Being a music producer is one of the most satisfying jobs in the world… it can also be a nightmare. If you’re reading this, you’re probably familiar with the story. Fresh from attending your favourite club night, inspired by your favourite artists and DJs, it hits you. “I could do this for a living”. Sure, you don’t personally know anyone in the industry, but that shouldn’t matter, right? You’ve always heard that if you’re good at something and you keep at it, eventually, you’ll get noticed.

So you get stuck in.

You get a DAW, immerse yourself in tutorials, battle that outrageously steep learning curve, and you’re rewarded: the ecstasy of making something you’re proud of for the first time. It’s a turning point - countless people try making music; most will never finish a track. Inspired by this milestone, you keep going, get better, and finish more songs. Maybe it’s time to start contacting labels… you don’t expect an album deal but there’s plenty of labels who promote smaller artists, release their singles, maybe even give some feedback.

You’re a fan of some of these labels. It’s easy to be enamoured of this idea, no, this opportunity – the opportunity to have contact with those you’ve admired and respected for so long, to communicate on a professional level about your own music, communicate as a creator; not a consumer. This ignites a new kind of drive. A drive that represents real progress; it feels tangible. Now you’ve got some good music you want to share. You’ve put the work in. You’ve earned it. It’s time to dip your toes into the murky waters of online demo submissions.

Where to begin?

DAW closed, browser open: after a bit of research and a lot of copy/pasting, you’ve finally made a list of labels with links/addresses to submit to them. So you hit the send button… getting contact with industry professionals proves harder than anticipated. You need to get a foot in the door but have no way of knowing which doors to knock on, or how to approach them. It’s all well and good for those already with connections but the journey looks rough when looking up with a view from the bottom.

To Break Through, Or Not To Break Through

If you examine the output of many of the most successful musicians, there’s a common theme connecting the period they turned pro - their output. How it seems to magically multiply in both quantity and quality. They ride the momentum they built while making more. When the artist keeps creating, success feeds into itself. But so does apathy. A period with no apparent progress can feel like failure, a feeling lethal to creativity. A loss of momentum can feel worse than not having it in the first place. Losing it feels like you’ve missed your chance, and who knows when the door will open again? The best counter-measure is guidance. Make no mistake; the key ingredients are hard work, time, and perseverance. But getting to that level without any support is like trying to fly a hot air balloon with a few matches. Proper guidance is the gas burner.

Imagine how many gifted musicians will never be heard because they could never get a foot in the door and their passion became unsustainable. Imagine the different path their career may have taken if they got their song heard by the right person, got that extra push, that professional tip they were missing.

What’s next?

Considering momentum, let’s return to the journey. At this stage, it’s unlikely the first bout of demos is met with roars of approval and release proposals. More likely is a few polite responses along the lines of “nice track but not what we’re looking for”, or “sounding nice, keep it up!”. But the critical piece is still missing - Guidance. Advice. A&R. Feedback. Call it what you want; its value is the same.

So you’ve powered through more rounds of rejection, improved your skills, and finished more tracks, but had no professional feedback. You’re getting a few more responses to demos. Maintaining contact turns out to be another challenge. Why do you always need to send a follow-up email to get a response? If you’ve persisted with your craft, around this time you might have a stroke of luck, and the right song is sent to the right person who sees is at the right time and hears it in the right mood. An ideal scenario, but too unpredictable to depend on.

With positive responses so few and far between, it’s easy to feel jaded, so you need to remind yourself that you miss every shot you don’t take. And the goal of every shot is worth it. The goal to get a foot in the door of the industry that makes your favourite music. Of real advice on improving your music from a professional standpoint. To work in the industry, no longer with a view from the bottom.

Offering a leg up to aspiring producer’s, Mentor Audio is working to provide a direct connection to industry professionals

Using Feedback

A useful exercise for aspiring producers is to think carefully and realistically about your short-term goals. How good is your “best” track if you’re being honest with yourself? Would it sit right at home on a compilation from your favourite label? As a single? Perhaps a smaller label? Do you have enough songs of sufficient quality to deserve an EP?

If you found it hard to answer those questions objectively, it’s normal. After spending countless hours on a song, how could you hope to listen to it critically? You’ve made your song that way because, to you, that sounds good. There’s no way to then review it critically. So how would feel about getting your music reviewed properly, with practical advice, from an established label, artist or podcast?

Offering a leg up to aspiring producer’s, Mentor Audio is working to provide a direct connection to industry professionals, opening the doors for struggling musicians to get direct feedback on their work and practical advice on improving - free of charge. Still in the early stages, an impressive number of potential Mentors have already signed on to offer advice to musicians who want it – no barriers to entry, no prior contact required. What are you waiting for? Submit a demo track today.