What's Paisley Pop's submission process?

It's much easier if I can hear a finished album. However, I need a minimum of 4 songs sent on a CD-R to
Attn: A&R
Paisley Pop label
PO Box 8963
Portland, OR 97207

Please include a cover letter, biography, songwriting credit info,email contact, mailing address, and a photo (doesn't need to be glossy 8x10, but just something so I can see who the artist is).

Sometimes I will go to a website and check out MP3's if someone sends me a link, but just as often, I won't. Sorry, I'm overloaded with the web most days. And if I do go, maybe I'll listen to one song, and then say "cool" or "stool", as opposed to a CD-R where I will listen at least a bit to every track. It's in your best interest to just send a CD-R. But I can understand why it's easier for you not to waste the money and time if it might not get attention. I would suggest that if you have MP3s that you're posting, you also have 30-60 second samples available.

I get a lot of stuff sent to me, and generally I probably won't get back to you unless I really really liked what you sent. I just have too much going on trying to promote all these releases I do have to write back to everyone. I'm sorry if I don't write back. Feel free to email me, and check in and ask "Did you get my demo?".

The label seems to be on hopeful musicians radar now, so I seem to get a fair amount of stuff sent to me. It depends on my week, but I try to listen to things right away. Some things I don't and might end up sitting on a shelf or in a drawer for quite a while.

Some artists that I've ended up putting out after getting a CD in the mail, it took me anywhere from 3 to 6 to 8 months before I said, "This is genius! This needs to be on Paisley Pop!" Some of it depends on phases of the moon, position of the planets, what I had to eat that day, if I'm feeling crabby, if I actually listened to more than 30 seconds of a song, if I liked the singer's voice, if I thought the song titles were interesting, if my wife is annoyed with me that week, etc. etc.

Basically, that's the music biz... anyone who is some kind of decision maker in investing money and time on you, probably is barraged by a bunch of other people with the same hopes. There's most likely bands and aspiring songwriters in every town in the U.S. and Canada, and more and more are making up CDs themselves. It's cheaper than ever to make a decent recording with the advent of affordable home studio gear.

Obviously I've signed and put out other artists, so why not you?

Money! I have a very limited amount of it. Believe it or not, running a small label and advertising these releases in magazines is not exactly a profitable venture. Established artists with a built-in fanbase even are selling less CDs than they use to. While I may love an album and think the music is genius, it doesn't mean that I think it will sell more than 50 copies to a small-niche of music-lovers who trust my taste. If you think you're an artistic genius, then you might be better spending your time going after a bigger label with some promotional dough. YEP ROC is my current hero, and if I could get me and all my artists signed to them, I would. I also think Bloodshot Records is great, however, their roster is mostly Americana/ alt-country, so they're not right for the rockers & popsters. Same thing with Lost Highway

So, if all that doesn't turn you away, feel free to send your music. Sometimes even if I don't think I can put out a full-album from an artist, I am all for turning on people to good music, so might want to include a track of yours for a future compilation like "The Sensitive Guys' Guide to Groovy Music" or my "Mess of Favorites" series.

Thanks for thinking of Paisley Pop as a home for your artistic vision.