At BFM, we are selective about the content that we represent. We have no automatic signup. You can't just pay $35 and get your album sent out to the world. Our policy reflects an intentional commitment to represent quality content. In essence we fulfill the traditional role of an A&R department. However, we have no exact criteria to determine just what albums, labels and artists that we chose to represent. It is an arbitrary and, usually, an instinctive decision.
One of the most important criteria, especially when it comes to "artists on the verge" (credit for this phrase goes to New Music Seminar), is how much does the artist do for themselves. Any conversation with an AOV usually includes the promise: "BFM will work as hard as you do."
Unfortunately, not very many artists work that hard. They may want success and stardom. But they don't treat their careers with the same amount of effort that they do their album cover designs (another credit goes out to Derek Silvers for this turn of the phrase).
BFM's job is not merely to get your music to the digital music services. We're here to help tell your story, whatever that story is. But if we don't know what that story is, we can't be of much help.
It doesn't take much to help an album rise above the over-polluted, crowded digital highway. A spin by a local DJ, a cool gig, a placement in a TV show, a positive review, etc. But your distributor needs to hear about these things.
Plain and simple advice: send out a newsletter/PR at least once a month with some update on your band, album, label, etc. This doesn't have to be a paid press release. Just assemble a working email list and definitely include your distributor on it. Keep it simple and try to find something interesting each month to write about. If you have trouble doing so, then you may want to take a look at what you are doing with your band and step up your activity (e.g., more gigs, more videos, more recordings, etc.).
This may seem like a lot to ask. But with 500 labels in our catalog, I can easily use all of my fingers and toes (with some left over) to count the regular announcements that we receive from them. If your distributor doesn't know what's going on with your band, how will the services?
