Make a Band Press Kit
Music groups often hire a manager or managing company to help them get booked in venues or even get record deals. If a band/artist is just starting out, sometimes a single member of the band (or the artist) is designated as the contact or manager. An advantage of having a manager is that they contact companies, press contacts and individuals with your information, and promote the band/artist in places that cater to the band/artist's style. An important tool for a band/artist manager is a press kit. Press kits usually contain music, informational material, pictures and contact information for the band, so that you are competitive with other bands seeking the same attention. This article will tell you how to make a professional-looking band/artist press kit.
Steps
- Decide on a band/artist name. Many bands try a few names before finding the right one. You want all the material in the kit to have 1 name and preferably reviews, stickers, a promo or other information all referring to just 1 name, so you don't confuse a person that may have no more than a few seconds to peruse your material. (If you are a solo performer, all you need to do is come up with a stage name)
- Decide on a budget for your band/artist kit. In order to create a professional image that people will want to take a closer look at, you will possibly need to spend money on paper products, promotional material, disc creation and more.
- Your budget will probably need to be between $200 and $1,500 depending upon your need to hire a manager and/or photographer and the number of people to whom you plan to send the press kit.
- Create a demo of 3 or fewer of your best songs in an MP3 format. With music recording software available for home computers, it does not need to be recorded in a studio; however, it should be clear quality. Include the band/artist titles and a page with the song's lyrics in your kit.
- Appoint a contact, if you do not have a manager. This person should ideally be the front contact for all communication for the band/artist and be in possession of a frequently-checked email and phone. This person should also be able to find addresses to send the kit and be industrious enough to call on your behalf.
- Develop a band/artist concept or color scheme. You will need all the promotional material to follow this concept. Avoid gimmicky imagery.
- Create a band/artist logo. This logo does not need to be complicated. It can involve no more than a typeface that you use on all your material and a set of colors, but try to enlist the aid of a graphic designer, if possible, to create something you are proud of using on stickers, t-shirts and your press kit.
- Make business cards for the band's contact that includes the band's logo. Although you can, and should, put this information on other informative material, a small business card is more easily saved than an entire folder. Business cards can be made for less than $50 using online companies.
- Take a publicity photo. Hire a professional photographer, if it is within your budget. The photo should be a clear picture of the artist and/or band members that you would like to appear in newspapers for upcoming shows.
- Print out 8 by 10 inch glossy photographs to put in the press kit. Newspapers and magazines should be sent a glossy black and white photo. Music industry reps should be sent a colored picture.
- Keep a digital copy of your photograph in both color and black and white to send to online and print events calendars.
- Create a write-up. This is a 1 page informational sheet about your band that should include a paragraph about the music background of the band's members and your collective history. If you don't have someone in or around the group who is a very good writer, you may want to hire someone to do a professional write-up.
- Create a fact sheet. A fact sheet contains sales figures, concert venues and dates, the sizes of your past shows' crowds, festivals and tours in a visually pleasing, easy to read list. This should never be more than 1 page.
- Make a 1 page quote sheet made up of reviews, quotes from influential bands or people in the music industry. If you do not have quotes from newspaper reviews or emails, then your band manager will need to solicit this information by sending your music to people who can review it or asking previous venues to make a statement.
- If you are just starting out, you can combine the fact and quote sheets together into 1 page.
- Print your items instead of copying them, to ensure good printing quality. Include your band manager's contact information on every piece of the promotion kit. If you use photo copies to stay in budget, they should not be grainy.
- Place all of the above items inside a folder or binder. The folder should match your band/artist's colors and have the band's/artist logo on the front. Feel free to include promotional materials like a sticker or button.
- Many folders come with a place to hold a business card, which can add a very professional look to the package.
- Package your press kit in a large, sturdy envelope. Put a press or music contact address label on the front and send it out.
- Consider choosing an envelope that you think will stand out in a pile of envelopes on the desk of a music executive.
- Go to the post office before you send your first envelopes to ensure you have the right amount of postage on your package.
- Follow up with the people you sent it to in a week or 2.
Tips
- - Solo artists are different than bands. If you're a solo artist, be sure to see what feels right for you.
Things You'll Need
- Demo
- Band/artist manager
- Publicity photo
- Business cards
- Band/artist biography
- Fact sheet
- Quote sheet
- Band/artist logo
- Envelope
- Postage
- Folder or binder
