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.