How to get signed to a record label: demos, referrals and the deal
To get signed to a record label you need music a label can already hear working: released songs, a growing audience and someone who can recommend you to A&R. The three major groups say on their own sites that they don’t accept unsolicited demos, so the route in is a referral or a label that runs open submissions.
The submission policies quoted here come from the FAQ pages of Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group, read on October 25, 2026. Policies change, so check each label’s own site before you send anything.
What labels look for
A label signs an artist when it believes its money and team will make a career grow faster than the artist could alone. A&R (artists and repertoire) is the department that finds and signs that artist. What they want to see:
- Songs, finished and released, with a sound that is clearly yours. A label rarely signs on one demo.
- An audience that grows on its own: listeners who come back, saves, people at your shows, comments that are not your friends. The trend matters more than any single number.
- Consistency: a release schedule and regular content, not one viral moment followed by silence.
- A team or the start of one: a manager, a producer you work with, someone who handles the business. It tells the label there is something to plug into.
- Your basics in order: signed split sheets, songs registered, and no unclear rights on samples or beats. Problems here can stop a deal.
Which label to aim for
| Type | What it usually means for you |
|---|---|
| Major label (labels of Universal, Sony or Warner) | The biggest budgets and reach, and the most competition. Demos only through a referral |
| Independent label | Smaller rosters, often one genre or scene. Many accept demos through a form or an email on their site |
| Distribution or label-services deal | The company distributes and may market your music, and you usually keep more control. Not every company that calls itself a label works like a traditional one |
Aim for labels that already release artists like you. Look at the credits of artists in your genre at your level or slightly above, and note who released them. If you want to understand the other side, read how to start a record label.
Do labels accept demos?
Major labels, no, unless someone recommends you. On their FAQ pages:
- Universal Music Group says demos should go to its labels, that they are unable to accept unsolicited material, and that demos are usually recommended to A&R by a manager, agent, producer, radio DJ or other industry professional.
- Warner Music Group says its labels (it names Atlantic, Elektra, Warner Records and Parlophone) do not accept unsolicited materials, so a demo must be recommended by an established industry professional, such as a manager, agent, lawyer, journalist or one of its artists.
Independent labels are different: many publish a demo policy, a form or an address. Read it and follow it exactly. A label that asks for a private streaming link will not open a file attached to an email.
How to reach A&R
The people the major labels name are the ones to work with: a manager, an agent, a lawyer, a producer, a DJ, a journalist, other artists. In practice:
- Build the team first. A manager is the most common bridge to a label — see how to get a music manager.
- Work with producers and writers who already work with labels. They hear what A&R is looking for and can play your songs to the right person.
- Get on the radar of DJs, curators and press. Coverage and plays are how many artists are noticed; a press release and an EPK make that easier.
- Play live where the industry goes: showcases, conferences, festivals with industry days. See how to get gigs.
- Keep releasing. A&R watches streaming and social data. Steady releases and short clips from your songs and shows keep that data moving.
How to send a demo to a record label
When a label does take submissions, or someone gives you an A&R’s address:
- Pick two or three songs, your strongest, finished or close to it. Put the best one first.
- Send a private streaming link, not attachments. A link that works on a phone, with the song titles in it, is easier to play between meetings.
- Write a short email: who you are, one line on why you fit this label, the songs, three facts that show momentum (releases, shows, press, audience growth) and a link to your EPK.
- Use the label’s channel: their form, the address they publish, or the person who referred you. One send per label.
- Follow up once, politely, after a couple of weeks. If there is no answer, keep releasing and try again with new music.
Only send songs whose rights are clear: if a song uses a sample or a leased beat, read how to clear a sample and how beat licenses work first.
An example: “Hi Ana, I’m Lucía, a singer-songwriter making indie pop. I’ve followed your label since [artist]’s last album and I think these two songs fit what you release. Private link: [link]. Press kit: [link]. Thanks for listening.”
Turn downloads off on the link and, if you can, give it an expiry date, so unreleased songs don’t end up circulating. TONTRIA Studio (ours) makes private links with a password, an expiry date and downloads off, and shows who listened to each link, so you know whether the label played your demo before you follow up. You can ask for early access at studio.tontria.com.
Scams to avoid
UMG warns on its FAQ page that its employees will never ask for anything of value in exchange for submitting music or securing a contract. Treat any “label” or “A&R” that asks you to pay to be heard, to be signed or to “guarantee” streams as a red flag. Check that the person really works where they say, through the label’s official site, before sharing unreleased music or personal details.
Before you sign a record deal
An offer is the start of a negotiation. Read, at least:
- Who owns the masters, and whether they ever come back to you.
- Your royalty and what it is calculated on, and the advance and how it is recouped from your royalties.
- The term: how many albums or years, and who decides to extend it.
- Other income: whether the label takes a share of shows, merch or publishing. That is a 360 deal.
- Creative control and the exit: who approves releases, and what happens if the label stops releasing your music.
The record deal and the other agreements around it are explained in music contracts. Have a music lawyer read the contract before you sign — when you need one. TONTRIA Law explains each clause of a record deal in plain words and points out what to ask about. It is an AI legal assistant, not a lawyer.
If no label signs you yet
Many artists release on their own first, and that is also how labels find them. You can distribute your music yourself, keep your masters and build the audience a label will want to see. Plan each release with the release planning checklist, and turn every song into weekly clips with TONTRIA Clips.