Question: What type of bands are you guys looking for to sign? Obviously bands that will sell records and be a sound investment on your end, but more than a press pack and good audience; what are you looking for? I see why you signed With Passion , we share a practice studio with them; really good guys and diserve all the credit they can get. My band is hoping to send you a press pack soon after our EP is finished, so i just want to know what you\'re expecting from bands that want to be on a label such as yours. thanks. our myspace and website have songs from over a year ago, we\'ve been writing and preparing for the EP so we havent released anything; so you can expect the EP we\'re relasing in november to sound completely different.
www.excoriatemetal.com
www.myspace.com/excoriatemetal
Answer: We get asked this question a LOT.There is no easy answer, but the more work you do to make the labels job easier to sell your music the more chances of being signed.Labels LOVE a no brainer. The more well-known labels are totally swamped with bands,I think Earache must get upwards of 200 approaches per week either directly via our 'submit a demo' link or from recommendations from others/managers/ or cds arriving in the post.We sign maybe 3-4-5 bands a year now so work out the math- its about a 1 in 5000 chance, which is no chance. The wacky thing is- when we get round to playing them,we find most demos are pretty decent, its the final 1% of star quality or orginality (not to mention sheer luck) which seperates the signed acts from the unsigned.With Passion were introduced to us by the manager of another Sacto act on Earache- Shortie- and we were impressed enough by this recommendation and their work ethic, plus their undoubted musicianship,to sign them up right away.
Having upwards of 100,000+ profile views on myspace is gonna make labels stand up and take notice, regardless of your style- but by then you will have a decent fanbase so can really call the shots.Being part of a happening scene is a plus, so being totally unique in sound can be detrimental in many cases.Playing shows is a must, getting in the van and touring is the sure fire way to build a fanbase and you never know who is in the crowd who can help your career- managers, label A&Rs and influential journalists really do hang out at every shitty little gig in their town trying to discover the new hot band, its their job infact, so you can never know who is in the audience,even when the gig is like 30 people, as it so often is in the early days of a career.
I wish you luck and hope the breaks go your way.
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