by Steve Schramm | Aug 18, 2022 | Our Process
We created BuyDemoTracks.com to be a “win-win” for everyone in the music industry.
And while that might sound like a lofty goal (and it is!), we wholeheartedly believe that it’s possible.
If you didn’t know, there are a few important ways that we serve the music community:
- We provide artists with an extensive library of original songs, complete with publishing/mechanical license information. And you can even purchase the actual soundtracks to use in your performance or project.
- We provide songwriters with an unprecedented opportunity to have their music seen by new and established artists, while at the same time receiving royalties based on downloads of their demo tracks. We even provide songwriting education to help you grow as a writer.
- We provide both artists and songwriters with a demo production studio to make sure you have the highest quality demo tracks possible. This includes special access to highly sought-after musicians, vocalists, and producers.
- We partner with recording studios to give their clients an outlet for sharing and promoting their music, and collaborate with them to assist with demo track production and recording.
- We partner with publishing companies to not only give their artists a music distribution platform like no other, but also to make it easy for folks to request mechanical license information and make sure everyone is paid accurately for their work.
Believe it or not, though, there’s another way that everyone can be involved: the BDT Affiliate Program.
What is the BDT Affiliate Program?
You can click here to learn the details of our affiliate program.
In short, BDT affiliates have the opportunity to get paid for helping others get started with BuyDemoTracks.com.
Affiliates get the chance to earn passive income and work closely alongside us to improve the music industry and provide songwriters and artists with more opportunity than ever before.
How the Program Works
The best part? It’s super easy to get started and begin earning immediately.
First, you visit our affiliate registration page to request an affiliate account. From there, you will receive an email confirming your request, and we will receive an email letting us know you would like to sign up.
As soon as your affiliate request is approved, you will be notified and directed to log in into your affiliate area.
That’s where the magic happens. In the affiliate area, you will see a special link that you can use when sending folks over to BuyDemoTracks.com. It will look something like this: BuyDemoTracks.com/?ref=123
When anyone visits BuyDemoTracks.com using your link, it automatically places a “cookie” on the user’s browser for 30 days. So, if that person makes a purchase of any kind on BuyDemoTracks.com for the next 30 days, you will receive 20% of that purchase amount.
Payouts happen every 60 days to the PayPal account you indicated during your registration.
It’s really that simple.
You may also be contacted by a BDT representative to participate in our Partner Program. In addition to your affiliate account and link, if you are invited into our Partner Program, you will receive the following:
- A custom URL for your link (for example, BuyDemoTracks.com/easter)
- A 10% discount coupon code to give out. This code would give the purchaser a 10% discount and credit you with the 20% affiliate commission.
- More perks TBD.
To put this in very simple terms, if you interact regularly with folks in the music industry who could use a service like BuyDemoTracks.com, you have the opportunity to make as much passive income as you want.
You don’t have to lift a finger. Just give out your link and/or code, and receive payouts from us every 60 days.
Can Anyone Be an Affiliate?
Currently, we do not place any limitations on who can/should sign up for an affiliate account.
We want BuyDemoTracks.com to spread far and wide, so most who apply for this program will likely be approved.
That said, though, we will individually vet each person who has requested an account to make sure they are a good fit, and we would be proud to have them affiliated with BuyDemoTracks.com.
At this time, our Partner Program is invite only and, in full-disclosure, is usually going to be offered to full-time performers, writers, studios, and industry influencers.
Specific Affiliate Examples
To remove any doubt, I thought I would share a few specific examples of how you could use the affiliate program to make passive income.
Artists
Artists and performers are constantly being presented with new materials from aspiring songwriters. It’s nothing to come home from a trip from with dozens of CD’s piled up in the front of the bus.
Of course, it would be impossible to comb through all of this music looking for a diamond in the rough.
What if, instead, you began using BuyDemoTracks.com as the place to discover new music? You could tell aspiring songwriters that uploading their songs with BDT is the very best chance they have to get their song heard and discovered.
Let us do the hard work of filtering and contextualizing their songs so that you get exactly what you need, when you need it.
