From Notebook to Studio: 5 Steps to Bring Your Songwriting to Life with Professional Demos

We have a saying at BuyDemoTracks.com: “It All Starts with a Great Demo.”

It may sound a bit trite to say since we are in the demo business, of course.

But in our professional experience, it’s exactly right.

The harsh reality is that most songwriters don’t have a chance of getting their music heard without a demo. And yes, that will mean some upfront costs that may even take time to recover.

The cool thing is, though, that once you have a demo, you have options.

For example, you could consider a Featured Artist Release and getting the song out there without waiting for some “big break” that may never actually come.

So you need a demo, whether your goal is just to get the song out there under your own name or to have it picked up by a professional artist.

The question is, how does a song make it from the notebook to the studio, and even beyond?

There are a few steps in the process which we’ll now discuss.

And of course, if you need help along the way, please feel free to reach out to us!

Step 1: A solid first draft

The first thing you must do is write a first draft of your song with solid, complete ideas.

Ideally, at this point, the song would also have a degree of catchiness and originality to it that fills a gap in the market where your music is.

There is a “business” side to music after all. Listeners are ultimately consumers. And consumers will give songs and artists a chance to impress them, but you have to put your best foot forward every step of the way.

Step 2: Consider cowriters

This is where it might be beneficial to bring a cowriter on board with your song.

Even if you end up writing most of the song on your own, it can still be wildly beneficial to get a cowriter in with a unique perspective to critique the song.

Ideally, as you’re building relationships, you want to find a cowriter who is “just a few steps ahead” in the journey.

This is important, so let me expand.

The “business” side of songwriting is really about relationships. And many writers express frustration that the people they need to connect with will not listen to them. In my opinion, this is because they are trying to jump from a lower rung of the ladder to a higher one, instead of simply climbing the ladder.

You climb a ladder by reaching up to the rung just ahead of you. If you’re feeling a little froggy and have longer legs, you could probably reach a couple of rungs up, but no more.

That’s how true networking works.

You find people to work with and cowrite with who are just ahead of you in the journey. They will help your songs improve.

And, if they’re following the same philosophy, they provide a bridge to that next connection. If they’re cowriting with someone just ahead of them, that means you have a direct connection to someone two steps ahead of you! (And that person likely has the same thing.)

Suffice it to say, connecting with cowriters is one of the very best ways to take your songwriting career to the next level, both in the “music” and the “business” side of things.

Step 3: Professional critique

You should follow this step whether or not you have cowriters, but arguably if you don’t have cowriters, this step is absolutely mandatory.

A professional critique of your song is worth getting before you pay for any demo. So what does it look like?

Essentially, you send a song you’re working on to someone you trust (a seasoned writer, a publisher, a songwriting group or a song evaluation service). They take a look at it (without taking credit for being a cowriter) and suggest improvements that need to be made.

A good critic will sometimes tell you the song itself is not ready for a demo yet. This is a good thing because it keeps everyone’s expectations in check. The goal is the best song possible.

Do this before the demo, not during it. At BuyDemoTracks.com we record your song the way you wrote it, so the lyrics and structure you send us should already be final.

There are many great studios out there run by professional musicians and writers who would be able to provide this service, but many studios (ours included) stay on the recording side of things.

Whichever studio you use, be sure to ask whether professional critique is included as part of the demo package you’re paying for, and get one somewhere if it isn’t.

Step 4: Musical production

Once the song is past professional critique and the lyrics are final, it’s ready to apply the music.

This is where the studio team really shines and does their best work.

A great studio will put in the time to take the worktape, voice memo or AI demo and the lyric sheets you’ve provided and make the best, most accurate representation possible.

There are different philosophies, though.

For example, some studios are not interested in improving the demo quality and/or originality. This is not a “bad thing” in the sense that it should dissuade you from working with such a studio.

However, you should know that some studios, like ours, intentionally produce the music, with real singers and players recording every part fresh, so the demo has an original feel.

This is precisely because we think songwriters “becoming” artists is the way of the future, and since it “all starts with a demo,” it must start with a great demo!

Step 5. A promotional plan

This is where we move beyond the studio and attempt to get the song really heard.

These days, the promotional plan is around both the song itself and the brand the song is being used to build.

What most in the music industry don’t grasp is that everything is about brand power. Artists are ultimately successful because they are building a brand for a particular sound and style that people identify with.

The thing is, as we’ve discussed here, we actually believe this opportunity is open to songwriters as well! Yes, songwriters can promote their own music and even work with professional artists on their demos to get their songs out there, without waiting around for the song to be picked up.

We believe God rewards action-takers. People who wake up every day with a drive to succeed and who do something about it. That, in our estimation, is the big problem facing songwriters today.

In the Internet age, this promotion is something you can get started with on your own! You could use social media clips to share your songs, etc. But if you’re not a vocalist, you will need to consider working with a professional vocalist (and preferably one with a brand name of their own).

The Next Step

The best way to get started is with a great demo. Send us your AI demo, worktape or voice memo along with your final lyrics, and our session singers and musicians will record your song from scratch. Start your demo here.

All you really have to know how to do is write a great song, and we’ll handle the recording.

We look forward to working with you and hearing your song!