A lot of what you have been told about creating your image is false.
This article is meant to be a simple list of things
that might surprise you as a musician. Some of you have
had managers misguide you. You know the
drill. Your guitar player s girlfriend has a connection
at some local club so now she thinks she is fit to orchestrate
your entire career. Maybe you have a know-it-all singer
who spent 5 minutes glossing over some music industry
website and now he is writing your bio chalk full of
transparent lies and over-exaggerated descriptions of
your rock fury. No matter what the case may be, I can
guarantee you that you have at least a few misconceptions
about how to properly present your image. This article
will briefly outline some of the major issues on writing
better bios, press kits, and press releases.
YOU HAVE MORE CONTROL THAN YOU THINK
The most important thing I can tell you is you have
more control than you think. If you really get the hang
of image presentation and playing this game we call
the music biz you can virtually create any image you
want of yourself or your band. First and foremost I
want to talk about the press.
Ever surf the
net doing some research of some new band your friend
told you about? Ever notice how multiple music sites
will have the exact same description of the band?
Of course, you aren't an idiot, you realize these sites
simply rip what the band wrote in their bio on the band
homepage. But do you realize the POWER of this? Basically,
you have the power to syndicate your image in a way.
These websites simply don't have the time, nor intimate
knowledge of your band, to create some pseudo-bio for
you. They rely on you, and what you have to say about
yourself. This is power. Use it wisely.
But you already
knew that. What I'm about to tell you is something you
may not know, but could drastically affect your bands
promotional campaign. PRINT MAGAZINES DO THIS TOO. Yep,
a lot of those long write-ups you see in your favorite
magazines about your favorite band, have content ripped
straight from the bands bio. The trick is that
this only applies to well written bios. If you do in
fact have such a bio, this can be the most powerful
weapon in your promotional arsenal.
THE SECRET BIO SAUCE RECIPE
Ok. So let s recap real quickly. You know that your
bio can help control your image on the net. And now
you know you can even control how the print media presents
you. But how do you write such a bio? First, let s go
over what NOT to do.
INFLATE: Do not inflate your image beyond the reality
of your band. Don't be all flash and no smash. In other
words, don't talk about what you can t back up. This
is the most common mistake in bio writing. I call it
inflation . This is pretty much adjective abuse. Avoid
phrases like intense live show or
super sonic blast from the future . This is stock. This
is not creative. If you aren't the biggest drawing band
in your own market, don't say this band is taking
the nation by storm . The press and online community
have been reading bios with such inflations since the
beginning, they see past this very well.
QUOTE FANS: If you can t get someone credible to say
something nice about your band DO NOT resort to using
a fan comment. Ever for any reason.
LIST SONG DESCRIPTIONS: If you are already an
inflator then talking about your own songs will
only cause pain and tragedy.
SPENDING TOO MUCH TIME ON PREVIOUS BANDS: If your last
band didn't have a record deal or tour, don't bother.
If you have some leverage with your former member
of status use it tastefully and only in brief.
Now that we have got those cardinal sins out of the
way you are probably thinking jeeze, what else
is there to write about . This is where we start digging.
Time to put on your thinking cap. You have to think
like a reporter looking for a refreshing angle. You
have to find the one thing that can create an image
that will stick. You have to find THE STORY.
By this time I have lost some of you. You either don't
know what I mean by the story or you have
a bio that breaks every rule I just outlined and you
can t admit it. The best bios read like a good music
rag write-up. If your bio is written correctly it should
make a staff writer s job easy. It should be easy for
him to rip or cop . It's no co-incidence
that many pro bands use these kinds of writers to pen
their own bios!
Perhaps you have
an interesting story about how you came together. Perhaps
you have some gimmick, like Siamese twins or 3 bearded
lady bassists. But hopefully you have something that
connects your band to something going on in the world
of music. You need something that will get people s
attention. Maybe your band is the only Death Metal band
for 100 miles in the Bible belt. You get the picture.
I am going to
list some things that can make great stories (and double
as press releases).
