Is there much point making a demo and sending it to labels anymore...

Is there much point making a demo and sending it to labels anymore? or is it more worthwhile just to make the entire album yourself?

Well, do you want to be famous or have artistic credibility?

Both would be nice

Make enough good work on your own until someone notices you and rereleases your stuff / wants to make more music with you

If you make an entire album by yourself and not promote it you'll just have this huge amount of songs that nobody knows out there defenseless against samplers and thiefs

The problem isn't finding a label that will release you (if you're reasonably proficient), the problem is finding a label that doesn't suck in the first place, that has actual credibility and a future and gets sufficient attention. That's the part that made me give up.

Most established, reputable labels that you can think of have a pretty specific idea in mind for what they want to release, or they don't accept demos.

You can only have one

good music doesn't promote itself though

You can do both.
Hell, you can just rerecord a self released album with the label.
You'd really just be cutting yourself off from certain avenues by not doing both.

Is it worth sending labels music that's polished and basically finished then? I'm sitting on some work I'm pretty proud of that I have no idea how to release

it should be polished and basically finished; it's not like you're going to be given an advance to take your material to a studio

if you can't deliver a finished product by yourself, I dunno why anyone would be interested

probably you should just put it on bandcamp and spam it around reddit or whatever

How many gigs have you played?

I've played 3 since about a year ago, but they were pretty spaced out and small audiences

Sounds like you're not ready to get signed then

playing gigs depends a lot on your style of music and where you live, it's not like it's by definition a requirement for success

Why would a label sign you if you can't draw a crowd?

They won't.

I mean it's pretty niche hardware electronic music, but I know there's an audience for it. Finding it and promoting myself isn't my specialty

Labels don't make any money from you touring, so why would they care? There's artists as we speak on labels right now who don't even tour

depends on the label and the style of music

Not really.
Not how it works
>hardware electronic music
kek

>tfw your side project would have a higher chance of being accepted than your main because it has a stronger "image"

balancing desire for fame and artistic integrity is a bitch

yes, but even indie labels won't sign you unless you can tour a bunch and have a social media following

>please disregard my opinion from now on, for I am unwilling or unable to make an actual point
okay

Laptops aren't my style bud, maybe it's not for you. I have a day job so I don't really care about making money with it, I just want someone to help me with finding an audience

>unwilling or unable to make an actual point
I literally just did. Didn't you read the thread?

being preoccupied with those things is kind of retarded and antithetical to actual artistic development

virtually no one is making a living doing this shit anyway, and many of the people who do aren't having any fun doing it

do shit on youtube or something