.