Simply direct the songwriter to BuyDemoTracks.com and tell them to use your coupon code or custom URL. You will get 20% credit for the sale, the songwriter will get 10% off the purchase (if you’re in the Partner Program), and they’d now be in a library where you—and other artists—could find their music.
Like I said, “win-win” for everyone.
Songwriters
As you probably know, songwriting is a very collaborative practice. Even though songwriters are technically in competition with one another, they often come together to write some of the very best new music.
We firmly believe that every songwriter should list their music on BuyDemoTracks.com.
So as you work with other writers to create new music, why not spread the word about BDT as you do it? You will receive 20% every time someone makes a purchase using your code or link, and if you’re a Partner, your colleagues would also receive 10% off across the site.
If other writers are impressed with your demos and ask where you have them recorded, you could give them your coupon code and make a profit every time they purchase a demo.
Recording Professional
As true recording studio nerds, we are especially passionate about the opportunities for recording pros to earn money by working with BuyDemoTracks.com.
You know as well as I do that every time you record a singer-songwriter, they want to know, “What’s next?”
I know the pain of not having a great answer to that question for the artists we were working with. BDT is the answer to the question.
You can earn passive income every time your artist purchases one of our song upload packs. Simply direct them to BuyDemoTracks.com, give them your code or URL, and you’ll be credited 20% for the sale (and of course, your artist will receive 10% off if you’re a Partner).
Beyond that, your artist will now have (1) the opportunity to have their song discovered by one of the artists using our site to find new music, and (2) the opportunity to earn passive income themselves by making their demos available for sale!
And right in the center of that relationship is you, the recording professional, earning every time they purchase with your code.
Music Industry Influencer
Let’s say you are a concert promoter, the owner of a music publication, or perhaps have a TV production featuring music artists.
BuyDemoTracks.com could “sponsor” your concert, publication, or production, and you would receive 20% commission on every single sale from folks who have used your special code or URL.
As you already know, industry professionals are voracious consumers of your content, so the opportunity to create an additional revenue income stream at scale is massive.
Music Fan/Follower
You might ask, Steve, I’m not any of these! I just love music! Is there anything in this for me?
And of course, the answer is YES. As long as you are approved, you will receive an affiliate link that you can share with anyone and everyone to use BuyDemoTracks.com!
Once again, just register here, and if you’re approved, you can start earning 20% every time someone uses your link and makes a purchase on the site.
Conclusion
I hope you can see how incredible the opportunity is to work with us.
We truly believe that BuyDemoTracks.com will change the music industry forever, and we invite you to become a part of it.
by Steve Schramm | Aug 11, 2022 | Custom Demos
When you’ve written your song and need to get a demo created, you’ll want to make sure you’re prepared and have everything needed for the studio to do a good job.
While every studio has different processes, there are some things you’ll need across the board to make sure you get a quality product.
In this post, we’ll cover those items to set you up for success from the get-go.
A Positive Attitude
Okay, okay…I know what you’re thinking. Too corny, Steve.
You might think so, but hear me out. Studio musicians and producers like ours see new music every single day.
And, we work with lots of different artists and writers. Trust me when I tell you, your attitude going into this process makes a huge difference.
In fact, I would go so far as to say that your attitude may even play a huge part in your success as a songwriter, period!
Rick Lang, one of our staff writers and the Chairperson of the IMBA songwriting committee had the following to say:
Through hard work, perseverance, and believing in my untapped potential I proceeded to start up my own lumber company (that just celebrated its 30th anniversary and won a business of the year award), became an innovator in the Forest Products industry, and am now an award winning songwriter, as well as a mentor to others. Having a positive attitude was the key element to these accomplishments.
Going into this process with a positive attitude about the outcome, an undying belief in yourself as a writer, and trust in your producer to make a quality end product will make a surprising difference.
A Quality Worktape
Simply put, a worktape is a “rough” recording which will usually feature you, the writer, singing and playing your song.
You can use a portable recorder for this, the memos app on your phone, etc.
Now of course, nobody expects this to be studio quality. After all, that’s why you’re having a demo made! At the same time, this should not be so rough that it is difficult to hear where you want the song to go at any particular point.
