Media UK

Making a demo tape

Getting a good demo tape is the best way of getting a new job in radio. But - what to put on it... and how to present it?

What is a demo tape for?

Paul Easton says: “PCs rarely, if ever, hire purely on the strength of a demo. The purpose of the demo is to get invited in for “a chat” - so treat it as an audio version of an application form. If you do get that call, it’s highly likely the PC will want to hear more of you - whether by requesting a longer, unedited recording of a show, or getting you to do an audition in the studio - before finally deciding whether to take you on.

“If you’re already working on a station that streams, there’s a good chance the PC might have been eavesdropping during one of your shows to see what you really sound like live. Sometimes, they may do that before deciding to invite you to come in.”

Make sure the start is the best bit

“It’s a harsh fact of radio life that few demos get heard for more than the first 30 seconds. That’s not always because the demo itself is bad - although it has to be said that the overwhelming quality of demos received by radio stations is depressingly poor - but because that person may not be right for the station, or for what the PC is looking for at the time. However, it does mean that if your best bit is about a minute into the demo, there’s a very good chance it won’t get heard. So, make sure you start strong, and give the PC a reason to want to keep listening. Make a good first impression. If you haven’t got their attention by the end of the first link, then you’re unlikely to do so at all.”

...and make sure it’s compelling and good.

One programme controller says… “Out of the demo-tapes I got sent, most contained weather, music marathons, star birthdays, etc - but nothing that a person listening to my station could relate to! I tend to look for broadcasters I can relate to as people but don’t get in the way of the music. But one thing’s for sure - they need to be clear, bright and compelling.”

What else to put in

Your CV. Don’t lie on it: almost every radio DJ seems to claim, apparently, that they’ve worked on Radio Caroline. Programme Controllers will know the truth.

Your production tape. If you’ve a strong voice, you could get quite different work from the station you’re sending your tape to.

A letter. Letters full of spelling mistakes and bad grammar will not impress anyone, Write your covering letter in something like MS Word with a nice header, run the UK Spellchecker and grammar checker, then show it to someone you trust who will give you good constructive critism, remember this is the letter that will get your demo a listen, it is the first point of contact, a scruffy hand written note or a poorly typed and laid out letter isn’t a good first impression.

Good packaging. If the packaging looks rubbish, and you’ve recorded over an old cassette you had lying around, then your attention to detail probably isn’t good enough. In all probability, the only person who’ll open your package is your future boss; not a secretary or PA. Always use a New Jiffy Bag and a nice printed lable including your name and phone number on your media(CD, MD or if you must a Cassette)

What to put it on

Paul Easton says: “It doesn’t matter whether your demo is on cassette, CD or MD. Bear in mind, though, that PCs might not have an MD player in their office (it’s usually in the production studio), so sending an MD may not be a good idea as it immediately puts an obstacle in the way of it being heard. Don’t e-mail a demo without first checking first that it’s OK. In any case, it’s highly unlikely the PC will take a hard-copy for later use, so you’re likely to be forgotten. Similarly, don’t just send a letter and CV, with no demo, and tell a PC that if they want to listen to it, they will need to go to your website etc. Take it from me, they won’t bother. Remember, you need to make it easy for the PC to hear you, not put obstacles in their path.

“Whichever you use, always use a new cassette, CD or MD. Make sure your name and phone number is clearly-written on it; preferably on a neat label; covering letters, CVs and demos can, and do, sometimes get separated.” Dave Baynham Says "Printing a sticky lable for the CD, Cassette or MD with your name and contact number is also preferable to hand written labels. Remember you only get one first impression."

Neal Bowden says: “If you are going to MP3 your demo is to include your contact details as the file name. That way, if the MP3 has been saved onto the PD’s desktop he has your details at hand rather than go looking through emails and CV’s for your phone number.”

David Baynham says: If the demo is for a Voice Over, the producer isn't interested if you can put in the latest woosh or zap, he is interested in the quality and style of the reads, bangs, woosh's and zaps, chances are they have been heard before.

Addressing it

Make sure you’re using the correct name - and the correct address. Don’t send it to the previous programme controller. Don’t send it to the previous name for the radio station. Both of these will mean your demo tape may not even be listened to. It doesn't take much to phone the station and ask for the full name of the PC, the correct address, and check the spelling.

Paul Easton says: “Consider carefully where you send your demo - and be brutally honest with yourself. If your natural style is as a young, hot, CHR jock, then it’s a bit pointless sending a demo to a station like, say, Saga or Classic FM. Similarly, if you’re older - or older-sounding - then you’re going to stick out like a sore thumb on somewhere like Galaxy or an Emap ‘Big City’ station.

“As with applying to any company - whether in radio or not - it’s always a good idea to find out more about them. If you can - and this is where the Media UK Radio Player comes in handy - listen to the station(s) concerned to get an idea of their overall sound, and the sort of thing they seem to be looking for. Over the space of an hour - longer if possible - log everything that happens in that period. Write down the records played, where the jock speaks (and whether it’s a speedlink or something a bit longer), idents, commercials, promos, news, weather, travel etc. If you can manage that for a few consecutive hours, you’ll build up a good snapshot of the way the station is formatted.”

Are you sure you want to send it there?

Olly Benson says: “One of the best pieces of advice I ever heard was to stick a £20 note in with your demo. No, not as a bribe, but with the message “if this demo is worth your time, I’m sure you’ll repay the money at some point in the future; if it isn’t worth your time then please keep the cash.” Why? The problem is that demo tapes are a free commodity for the people who make them. Ok, there is the CD to burn and the postage and packing, but actually you don’t put a value on the product you are sending out.

“If you work for a company that sends out sample products in the hope to gain business, you have to make a judgement call as to whether the benefit of the future business is worth the cost of the sample. So you make sure your sample is the absolute best you can get it; you research like crazy and ensure that your product stands out from the rest. And you understand your client; are they the type of people who are going to use the sample you are sending them?

“Next time you prepare a demo to send it out, ask yourself whether you reckon it is good enough that you are prepared to risk £20 on it. If you are not, then perhaps you are just wasting the PD's time as well as your own?”