How to Send Demos to Record Labels — and Actually Get Heard

Most label bosses report receiving 30 to 50 demos a day (source: Attack Magazine). Spinnin' Records alone gets 150+ a day (their own Talent Pool FAQ). Sound Avenue rejects around 99% of what arrives. And an A&R usually knows within seconds.

Here's the part nobody tells you: most demos disqualify themselves. Wrong genre. MP3 attached. A link that needs a login. “Check out my music” with no name, no context. The pile is huge, but the pile is weak. Follow the process on this page and you're not competing with 150 demos — you're competing with the five that did it right.

Most demo advice is written as if everyone's aiming at Universal. You're not — and that's an advantage. Artists getting their first signings aren't cold-emailing majors; they're working a ladder.

• TIER 1micro labels, netlabels and collectives in your scene. Run by one or two people who actually read their demo inbox. This is where first releases happen.
• TIER 2established indies with a public demo channel (the verified table below). Realistic once you have a release or two and some traction.
• TIER 3majors. You don't reach them; they find you through data and referrals once the first two tiers start working. That's the next section — read it as context, not as your to-do list.

Your first campaign is small on purpose: one finished track, five Tier-1 labels that genuinely fit, five personal emails. At this stage, any human reply — even a no with feedback — is a win. Silence teaches you nothing, so pick labels small enough to answer.

And keep playing out. Sub Pop's demo FAQ says the quiet part out loud — their advice (build a fan base, play shows, tour) is the demo strategy. The label email is just the moment you show them what's already moving.

In electronic music the bar is explicit: Armada asks for tracks that are “completely finished and preferably mastered” — not “still in need of minor tweaks”. Beatport's advice is the same: A&Rs want to hear it near-finished; don't rely on their imagination.

If you're a band or songwriter, the song outweighs the polish. Matt Linden of indie label Forged Artifacts (via Spotify for Artists): “If it's not fully mastered, just let us know. Nine times out of ten, a label's going to understand your music enough to know if they want to pursue you.”

One more filter before you send: don't pitch a burned track. Andy Daniell, A&R at Defected: “Something that puts you off a record is seeing it's been available publicly on SoundCloud for nine months and only had 100 plays.” Unreleased and exclusive is the strongest position. As JOOF's Daniel Sokolovskiy puts it: “Demo is short for demonstration — the demonstration of the best you can do.”

The catalog test: would your track sit naturally among the label's last ten releases? If you can't name one recent release of theirs you honestly like, don't send.

Build a target list of up to ~25 labels that pass the test — then send to only 1–2 at a time, with exclusive material, and work down the list in waves. Why exclusivity matters, from Hypercolour's Jamie Russell: “Labels like to feel special. If we see something we like it's easy to go off it if you see it's been sent to ten other labels as well.”

Aim at your tier: if your numbers are small, start with the labels (and sublabels) signing artists at your level. That's not settling — that's how the ladder works.

Official demo channel first, always. Kevin Griffiths of Tsuba: “Stuff has to be sent to the demo email address! Don't talk to me on Facebook chat either!” DMs to personal accounts read as spam.

If the label has no published channel, find the human: LinkedIn will usually surface the A&R's name (Toolroom's own tip), and Music Connection publishes a free annual A&R directory. Spell the name right.

In person still works: Amsterdam Dance Event runs demo-drop clinics and 10-minute one-on-one A&R pitch sessions; Dirtybird ran a live A&R lounge at Winter Music Conference 2026. And at bigger labels, a warm intro from anyone in the industry beats any cold email.

The strongest consensus in the entire industry. Andy Daniell (Defected): “The biggest no-no for me is MP3s attached to emails. They clog up your inbox and crash your email program.” Armada's official guidelines call a private streaming link “the best possible move by far”.

The link rules: it must play instantly — no login, no permission request, no download-to-listen (Google Drive links get skipped). Enable downloads so the A&R can grab the file if they're interested. Name files properly: Artist_Track_Mix.

And send one fresh link per label. Daniell again: “Private links are nicer… Seeing you're one of 50 people the track's been emailed to puts you off.”

Armada's official rule: introduce yourself in under ten sentences. The whole email fits on one screen — no scrolling. Six elements: (1) the A&R's real name, (2) who you are in 1–2 lines — city, one credible release or support, (3) why THIS label — one recent release of theirs you honestly rate, (4) what you're sending — 1–3 unreleased tracks, (5) the private link, (6) sign-off with your artist name; EPK link small in the signature.

Subject line: for demo inboxes use ARTIST – Track Title [Demo Submission]. For a named A&R, write like a human.

Never compare yourself to the label's own roster — Linden calls it “pandering and cheap”. Leave out: your age, phone number, DAW, life story, emojis.

The moment your track survives the first listen, you get googled. Deron Delgado (Dirtybird label manager & EMPIRE VP, 2026): he checks “public-facing pages – Soundcloud, IG, etc” for an audience that's building and a story that holds together. Thomas Von Party (Turbo): “The more you can appear a fully-formed artist, the more likely you'll be taken seriously.”

What the page they find must have: a short bio, 2–3 good photos, honest numbers, live footage if you play out, and contacts — one link that opens on a phone in two seconds. That's an EPK (electronic press kit — see /what-is-an-epk). Yours should be in the signature of every demo email you send. See EPK examples and how to make an EPK.

Wait two weeks (three to four for bigger labels). One follow-up in the same email thread; two maximum, ever. Then let it go — Turbo's Thomas Von Party: “Do not pester for feedback.” Sub Pop says it plainest: “If we want to reach you, we will.”

Silence isn't personal; it's capacity. Spinnin' admits it's impossible to answer everything. The move that IS welcome: coming back months later with new, better music. Linden: “You never know when you're going to reach someone on that one day, that one email that they open up and it really resonates.”