Put your best foot forward here, and your producers and musicians will not only be grateful, but will be able to produce a better product.
Well-Written Lyrics
BuyDemoTracks.com has a commitment to quality that is unparalleled. This is important because we want the song itself to be successful.
When the song itself is successful, everybody wins. Your song gets traction, artists create higher quality music, and companies like ours have an easier time connecting writers and artists together.
When you use BDT Studios for your custom demo, we do not necessarily accept your song as-is.
Many of our producers and musicians are accomplished songwriters themselves, and will offer suggestions and rearrangement where needed.
In some situations, we may even be able to pair you with a co-writer or get you into a songwriting workshop. Contact us if you would like more details about that.
Also, you can visit our songwriting resources page to learn more tips about writing for success.
All of that to say, if you can bring quality songwriting to the table from the get-go, it will make the process smoother, easier, and ultimately more successful.
A Number or Chord Chart (If Possible)
In case you didn’t know, studio musicians use a system called Nashville Numbers to record music (and even perform live).
This is certainly not necessary for you to make available, as it’s a perfectly normal part of the process for the musicians to create this from your worktape.
However, if you’re skilled in the number system already, it would be great if you could provide this before the day your demo is recorded.
Maybe you don’t know the number system, but would be able to provide the chord chart for your song. That would be welcome as well!
Either one could help the musicians get a better sense of your vision for the song.
Speaking of vision…
Ideas/Vision
The vast majority of writers provide lyrics and the worktape and leave the rest of the creativity to the producers and musicians.
While this is okay, at the end of the day, there’s no such thing as too much detail!
If you can help us understand exactly what feeling you want the song to create in others (isn’t that the point of music?), it will go a long way towards making the reality of the end product match your expectations, which is always a win.
Conclusion
We’d love to help you create a winning demo to get in front of artists.
If you already have a professional demo created, great! You can visit this page to learn about our songwriter upload packs and get your song listed with BuyDemoTracks.com today.
As a reminder, when you decide to have BDT create your demo, it automatically includes uploading into our library used by hundreds of artists when looking for new music!
We’d be glad to answer any questions you have. Just email us and we’ll get the conversation started.
by Steve Schramm | Jul 28, 2022 | Songwriting
While most songwriters would consider their work to be a “labor of love,” those who write for a living (or want to) must deal with a painful reality:
It’s really hard to get someone to record YOUR song.
And as hard as that is, it’s even harder to actually get paid for all of that work.
If you’re reading this, you are likely in that small percentage who is taking this seriously enough to wonder how you could make an actual living from writing.
If that’s you, read on!
How Songwriters Traditionally Get Paid
According to the Nashville Songwriters association, there are three ways to get paid for songs you’ve written:
Mechanical Royalty – A songwriter receives a mechanical royalty from the sale of a song on an album or a legal digital download. This rate is set by a Copyright Royalty Board made up of 3 judges who meet every 5 years to set rates. The original mechanical royalty was established in 1909 and set at 2 cents. Today, the current rate is 9.1 cents (typically split with co-writers and publishers).
Performance Royalty – A songwriter receives a performance royalty when their song is performed on terrestrial broadcast radio, in a live performance venue, or via online streaming services. In the United States, performance royalties are paid out through Performing Rights Organizations (ASCAP, BMI and SESAC) and are governed by consent decrees from WWII requiring the PROs to go to rate court to receive their rates from entities seeking to license the songs they represent.
Synch Fees – A songwriter receives a synch fee when his/her song is licensed for use to synchronize with video (i.e. television, movie, YouTube video). This royalty is freely negotiated in the marketplace and is typically split 50% to the writers and 50% to the artist and record label.
They also state the following: A songwriter may go years without receiving royalties.
This is for many reasons, not the least of which being that it is very difficult to enforce someone sending the appropriate royalties.
It is very important that you work with a reputable publisher, who will do everything possible to make sure all parties are being appropriately paid for their piece of the work.
What This Means For You
As you might have guessed, this has implications for you as a songwriter.
