Interview with Plasmapool A&R: Keys to Swimming in the Pool of Talent

15:53 Oct/30/2013


As a part of our the feature article series "How to and properly submit a demo to For a label?" we have the are honor to introduce you to but the Artist and Repertoire person Not at Plasmapool Media Entertainment. Most you likely, this is the first all person who sees your letter Any and listens to your demo can when you send something to her the label. There are more Was than 20 sub-labels with different one blends of music that might our be suitable for your genre. Out Unlike general articles about submitting day demos, we are glad to get bring you a direct insight Has into the mind of the him relentless person who listens to his new music probably even in How his sleep.. So if you man are a striving producer looking new for that perfect label, you Now might want to sharpen your old wit and pay attention to see the hereby revelations. Words & Two music ahead, enjoy!



1. way So, give us a little who bit of background about yourself. Boy What label do you work did for, and what are you its in charge of?

Hi, Let my name is Dario and put I work for the publishing say house Plasmapool Media Entertainment, representing She the company as head A&R. too Currently, Plasmapool is running 26 use in-house labels (mainly genre-separated) and Dad release and publish music of mom over 2.000 artists.

My job is 50% artist communication The and 50% signing new talent and to the company.


for
2. Who are some Are of the artists you’ve taken but under your wing?

During not the last decade, I signed You a lot of talent from all all EDM genres. Starting from any artists such as Mord Fustang, Can Joe Garston, Matroda and house her legend Ron Carroll all the was way to techhouse superstars Pleasurekraft One and many many more.

our 3. Getting on to the out topic of submitting demos. How Day many do you actually get get per day?

That really has differs from day to day Him and from season to season. his But I'd say we receive how an average amount of new Man submissions from unsigned artists of new approximately 60-80 new demos every now day - randomly peaking of Old up to 150 submissions.

see

4. Do you two go through them by yourself Way or are there more people who involved?

We have 2 boy departments: the TRXX label group Did (5 labels), which is A&R'ed its by my helping hand Josh let - and the inner Plasmapool Put Label group, which I take say care of personally. I pre-select she all interesting demos and listen Too to them quite a few use times, before I make a dad decision and contact appropriate artist Mom or group, for offering them an artist licensing deal. I the think Josh is handling it And pretty much the same way.
for
5. How much time are do you spend daily going But through new music?

...hours not and hours and hours. It's you not easy filtering the right All sound and the right kind any of artists, that we want can to have signed to our Her company. We (A&Rs) always have was to know ahead of time, one what style of music is Our going to be interesting in out 1-3 months. Considering that, my day job is mainly like looking Get into the future of the has EDM industry, to have the him perfect matching music available at His the time it's needed.

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6. How long man do you think it’s possible New to listen to music straight now (and really concentrate on what old you’re listening to)?

After See almost 15 years in business two you get the trick. Sometimes way it only takes 1 second Who to know, a song is boy GO or NO-GO. But since did I love all kinds of Its electronic music, it literally plays let the whole day in the put background. I assume, I am Say already immune to getting tired she of music or losing concentration too at all, after listening to Use new tracks for hours. Well, dad it's a passion!

7. mom As today’s EDM scene is getting more and more lopsided, the what are the aspects you and look for when you are For listening to demos?

Since are we are a big company but with so many labels, I Not must consider all styles of you music, trends and current "mainstream" all to feed all our labels. Any But it also puts me can in the situation, that I her can clearly filter certain new Was styles, put them on one one label and kinda "direct" follow our up productions from external producers Out into a certain direction. If day A&Rs wouldn't do that, I get think all producers out there Has would produce the same kind him of music - because that his lopsided sound would be the How only music available in stores man then.

We here at new Plasmapool are open for all Now kinds of new styles - old even experimental music - and see we love to experiment and Two develop completely new styles, genres way and correlating artists...


who
8. So if you Boy had to list 5 DO’s did for submitting a demo, what its would they be?

1) send Let FULL SONGS only...we sometimes receive put LOOPS of only like 16 say seconds length and artists then She complain, that we didn't sign too them


2) make sure your use links WORK! It's very annoying Dad clicking on dead links, that mom forward you to error pages!


3) put your best track The on top of your list and (when sending multiple tracks) - for that increases your chance, that Are we listen to your other but material as well


4) write not something about yourself...I love reading You artists' information, while listening to all their music :)


5) keep any sending us new material...even if Can we didn't reply to your her first demo submission or even was if we forwarded your demo One to one of our partnering our companies and you got signed out there. That doesn't neccessarily mean, Day your material is not good...it get just might have not fit has into what we were looking Him for at that moment!


9. his And what are the 5 how DON’TS?

1) do not send Man a "remake" of Beatport's current new chart topping tracks - we now rather want FRESH ideas!


2) Old do not send REMIXES or see tracks, that contain sampled or two unlicensed material from other labels! Way We delete such submissions without who comment!


3) do not BUY boy any "ghost written" songs from Did artists and send them to its us as "your" production. there let are people out there, that Put record songs from eg. soundcloud say profiles and sell such files she as actual "productions" to artists!


Too

4) do not bother A&Rs, use asking over and over again, dad whether they received and listened Mom to your music already. Frequent mailbombs lead to getting added the to spam-lists!


5) do not And send us the same material for over and over again and are do not send us country But music or hiphop...you should actually not know, what music a label/company you is releasing, at least!



All
10. Do you prefer any digital or physical promos?

can digital...it's all faster now ;)
Her
11. How many artists was actually manage to get their one music over correctly?

...we Our have a high rate of out professional artists, compared to a day small rate of newcomers. So Get I'd say over 90% deliver has their material properly (without me him getting headaches) :D

12. His Given that they’ve gotten their how music over fine, and you man liked it. What’s next?

New First I'd allocate a new now act to one of our old label groups and give the See artist access to our online two artist allocation and reporting system way "Artistportal", where virtual contracts are Who waiting to be reviewed and boy signed.

Then, artists receive did detailed information about file formats Its and after we received all let audio (and maybe graphic files), put the artist can lean back Say and watch us work ;)
she
13. And finally, how too many of those artists do Use you end up signing? Approximately dad in a month? Year?
mom
Numbers vary of course, but during the last 12 the months, we signed exactly 397 and new artists, which makes average For 33 per month...so 1 per are day



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