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Submitting Promotional Material to Exclaim!
If you’d like to submit a CD, record, DVD, book, comic, any kind of promotional item or simply just shower us with gifts for no reason at all, please send them to our address above. However, please read the following guidelines for our preferred submission process.
Exclaim! receives a copious amount of mail each day filled with CDs, records, DVDs, books, and many other curious items designed to catch our eyes. We do our best to give attention to everything that comes through our door, but like any publication, we have a limited amount of space and cannot accommodate everyone. We rely on our steadfast team of writers to decide what is worthy of spilling ink, so unfortunately, there will be a disappointed few out there who will not get the review or cover story they’re hoping for.
We do want you to wow us though, so here are some tips to help you get your hard work noticed:
1. Don’t go overboard with presentation. Save the trip to Staples and forget about the professional folders and report covers, colour photocopies, glossy press photos and CD-ROM/DVD press kits. We hate to think of people spending their hard-earned money on something we’ll just toss in the recycling bin, so please don’t bother. Really, all we need is a bio telling us about the band, a brief press release stating whatever other information you feel is important (i.e. rave reviews from other publications, proud moments of stage glory opening for renowned acts), and as uncool as it sounds, a “recommended if you like” list of artists you feel are in the same creative ballpark. If you think you have a voice like Neko Case, chug riffs like Mastodon, or spit rhymes as jaw-dropping as MF Doom then tell us. It makes our job of assigning records to the most suitable scribe that much easier.
And of course, don’t forget the music itself — preferably in a finished product (disc, sleeve, jewel case, a couple c-notes, etc.) so our writers can take pride in owning your recording. Just kidding.
2. Feel free to email us and ask if we have received your submission. But don’t harass us. One nice email (not two, three, four or more) to one of our editors or to our general email address (exclaim@exclaim.ca) is all it takes. Sometimes we’re a little slow to reply, but don’t fret — correspondence will come eventually. Please do not call to make your inquiry. We hate that.
3. High tech, copy-protected CDs are not worthwhile investments. Make it easy for us to hear your music. As far as we know, Exclaim! contributors are law-abiding citizens and do not run home and upload advanced CDs onto their computers to share through Soulseek. So, when it comes to watermarked/copy-protected CDs that don’t play in computers and even most stereos, there’s a good chance the music may not even get heard. Going out of our way to play your songs will not encourage us to write a glowing review. Even the cheapest burned CD-R that will play in any computer or stereo will satisfy us if that’s all you have. Is that too much to ask? (The latest thing is high security, password-protected downloads, which we like even less, but if you’re submitting music through that format something tells us you aren’t even reading this…)
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