How To Develop and Use a Presskit

       So you’re finally getting good at your instrument and you have the equipment and the music to follow. Maybe you have gigs and places to play at. What do you do to get to the next step? How do you now use all of the time that you have put into your art and start climbing up the music industry ladder? What is one of the easiest things you can do to start getting better music business connections today? Enter the 21st century press kit....

What is a Press Kit and Why You Should Have One.


You’ve probably heard this term thrown around a bit. A Press Kit is a digital and hard copy representation of your career as a musician. It’s very similar to a resume, it represents what you have done, the places and venues you have played, the people you have worked for and with in music, and your upcoming gigs in the near future. Musicians need Press Kits to send to management companies, record labels, gear and instrument manufacturers for endorsements, larger venues etc… This helps these people get to know you and earn your trust as a musician. They want to see what you have done and in a sense how big you are and what you can do.


What a Press Kit Should Include

Cover Page – Who are you? This is the first image people will see of you and or your group. A nice cover page has a professional quality photograph and font. It should grab their attention and say “I’m different, read further…”

The One-Sheet – This is usually the first page in a Press Kit. It includes your website, contact information, pictures of the biggest places and events you’ve played at (flyer images of those shows). Careful not to clutter this page, 2-3 of your biggest shows will do. The discography is also on this page, which are the albums you have done and/or tracks you have recorded on. Include pictures of the albums, dates, and titles. You should include a section on this page titled “Shared the stage which such artists as” which lists all of the musicians you have performed with – bigger names first. Include on this page any endorsements you have.

Biography – This is a brief history of you. Where and when did you start? Nothing too long winded because you want to avoid any way of losing the reader’s attention. The bio should describe your greatest achievements and how you got to where you are today. Talk a little and outline your releases, tracks you’ve done or worked on. This page is what hypes you up a bit, no lies, just words crafted to express the best out of you and your career no matter how short you’ve been a musician.


If you are making a Press Kit for a band or musical group, you might want to include short and a separate bio for each member. Outline each person’s greatest achievements and let the reader know “Hey, this group is made up of some great musicians”



All in all remember that a Press Kit represents you. If you sending these out to more important folk like record labels, consider getting it printed and packaged nicely. Keep in mind ways to make yourself stand out because the music industry gets Press Kits all of the time, sometimes hundreds a day. Revise, revise, revise until it is perfect!  Here's a pretty cool e-book/DVD on presskits that will also help you out
The Art of the Press Kit

Enjoy your endorsements and future gigs!


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