Frequently Asked Questions

About SBM

What does SBM do?
What type of music do you deal with?
Can I send demos / my showreel to you? Where should I send it?
Do you manage bands or artists?
How can I get something to a specific producer?
I'm looking for management. Are you taking any new clients on at the moment?
Are you taking on any new staff at the moment?
Can I do work experience at SBM?

Industry Enquires

I have a project with a budget – what’s the next step?
Can you give me an idea of the budget for working with a specific producer?
How much will it cost to get a track produced / mixed?
Can I have a meeting to discuss the project I have?
I'm a songwriter / lyricist – can I work with any of your clients?
I'm a session musician / vocalist – how can I get to work with your clients or on your projects?

Project Queries

Do you work with unsigned artists?
How much will it cost to get my track recorded and produced?
We need to record some tracks but don't have a budget at the moment. Would any of your clients work on a project just for points?
Do your clients work outside the London area?
Do you do production deals?

General Queries

How can I get a record deal?
What does a producer do?
What is the difference between an engineer and a producer?
How much do producers cost?
How do I get a producer to work on my songs?
I've just started as a producer / programmer. How do I break into the music industry?
I'm studying the music industry at college. Can you help me with my project?
How can I interview a producer?
Can I have meeting with Steve?
Can I sing down the phone/come in and sing?
How long will it take you to respond to my demo?

About SBM

What does SBM do?: We represent some of the most successful and influential producers, songwriters, mixers, engineers and programmers from both Europe and the USA. We manage every aspect of our clients’ careers including promoting them within the music industry, helping them find work, co-ordinating the projects they work on and looking after their finances.
What type of music do you deal with?: We deal with all genres of music including pop, R&B, urban music, acoustic-based music, rock and dance.
Can I send demos / my showreel to you? Where should I send it?: We are always keen to receive demos from acts looking for production or mixing. Please enclose details of your project and what you are looking for from us.
We are also interested to receive showreels from established producers, writers or programmers who have a good set of credits. Please enclose a biog / discography. You can send CDs to our office address for the attention of Mike Nelson. We will listen to all demos we receive, although it may be up to a week or two from when we receive them.
Do you manage bands or artists?: In general, we don’t manage bands or artists so unfortunately we won’t be able to help you if you’re looking for artist management. However, our sister company SuperVision, who are based in the same building, do represent artists.
How can I get something to a specific producer?: Please send it to our office address and it will be passed on to the relevant producer, although we can’t guarantee a response from our clients. Let us know in your covering letter who you want it to go to.
I'm looking for management. Are you taking any new clients on at the moment?: Our roster is full at present but please send us your showreel as we are always looking out for exceptional new talent.
Are you taking on any new staff at the moment?: Not at the moment, but feel free to send a CV in and we can keep it on file in case a vacancy does arise. We are, however, always looking for keen, talented people for work experience at our office. Click here for more details.
Can I do work experience at SBM?: Yes! We regularly take on work experience people. If you are keen to gain more experience in the music industry and have the initiative and ability we’re looking for then please get in touch. We need a minimum commitment of 4 weeks as we will get you involved with projects whilst you are here as well as the normal tasks of making tea for the MD and answering phones. Click here for more details.

Industry Enquires

I have a project with a budget – what’s the next step?: The first thing is to send in some material for us to hear. The music is the most important thing and it is obviously crucial to find a producer who is into the music and who the artist and management / label feel is appropriate for the project. Once we have some music, one of our project managers will listen to the tracks and come back to you with some ideas. From there we can send you more details of specific producers, including showreels if appropriate, and then set up meetings with the producer(s).
Can you give me an idea of the budget for working with a specific producer?: The budget for a project very much depends on the details of the project and how much work is needed. The best thing is to send us some music and then call us to discuss the project. If you have a particular producer in mind who you want to work with we’ll be able to give you an idea of the budget, although we’ll be able to give you a better idea once we know all the project details and have spoken to the producer.
How much will it cost to get a track produced / mixed?: Production costs can range from anything from £3k or £4k per track to £40k per track depending on the producer involved and the nature of the project; mixing costs are usually lower. For development projects on a tighter budget we can sometimes work out a cheaper deal than this, especially if the producer is really into the music.
Can I have a meeting to discuss the project I have?: It is normally best to call us to discuss the project first and send in some of your artist’s material. Once on of our project managers has listened to it and come back to you with some ideas then a meeting could be set up to discuss it further.
I'm a songwriter / lyricist – can I work with any of your clients?: Please send in your material to our office. If one of our project managers feels it is appropriate for one of our clients we’ll get in touch.
I'm a session musician / vocalist – how can I get to work with your clients or on your projects?: Please send in your material to the office. We will put your work on file and if a suitable opportunity arises we will get in touch.

