Artist Biography and Other Essential Elements of an Artist Press Kit

An electronic press kit, or EPK, is a collection of information that is sent out to event promoters, venues, bookers, reporters, radio stations, and other music industry insiders. It gives a complete summary of who you are and the music that you’ve created. It’s an important part of promoting your music.

The artist biography is always a part of the EPK, but it’s not the only component. Here is a look at the essential elements that you need to include in your artist press kit.

Photos and Images

Your press kit should include professional photos. Whether you are a solo act or a band, you need photos that can be used in press releases and marketing material. This should include a mixture of color and black & white images. Not only does this give people a better idea of your overall image, the images may be needed by promoters.

You can also include an image of your latest album or single cover. This can be useful for music reviewers.

You Need to Include Music

Of course, you’ll need to include music in your artist press kit. If you have music on SoundCloud or Spotify, you can include links. But, you should include actual tracks. This should include your latest releases or album. Download high-quality copies of your songs and compile them in a folder.

Along with music, you could include videos, if you have professional videos available for viewing. While we’ve promoted the idea of making your own videos in order to help promote your music on YouTube and Vimeo. You should only include videos in your EPK that are professionally made.

Press Releases, Articles, and Reviews

Include links or excerpts from positive articles and music reviews discussing your music. You should create a document that includes quotes from these articles along with the link.

Most people will not bother to click on the links and read the full articles. So, give them a summary by including various quotes and details from the articles.

Contact Information

If you forget to include contact information, then you may never get any feedback. How is a promoter supposed to get in touch with you? Include your email address, phone number, and contact information for any managers or booking agents that you work with.

In addition to your basic contact information, you can also include your social media accounts. For example, if you have a specific Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram account for your band or solo act, then include these in your contact information.

Creating an Artist Biography

The artist biography is an essential component of an effective EPK. It should be short, concise, and easy to read. It should focus on a few important details, including:

• Your experience and education in the music industry


• Your current activities, music releases, and tours


• A short description of your accomplishments


• A summary of what’s next in your career

For a more detailed look at what you should include in your artist biography, check out this short video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIu0YUX0P9s

If you need help coming up with an artist biography, ArtistPR offers an affordable solution. You can buy an artist biography, ensuring that one of the elements of your EPK is taken care of.

Review of the Essential Items for Your EPK

So, you need a few basic components in your EPK. This is not difficult. But, you should take your time and make sure that you have included everything, including:

• Photos and images


• Music and videos


• Articles and reviews


• Contact information


• Artist biography

We suggest creating a PDF and Word document for each item. Most people will prefer a PDF. Keep your content organized. Your music should be in its own folder. Your images should be in another. You can place the rest of the PDF’s and documents in the root folder.

Once you have all this content, you can burn it to CD. In fact, even if you plan on uploading to the cloud, you should have at least one physical copy as a backup.

There are differing opinions as to what you should include in your EPK and the format. Some people use the methods describe while others prefer to use a single PDF with links. This depends on who you are sending the EPK to and what they prefer. Unless they specify, it’s best to use the traditional method, using the steps described.

You may also be wondering about physical press kits. A physical press kit that includes printed material is rare. Most people are already used to CD’s and a growing number of people are familiar with digital content. Again, unless they request otherwise, stick to the tips described – compile your content into folders and upload to a cloud file solution or burn to CD.

Uploading Your Electronic Press Kit

Some people prefer to receive your EPK on a physical CD. Though, with advances in technology, people are getting used to cloud storage. So, it’s a good idea to be able to create physical copies of your EPK while also offering an online solution.

You can upload your EPK to the cloud using Dropbox or other cloud storage solutions. Generally, you should not have to pay for cloud storage. It’s unlikely that you will need more storage space than what is available to you for free.

So, sign up for one of these cloud storage solutions and upload your EPK. This way, you can send out a link, if the person that needs the EPK prefers an online EPK.

You now have a few suggestions that should help you put together a great artist press kit. If you don’t already have a press kit, then use these tips to begin compiling one. After you’ve put it together, have someone else look over it. Double check everything. Make sure there are no grammar errors or spelling mistakes in your content.

Good luck and remember to check out some of our other articles on artist biographies, press kits, and music promotion for indie artists.

Source: ArtistPR Artist Biography