Collected Sounds

So you want a CD Review?

First of all, if you’ve reached this page on your own, congratulations!!! You’d be surprised how many people just hear about this website without finding the link for this info or even visiting the site at all!
Please read this…I spent a lot of time writing it so that we’re both on the same page. By asking for a review, you are asking hours worth of time from me, so please have a heart and spend 10 minutes or so reading this. We will both be rewarded! I’ll try and make it entertaining.

Also, I’m no longer going to even attempt to review everything I get. I just can’t. [See here]

Criteria:
The criteria is simple. The artist must write his/her own music (some covers are OK) and playing an instrument is a plus.
This site is primarily for indie (mostly female) musicians in the pop/rock/folk world yet people still insist on sending me gangsta rap. Seriously. What is up with that?

Sending your music:
I used to only accept CDs in physical form. There were a few reasons for this. One is that I keep them all literally ‘on my desk’ in a series of piles until they’re reviewed or rejected at which time they physically go into another pile and or shelf. This is how I know how many I have left to do (for example, right now I can’t see the surface of my desk, so yeah…busy). This is my organizational method. I can’t keep a digital copy on my desk.
Also it’s very easy for someone to send me a digital copy or provide a link to download. I felt if I allowed this than everyone and their off-key brother would be sending me music. See previous paragraph if you think I want that. What I really want is music from people who understand and enjoy this website or at least respect it, and my time, and really want to be included on it. (Back to the gansta rap, really?)
So with that in mind…I am now accepting digital copies. I have a new organizational method.

To submit a digital copy of your album:
Please do not just send me your full CD via email. My servers cannot handle it. I will delete it without even listening. You can send me a link and I will go there download it. However, please include in your email, all the info that would normally be on a physical CD: Album cover shot and liner notes (track list, composers, and performers on the tracks, if it’s more than just you. These you can attach). I bio about you can’t hurt either. If I think your stuff looks like a good fit I’ll download it.
If you are going to send a physical copy:
Your record has a much better chance of getting reviewed if it has full liner notes as opposed to a disc you made at home and put in a paper envelope (yes, people do this!). I need to know the names of the musicians on the album and what they played and on what songs. I need to know the song titles (not just on the CD, I can’t read them if it’s in the machine) and I need to know who wrote the songs, the year it came out, etc. Please don’t make me hunt down the info on the internet.
I understand jewel cases are more expensive to send so feel free to send them without, but just make sure it’s wrapped properly so it doesn’t break. [Here] is an interesting article I found on CD Baby about How to important the CD presentation is when sending them for review. The bottom line is professionalism. If you’re not serious about your music why should I be?

Reviewing Your Music
I listen to AND KEEP every album I receive, even if I don’t care for it. So far I’ve received thousands of CDs and there are some I won’t listen to again. But I won’t get rid of them. Call me a pack rat. You should see the office! I have gifted some to others that I know would appreciate them much more than I do; but I never sell them. I also don’t keep the ones that are reviewed by my other reviewers. I let the reviewer keep the music as a trade since I can’t pay them.

I can’t review them all. I figured out that in order to do a proper educated review, I must listen to the record many times, play it loud in the car, really think about it. Then there’s the actual writing of the review. Sometimes that takes a long time. Sometimes I’m inspired, sometimes not. Once the review is written I have to create an entry for it. So in total, I spend around 8 hours on one review. It’s 8 hours I enjoy, don’t get me wrong! But it’s still a good deal of time.

Unfortunately, I no longer have the time to “pre-screen” artists and promise reviews. Please do not send me an email asking me to check out your Sonic Bids Press Kit, My Space or website and then tell you if I want to review it. There aren’t enough hours in the day to listen to everyone, decide, and then promise a review. I can never promise a review. Even if I like your stuff it’s always possible that the day your CD arrives, so do 30 others (it has happened) and I just cannot promise a review to everyone, and therefore not anyone. But I do what I can.

Please don’t be offended if someone other than me reviews your record. It can mean either: it wasn’t my favorite genre (this will happen with Country, Christian, Opera and Blues…I’m just not a good judge of these genres because I don’t care for them); or someone else sent me the review before I wrote mine, or I simply didn’t have time. Keep in mind, this site is a hobby for me, and I also have a 40 hour a week “real” job! :)

If I really don’t care for the music or it does not meet the criteria I may not write it up, mainly because I don’t have the heart to write something terribly unkind. But if I don’t review your CD it doesn’t mean I don’t like it. Some music is just harder to review than others. On the flip side, if I review your record and I didn’t like it don’t go yelling at me. By sending me your album you are asking for my opinion. If you don’t want my opinion, don’t ask for it.

I do not charge to do Reviews. However, if I review your album and you’re happy with the review, and you believe my words will help you in some way (via either CD sales or you want to use my quotes in your press kit) a donation would be very much appreciated.

Also it would be great if you would link back to the site, either to the main page or your review.

If you decide to send your music, that’s great! I’d love to hear it and if it moves me, I’ll do what I can to promote it.

Amy Lotsberg
Collected Sounds
2751 Hennepin Ave S #630
Minneapolis, MN 55408

*Please include artist information
**Hi Stalkers! This is not my home address, it’s a UPS Store. Please don’t bother the nice people there.

Please be sure to write on it “Do Not Bend”. You’d be surprised at how they will mangle an envelope to make it fit in a small box! I have actually received a CD in 2 pieces!
If you don’t believe me [click here]

Spotlights
Right now Spotlights are on HOLD. Since I am moving the whole site over here to the blog, I am unsure how I am going to continue with them. When taking a look at the other Spotlights I have done, I would say about half of the artists that asked me to spotlight them are no longer in the business.

I was charging for Spotlights because they took so much time, but now I don’t know anymore. If you really want a feature page contact me (amy at collectedsounds dot com) and we can discuss.

Thanks so much for your interest!