Your
press kit is your calling card so to speak. It will
introduce you and your band to the people you need to
help your career. Make it interesting. Your press kit
should include any reviews you've received for shows,
information on current venues, and any reviews from
your new CD when they're available.
Include
a head or group shot (black and white is the
least expensive and generally the best looking),
a bio (if you
don't have a bio, create one, or get someone to
create one for you), a cover letter, one CD, and
a business card.
The
cover letter, while it shouldn't be more than 1 - 2
pages, should be packed full of information, direct,
and to the point. Additionally, try not to make your
press kit have more than 7 or 8 pieces of
information. You don't want to overload them and you
want to save some excitement for later! Keep them a
little curious. The packet should go in the following
order starting on top:
Press
Kit for Major Labels
CD
Business card
Cover letter
Head shot/Group Shot
Bio
Reviews (most current on top)
Any press
Lyric Sheets (very important to many A&R
personnel. If you already have them in your CD jacket
you can forego this unless they specifically request
separate lyric sheets.)
Press
Kit for Radio PD/MD's
CD
Business card
Cover letter
Head shot/Group Shot
Bio
Reviews (most current on top)
Any press
(Some like lyric sheets, but ask this question
before you include it. Save on the weight and the
cost of the postage if they don't want it.)
After
you have sent your press kit, make sure to follow up
with a call to make sure your it has arrived safely.
Then follow up every two weeks or so AFTER the 3rd
week they have got the package. Don't just send the
package and expect them to call. Remember, they get
hundreds of packages from musicians just like you
every single week. Follow up and get noticed!
I know your music is fabulous and you
think it should be judged on its own merit, but this
is the music industry, and image is everything.
(Well, at least for the first 5 seconds to get
whoever to open your tape/CD and actually listen to
it.)
Your band is competing against a lot of
other bands for the same attention of relatively few
people. Consider your press kit a weapon which will
(figuratively) explode that A&R/critic/judge/club
owners' curiosity. (But don't actually include
explosives, that would be bad.)
Include the best quality CD/tape you can
afford. This is the most important thing you can do.
Even if you just duplicate it at home, spend that
little extra and buy the best sound quality tape.
Nowadays, most A&R types want CDs
and say they don't even own a cassette player as CDs
are easier to scan through all of a band's songs
quickly.
You have about 20 seconds to capture
this person's attention so don't put a 5 minute
guitar solo as the first track. Use your best song
first, preferably an upbeat one, and if they like the
sound of the first song, they'll check out the next
one.
Cue the tapes up at the very beginning
then listen to the tape yourself. Did you cut any of
the song off? Did you actually record it? Most music
companies receive several blank submission tapes each
year.
See also: Demo Tips
Back
to Top
