If you’re planning on pitching songs to a publisher or artist / management, you should think about ways of getting the song right.
Getting a song pitch-perfect is definitely a hefty challenge, but the following ideas can help you create something that can hold up to the standards of professional, business encounters:
Get your stylistic homework right
Know the artist you are pitching for.
Be aware of things that worked well, directions that the act is leaning towards and might be heading.
Get your stylistic homework done. You’ll gain more respect from your potential business partners.
Have examples ready and be ready to express your prep-work by engaging in an elaborate conversation on back-catalogue and genuine interest for the music at hand.
The 7-second intro
Try developing a compositional mindset where you adhere to the 7-second intro guideline: The listener has to be immersed within the world of the track / artist / vibe within this time period.
Not only is this vital when pitching songs to professionals that have to go through tons of demos on a regular basis, but it’s actually also the way many modern streaming algorithms define click-through rates and the level of interest their audiences have in pieces of music.
So, try to hit the ball out of the park within 7 seconds, and you’ll be sure to keep some ears stiff!
Melodic focus
Creating unique melodies that work in popular contexts is definitely a king-sized challenge.
Every seasoned pro will be aware of strong melodic development though, and is probably searching for exactly that.
Try not to hide melody by overlapping it with extensive production or gimmicks.
If you have strong melodic ideas, you have nothing to hide.
Have some best-cases ready
This is basically also part of your prep homework: Have some best-cases ready, of similar acts, that perform very well on streaming platforms and might convey a similar vibe and style to your composition.
At the end of the day, no one knows for sure if and why something works. What you can do, though, is present certain similarities and elevate the chances of your choices seeming plausible.
Have a tight arrangement
Even though it’s a no-brainer. Always have a tight arrangement when pitching a new song.
This means, try cutting loose all the extra weight reducing the speed of a song. In the pitch you are aiming at hitting a maximum level of intensity, just at the right moment and not second beyond that.
The final production can always play around the concept of elongating certain parts, creating room to breathe etc.
In the pitch you want to express an idea, an image, and make it stick as early as possible.
Don’t over-estimate the level abstraction
When presenting demos, there’s absolutely no room for aesthetic abstraction.
Basic productions nowadays are just too good, and professionals are used to hearing nearly finalized versions of songs. Even if they’re still labeled as demo or layout status.
Try not to overestimate the capability of certain professionals to grasp the creative vision and abstract from something basic.
Lead them to the gold, and not just the dust-covered mine.
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