As an independent record label owner, I am often asked how to put together a great press kit. I have found that young musicians understand their music, but are often intimidated by the business side of the business. In this article, I’ll help you figure out how to position yourself, whether you’re a Latina vocalist building your base or an upstart garage band just looking for a break.
What is a press kit?
First of all, there is nothing magical about the term “press kit”. All we’re talking about is a little information about you / your band, some basic facts, good quotes about your music, a couple of good photos, and a sample of your music. You’ll use it to send it to newspapers, lawyers, radio stations, A&R representatives, promoters, and anyone else who is willing to spend five minutes reviewing your material. Also, on the Internet you will hear about an EPS or electronic press kit. An EPS is exactly the same as a conventional press kit, except that it can be downloaded as an electronic file rather than a hard copy that must be mailed.
The main objective of the press kit is to generate interest in the artist and his music.
What to include:
Include a limited amount of background information about yourself. It’s okay to say where you’re from, but no one really wants to hear about every singing performance you did during elementary school. Sometimes, less is more.
Talk about your music. Who do you sound like and who does your music remind people of? The reader should be able to get a good idea of what your music sounds like just from your description. Be thoughtful and feel free to be a bit funny here (but stay professional). Saying something like your band sounds like a cross between “Maroon 5 and Green Day after 20 cups of coffee” helps the reader understand. Remember, if you don’t generate enough interest in the first minute, they will never hear your demo.
Talk about what you’re good at. What makes your band special and different from others? What skills and experiences do you bring to the table? Remember that if you are looking for a record deal, you need to show your reader that you have all the right ingredients for them to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars promoting it. Launching a new artist is risky, so you need to help the record executive understand why it’s a solid investment.
Include quotes and / or press clippings as you generate them. A good quote from a trusted source (not your brother-in-law) can add a lot of credibility to your press kit. It lets the reader know that it has already been reviewed and that your material is worth listening to. Ninety percent of press kits unfortunately end up in the trash, a few good quotes and positive reviews can create the necessary momentum to be heard, and who knows, maybe even become famous.
You can go with a page dedicated to a biography (bio) and a separate page focused on quotes about your music, or you can combine the two into what some people call “a pager.” My personal preference is to summarize everything in a single pager. My desk fills up and the papers spread out. If you have separate quotes from your bio, there is a chance that you may miss one or the other. With the advent of digital photography and high-quality color printers, it is even possible to include a small image in your single locator to make it even more complete.
Make sure the overall language and tone of the press kit is consistent with your image. If you have someone to help you write your bio, make sure they’ve listened to your music and know what it’s about before they hand you something that might sound great, but isn’t about the real you.
Include a couple of different 8×10 images that show different characteristics about you and your band. Include shots that would be appropriate in a news article, but also highlight your key assets from a visual perspective. Your press kit should look professional, but your images should reflect your style and music, so your images can be a lot crazier and more creative. Be sure to clearly label the image with your name and contact information.
If you don’t have good photos of your band, one of the best ways to get them is to go to a modeling agency and ask for a referral to a good local photographer. These photographers are often willing to do a great job for around $ 300 for the complete package. Make sure you get an advance agreement that you own the copyright after shooting, and get the high-resolution digital images on a CD (with a copyright release, you can print these photos at any major retailer). A photographer who works with models is very different from a photographer who takes family photos. They have a much better idea of what you want, they will encourage your creativity, and they are much more willing to give you copyright.
A current gig sheet can also be useful to show where you have played recently and where you are playing in the near future. This can show that the music is current and has a following in the community.
And of course, your music. Submit a demo on high quality CD, preferably mastered if your budget allows. Avoid burning your own CD on your home computer with a sticker – it looks cheap. There are many new CD duplication services on the internet that will manufacture your CD with a printed color insert and on disc printing even if you only want a few copies (CD duplication is for batches of over 1000, but duplication CD is for batch sizes as small as 1). Expect to pay around $ 5 per retail ready disc for 1-5 CDs, and prices will drop for larger batches. Be sure to clearly label the CD and the case with your name and contact information. The worst thing that could happen in the world is that they love your music, but they have already lost the rest of the press kit and cannot remember the name of the band.
What not to include:
Don’t overdo it. Saying that you are the best band that ever lived may be true, but it probably is not. Be positive and promote yourself, but focus on statements that are credible. People in the music business hear hype all the time and, for the most part, are insensitive to it. Hype is good to use with the general public on things like posters (they often believe it), but your press kit reader is more sophisticated and will see it as cheap theater.
Including too much of your personal story can make you sound like a hobbyist with nothing more substantial to talk about. Your reader wants to understand your music today, only your psychologist needs to know every little detail of your childhood.
Don’t include anything that makes you look too desperate. You want to show yourself as a quality professional artist. Remember, you make good music. If your band is called Chicken Heads, then it might be nice to include a rubber chicken in the box, but otherwise I’d stick to the basics: bio, quotes, gig sheet, pictures, and music.
How to pack it:
Include a professional-looking, personalized cover letter addressed to the person to whom you are sending the press kit. Your message should be different if you send it to an A&R representative at a label seeking a record deal, rather than sending it to your local newspaper for review in their music section. Be short and direct. Also, be clear and say exactly what you would like from them.
Put it all together in one organized package. Since you will most likely mail your press kits, make sure the CD does not bend your photos and that your kit arrives the way you want it to be. You may even want to try out a press kit (send it across the country to the wrong address and then it will go back to your return address) to evaluate its packaging.
Your music is art, but your press kit is a business:
Remember, be professional. The person you are sending this press kit to will probably get hundreds of them, most of them are junk (and that’s where they end up too). Your music may be crazy and wild, but your press kit should be more professional. You are asking someone to spend their valuable time reviewing your material. You can also ask them to enter into an expensive, high-risk financial relationship with you. The person you are dealing with is in the music business, he needs to make a living. The only way they can do it is by dealing with real talent. By presenting them with a professional package, you give them the confidence that you are dedicated to making great music and not just wasting time.
A few words about unsolicited press kits:
Avoid wasting your time and money sending a press kit to someone you haven’t talked to yet. Always call and contact first, ask who you should send it to and what their process is. If possible, have someone who knows the person act as a go-between and do the initial introduction (this can work wonders). The music business is about networking, building and leveraging your network. After you send in your press kit, call in a couple of weeks and follow up to make sure they received it and have a chance to review it.
Example:
To see a good example of a press kit, go to the Legend Vega website at [http://www.legendvega.com].
