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Remix contest
A remix contest is a label or artist releasing stems publicly and inviting producers to submit versions, with the winner usually getting an official release. It is one of the few open doors into a label.
In practice
Stems provided, no introduction needed. It is the most open door a label has, and the losing entries are exclusives.
Read the terms before submitting, because they vary enormously in what rights you sign away. Submit something that sounds like the label rather than something that shows range — a contest is a label choosing a record to release, not a talent assessment. And keep the entries you like from other producers: those are unreleased versions of a known record, which is the most useful category of track there is and the easiest to obtain.
Stems
What you are given
The label
What to sound like
The losers
Where the exclusives are
Where these come from: Label and release practice, not catalog figures. For what we can measure, see the other route in.
Why it matters
It is the most accessible route from making music to being released, because it removes the two things that normally block a newcomer: you do not need stems and you do not need an introduction. Both are provided, and the submission goes to someone who has committed to listening.
It is also where a lot of DJs get their first genuinely exclusive record. Entries that do not win are frequently good and almost never released, so a contest generates a pool of unreleased versions of a track everyone knows — which is exactly what a set needs.
Frequently asked
Are remix contests worth entering?+
As a route to a first release, yes — stems are provided and somebody has committed to listening, which removes the two usual barriers. Read the rights terms first.
What should I submit?+
Something that sounds like the label. They are choosing a record to release rather than assessing range, so a version that fits their catalogue wins over one that shows more.
What happens to entries that do not win?+
Usually nothing, which is why they are worth collecting. They are unreleased versions of a track people already know.
Related terms
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.
Official remix
An official remix is commissioned or approved by the rights holders, usually with stems supplied and a proper release. An unofficial one is made without permission, from the released audio, and circulates informally.
Stems
Stems are the separated parts of a record — drums, bass, vocal, melody — as individual audio files. Modern players and software also generate them live from a finished stereo track.
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.
Explore: DJ press kit template · Label demo · Stems · All DJ terms