My friend Mike Hayes, who is one of the NSAI coordinators in Winston-Salem, NC, was talking to me about demos last week. He was remembering some advice he once received, about the cost of a Nashville demo. The advice, simply paraphrased here, was: your $400 demo is competing with $1200 demos done by the pros. So is your $200 demo. And your homemade work tape. Because the pros, when they have a viable song written, and have the backing of a publishing company, get really high end, radio-quality demos made.
Here is an example. I once had the distinct privilege of writing a song with Jason Matthews. Jason is a monster of a songwriter and an artist in his own right. He has written such hits as “Break Down Here” by Julie Roberts and “Must Be Doing Something Right” by Billy Currington. Jason and I wrote a song called Sugar Buzz, and if four people ask via comments, I will recount what that writing experience was like. End of the story was that Jason demoed the song, professionally like he always does, and here is the demo for you to listen to.
Compare the quality of this recording to the demos that Carey and I just finished. Make your own judgment. But this is what publishers hear. Jason spent $1200 on this one, if I recall.
This is what we are competing with every time we pitch a song to a publisher or a producer. It’s a competition, for sure, and the pros hate to lose.
June 23, 2009 at 7:51 am |
i’ve always loved this song.
June 23, 2009 at 7:58 am |
tex nobody’s like us compete for the same 5 slots on a CD (the songs that aren’t written by the artist or his/her producer) with Craig Wiseman, Rivers Rutherford, Brett James, Jason Matthews, Ashley Gorley, et. al.
then they walk in with record-quality demos. and we walk in with a homemade demo.
though an undeniable song will level the playing field, a demo just as good as the people you’re competing with allows the person listening to focus on the song and not be distracted by production flaws.
June 24, 2009 at 10:55 am |
It is a tough business for sure. Hopefully great songs can win out over great production and a so-so song.
July 6, 2009 at 11:38 am |
I had to listen back and forth to a few different songs to be able to detect a difference in the demos… I don’t think I have an ear for that kind of thing. The only thing I can think of is Sugar Buzz’s music sounds like it has a little more depth of sound and the music is equal with the vocals whereas some of your other songs the vocals were more in the front and the music softer. They all sound like they can be on the radio right now. Sugar Buzz I just wouldn’t have to crank up as loud.