Demo Portal Guide: How to Send Music Through Label Portals
What is a demo portal and how do you use one? Find a label's demo portal, fill it in properly and avoid the mistakes that get demos skipped.
A demo portal is the page a record label uses to collect unreleased music from artists. Instead of an email address, you get a short form: a link to your track, a few details and a note. If you want to send music to a label that uses one, the demo portal is usually the only route it will read. This guide explains how artists find and use a label's demo portal, what to prepare, and what happens after you press submit. At the end, there is also a short section for labels thinking about setting up their own.
Use the label's own demo portal the way it asked, once, with a finished track and a note that could only apply to that imprint.
What is a demo portal?
In simple terms, a demo portal is a structured inbox. The label decides which details it needs, and every artist fills in the same fields. As a result, A&R can listen, sort and reply from one place rather than digging through emails.
Some labels build a demo portal on their own website. Others use a portal page hosted by a submission platform. For example, many labels have a page on LabelRadar, such as Beatport's demo submission portal. Either way, the label is telling you exactly how it wants to receive music.
How to find a label's demo portal
Start on the label's own website. Look for links named demos, submissions, send music or contact. Also check the bio links on its Instagram and SoundCloud profiles, because labels often point there when a demo portal opens.
If the label uses a platform, search for the label name together with the words demo portal. Then confirm it is the official page by checking that the label's own site or social profile links to it. Finally, read the page carefully. A closed demo portal, or one limited to certain genres, is not an invitation to send anything else.
If you are still building your list, our guide on finding labels accepting demos covers the research step.
How to find labels accepting demosWhat to prepare before you use a demo portal
Most portals ask for similar information. So prepare it once and keep it ready.
Keep the note specific. For instance, mention a recent release on the label that sits close to your track. Generic praise tells A&R nothing, while one precise reference shows you actually listen.
- Your finished track, mixed and ideally mastered.
- A private streaming link, unless the portal asks for a file upload.
- Track details: title, genre, BPM and key.
- Release status: unreleased, already public or signed elsewhere.
- Collaborators and samples, including sample clearance status.
- A short note of two to four sentences about why the track suits this label.
How to submit through a demo portal, step by step
Only send one track unless the demo portal invites more. Also avoid resubmitting the same track with a new title. Labels notice, and it rarely helps.
- Check that the demo portal is open and accepts your genre.
- Read any rules on exclusivity, file types and track count.
- Paste your private link and test that it plays without a login.
- Fill in every field accurately, including BPM and key.
- Add your short note and submit once.
- Record the date, label and link in your own list.
After you submit your track
Many portals send an automatic confirmation, and some show whether a label has listened. However, most labels only reply when they want to hear more. Therefore, silence usually means the track did not fit this time.
If the demo portal states a response window, wait for it to pass before following up. Respect any exclusivity request too. For the wider process, including what to write, read how to submit music to labels.
How to submit music to labelsCommon demo portal mistakes
A few habits make a demo portal submission easy to skip, even with a good track. Each of these tells a label that the send was rushed rather than aimed.
- Sending a track outside the genres the demo portal lists.
- Using a link that expires, needs a password or forces a download.
- Leaving fields empty or copying the same note to every label.
- Submitting unfinished mixes with a promise to fix them later.
- Sending several tracks when the label asked for one.
For labels: setting up your own demo portal
If you run a label, a demo portal can save your team hours each week. Keep the form short, ask for private links rather than uploads, and publish a clear policy next to it. Then send an auto-reply that repeats your response window.
Remember that a demo portal stores personal data, such as names and emails. So keep only what you need and follow the data protection rules where you operate. In the UK, for instance, the ICO publishes guidance for small organisations. To track promising artists afterwards, see our guide to using a music CRM.
ICO guidance for small organisations (UK) Music CRM for labelsDemo portal vs discovery
A demo portal waits for music to arrive, so artists have to find each label and fill in each form. Discovery works the other way round. IDFlow is building this for electronic music, and it is currently in development. It is not a demo portal. Instead, artists upload an unreleased track once, and labels explore music through a personalised flow, shortlist tracks and contact artists directly.
Read the IDFlow artist journey See how IDFlow worksFrequently asked questions
Is a demo portal better than email?
Neither is better in general. Use whatever the label asks for. If it runs a demo portal, emails usually go unread.
Can I send the same track to several demo portals?
Yes, unless a label asks for exclusivity while it listens. Keep a list, so you never send the same track to one label twice.
Do labels listen to every submission?
Most try, but volume is high. A precise match with the label's sound gives your track the best chance of a full listen.
Is IDFlow a demo portal?
No. IDFlow is a discovery platform in development, where labels find unreleased music through a personalised flow.