No.
Sounds harsh, so let me explain.
I am not an A&R; I do not sign artists. My day job is the business of helping artists get their records made. And I blog about the music business.
That doesn't mean I don't listen to new music. In fact, I love discovering new artists. I love being introduced to new artists. I even love discovering old artists. There is so much great music out there it bothers me sometimes that it's impossible to listen to it all. There just isn't enough time.
That doesn't mean I won't express my opinion or that I don't want to help. I have plenty of opinions and am full of advice.
What I can't do is listen to your demo.
If there is one fact I've learned about the record business, it is that they mean what they say about unsolicited demos. They don't get listened to.
Another fact I've learned about the business is that it's all about relationships. Who you know and who you are connected to is important. Taste in music is personal, and so a personal recommendation means everything. One has to go out on a limb to make a recommendation and people don't do that for anybody. Anybody can send an unsolicited demo. Not everybody can get a personal recommendation. That is what makes the difference.
Instead of asking me (or anyone else for that matter) if you can send a demo, concentrate on making the best music possible. When you do that, you'll be amazed at what happens: you'll automatically make connections and those connections will lead you in new and unexpected directions. And someday you'll get that personal recommendation. Because that somebody thinks you're awesome. Isn't that what you want?
One other thing: never, ever pay somebody upfront to shop your demo. That is always a scam. If you want somebody to shop your demo, find a manager or attorney who will do it because they are invested in your career. That investment means they will take their cut after you get paid, not before.
White Vs. Lowery: In Which The Entire Internet Debates The Future Of Music Business Models.
I woke up Tuesday morning to a Twitter feed buzzing about an open (and lengthy) letter that David Lowery (a singer/songwriter formerly of Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker, current teacher, blogger and artist advocate) wrote to Emily White (an intern at NPR).
White wrote a piece called "I've Never Owned Any Music To Begin With" in which she explains exactly that: her iPod is full of music and her life is surrounded by music, yet she's only ever bought 15 CDs. She also asks why she can't have the convenience of getting access to every song she wants, whenever she wants it.
Lowery's response was meant as a well-intentioned answer from an artist's perspective. While he explores in extensive detail the issues facing musicians in the current music marketplace, at times he employs some heavy-handed reasoning in attempting to point out errors in White's thinking.
I've spent tons of time over the past couple of days reading and re-reading these pieces, as well as many of the other articles, comments, reviews and tweets this exchange has spawned. (See my Twitter feed for a very small sampling.)
While I found White's honest piece to be a bit naive (she is a college-age intern after all), I think it is an extremely important insight into the mind of the current consumer of music. Obviously, by herself, she is not a statistically significant sample, but when you remember that an entire generation has now grown up during the digital era, you must realize that many other "digital natives" also share this perspective.
Photo illustration by Emily RabinI think that Lowery's response shows great attention to many of the issues facing musicians. However, I feel that using moral arguments is simply not an effective means of answering the questions that White (and other "digital natives") are raising through their behavior. Additionally, his response plays a little fast and loose with the facts and exudes a sense of entitlement that is off-putting.
For me, the cat is already out of the bag: if an entire generation of music consumers sees no reason to purchase recorded music, how will they ever be convinced to do otherwise? This is just proof of the sea change that has taken place. It suggests that the entire model of the record business specifically, and the music business generally, has collapsed.
The bright spot here is that together, White and Lowery have spawned a viral sensation over music business models. So what can we do next?