Meet The Editors – Gemma Rose Downes From Music Of The Future

We caught up with the Founder of Music Of The Future, Gemma Rose Downes to talk all things music, advice for new artists, and how to secure promo if you don’t have a huge budget, plus the variety of ways you can get your own music featured! 

Hey Gemma! First of all, can you tell us a bit about Music of the Future and why you set it up?

Hey! Thanks for having me!
Music Of The Future (also known as MusicOTFuture) is an Indie music blog for artists and bands that are unable to afford high-cost promotion, so Music Of The Future offers a bunch of features including Interviews, Reviews, MusicOTFuture Global TV (Youtube Feature), MOTFtakeovers, MusicOTFuture Virtual Concerts, Video Of The Week, Sundays Shoutout Videos on our Facebook Page every hour of the day, MusicOTFuture Spotify and Soundcloud Playlists.

We also recently launched MusicOTFuture Gigs Around The Globe where we share the latest shows from around the world. We also have a page called MusicOTFuture ‘Useful Links’ where we share other people’s work who could potentially help the artist/bands with their services. Also, Music Of The Future covers all music genres so everyone has a shot at getting a feature!

Music Of The Future was set up in 2014 but there was a little build-up to this. I started helping an artist called Jess Bell from Blackpool, then I started helping a band which then led me to think that it is such a difficult industry for independent artists, especially if you have little budget. 

So in 2014, I created Music Of The Future for that purpose. To offer features to bands and artists to share their music in an affordable way.

What do you think is the most rewarding part of your role and what makes you do what you do?

Honestly, this is a tough question! For me, anything I do is for the featured Artist or Band to get their music heard by different audiences. What really makes me want to help is when I see artists pitch to me with a really incredible story, knowing there is a possibility that a major label won’t hear their music because they don’t fit into their brief or don’t have the right ‘look’. For me, music isn’t about that, it’s about the story an artist is telling with their music and how music can help people.

What are the key things you look out for in the artists that you cover at Music of the Future? 

My biggest thing is vocal, performance and lyrics. It has to be telling a story as soon as that first line hits. I need to be able to hear the story they want to tell with a passion and everything they have to give. Music is about storytelling but being able to get your own spin on the song and touch you just like it has touched the artist that has written it.

Do you have any advice to give to upcoming, independent artists that are pitching their music to you – are there any do’s/don’ts? 

Just always be prepared for a no and that isn’t in a nasty way.

We get a lot of features and unfortunately we can’t cover everything, but we will always offer advice. For example:

DO’S: 

• Always have a Press Release in a document with all links (checked to see if they all correct too)
• CHOOSE YOUR SUBJECT LINE CAREFULLY – treat it like a song lyric and make it as compelling as possible!
• Check Files – make sure any music you send doesn’t have an expiration date. Our mailbox can get a lot of submissions and we get to them as quick as we can! 
• Be professional and authentic

DON’TS:

• Send more than 2 pages – a one sheet is best! 
• Over spam!

Are you working on anything new and exciting that you’d like to shout about?

I have a few ideas up my sleeve, but for now, I can’t go into too much detail! Hopefully, we can do a follow-up in the future.

Thanks for taking the time to chat with us! Is there anything else that you’d like to mention?

A little advice for upcoming artists and bands:
Don’t let one negative feedback take you to a dark place because creativity is drawn from the good, bad, and even the ugly. So whatever you receive back from anyone you have sent your music to, you can turn it into a positive without a doubt. 

Follow Music Of The Future on Socials found on www.musicotfuture.com and find yourself some new music to listen to! 

Thank you so much for chatting with me! 

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