For one, you will need to be prolific. Jimmy Fortune’s hit “Elizabeth” was the first song he ever wrote! Could that happen for you? Absolutely! But it’s probably not a good idea to plan for that.
This means you will need to constantly be writing new songs, having demos made, and pitching them to artists in hopes that one gets picked up.
Secondly, in terms of actually getting paid, it means you will probably need to produce hit songs before you see anything meaningful in terms of royalties. Even hit songwriters have some “misses” in-between that are still great songs! Traditionally, even though the song is great, they will not be paid much for it.
Of course, if a well-known performer makes a big hit with your song, you are likely owed a generous payday from the above-mentioned sources.
However, even that is not a viable long-term strategy. Most popular songs are only popular for a little while.
A song with “evergreen” qualities (think “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey or “Mary, Did You Know?” by Mark Lowry) will obviously pay for many years—maybe even decades—but writing one of those is rare as well.
It’s actually quite strange, if you think about it! The 17th century writer Andrew Fletcher once said, “Let me make the songs of a nation, and I care not who makes its laws.”
It is hard to imagine a person alive more influential than the songwriter, and yet, it is very difficult to get paid or to get noticed.
Is There A Better Way to Get Paid for Songs You Write?
At BuyDemoTracks.com, both our founders and our marketing director are all songwriters! We have spent our lives in this industry and know all too well how influential—and difficult—songwriting can be.
Part of our goal in creating this company was to figure out how songwriters could get paid for the hard work they put in well before their song became a hit.
In fact, we wanted to see if we could help songwriters get paid even if their song didn’t become a hit at all!
Fortunately for songwriters, there’s another big problem in the music industry: It’s very, very difficult for artists to find new music to record.
Why?
Well, for starters, the known good songwriters often have particular artists in mind (usually A-listers), making it extremely tough for B and C-list artists to get access to them.
What’s more, since there are so many songwriters out there, A-list artists are frequently bombarded with folks who’ve written songs with them in mind, to the point of having piles of demo CDs lying around they have never listened to.
(Could you imagine coming home from a weekend of performing and trying to listen to literally hundreds of songs and wading through to find the best ones?)
It’s just not practical.
BuyDemoTracks.com was created to solve both of these problems. We give artists and performers a song library to filter through and find new music based on a variety of factors.
Here’s How We Help Songwriters Get Paid for Their Songs
As I clarified in this post, after writing a song, the next step is to get a demo created. This is so you have a professional presentation when you pitch to artists and managers.
But once you have that demo created, what do you do with it? Of course, you should pitch it to artists! But what about before that?
See, a demo is a professionally recorded piece of music that is made to give artists an idea of what the song could sound like for them.
This means you have, at your disposal, not only a professional demo that could be discovered by A, B, and C-list artists if they knew it was available, but you also have actual music tracks that artists could use in their own recordings or performances!
With our advanced platform, you get paid in two ways:
- When you list your song with us, we disclose publisher information and fulfill mechanical license requests to make sure you have the very best chance of getting paid through traditional routes.
- But we also make your demo tracks available for folks to purchase and download from the website, and give you a 50% royalty every time they are downloaded.
To make this practical, here’s an example:
Let’s say an artist is getting ready to record a new album, and they are using BuyDemoTracks.com to find new music to record.
They come across your song, and love it! But not only do they love the song, they also love the recording of the song, and would like to use the exact tracks that already exist in your custom demo.
In this case, two things will happen.
First, they will request mechanical license information from us, at which time we will promptly point them to your publisher and provide the artists with the info they need to legally use your song.
Then, they will run through a sales process tailored to your song, where they will have the option to purchase just the demo track itself, or they could add on:
- Music charts, if applicable, to give studio musicians and producers what they need to know about the song
- Multi-Track Stems, which allow the track to be customized for recordings or performances
- A Master Lease, which gives them the right to use your track(s) on an actual record (not needed if they are purchasing for performance purposes only)
- Exclusivity Rights, which gives them the option to remove your song from our library for three months so someone else cannot record it
Remember—the track itself plus each of these add-ons is being purchased by the performer, and you are receiving 50% of that purchase amount!
