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question:  How do I get into Jingles and Singing?

answer:

To get work as a singer and/or jingle singer, a demo is needed.

The first decision is to choose what demo is right for you. This decision is an important one, as it will determine the type of work you receive. The two most common types of singing demos are:

* Jingle Demo: this demo allows you to obtain jingle work (singing commercials), by showing a variety of jingles (bluesy, jazzy, up-tempo, down-tempo, etc.)

* Vocal Demo: this demo allows you to obtain any type of singing work (radio music, live-concert, jingles, singing telegrams, etc.), by showing a variety of singing styles (rock, pop, opera, jingles, jazz, etc.)

Since jingles are only one part of the singing industry, many singers go with vocal demos. This allows them to obtain jingle work as well as other singing type work. But, if you ONLY want jingle work, then having a "jingle only" demo may be more compelling to a casting professional looking to hire a jingle singer.

Either demo should show as much variety as you have (remember - the more variety you show, the more work you can obtain). But make sure to only demonstrate vocal styles that you sing well... as one bad spot on your demo can really "turn off" a casting professional.

The demo should be no longer than 1.5 minutes long - and if possible, even shorter. Therefore if you demonstrate 6 different vocal styles, each excerpt should be roughly 10 seconds long (remember, a producer can tell a lot about someone's voice in a few seconds, so they don't need to hear more than that).

Making the demo can be quite simple. You can either sing:

1. a cappella: Inexpensive to produce, yet doesn't show your interaction with music. Only make this type demo if your singing is very good, as there is no music to "cover up" flaws.

2. with a band: Expensive to make because the recording process is more timely (each musician needs to be recorded at a studio), yet shows interaction with music. Use a band that is very diverse, so that each song sounds entirely different, which allows you to show different styles.

3. with library music: Library music is the music created for the background of radio/TV commercials, films, videos, on-hold telephone messages, etc. We have an extensive selection, and can usually find music to use with lyrics.

4. with sing-a-long music (karaoke): Inexpensive to produce, and shows interaction with music. Its easy to purchase various types of karaoke music, as everything from rock, to gospel, to jazz, to show-music is available. Finding sing-a-long music is easy. A sing-a-long CD generally costs about $10-$20. Only use high quality karaoke companies, such as Music Minus One's Pocket Songs (800-669-7464). Find many similar companies by searching on the Internet.

5. with custom music: we work closely with musicians who can digitally create music tracks for a vocal demo.

Whichever type of demo you choose, you'll need a vocal studio to record your voice. Make sure that the producer's ears are very keen, experienced with singing, and if including jingles on the demo, experienced with the voice over/jingle industry. The studio must also be highly experienced in producing demos - as this talent is very different than producing a standard CD (which you would hear on the radio and buy in a store).

Your last step is to market your demo. We suggest our marketing seminars to learn all the details on this step.

If you also do voice-overs, it is recommended to include your voice-over demo along with your vocal demo when marketing. This way your clients know that you're capable of both.

We'd be glad to help produce your demo, or evaluate your potential.

Good luck!

Please do not hesitate to contact us to discuss voice over training programs - weekdays 9-5 ET:
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