Demos
How to demo a song before you send it
A demo is not a mix. It is a proof of song. Here is what to include, what to leave out, and what a professional actually listens for in the first thirty seconds.
1. One instrument, one voice, one take
The strongest demos are usually a guitar or piano, a vocal, and nothing else. If the song works like that, it will work at any budget. If it only works with production, you have a track, not a song.
2. Start on the hook
If you are sending a demo cold, drop the intro. Get to the chorus by second 20 at the latest. Nobody who receives 40 demos a week is listening past the first minute of a slow build.
3. Sing it flat, sing it honest
Auto-tune, reverb-drowned vocals, and pitch correction hide the song. If the melody is good, it will survive a phone recording. If it isn't, no plug-in will save it.
4. Label the file properly
ArtistName_SongTitle_v3.mp3. Not final_FINAL_new_mix.wav. It sounds trivial, but it is the first signal a professional gets about how serious you are.
5. Send one song
Not five. Not "have a listen and tell me which you like." Choose the one you would bet the record on. Sending a batch tells the listener you don't know which of your songs is the strongest — and that is exactly the job you are asking them to do.
"A great demo isn't polished. It is exposed."