Attention Rappers: How Not to Get Your Music Posted Online

First and foremost, I want to make one thing clear, since I feel like a bit of a d-bag for posting this. There is absolutely no hate happening here. I'm posting this not to mock anyone or in any way discourage anyone from chasing their musical dreams. Instead, I'm posting this in a sincere effort to: Altruistically help some of the up-and-coming artists out there increase their chances of getting their music posted and two, not so altruistically make my inbox look better. With that in mind....

A couple days ago I received the following email, and since it makes some very common mistakes, I thought I'd post it, along with some suggestions. Since I don't want to personally put anyone on blast, I've switched out any identifying text with "XXXXXX"s.

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From: XXXXX
Date: Fri, Nov 12, 2010 at 10:13 PM
Subject: BRAND NEW SONG, UNRELEASED
To: XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hey Whats goin on with you?? I hope all is well. I am sending you this email because I AM RELEASING A BRAND NEW SONG TOMORROW ( 11/13/10 ) AND WANT IT FEATURED ON YOUR BUZZING WEBSITE....Its called "XXXXXXXXXXXX." Its featuring XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX to give it that differant flavor! Track link + description is below...flyer is attached. Once you've posted it please email, FB or tweet me with the link SO I CAN PROMOTE YOUR SITE AND GENERATE TRAFFIC TO IT.

Thanks & God Bless

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
http://www.zshare.net/audio/XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

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Now this email does a lot of things right. It's humble and makes sure to emphasize that any posting will have reciprocal benefit for the site (which is huge), but here's a few things they could have done to improve their chances.

Subject Line: "BRAND NEW SONG, UNRELEASED" is a really generic subject line. When I've got 100 emails in my inbox (a.k.a. all the time) there's no way this email is going to stand out, especially when I have no idea who it's from. My advice? Simpler is better. Something like "New Music: Artist Name 'Song Title'"

BCC: If you're sending out a mass email like this, send it to yourself and BCC everyone else. A lot of folks, myself included, don't appreciate having their email put out there for everyone else who received the email to see. I know plenty of bloggers who delete non-BCCed emails on principle.

Text: I have no idea who this artist is. First off, introduce yourself, and be sure to include some links to find out more about you (site/Facebook/Twitter etc.). Second, give me a little info on the song. What's the title? Who was it produced by? Is it attached to a larger project? Third, sign off, say you'd great appreciate any posting, etc. (which this email did relatively well).

Spelling: Seems like a small thing, but make sure you're spelling and grammar are correct. It's a sign that you're a professional and you take your career seriously enough to check every small detail.

Link: God I hate share sites. If you want me to listen to your music, don't make me sit through a minute long wait and seven pop-up ads. Ideally, attach the song directly to the email. If you can't do that, hit me with a BandCamp or SoundCloud link. Failing that, at least a share site that will be minimally annoying. On the real, the further you get from directly attaching the track decreases the chances of me listening.

Personalize: Last but not least, personalize the email. If you haven't taken the time to send an individual email, with either my name or the site's name, why should I take the time to check you out?

There, hope that helps folks. And for more guidance, check out my previously featured "The Definitive Guide to Getting Your Music Posted Online".