Wed. Feb 19th, 2025

How to Prepare Your Music For Record Label Submissions

When submitting your music to a record label, make sure you focus on the benefits your song will bring to them. Labels want to sign new artists and will only consider music that fits their aesthetics. It is best to send three tracks, not twelve. Twelve tracks are too many and people won’t listen to them all. In addition, sending twelve songs is not a good idea because the quality of recording may be a detriment to your best work.

Creating a database of possible record labels will save you valuable time in the future. Google Sheets makes it easy to create a database, and it is backed up online for your security. You can even share your list with trusted producers. A database will save you a lot of time, as you will only have to add new submissions to it once. Make sure to create a database for all potential platforms and keep it updated.

The first step in preparing your demo for record label submissions is ensuring it is professionally prepared. Make sure all tracks are mixed, mastered, and titled. Ask friends and family members for advice. Some record labels prefer streaming links, others MP3 files. Regardless of the format, your tracks should be well-prepared. If you’re sending a mixtape, make sure to label it appropriately. You can get feedback from the record labels and other industry contacts you’ve established over the years.

Submitting your music to a record label can be a difficult process, so it’s crucial that you know the right way to present your music. Many labels prefer streaming links, which are easy to send through email. SoundCloud and Bandcamp links with downloads have become industry standards. However, you don’t have to send your full demo via email. The most important thing is that it’s an audio file. However, email attachments can end up in the Spam folder or deleted. Emails with attachments also clutter inboxes and look suspicious.

When submitting music to record labels, keep in mind that the better your production is, the more opportunities you’ll have to get your music heard. Submitting a fully-mastered track is more likely to gain attention. Later, if you have established a relationship and a reputation, you can submit an almost-completed track. In the meantime, music blogs are an excellent way to discover new artists and gain credibility in the industry.

When submitting your work to record labels, keep in mind that you should always be prepared for the possibility of being turned down. You should do some study on the procedures that record labels use to accept new musicians, and then demonstrate to them that you are a good fit for their process. 

 

You should also be ready to showcase your music in a way that demonstrates to the record label that you are deserving of the attention they are going to give you. You need to get a demo of your music together, and ideally, it should be your debut single. After that, you should forward it to record labels along with a short bio and video of yourself performing.