Firstly, let’s make it clear that we at DemoBox aren’t here to tell you how to write your songs or what your band should sound like. If we were experts in that field then we’d be flying off in our private jets for a break in Malibu following our recent sold-out world tour. You guys are in charge of the music, our job is to use our knowledge and contacts to help you take it as far as you want to.

When it comes to songs though, size matters. If The Ramones’ debut album had songs like Blitzkrieg Bop; stretched out over quarter of an hour it would probably lose some of its charm, not to mention leaving the band in a sweaty, exhausted heap on the floor of the stage at the end. Likewise, had Queen tried to fit Bohemian Rhapsody inside two minutes then they’d either have to speed everything up (which would result in them sounding like The Chipmunks) or chop most of the track off and watch it fade into oblivion without so much as a single radio play.

Depending on the type of band you are, the length of your songs will matter. Daytime radio will prefer three-minute pop songs to Rick Wakeman doing King Arthur On Ice; (ask your Dad… actually don’t. It might leave you a little disturbed). Some bands, and increasingly so now that genres are becoming so blurred, produce albums which include tracks that are two minutes in length as well as some that are far longer. You’ll have an idea of the track length needed, and if you do get it wrong, then your fans will probably let you know by their reaction when you air it at a few gigs.

To achieve success on DemoBox it’s obviously wise to include your strongest material, and there’s no defined amount of time that makes a song work. So it could be a 90 second punk blast, or a towering piece of majestic pop with huge ending that resembles ‘Hey Jude’.