Whether you are a member of a band, or a solo musician, mastering self-promotion is key. This guide is designed to help you to promote smarter – not harder.
Creating an EPK (Electronic Press Kit) with key info about your band is a smart way to set your music apart and grab attention in a crowded scene.
Another easy option is to create a Dropbox or Google Drive folder, put all your files together and have a sharing link at the ready.
MUSICIAN BIOGRAPHY
A compelling artist bio is a powerful marketing tool – so, make sure it highlights your story and music in a way that sparks interest and resonates with your audience.
Here are some key points to cover:
– Achievements: Awards won, competition placements (e.g., Battle of the Bands, Smokefree Rockquest), chart success, radio play, and social media following.
– Live Experience: Artists you’ve supported or toured with.
– Band Story: Year formed, how you chose your band name, and what inspired your musical journey.
– Musical Identity: Your location, genre, influences, and how you’d describe your sound.
– Goals: Where you’re heading and what you hope to achieve.
– Lineup: Names of each band member and the instruments they play.
– Past Projects: Previous bands or musical ventures members have been part of.
For upcoming album or EP releases, consider crafting a release-specific bio that brings your project to life. You might include:
– Track Insights: The inspiration behind each song and lyrical themes.
– Creative Collaborators: Producers, engineers, or co-writers who helped shape the release.
– Radio Highlights: Songs that have already received airplay.
– Special Features: Guest musicians who appear on specific tracks.
DISCOGRAPHY
Your discography is another key marketing asset. To make the most of it:
– Add listening links to streaming platforms for easy access.
– Include track listings for every album and EP you’ve released.
– Note songs with radio play or guest appearances.
ARTWORK
Visual assets are a vital part of your music marketing toolkit. Be sure to include:
– Artwork for your albums, EPs, and singles.
– A distinctive band logo that reflects your identity.
– A set of photos, including promo shots and live performance images.
Investing in professionally taken promo photos can elevate your presentation and leave a stronger impression across press, social media, and digital platforms. They’re often the first thing people see – so make it count.
Some of the Muzic.NZ photographers also take professional promo photos.
AUDIO / VIDEO CONTENT
Make your music easy to access by offering download or streaming online links. There are plenty of platforms to do this, such as:
– Bandcamp
– Soundcloud
– Spotify
– Apple Music
– Facebook
– YouTube
ALSO WORTH CONSIDERING
– Lyrics: Help fans and media dive deeper into your songs.
– Press Coverage: Share links to reviews and interviews.
– Photo Galleries: Include live show and promo shots.
– Contact Info.
– Gig Schedule: Highlight upcoming shows.
It’s also important to constantly review the content and update it regularly as you produce new music and have new achievements.
WHAT TO DO NEXT?
When releasing new music, going on tour or performing at a gig, a well-crafted press release can be a powerful promotional tool. You can write one yourself, or enlist help from a publicist or promoter – like those listed here – to handle it for you.
If you’re writing your own, make sure to circulate it to relevant media outlets. If you have a publicist or promoter creating the press release, they will do this for you.
You can also contact local and national radio stations and podcasts to enquire about airplay, such as those mentioned here. Most radio stations and podcasts will also be happy to give any gigs and tours a mention.
Muzic.NZ can also help out with promotion – email [email protected] to find out more.
OTHER POINTERS
– Start by brainstorming all your ideas.
– Remember that sometimes it may take a few goes to get it all sounding right.
– Don’t worry if you can’t get it all sorted in one go, give it a few days and try again.
– Try to think creatively.
– Avoid spelling and punctuation errors, and swear words. You want it to sound as professional as possible.
– Try to keep it sounding positive.
– Avoid putting any part of the biography in capital letters (such as the band name, album name etc.). Most publications will change it back to initial caps, so unless your band name stands for something, don’t do it.
– Also try to avoid using bold, italics and underline unnecessarily – as a general rule of thumb, any song/album/EP title should be in italics (not speech marks, it’s a title, not a quote).
– Have a look at other biographies for examples, but don’t copy anything directly.
– It’s better to learn from mistakes and find things to improve on.
– And most importantly – have fun! Making music together is a brilliant way to create memories that you can share forever.
