Gigs & business
Label demo
A demo is unreleased music sent to a label for consideration. Most labels state how they want it — a private streaming link, one or two tracks, a short message — and most ignore anything sent another way.
In practice
One or two tracks, a private link, and one sentence explaining why this label. Everything else is noise.
Follow their stated route exactly — a submission form is not a suggestion, and skipping it is the fastest way to be filtered. Send private streaming links rather than files, name the tracks properly, and include the one sentence that shows you know the catalogue. Then wait: a follow-up after three or four weeks is fine, weekly chasing is not, and silence is an answer. Send to a small number of labels you genuinely picked rather than to forty, because the second approach is visible from the outside.
1–2
Tracks per submission
Private link
Never attachments
3–4 weeks
Before a single follow-up
Where these come from: Standard label submission practice, not a catalog figure. For what we can measure, see who is actually reading it.
Why it matters
The failure is almost never the music. It is three tracks as attachments, no context, a paragraph about influences and a label that clearly was not chosen for any reason — all of which reads as a mass send, because it usually is, and gets treated accordingly.
The labels worth sending to are the ones you can name a reason for. "Your last two releases sit next to this" is a sentence that gets a listen; "I love your label" is a sentence that appears in every message they receive that week.
Frequently asked
Should I send more than one track?+
One or two. A longer selection reads as a folder rather than a pitch, and the person listening is deciding within thirty seconds either way.
How long should I wait for a reply?+
Three or four weeks before one polite follow-up, then let it go. Most labels do not reply to everything and silence is a normal answer rather than an oversight.
Do labels accept demos on social media?+
Some do and say so; most direct you to a form or an address. Use whatever route they state, because the stated route is the one somebody actually checks.
Related terms
A&R
A&R — artists and repertoire — is the role at a label responsible for finding artists and shaping what they release. On a small label it is often the owner; on a large one it has a budget behind it.
Record pool
A record pool is a subscription service supplying DJs with promotional music, usually including edits, intro versions and clean radio cuts that are not sold anywhere else.
White label
A white label is a record pressed with a blank or minimal label, sent out ahead of release or issued without official credits. It carries no artwork and often no artist name at all.
EPK
An EPK is an electronic press kit — a single page or file holding a DJ's bio, photos, mixes, links and contact details, sent to promoters and press instead of a scattered set of messages.
Explore: DJ press kit template · White label · EPK · All DJ terms