How to prepare a demo submission that gets heard
A demo that gets heard is short, clear and easy to open. Send your best two or three tracks, not the whole folder. Use a private streaming link, with a WAV available on request. Name everything properly, put your contact details in the message, and write two or three plain sentences about who you are. Pick a label whose catalogue sits near your sound. The rest of this guide covers each step.
What should a demo submission include?
Keep it small. A demo is a first impression, so make it quick to take in.
- Two or three finished tracks. Mixed down, mastered or close to it, with no placeholder sections.
- One private link per track, or one link to a private folder. Make sure it works without a login.
- Your artist name, the track titles and the genre you would put them under.
- One link to a profile or page where a listener can find more of your work.
- A working email address.
That is the whole package. Anything beyond it, such as a long biography, a list of every gig you have played or a stack of attachments, makes the message harder to read. Never put a full-size file in the email itself. Large attachments get blocked, and they push the track behind the paperwork.
How do you choose which tracks to send?
Lead with your strongest track. People open a demo and make up their mind quickly, so the first one carries the most weight. Put your best work first, and put it where nobody has to scroll for it.
Send tracks that belong together. If you make hard house, trance and bounce, pick one genre for this submission and send the best of it. A tight selection reads as an artist who knows their sound. A mixed bag reads as an artist still deciding.
Think about the dancefloor too. Check that the intro gives a DJ something to mix with, that the arrangement moves and that the low end holds up on a big system. Listen on headphones, in the car and on a speaker you trust, then fix what you hear. Choose tracks that are finished, not tracks that are promising.
Send unreleased work only. A track that is already out elsewhere is a different conversation.
How should you format the files and the message?
Start with the files.
- Name each file clearly: Artist - Title. No “final_v7_REALfinal”.
- Export at full quality, WAV at 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz, and keep an MP3 for quick listening.
- Fill in the metadata: artist, title, and your contact details where your software allows it.
- Leave headroom on the master. A limiter pushed to the ceiling leaves nothing to work with.
- Name the track length and BPM in the message so nobody has to guess.
Then write the message. Keep it to a few lines:
- Who you are, in one sentence.
- What you are sending, with the genre and the BPM.
- Where to listen, with the private links.
- Where to find you.
Put the artist name and the genre in the subject line. Skip the superlatives. Do not tell the reader the track is huge. Let them hear it. Be polite, be specific and keep it short. If you want to send a demo to OBSCUUR, the submission page is at /submissions, and that is the place to start.
How do you know a label fits your sound?
Do the research before you send anything. Spend an hour on the catalogue and ask whether your track would sit comfortably next to what is already there.
OBSCUUR is built around high energy dance music, and the catalogue shows the range. Hackett – Thin Air (2026) and Trans-AM – Get The Vibe (2026) both sit under Dance and Trance. Prinsezy – Sexy Garage (2025) is filed under Dance. Elsewhere, DAVYROE – Boombox Revolution (2026) carries Alternative, Indie Rock and Dance tags. Open a few and compare them with your own work.
You can also browse the full roster on the artists page to see who is releasing and how often. If you play out, the sessions page shows the live side of the label. It gives you a feel for what the room responds to.
If your track fits, say so in one line. If it sits somewhat outside, that is worth knowing before you send, not after.
Prepare it well, send it once, and then get back to the next track.
