Misfit Tunes The Magazine Jul. 2014 | Page 14

Electronic press kits What are Electronic Press Kits? A ARTIST TOOLKIT n electronic press kit, also known as an EPK, is a traditional promo package in digital form. A promo package is your introduction to its recipient. Due to the fact you may not be capable of speaking with every single person you want to contact in person it is very important your EPK represents you as an artist. There are promo packages that are sent through the mail however the cost for postage can get expensive. Due to cost most artist elect to use the electronic press kit. As well as the fact it is much easier to cram information into an electronic press kit than a traditional promo package. Regardless how you chose to send it be sure to put your best foot forward while including all pertinent information about you and your work. An EPK is often used as a tool to promote your work to the media, agents, managers, and promoters. Your EPK should include: 1. Title - tells the reader who you are. Simple stated it is where you put your name. Your stage name. Not your government name or name given to you by your parents (unless it happens to also be your stage name). 14 2. Photos - shows the reader what you look like . Keep the pictures to a minimum of two with no more than three. The photos should be in color and free from clutter. They do not need to be professional done yet they should be good quality photos. Pictures that are out of focus, dark, poorly cropped, etc should not be used. 3. Audio - allows the reader to hear a sample of your work. Often an MP3 NOT a link to soundclound, bandcamp, or another site that host the song. Links to other sites limits how your recipient can access the music. This MP3 should include an ID3 tag. An ID3 tag is used to embed information in an MP3. It provides the album name, artist name, genre, song title, and year through a thirty character text field embedded at the end of the MP3 file. ID3 tags uses a total of 128 bytes of total data. Keep your MP3 files to a maximum of four. List your files so that your most recent song is first. 4. Visuals - allows the reader to watch a sample of your work. Often a videotaped performance of one of your popular recorded songs most times accompanied by visual images interpreting the lyrics and/or dancing. If the vid- eotaped performance is of a live performance make sure the audio is clear and audible with little to no crowd noise. Keep your video to a maximum of two. 5. Links - tells the reader where to find you. Often links are social media links such as Facebook, Instagram, Souncloud, Twitter and many more. Keep them under control list only the links you keep updated. Do NOT drown your reader in links. 6. Bio - allows the reader to learn about your story. Often a SHORT straight forward depiction of musical highlight, musical accomplishments, and musical influences. The bio is your way of introducing yourself to the reader male sure you find the proper balance between providing useful information and being to long winded. You do not want to lose your reader. 7. Contact info - allows the reader to contact you with any additional request for information. Often times this contact information is simply the artist’s email address and/or phone. Any EPK is often an overlooked yet very important and necessary tool. Be sure to get one your music career depends on it!