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How to Prepare an EPK

Going back to the 1950's, press kits have been a vital part of the marketing efforts of musicians, bands, actors and other performance artists. However, the format of these press kits has changed since the days of Elvis Presley and The Beatles. Technology has made hard copy press kits almost obsolete with the advent of electronic press kits, also know as EPK's. This is advantageous to today's aspiring artists as EPK's are inexpensive and employs multimedia aspects. An EPK allows record labels and booking agents instant access to a band's music samples and videos.

Instructions

    • 1

      Prepare your multimedia. If you are a musician, you will want at least three professionally produced songs available on your EPK. For musicians and other stage performers, high-quality video of your live performances is beneficial. If you are an actor, you will need an edited demo reel. This is a collection of highlights of past performances edited together into one video.

    • 2

      Select photos. You should have at least one professional photo. If you do not have any high-quality photos, commission a photo shoot. This can be done by making an appointment with a photographer in your area.

    • 3

      Write your bio. This should be a brief account of your acts, origins and experience, and provide information and function of each member. Make the bio interesting and easy to read so it stands out.

    • 4

      Create a fact sheet. This is a list of facts about your act including when and where you formed, names of the members, genre and other established acts you sound like. Create a discography if you're a musician, or a filmography if you're an actor,

    • 5

      Create a press sheet. This should include quotes from any news articles written about you. Pull the best quotes from past press coverage of your act, and attribute them to their source.

    • 6

      Post your press kit online. Use free services such as Reverbnation, Sonicbids, Myppk, Myspace Music or a Facebook fan page. Register for an account, then upload all your music, video and pictures. Post your bio, fact and press sheets, and your contact information.

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