See the Hypnos FAQ/Information page for an explanation of the purpose of this document
Apologies from Hypnos for responding to your inquiry with a "generic" form
response. You're receiving this message because you either A) inquired
about sending a demo, or B) went ahead and sent a demo without inquiring first.
Unfortunately Hypnos is so busy with the music of artists already affiliated
with the label, that almost no time is left to recruit new artists or listen to
demos. When openings in our release schedule do occur, we first turn to many
of the most established and respected artists in our genre, many of whom have
already expressed interest in doing projects with Hypnos, whenever we are
willing and according to any terms we offer. This may sound like arrogance on
the label's part, but it isn't -- it's simply an indication of the supply and
demand relationship between independent artists and independent labels. There
are many, many more artists out there, than there are labels to release their
music. This scarcity of opportunity for musicians to get their music released
makes it harder for all of them, especially the less established ones. It
also allows the label to be extremely choosy, and to work with only the most
talented and distinguished artists in the genre.
For that reason, Hypnos is no longer in a mode of accepting demos through any
channel other than via recommendation from one of the artists on the Hypnos
roster, or some of the more established radio DJs or published reviewers in
our genre.
The beginning or unreleased artist is encouraged to establish a "name" for
themselves and their work, by getting their music on some compilations, or
possibly doing a CD release on a newer, smaller label, or as a self-released
CD. If you can get people talking about your work, and create some interest
among the listening audience and DJs and reviewers, then you have a better
chance of grabbing the attention of mid-sized labels like Hypnos. Very few
artists start out by releasing their music on more established labels like
Hearts of Space, or Projekt, or even the second-tier labels like Hypnos.
Established labels are so busy with the process of releasing new music, that
no time remains for giving advice or feedback to beginning artists. It is no
exaggeration to say that it would be a full-time job to deal with all the
demos and inquiries and follow-up requests that come our way.
The best way to stand out from the crowd is to do the sorts of things I've
mentioned above -- self-release a CD, or put something out on a really small,
startup label, or do compilation releases of a few of your tracks. Try to get
your music played on the radio, and reviewed in magazines. People will notice,
and that's how you go from being an unknown beginner, to being the kind of name
that people start talking about. Most musicians never get beyond the "I've
recorded a few tracks and would like to release them, can I get you to listen
to this and tell me if it's good enough?" stage, and that's the key. That next
step, releasing something tangible and more than just "demo" quality, takes you
from being one of the thousands, to being one of the dozens.
Another way of putting it is that it's not up to the busy people at labels to
sort through thousands of demos and answer questions that beginning artists ask.
It's up to the artists themselves to introduce themselves to the music world,
and to give the world a reason to notice them. Some artists have the
misconception that all they need to do is record a tape, and mail it to a few
of the top labels, and the offers will start rolling in. This never works! The
top labels -- even the ALMOST-top labels -- don't sort through the thousands of
cheap demos cassettes they receive, expecting to find exciting raw talent. No,
they let the smaller labels and reviewers and DJs sort through all that, and
weed out the bad stuff, and then the bigger labels check out what's getting good
reviews, and what people are talking about.
Most artists are annoyed and/or frustrated by this, and feel that THEIR demo is
special, and deserves special attention. Unfortunately, it is very much like
trying to get your first job, in the sense that it's hard to get hired without
experience, and it's impossible to gain experience before you've been hired for
the first time. Truly dedicated, energetic and resourceful artists find ways to
bring their work to the attention of people like reviewers, independent DJs, and
even like-minded artists, and gradually, if the work merits attention, labels
will notice.
Best of luck with your project, and again I apologize for not taking the time to
respond individually. It's my hope that making this response more informational,
and perhaps more helpful, will compensate for it being non-specific.
Mike Griffin
Hypnos Recordings