Development Project Queries

Do you ever work with unsigned artists?: Yes. Our producers work mainly with major, signed artists, but we are always keen to support high quality up-and-coming talent.
How much will it cost to get my track recorded and produced?: For development projects, we can sometimes work out a cheaper deal than normal. An all-in budget of £2k per track is normally the absolute bare minimum.
We need to record some tracks but don't have a budget at the moment. Would any of your clients work on a project just for points?: This is not normally something our producers would be able to do. They would need studio costs covering for the project at the very least.
Do your clients work outside the London area?: Our clients can work anywhere. The majority are based in London but they are very willing to adapt to a project‘s needs.
Do you do production deals?: No, not normally.

General Queries

How can I get a record deal?

There is no right or wrong way to get a record deal. Playing live is important and it is also a good idea to make a decent demo. Finding a good manager is a key first step.

What does a producer do?

A producer’s role is to achieve the best musical performance possible from the artist and capture this on a record. A producer will use their specific skills, insight, creative ideas, technical and musical knowledge and network of session musicians to transform and shape a basic sketch of a song into a well-developed, professional sounding recording.

What is the difference between an engineer and a producer?

A producer oversees the whole creative and technical process and uses their skill to transform a rough sketch of a song into a well arranged, professional recording, whereas an engineer has a more purely technical role and will physically set up the equipment and do the "knob-twiddling". The producer’s role is therefore much more creative. Some producers will do the engineer’s job in the studio as well.

How much do producers cost?

A producer’s fee is dependent upon the level that the producer is at and the particular project that they are working on. Production costs for a project can range from about £3k to £40k per track, a part of which will be the Producer’s fee and part of which will be studio / musician / equipment costs.

How do I get a producer to work on my songs?

For one of producers to produce or mix a track, you would always need to have a budget available. Our producers usually work with major, established artists and although they are keen to help up-and-coming artists, studio costs at least would need to be covered. The first stage is to submit some material to us, along with some details of the project. We’ll then be able to come back to you with some ideas depending on available budget.

I’ve just started as a producer / programmer. How do I break into the music industry?

One of the best things is to try to work with as many artists as possible, even if this means working for free on some projects. Once you have managed to build up a reasonable profile of work on a selection of good projects you may be able to find someone who will manage you in the early stages of your career. Alternatively, you may be able to approach record companies, artists or artist managers directly. On the whole, we only really manage producers and programmers who are quite well established and have a good selection of credits to their name.

I'm studying the music industry at college. Can you help me with my project?

Please have a read through all the sections of the website and check out the resources on the links page. Hopefully this should provide you with a lot of the information you need for your project / studies. The office here is extremely busy, so we probably won’t have a chance to give you any specific help, but we will try if we get a chance. If you would like any practical experience of the industry then you could apply for work experience in our office.

How can I interview a producer?

Please call the office to ask about this. The majority of our producers are happy to do interviews for TV programmes / radio / magazines, but sometimes it is not possible due to ongoing project commitments.

Can I have meeting with Steve?

Please call the office and explain a bit more about your situation. In some cases it may be more useful or appropriate to meet one of our project managers. If it’s relating to a project then we usually prefer people to send in the material before having a meeting. As Steve is very busy, sometimes meetings with him will not be possible.

Can I sing down the phone / come in and sing?

No, it is much better to send a demo in even if it is very rough. We can give you feedback from this initially.

How long will it take you to respond to my demo?

We do listen to all demos, but please allow 2 weeks before enquiring for feedback.