Music is not a joke.
People literally become somebody overnight.
This is not because they did not have great songs before, it was simply because they either did not have access to the right people or their packages sucked.
One of the major reasons many demo CDs and packages being rejected is because they look so poorly made, it's almost as if the musician did not have any belief in his songs; not to mention that he did not think much of the A&R rep who will be listening to the music.
A great demo package is not only essential, it is very critical to your success as a musician.
So, if you do not have the money to outsource it to demo package makers, here are some things you can do to make your demo package look "tight".
1.
The Package Should Have All Necessary Information This includes press clippings, band or artistes' history, newspaper clippings about the band -if you have had any, all artistes' biography, the demo CD, a cover letter or letter of introduction and the photograph of the bank pr artiste.
The reason behind this is simple: Most A&R reps have a lot of offers and requests, so they often have to go through the pile of requests and sift through them seconds at a time.
A bad or poor-looking demo package will not stand a chance as they only get looked at for a few seconds during which the rep is thinking "should I add it to the review-later pile or throw it in the trash bin?".
Make sure that the rep gets within a few seconds, a general idea of who you are and your music.
2.
Send the Demo in a CD Some artistes still make the mistake of sending their demos in a cassette.
This really thwarts your chances as the sound is often poorer in quality and a cassette is just outdated.
Besides, empty CDs and DVDs are cheaper to get these days.
In fact, most A&R reps won't even look at it for more than a second before it goes in the trash can.
3.
The Biography Should be Brief Do not make the mistake of thinking that the A&R rep has the time to read a 15 page biography.
They do not! Therefore, make your biography one-paged.
If you must, never let be longer than two pages at the most.
And after writing the bio, have two or three people look at it.
If they don't get what or who you are in the first 5 sentences, go write it again.
4.
The Band Should be Visible When taking the band picture, ensure that everyone is in it.
This also goes for a solo artist.
The standard photograph is 8" by 11" and is white and black.
This is often good enough as they are not interested in the picture per se.
These tips are quite sufficient for you to create a good and effective demo package.
So, get off your butt and go do one.