SonyBMG turn to the power of blogs for music demos
It seems that the humble demo tape – even the demo CD – is on its last legs. SonyBMG has said that from Monday it will no longer accept music demos in hard copy formats.
Instead, musicians hoping to grab the attention of music bosses will need to sign up for their own blog with an online service such as www.columbiademos.co.uk or www.rcademos.co.uk.
Once signed up, they’ll be able to blog about their music, and upload photos and videos.
Is this Sony trying to keep up with the MySpace generation? It’s certainly quicker to peruse lots of blogs under the company’s control than it is to search social networking sites and other blogs.
“Blogging is clearly one of the major trends in music, media and entertainment. 100,000 new blogs go online each day at the moment, and the blogosphere is doubling every 230 days so it makes complete sense for the major labels to use the process in a creative way to encourage, discover and communicate with new artists,” said Ged Doherty, SonyBMG’s UK and Ireland Music Entertainment Chairman and Chief Executive.
It may even level the playing field a little, as there’s greater opportunity for bands to be heard using this system than being buried under a ton of demo CDs.
As Sony’s site says:
If you want our A&R team to hear your music, then don’t send a CD, REGISTER A BLOG. Use the Sign Up Now link, it’s quick and free. Using this link will automatically link you to the Columbia neighborhood. That way we can find you easily, have a listen and look over your blog.
Put your best tracks, videos and pictures up and blog about yourselves and the other bands in your community. Always keep your blog updated with new content and connect with other bands that interest you.
