EMI imprint Parlophone is taking a leap forward in the way it accepts artist demos,and hopefully a giant leap forward in keeping the inboxes of its personnel clear of label-seekers. (You may recognize Parlophone as the label of Paul McCartney, Radiohead, or Lily Allen. )

Label execs get hundreds of submissions by email and snail mail. Links to aspiring artist's websites, attached mp3 files, head-shots and long stories about how fabulous and amazing and how "you've just gotta hear this". I can only imagine the volume of submissions anyone at a real label must field (the level of submissions for my own mp3 blog is substantial, yet would pale in comparison).

What Parlophone is trying could cut down that volume considerably. A new system, designed by a musician, allows musicians to submit demos via the web, including head-shots and bio info for Parlophone's A&R department to peruse.

"One of our top priorities is to keep our talent spotting process as efficient and up to date as possible," Nigel Coxon, head of Parlophone's artist and repertoire team, said in a statement. "This new system allows us to do just that, while at the same time helping us stay committed to giving anyone the opportunity to be heard."

I only see one problem. On the date you put out a press release that not-so surreptitiously asks musicians to stop emailing you and start uploading submissions via web, the fact that a link to the new system is impossible to find both in articles and on Parlophone's own website is a major miss.

[via The Examiner]