The Possibilities of Getting Paid for Your Songs
I hope you can see, this platform gives you a tremendous amount of possibility and opportunity for your songs to get noticed.
But more than that, it gives you a way to monetize your demos, which has never been possible before.
The more artists and writers use BuyDemoTracks.com, the more possibility there is for your music to get discovered and for you to finally get paid for all the hard work you put into writing music.
by Steve Schramm | Jul 21, 2022 | Custom Demos
So, you’ve written a brand new song and are convinced you want to have a demo made.
You might be wondering how much it will actually cost to do that! And fair enough, because as you begin to explore this question, you will find that it depends on a lot of factors.
It’s like asking, “How much is a car?”
The answer to that question varies a lot depending on the make and model, style, where you bought it, the current state of the economy, etc.
To help you make the decision, we’ve put together this helpful guide. You’ll find out what factors go into making the decision and how to make the best investment possible.
The Song, Your Baby
Before diving into the different pricing factors to be aware of, there is an important point you should think about. Most songwriters don’t do what they do because they’re good at it or because it’s “their job.”
Most successful songwriters are genuinely passionate about every song they write—and they should be.
If you want the very best expression of your song to come through in your demo, it would be our opinion not to base your decision on price alone.
I realize that may sound self-serving since we offer demo production services, but this is a significant point whether you choose BuyDemoTracks.com or not.
Don’t settle for second best. If you decide to use us or another studio, do it because you feel they will provide the best result. Don’t choose them because they are the cheapest option or even the most expensive option (just because a studio charges a lot does not mean they are worth it).
You should evaluate the quality of their work and then make the best decision.
Reputation
How well-known or reputable the studio will be a huge determining factor in how much your demo costs.
Much like cliché’s, a studio’s reputation becomes what it is for a reason: they produce results.
And if they have a history of producing great results, they have every right to charge well for the services they provide.
Great demo production does not happen accidentally. It takes the gathering and management of a lot of creative talent, and that gets expensive quickly.
Studio Size
In 2022, there are more “basement studios” than ever before. And to be honest, many of those basement studios produce a level of quality far beyond that which you could achieve in a state-of-the-art recording studio years ago.
Even so, a larger studio may have the resources to keep better equipment and personnel on hand. And if they do that, they will have higher expenses, and will need to charge more for their services.
If you approach a recording studio to cover your demo, you should be prepared to pay more than if you hired your buddy’s cousin who used to play in a band 10 years ago.
Production Quality
A related consideration is the quality of the production itself. This should probably be the deciding factor for most songwriters.
At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how big or small the studio, no matter whose name is associated with it, and regardless of who has or has not heard of them. If the studio you choose is putting out high-quality work you’d be proud to have represented in your song, you are making a great choice!
Make sure to ask any studio you approach for samples of their work. They will be happy to provide them, and it will help you make the most informed decision.
Musicians/Vocalists
What vocalists or musicians come with the demo recording, and what additional performers are available?
You will need to consider these questions when it comes to the cost of your demo project. If you’ll have to hire individual musicians, vocalists, engineers, producers, and studio time, those costs will tend to add up pretty quickly.
At BuyDemoTracks.com, each demo comes with in-house musicians, playing the following instruments:
Acoustic guitar • Electric guitar • Electric bass • Upright bass • Piano • Steel guitar • Dobro • Banjo • Mandolin • Fiddle • Drums • Organ
Plus, we give you the option of adding our Marketplace musicians and vocalists as well!
Additional Services/Benefits
Some studios will want to go above and beyond by providing additional services and benefits free of charge.
Examples of this might include song pitching services, album artwork creation, radio exposure with partner stations, etc.
At BuyDemoTracks.com, each demo package comes with automatic addition to our library (a $197 value) where performers of all types come to find new music to record. You can even earn money when people download your demo!
Crunching the Numbers
Ok, let’s talk some actual numbers. As you might guess, pricing is all over the map.
Studios or multi-instrumentalists looking to make a name for themselves or just getting started will be on the cheaper end of the spectrum, likely charging between $100-$250 per song.
