How to Get Your Demo Heard

Demos are a very important part of any musical career. Not only can they be influential in getting you a record deal with a major label, they can also be a way of just sharing music with your fans. But in order to get the most out of your demo you are going to need to know how to market it. The most important thing that you can do with your demo is get as many people as possible to listen to it. A record label isn't going to sign an artist that doesn't have any fans, so that is why you need to market your demo wisely. Here are a few tips to help you reach your target audience and get your demo heard.

Make plenty of copies. This is going to most likely be the most expensive part of your marketing strategy depending on how many copies you need to make. You can find places that offer cd duplication everywhere, even online. Shop around to find the right price and start yourself off with anywhere between 250 to 500 copies. You can always get more copies if you need to.

Don't leave the discs blank. I have been handed quite a bit of demos in my day that don't have any good information other than the name of the band scribbled across them. Many duplication shops will offer text printing on the duplicates for free. Besides the name of your band and the year you are going to want to include a way for people to contact you. The best way is an email address. If you have a Myspace page for your band you might as well add that on their too. Track listing is completely optional, but you may want to include what genre the music belongs to.

Put up flyers. If you have played a live show, you most likely have put up fliers to get the word out about it. Why not do the same for your demo. Let people know that you have a demo so they can show you some support. Give them info on how to get their hands on a copy. Make sure to post them at schools and local music stores, or anywhere else your target audience might see them.

Set up a Myspace page. This is one of the be best tools for getting your music heard besides actually going out and performing. There are so many different ways you can interact with fans and keep them up to date on upcoming shows and about the demo you just recorded. When setting up your page you want the main focus to be on your music, so don't blow it by placing a bunch of youtube videos all over the place (unless of course the videos are of you). Add as many friends as you can, even visit pages of artists similar to you and recruit their fans to check your band out. Send out bulletins to your friends to let them know where you will be playing next. And most importantly, add your music to your page. The music player keeps track of how many times songs are played and even allows people to add your songs to their profiles.

Don't expect to make money off of your demo. Now this may surprise most people, but remember that you want to get your demo heard by as many people as possible. Not many people are willing to pay for a demo for some band they have never heard before. If you still want to try though I suggest only selling it at your shows. Or you submit it to iTunes or any other digital music site. Ultimately though, you are going to want to give it away to the people that won't buy it.

Give it away. This may sound crazy, but it actually works. If you aren't asking people to pay you are going to get more people that are willing to listen to your music. Ask your local music store if you can leave some copies on their counter for people to take. If there is a concert in town of an artist of similar musical style why not go hand them out to any takers there might be in line or as they leave. I've seen this tactic quite a bit and have became a fan of many unsigned bands through this method.

Another tip to giving away your music is on your Myspace page. When you upload your songs to your profile you can turn on the option to allow people to download your tunes. You can even include the lyrics if you want to.

Tell people to burn and give. Encourage your fans to share your music with all their friends and burn them all copies. Even if you do charge for you demo still encourage people to burn copies for their friends. This can really help you gain fans outside of your hometown.

Put it on the radio. Talk with your local radio stations and see if you can get them to play your songs. This can be quite difficult depending on the station, but be persistent. If all else fails ask them if they can run an ad about an upcoming gig that you will be performing at. This might cost you, but it's a good way to get the word out

Trade with other bands. Make friends with other bands and play shows together. Leave some copies with them and ask them to hand them out at their shows, and you can do the same for them. Or you can even have some discs made that have both of your band's music on it. Just remember to leave proper info so that people know how to get a hold of you

To wrap things up, remember that the most important thing is getting your music heard by as many people as possible. Not everyone is going to be a fan of your music, but never give up and don't let it get you down. Make time for your fans by either chatting with them after a show or replying to their messages on Myspace. The most loyal fans are the ones that you have some interaction with.