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How to submit music to record labels.

Demo submissions should be directed to UMG’s record labels, but kindly note that they are unable to accept unsolicited material. Typically, demos are recommended to one of our labels’ A&R departments by a manager, agent, producer, radio DJ or other industry professional.

Solicited material demo submissions should be directed to AVENUEAR the official song submission delivery system connected to the leaders and decision makers of the entertainment industry.

Believe it or not, the record labels are actively looking to discover new songs, artists, producers and writers every day.

Sony Music Group Submission

Sony Music Entertainment, also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment and managed by the American umbrella division of Sony.

Warner Music Group Submission

Warner Music Group Corp. is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the “big three” recording companies and the third-largest in the global music industry, after Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment.

Universal Music Group Submission

Universal Music Group N.V. is a Dutch–American multinational music corporation. UMG’s corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its operational headquarters are located in Santa Monica, California.

What’s the structure at a major record label?

A&R

A&R will generally be your first contact with the label. These individuals are the point of contact between the label and the artist. They are the scouts, always out at events and showcases looking for new talent, so they’ll be the ones lurking at the back of your gig. Once you’re signed, the A&R team will be the ones that manage the recording of your music, be it an EP or album. They will be there to connect you with producers and potential collaborators, they will offer creative input and direction so you can hone your sound.

Creative

The guys in the creative team collaborate with the A&R team to manage the process of turning your recordings into visual assets, be that digital or physical. Anything visual such as the design of your album artwork, photography or video will fall to this team.

Marketing & PR

So your record is out on all streaming platforms and ready to be enjoyed. The marketing team are tasked with getting the word out about your amazing new release. They will create a campaign, working alongside Press and Promotions (PR) and social media teams, spending money to buy advertising and coming up with creative ideas to get the campaign off the ground.

Public Relations (PR)

Working in collaboration with the marketing department, to make sure everyone’s heard your name when your album drops, this team focus on getting your release written about in the media, be that print, radio, TV or online. They will have relationships with TV stations, radio stations and DJs to get your song played on as many platforms as possible, as well as in all the clubs on a Saturday night.

Sales & Distribution

As the name suggests, once the creative team have finished crafting your recordings into beautiful records or digital packages, these guys work to get your album out to all the right places to maximize the chances of selling it to fans. They have strong ties with record stores, online music shops, download sites and streaming platforms. If you’re with a smaller label, it may be the case that this job is outsourced to an independent music distributor, or the distribution department at a bigger label.

Licensing

The licensing team is on the lookout for opportunities to make money from songs owned by the label, maybe through sync deals or contributing to compilation albums or film soundtracks. Another driving force in the machine that is geared towards making sure the label’s investment pays off.

Royalties

It is this team’s job to process the cash made from various sources, including record shop sales, download sales, streaming platform plays and sync deals. They deal with data and metadata and work out what the artist and their collaborators are owed after the label takes its share.

Legal

These very important people look after contracts between the artist and the label. As your career develops, your legal teams becomes all the more important when it comes to negotiating the best and fairest deal with a record label.