- Being produced by someone reputable
- Being managed by someone reputable
- Breaking some mark in online CD sales or downloads
- Getting a supporting slot on a festival or tour
- Having a reputable person as a quoted fan
A PHOTO SPEAKS 1,000 FLAWS
I want to get one thing out of the way: I'm not going
to tell you how to dress. But I am going to tell you
that it may be your biggest problem. I am not a stylist.
I can not solve this problem. I can tell you this though:
The camera will expose every flaw you have in your style.
With that said, let s get on with at least getting a
quality photo.
I am not a professional photographer. I am not going
to tell you how to take a photo of yourself. I am going
to tell you where to get one. Your best bet is to find
a local photographer that you see at local shows. More
often than not, they are either legitimate press, legitimate
artist, or a legitimate student. Browse their catalog
of band photography and if you think it stands up, there
ya go. This may all seem like common sense, but I want
to stress that this is abandoned and somehow your guitar
player s girlfriend is your photographer
because her mom has a camera. Do not let this happen
to you. Find people with pro gear. Get a professional
or at least a digital arts student. These are always
your best bets.
If you are going
for sheer impact with your 8 x 10 one good tip is to
at least look like you are in the same band. I'm not
saying get a gimmick or wear make-up. I'm saying that
even if you think your personal look is
plain , your band as a whole can benefit from at least
being on the same page.
LOGO
The miracle of Adobe Photoshop has given birth to some
of the most breathtaking digital art we have seen. It
has also, to the misfortune of bands mostly, created
total rubbish. If your logo sucks it says many things
about you.
It shows you have high tolerance for bad art.
It shows you yourself might be a bad artist and were
not smart enough to hire a professional.
It shows you have a very distorted view about the genre
of your band.
It shows some of you are totally unprofessional and
don't care about your image.
You might be surprised how many ways there are to find
good digital artists to create your logo. In my personal
opinion, even paying up to $100 is worth it for a good
logo. Bottom line, the sites below are the best place
to find killer artists.
DeviantArt.com
Mylkhead.com
AngryBlue.com
PlayWithKnives.com
EyeSuckInk.com
PRESS KIT SECRETS
One very strong tip I can offer is to try to think of
your image as dynamic . It has to be all things
to all people. You might have to add something extra
to that envelope before you send it off. If you are
sending your kit out to an artist rep at a prospective
endorsee you ALWAYS want it to contain tour dates. This
is the most important thing in your attempt to get gear
for cheap and say those lovely words to all your loser
musician friends playing crappy guitars
I got an endorsement deal .
A great add-in
is a DVD. There are a lot of affordable ways to make
a DVD these days. Again, this is one of those things
that will expose your flaws. You don't want to put your
life story on there. Live footage is great if its done
right. Fake smoke and that cheesy page turn effect
are not. Don't make a wedding video. This will be valuable
in your arsenal when try to book gigs.
Ask First. Send.
Follow Up. This is your best way to make some impact
and get a solid contact in the biz. Your press kit will
always have more impact if the person is expecting it
(send it promptly).
Make sure you
are to the point when calling someone you d like to
send a press kit to. You are Jon Doe from The Doetones.
You are going to be in town around this time. You want
to send a press kit for a possible gig. If you are sending
an email and have an EPK (Electronic Press Kit) NEVER
send the press kit in first. Always try to get a response
before sending the press kit. If you are sending to
a possible endorsee put your upcoming dates in the initial
email.
Following up is
crucial. Many of the people you will be dealing with
in this business are either busy or forgetful mostly
both. You must initiate contact. Be tactful and patient.
Do not hound people, but make sure you give yourself
a chance to make some opportunities and pick up the
phone yourself.
Remember, you
are in essence, trying to self yourself to a company
or consumer. You have to be a salesman. Try to connect
to people and have them want to talk to you. If you
can do this they will always want to help you or get
you involved in something that will. Or best of all,
spend money on you and your product.
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR
Bruce Prokopets, aka Bishop Dolarhyde, is co-founder
and editor of music news blog http://www.scenejumper.com/.
Bruce had his first live gig at 15 and has had various
jobs in the industry since. He spent years as a guitar
tech, tour manager, endorsement liaison, bassist in
a national act, and promoter in the Tampa Bay area of
Florida. |
