Music Publicity Blog

 

Music publicity is crucial for you, your band, and your music. Getting your songs reviewed by music editors and bloggers will help you build exposure. But before you start your music publicity campaign, make sure that you have the necessary tools. A press kit, also known as a promo package, can open doors to gigs, reviews, and other opportunities.

1. Photo - Whether you’re a country crooner or a downtown diva, your photo is an opportunity to show your personality as an artist. When you’re trying to get press in your hometown newspaper or Billboard magazine, it’s important to have a clear, professional quality photo. A black and white, 8 x 10 photograph will do the job, just make sure that your music and your image are consistent.

Photographer Jonathan Mannion, whose portfolio includes Ja Rule, Jay-Z, Eminem, and others, believes that it’s not difficult to find a photographer that fits in your budget. He says, “Be resourceful. Sometimes the assistants of the heavy hitters are incredible photographers in their own right. You can also find people at art schools that have a good eye.”

2. Bio - Your bio is next, and should read like an article. Many editors are swamped for time, and may quote your bio word for word. No longer than one page, it should say who you are, while avoiding a lot of hype. Describe your music in a unique way early in the bio, so editors don’t have to search for it.

If you decide to write it yourself, have someone else check it for misspelling and over-hyped clichés. According to Ariel Hyatt at Ariel Publicity, “You may be a great musician, but you may not be great at capturing how you sound on paper. If you hate writing, or you’re not down with it, get someone else to do it.”

3. CD – Entire books have been written on how to create a CD, and there are tons of musicians who have done this already. The best I can add to them is to make sure that the quality of your music, and your visual images are the best that they can be. Competition is fierce, and compelling images will give you an edge. Also, if you’d like to highlight certain songs for the listener, add stickers to the CD’s cover.

Create your own press kits by using color folders with your materials in the pockets. To create inexpensive stationery, have a creative friend design a letterhead for you and take it to a copy center like FedEx/Kinko’s. For a special touch, use paper from Paperaccess.com.

When you start getting reviews, you can include about five of your best music publicity press clippings in your press kit. Consistently continue to get new reviews. Ariel continues, “Press clippings should be no more than four pages of white double sided press clips, and leave it at that.”

Follow these press tips and you’ll be on your way to a successful music publicity campaign!

Technorati Tags: Indie Music, Indie Music Marketing, Music Publicity, press tips

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 19th, 2008 at 5:23 pm and is filed under Music Publicity. Follow the comments through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or leave a trackback.