What do i do with my demo? plz help!

[paul]

Hello,

I am just after putting together a 10 min demo c.d. of my presenting and production work. I'm fairly happy with it and would like to know two things;

1) Do people actually listen to demo's anymore?
2) If they do, what should I include with it when I send it off?
and
3) Who do I address it to?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Paul

[stayin alive]

send it to the programme controller or station manager of the station you are applying to ....a lot of stations get 100's of demos every week so yours needs to get their attention ahead of the others ,so heres a little tip .....tell them your demo includes an interview with brittany spears ,
if your demo gets you nowhere then do another one , and keep sending them ,eventually if your demo is good enough then they'llcome knocking on your door ....
if you need anymore help just let me know ok ....
good luck

[Guest]

Paul, I wouldn't recommend telling anyone there's a Britney interview on your demo unless there is one. Most programmers will take a dim view of such a blatant lie. Almost all PDs will give every demo a brief listen to see if it's worth keeping, so it's important that the first 30 seconds are packed with your VERY best stuff. Since you have included a production demo it's important to make it quite clear which track is which on the CD.

You might want to consider re-editing your demo, I know you've spent quite a bit of time and effort on it but, to be honest, 10 minutes is a bit long. Your on air demo should be no more than 3 to 4 minutes and your production clips should not exceed 2 minutes. As Stayin' Alive pointed out PDs often get 100's of demos every week. They simply won't have the time to sit through 10 minutes of your work. If they like what they hear, they'll ask for another tape.

You should include your CV and a brief covering letter explaining what sort of work you're interested in. Find out the names of the programers you're going to send your demo to (and make sure you spell it correctly - nothing will ensure that your demo ends up in the bin more than misspelling the PDs name).

Don't be disappointed if you get no response from your first batch of demos, very few people get a break in this industry without persistance, even the biggest names in radio have been turned down for more jobs than they care to remember. Good Luck!

[reindeer]

dont bother you have to know someone in the biz man,...demo what a stupid idea???

[Loopy Producer]

Don't put it on tape

Put it on cd or mini disc

Put a funky looking sticker on it

Make it quick and snappy and good luck

[Danno]

put in on a tape.

trust me...

not everyone has a cd in the car...i got my first gig from a pc listening to me on his way to a meeting

mds are sh1t...most pcs dont have on in the office...another obstical.

[Radio Presenter]

Originally posted by Danno
put in on a tape.

trust me...

not everyone has a cd in the car...i got my first gig from a pc listening to me on his way to a meeting

mds are sh1t...most pcs dont have on in the office...another obstical.

Perhaps ask the PC in advance of sending the package what their preferred format is!

I think you're right though - Tape still seems to be the favourite.

:)

[Pulse 95-99]

Yeh, put it on a tape. Theres always staff looking for a blank cassette to record something!! i.e. Put it on CD, and the total length should no tbe any longer that 3 mins. Also listen to it yourself about 200 times till you hate it, if you dont hate it, send it out, it may just get that gig! Good Luck

[RTE]

I would advise similarly. At the end of the day if you havnt sent a demo to a station before you have to remember that it is your first and they will judge you on it forever, so do make sure it's the best you can do,



Slán Tamaill,



John

[sub-site]

Originally posted by paul
Hello,

I am just after putting together a 10 min demo c.d. of my presenting and production work. I'm fairly happy with it and would like to know two things;

1) Do people actually listen to demo's anymore?
2) If they do, what should I include with it when I send it off?
and
3) Who do I address it to?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Paul

After getting some great advice from people who really know what they`re talking about, I advise you the following;

- Upload your a couple of links of max. duration 60 seconds to your own make-shift website,
- Place a link to them on radiowaves Radiowaves message boards
- Ask what people think and/ or give your own opinion so as to get a reaction.

They can take a couple of minutes to load however but most people would surf and download/ listen at the same time (particular if they are already on a radio forum).

I did this for the craic:

http://www.radiowavesforum.com/rw/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2405
I haven`t been flamed (at least I didn`t find out about it) so I believe there`s no better place and nothing better to loose.

[Sam Lowry]

Originally posted by paul
Hello,

I am just after putting together a 10 min demo c.d. of my presenting and production work. I'm fairly happy with it and would like to know two things;

1) Do people actually listen to demo's anymore?
2) If they do, what should I include with it when I send it off?
and
3) Who do I address it to?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Paul

From someone who's done it (successfully!) a few times?

1) Of course they do, how else do you think they find new presenters?!?!?!? (I know there are those here who would contend that the only way to get a job in radio is through nepotism or your mates but that ain't so! Any good PD worth his salt is always looking for fresh meat!) But yes, 10 mins is too long. 2 mins tops is fine - if that whets their appetite they'll come asking for more. This also means you can take a flabby 10 mins and cut it down to a lean 2. Think about it from their point of view: you set aside an hour to listen to that stack of tapes on the floor, sometimes you'll only make it to the first link on each tape! Make sure the best is first, second best next and so on.

2) Just a tape (with your name and contact number on a sticker on the tape as well as on the box dummy!) A relevant cover letter too detailing your previous experience (if any!) and current situation. Keep this brief too, don't waffle!

3) Always ring each station and ask for the PDs name. Address the letter to him personally too. That's always better then "Dear Sir/Madam" (I've seen that!)

Putting it on tape is always a good idea (Most PDs don't let the production staff raid tapes in their office until they've been listened to!)

And good luck :-)

Peace,

Sam