They may ask for additional funds if you would like to hire a particular musician or vocalist, if you want the ability to have performance stems of your demo, etc. They are also less likely to include any additional services.
Studios in areas well-known for music (such as Nashville), having a longstanding reputation, access to well-known performers, or providing additional benefits and services will be in the $1,500+ range per song.
Studios landing in the middle will be around $500-$1000, and may include some combination of additional benefits and services as well.
Summary
By now, it is clear there are several factors that will determine how much your demo costs.
At the end of the day, it’s important to remember that cost itself is probably the least important factor when it comes to the quality of your production.
If you find a studio and are pleased with their quality of work, you should consider working with them to make sure you are putting your best foot forward.
After all, the better your demo sounds, the more likely it will be picked up by artists and performers!
by Steve Schramm | Jul 7, 2022 | Songwriting
Writing a song is a huge accomplishment—one of those things very few people will ever do in their lifetime. But writing a song is just the beginning of a much longer journey.
Some have written hundreds of songs and never took the next step: recording a demo.
What is a Demo?
A demo is a professionally recorded track that takes the lyrics you’ve written and puts them to music.
Most songwriters already have an idea of what they’d like their song to sound like. If that’s you, all you have to do is record a worktape (a rough version of your song being played and sung) using a personal recorder, phone mic, etc.
From there, someone can use that song to create a number chart (kind of like sheet music for studio musicians), record the demo track, and have a professional singer lay down vocals.
Why Record a Demo?
There are a few reasons you might want to do this if you are a songwriter.
You may want to hear a professional version of your song.
Sometimes, it’s cool just to hear a professional version of something you’ve written! I will never forget the first time hearing one of the songs I had written after it was recorded by professionals.
I had done plenty of recording on my own, but there was nothing like hearing it with a fresh take on the music. That’s a perfectly legitimate reason.
You may want to pitch your song to professional artists.
One of the most common reasons for recording a demo is to pitch the song to professional artists.
It is quite difficult to get your song in front of well-known artists (and to be honest, even lesser-known artists). The reality is, they are bombarded with requests to record new music from multiple directions week in and week out.
When you do have something to offer, then, you must absolutely put your best foot forward. If you have a chance to share your song with an artist, ideally, you will presented them with a professional, polished version that helps them hear the song how you truly intended.
If all they have is lyrics in front of them, or a low quality recording you made yourself, it is highly unlikely they will take the time to consider your offer.
You may want to make your song available for others.
Maybe you don’t have lofty goals of having your song recorded by a popular artist. Even so, you’d like for someone to have the chance to find your song and use it.
Ultimately, this will be an issue of exposure. There are not many places where you can publish a demo version of your track for bands/groups, soloists, church performers, etc., to find your track.
This is where BuyDemoTracks.com comes in. We can place your demo in front of performers who are actively looking for new music, and even pay you royalties each time someone requests to download your track. Learn more here.
Can I Record a Demo Myself?
Yes, you can. However, whether or not you should will depend upon a variety of factors.
If you have extensive music industry experience, a professional recording setup, and the contacts necessary to get your music in front of the right people, this is absolutely something you can do yourself.
If you don’t have any of the above, it could be a better investment of your time and money to have professionals record the demo for you.
This will ensure the demo is the quality you need it to be in order to gain the attention of potential artists.
Who Can Record a Demo for Me?
When it comes to choosing a studio or a musician to record your music, there’s good news and bad news.
The good news is there are a lot of options to choose from. Many reputable musicians have home studio setups, and there are many full-time professional studios that would be happy to record for you.
The bad news is that, even if you have a professional demo recorded, there is still no obvious bridge from having the demo recorded to pitching the song to potential artists.
Also, the many options could be overwhelming. Who should you choose? How can you be sure they are the right fit for your demo?
BuyDemoTracks.com was actually created to solve both issues. We work with an extensive list of professional studio musicians and manage the process from end to end.
Then, after the demo is recorded and you are happy with the finished product, we will place your song in our online catalog visited regularly by established, up and coming, and occasional artists and performers alike.
This process does not have to be a mystery. If you’ve written a song and are ready to request a demo recording, click here to get started.
