Artist: Clare Reynolds
Clare Reynolds isn't the kind to just follow a dream – she's the kind to chase it down. The classically trained singer/songwriter wrote and recorded her first album last year, then immediately sold everything she owned in order to hop a plane from Australia to the US. Her travels took her from West Coast to East, gaining connections and insight into the music industry along the way. Now she's co-writing with top LA songwriters, working with an agent on film and TV sync, and using Sonicbids to gain exposure.
During her travels in the US, Clare got a tip that opportunities were on the rise in London. A few industry pros suggested she try promoting her music there, so when her daily email from Sonicbids mentioned the UK Songwriting Contest, she jumped at the chance to submit. As promised in the listing, the promoters made their decision and reconnected with Clare to give her feedback.
"It had been a busy time with shows and recording so I had nearly forgotten I had submitted but then the news came through that I had received a 9/10 from the international judges and was one of three runners-up in the pop category. I was also the only Australian in the top winning songs and I beat over 6500 entries."
For her efforts, Clare was rewarded with plenty of publicity in the form of radio interviews, on-air performances, and other press. She was able to connect with industry professionals in the UK, allowing her to make plans to head over for six months to perform shows, write, and record her next album.
She continues to stay connected to the world through the Sonicbids daily emails. "It helps you stay connected to the outside world and keeps you motivated," she says. "Sonicbids have contributed to building my networks, helping me find opportunities and bringing together a global independent music community."
Clare Reynolds Profile
Promoter: Roadtrip Productions
With a PBS series, a strong presence online, and college campus tours, the people at Roadtrip Nation are ready and willing to give bands a huge amount of exposure. For 90% of their music, they come to Sonicbids. We sat down with music supervisor Chrystal Heintz to get the inside scoop on how she picks bands.
Chrystal regularly sorts through about 4,000 submissions, looking for music from a diversity of genres. She laid out for us the main characteristics of a successful submission, starting with the fact that it should be easy for her to hear the songs, which makes EPKs the way to go.
"The first thing I click on is the music. After it’s playing I usually like to check out their bio and if they left a note why they submitted," she says. "I always enjoy the ones that write a personal story about why they relate to Roadtrip Nation and why they became a musician."
She also points out that successful bands do their research. "If you know what our series is about, it’s easier to submit a song that would work with our content." In other words, she's skipping past any songs laced with profanity, no matter how good they are.
How will you know if your song makes it or not? Things can get busy at Roadtrip Nation, but Chrystal tries to keep artists in the loop and encourages them to email her at any time.
Above all else, Chrystal stressed the importance of authenticity. "Stay true to who you are," she says. "It’s easy to tell when someone isn’t passionate about what they are doing."
Roadtrip Productions Profile