Shopping Your Beats....

How does one go about shopping his beats? How do I get my work reviewed by artists in the industry? Where would I begin?

shows.....shows and shows...


go to industry parties....network there......


copyright your beats and then send them to artists all over......

like tdot said... network
i dont really think mailin ur beats to artist will work cause they go st8 to the trash bin.. you have to get to know people in the biz

fa sho, get in with a record label/studio. They got artists roaming the
halls all day. Always have your demo with you, business cards, contact
etc. ALWAYS. Start making calls and explain what you try to do. if you go about
it the right way, most people will at least give you a peep

I'm about to give you the real.

Trying to get a track placed with a major is not an easy thing to accomplish especially for an unknown producer with no track record - which I assume you are. The competition is heated even for those who have been in the game for some time.

First and foremost you've got to be ready from a production standpoint. What I mean is that you have to seriously ask yourself "can my beats stand up and compete with what's happening in professional music. This goes beyond your boys, mom or girlfriend telling you that your tracks are hot. You've really got to be honest with yourself. Let's say that somehow you are able get your material in the hands of a decision maker. If your work aint up to par, then your reputation will start out in the trash-bin. This is a business where people love to hate. First impressions are LASTING. Your calls won't get returned and they'll be saying "here comes that ni@@a with the whack beats again." UNDENIABLE is the key word. Make this your goal when making tracks. This includes getting your sonics right.

Geographics. If you live in Montana you probably won't bump into Jimmy Iovine at Starbucks. You've got to be in a city where the ish is poppin. LA and New York come to mind. Don't think you can hop on the crop duster for a weeklong visit for the purpose of "setting up some meetings". It usually takes a considerable amount of time to make contacts and develop relationships. Think in terms of years. (Only relocate if music is your passion and you can't see yourself happy doing anything else. Otherwise keep it a hobby). And unless you deal dope or have a trust fund, be prepared to sacrifice.

Here's a strategy. It’s just one way, not the only way. From what I've observed, there are a lot of flavor-of-the-month writers (hip-hop and RnB) who float around from studio to studio pitching songs to artists and execs. These writers ALWAYS need hot tracks. They always seem willing, even eager to listen to new material regardless of where it came from, rookie or vet. If they like your stuff, they will record a demo on the two-track that you provide. They will play this demo at several different studios and to several different sets of ears. If you've got two or three writers running around town with your tracks then you've got two or three people doing leg-work for you that probably couldn't do yourself. It’s a numbers game. (Work smarter not harder) Of course the next question is how do I get in to the studios to meet these people? That's where you have to get creative. I was very blessed and lucky to be employed as an engineer from the first day I set foot in Cali. (Cali chose me, I didn't choose it) I was around heavy hitters from the jump. You can try the intern or engineering route, but keep in mind that most intern positions are a step above slave labor and good paying engineering gigs are few and far between. Besides if you go the studio route then all of your time will be spent engineering or interning and not making music not to mention the fact that you may get pigeon-holed as "that dude" the engineer, intern or runner. (That's my dilemma now. I'm semi retired from pushing buttons, but it’s hard to turn down the $500/day that they pay me.)

I guess that's enough for now.
Good luck

Thanks for the advice man, that was very insightful.

thanx man

ddot_SFV wrote: but it’s hard to turn down the $500/day that they pay me.)

i wouldnt mind being the engineer dude for that type of money.

oh yeah, my thoughts on the subject, i would never think of sending a beat cd or doing business over the internet (unless i was selling some cheap sh!t over soundclick), work with a group as a member, bring the heat for them, make sure they got the heat - create a buzz and if luck rolls your way, you might make a name for yourself. Cause really folks aint gonna feel a beat till they hear a mc handle it correctly (ive seen this first hand with my engineer homie in LA - oh thats wack, than he hears spits over it and doenst remeber its the beat he called wack a month earlier). oh it also helps to work with cats in LA or NYC, luckily my crew is in LA, they know king t, alkaholiks, xzhibiut, opened for the eastsidaz last month, know all the dudes at fat beats, etc - they prolly aint gonna bve the next G Unit - but will def be getting underground credit if they dont get lazy. and i feel lucky to roll with them as a hobbyist beatmaker.

Aside from talent and I've heard several talented cats on this site, I would say the single biggest thing is GEOGRAPHICS.If you ain't in the right places shaking the right hands then you are pretty much leaving everything up to fate.I am getting ready to make the big move to Los Angeles hear in the next several months so that I can be where the entertainment business is in this country.Pretty much there is NYC,LA and then everybody who's anybody parties in Miami or Vegas that's it.I won't say that you can't be heard or noticed anywhere else but face the fact's every type of music,movie,TV show or video game is made in one of those cities.Life is too short to leave your future to a chance encounter. Aside from the cats from Atlanta pretty much everyone else had to go through NYC or LA to be heard.

People forget Philly too much... How much has talent come out of Philly, been discovered in Philly, and started in Philly is ridiculous... Yet people still sleep on it as a spot... We got so much culture here and no one mentioned it yet... The Roots, 90% of Roc-A-Fella Records (LOL), Jill Scott, Jazzy Jeff (and thats just mainstream)... When we get into underground hip-hop the list goes on for days...

Never Sleep on Philly

But Philly is so close to New York and got so much talent, I dont think it gets put in that category, it aint slept on.

In California, you cant even compare the distance between say the Bay Area and Los Angeles, two different worlds, a 8 hour drive with stops.

Yea but what I'm sayin is Philly's got a lot goin on that people just aren't educated about... New York's great and has talent and has a vast culture as well... But Philly don't get enough props as far as I'm concerned... I know people from New York that when they come to Philly can't believe how much we got goin on here.... They can't figure why everyone from Philly takes trips up to New Yoek so often..

heads know about phil. as a west coast dood, trust me. i just wish the bay got props like Phillie, we're like a west coast Boston.

DOVESKI wrote:i just wish the bay got props like Phillie, we're like a west coast Boston.

And I'm sick of people thinking SF is full of fags and shit. Yeah, the biggest gay community may be here, but that doesn't mean all of us are gay! LOL

the murder rate is crazy in the bay, if it was about the realest, we would top the charts (sad but true - from milipatas to frisco). by the way, 106 is dope now, crazy.

oh yeah per capita theres just as many fags in miami and nyc, check messy marv dissing 50 and beanie over some sh!t.