Mark Henderson answered
You can send your music to record labels by post, but be aware that most record companies, especially major record labels will not accept unsolicited material. (Unsolicited means either material that the label has not invited you to send and/or material submitted by representatives the company has not had any business association with.)
The purpose of this policy is that it protects the label and its artists from any copyright infringement and prevents material being sent that hasn't already been properly registered with the copyright office.
How to get your demos solicited depends on the policy of each company, but getting to know a representative at the label and asking their permission to submit your demo may be enough for your promo material to be considered solicited.
If you want to gain the attention of a record label I would advise you to turn to the internet. Posting free downloads, streams or videos of your material on sites such as MySpace, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, YouTube or Facebook means you can reach a much wider audience. Emailing a label with a link to one of these sites is now favored over handling demo CDs.
Once the initial growth of the band has been tackled, gigging frequently in support of your free music should help you build a following.
If you do get to this stage then employing a manager would be advisory. A band manager will be able to get you more gigs and may have some contacts at a label. Should you find yourself playing gigs frequently and building a dedicated fan base, then it shouldn't be long until labels start approaching you.
The purpose of this policy is that it protects the label and its artists from any copyright infringement and prevents material being sent that hasn't already been properly registered with the copyright office.
How to get your demos solicited depends on the policy of each company, but getting to know a representative at the label and asking their permission to submit your demo may be enough for your promo material to be considered solicited.
If you want to gain the attention of a record label I would advise you to turn to the internet. Posting free downloads, streams or videos of your material on sites such as MySpace, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, YouTube or Facebook means you can reach a much wider audience. Emailing a label with a link to one of these sites is now favored over handling demo CDs.
Once the initial growth of the band has been tackled, gigging frequently in support of your free music should help you build a following.
If you do get to this stage then employing a manager would be advisory. A band manager will be able to get you more gigs and may have some contacts at a label. Should you find yourself playing gigs frequently and building a dedicated fan base, then it shouldn't be long until labels start approaching you.
