A feature is a collaboration, a negotiation and a delivery problem at once. Handle all three deliberately.
Work out what the feature is for
Are you looking for a contrast to your own voice, a specific regional sound, someone who writes fast, or reach into a different audience? Each of those leads to a different shortlist, and being honest about it makes the approach easier to write.
Finding candidates
Start with artists whose recent work sits near yours in tempo and tone. Look at profiles where artists list genres, topics and whether they take feature work. Ask engineers and producers, who know who delivers on time. Open calls work well when the brief is specific about the song, the section and the deadline.
Approaching someone
Send the instrumental or a rough of the song, the section you want, the length, the deadline and your budget. Vague messages asking if someone wants to collaborate are ignored. Concrete offers get answered.
Agree terms in writing
Before any recording, put in writing:
- The fee, and when it is paid.
- Whether it is a buyout or includes a publishing split and points.
- How the credit reads on releases and platforms.
- Whether the artist can use the song in their own promotion.
- Revisions: how many, and what counts as one.
- What happens if the song is never released.
What to send for recording
Send the instrumental with and without your vocal, at the correct tempo and key, plus a reference of the energy you want. If they record remotely, ask for a dry vocal with no effects, plus their processed version so you can hear their intent, and the stems for doubles and ad libs.
Recording together
If you can get in one room, do. Verses written in response to each other sound like a conversation rather than two separate files. Book the room, keep the session short and focused, and have the beat finished before anyone arrives.
After delivery
Pay on time, credit properly, and send the finished master before release. Artists who are treated well come back, and word travels fast in both directions.