Bettie Serveert’s new CD “Pharmacy of Love” is now available for preorder for Canadian fans via MapleMusic.com and includes the immediate download of the new “Deny All” EP which contains 4 new songs.
Here is the link: http://www.maplemusic.com/product.asp?dept_id=6946&pf_id=6945-01&lang=EN
Cheers,
Glenn
Preview and download songs from Bettie Serveert’s “Deny All” EP on iTunes. http://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/deny-all-ep/id350825467 (includes extra long version of “Calling”, acoustic version of “Souls Travel” and bonus song “Waiting for Control” not available on full record.
Presell for full album “Pharmacy of Love” coming in February on Maple Music.
Bettie Serveert EP Cover
Peter & Carol signing the contract
Sound of Pop will be releasing their 4 song digital EP “Deny All” on January 26 with the full length CD “Pharmacy of Love” available on March 23rd, 2010.
Watch the new video for “Deny All” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gpa8f7kXnyA
Official Band Website: http://www.bettieserveert.com
Hi Everyone! Thought I would write a little piece about demo submissions – How I receive them, what works and what doesn’t. It may seem obvious but my theory has been proven wrong on many occasions. :)
First of all ask yourself the question ….Do you even NEED to send a CD? Usually a link to MySpace will suffice initially to see if it is worth your while to send the physical CD. This saves you time and money. If you direct me to the best 2-3 tracks you have that will usually be enough for me to tell whether I need to hear more.
Overall the demo quality I get is usually pretty good recording quality wise . Some stuff “sounds” really polished but either the songs don’t quite stand out enough or are just not a great fit for the label for me to be able to do something with them. I can to some extent overlook production if the writing is simply super strong but often the fact is that Sound of Pop is really looking for stuff that is ready to be marketed as a release or pitched for film/TV rather than rough demos.
One thing that I can clarify about Sound of Pop is that we WILL listen to all demos received. I am getting a lot more demos in the last six months so it is getting harder to get to those in as timely a fashion as I would like to but I do get to them. To be completely honest if I have already had an introduction to the band or know of them or have had some contact I will usually listen to all or most of the CD straight through and right away. Often I will even give some feedback as to what I liked, didn’t like, what I feel the band could work on more, which songs stood out, etc. Sometimes I will go through everything multiple times as well but in general after listening to the first verse/chorus I have a pretty good idea whether I will keep listening or not. It can be harsh and I have sat on the other side of the fence as a writer at many song panels but if you are honest about how you evaluate other people’s music yourself you really do have a pretty good idea fairly soon into the song if the song hits you at all or you at least think it will grow on you. Usually you need to grab the listener in some way by the end of the first chorus. That may be the voice, the lyrics, the cool riff or any combination but without it – it’s not going to get the chance to get much a second listen.
I receive numerous demos per week and have also worked with some screening services such as TAXI and in general I would loosely estimate that less than 5% of what I listen to or get sent really grabs my attention….and probably about 5-10% is pretty good while at the other end of the scale the bulk of the material simply falls into the “average” category. It’s OK, it sounds “good” but just doesn’t stand out. I am interested in the top 5%.
Specific Advice:
Some don’t do’s:
If anyone has any questions about demo submissions or thoughts on the above article then comment here or drop me an email at glenn@soundofpop.com
Cheers,
Glenn
This is not rocket science but the key ingredients of any band in attracting my attention are as follows (in order of importance):
1. The Music – How good are the songs? In the end it really does come down to Music first and foremost – If I don’t find a connection with the music or see it’s potential then you’ll never get to the second criteria. The good news is that music is VERY subjective so what one person loves another may not like at all. I usually know pretty quickly whether I like something or not but some stuff does grow on me more with repeated listens and sometimes I find stuff that I love right off and then also continues to grow on me which is even better! Also depending upon whether I am checking out a band for publishing versus a full label deal might also determine genre and how much personal taste weighs into the mix. Country for example is a difficult sell as far as TV placements are concerned and is not my forte so my publishing company has tended to not do a lot of work with country writers for example.
2. The X Factor – hard to quantify “charisma” but there are a lot of artists that are really talented but some just have something particular that allow them to have an etxra special connection with their audience - It may be their songwriting originality, it may be their musicianship or their live show but often it is just their particular uniqueness in whatever form that shows up in. I get lots of decent sounding demos and see lots of live shows but you really know it when you see or hear something extra special.
3. The Work Ethic - How far have they come on their own? How hard are they willing to work? Is it truly their calling or do they like the “idea” of being in a band more than the reality? What kind of things have they done? Do they have a lot of initiative or do they sit around and complain about the state of things without taking action? Have they set up their own shows? Do they keep their websites and MySpace sites current? Do they have a clear direction/set of goals? etc.
4. The Live Show- Not that it is the case 100% of the time but a great live band who plays decent shows and is not afraid to tour will have a much easier time getting press support and being able to sell merchandise and music and build their audience than one who does not. It is not always about the sheer number of shows as quality of the shows also comes into effect and also not overplaying the same spot to build a little bit of anticipation. This is fourth on the list because if you have a strong work ethic then I know that if the show is not in top form RIGHT NOW it soon will be because of your dedication. A signing I am JUST in the middle of …actually resulted from seeing a band live first on a whim and the lead singer/guitarist was so mesmerizing despite a crappy club mix that I checked out their CD (which I loved) so sometimes the order is not always the same as to what catches my attention first.
5. Compatibility of Goals- Do I think that Sound of Pop is a good fit with the artist? Do I think that I can help you achieve your goals? Do I feel there is a market for your music and do I have access to that market and the expertise/experience to be a benefit to you.
6. Personality - This seems like a no brainer but life is too short to work with jerks so if everything else is in place aside from this it would be highly unlikely that I would do a deal with that person or band. This is basically a “niceness” litmus test – If you end up on the label there is so much contact with the artist and so many things being dealt with constantly that it makes it so much enjoyable when those people are nice and treat everyone with respect, are open to feedback and generally positive.
Hi everyone! Welcome to the new Sound of Pop blog. I thought it was time I start to share info, advice and opinions out to artists that will hopefully provide some food for thought and/or entertainment from my experience in running an independent label and music publishing company and also coming from an artist background. Enjoy!
Glenn
www.soundofpop.com
