How to Prepare a Bio Page for Your Press Kit

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By jamline
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Introduce Yourself!

Learn what the music industry wants to see when they read your bio page.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

paper
pen/pencil
MS word (optional)

Step 1

Who you are:
Your intro should include the artist/band name. A list of member names, what they play and who their musical influences were growing up.
Be interesting but brief.
Step 2

How would your describe your music:
If you only had one sentence to do it what would you say?
You need to think about this. In a conversation with anyone in the industry, this will make or break your presentation. It's also one of the first questions they will ask you, from booking shows to radio promotion. Your musical description should be like a tag line. Here's an example... Southern rock mixed with melodic blues. Maybe even throw in a line that compares your music as a mix between (popular Band and (Popular Band). An example of this would be: A mix between Qzzy and the Pretenders. You get the idea.
Be creative and colorful but brief.
Step 3

Why is the artist band marketable:
OK here is your hype paragraph. It should include some of your past accomplishments. An example would be...2008 Zippo Tour contest winners, KRSO Radio battle of the band champs, Local radio featured artist.
If you just starting out don't worry you can add something like, Up and Coming Artist from (hometown).
Step 4

What does the artist/band have coming up:
Here you list information like a new CD release, shows, studio time, radio interviews, performance/CD reviews or any event the artist/band has in the works. Include addresses, dates and times so that an interested A&R or trade can see you live.
Step 5

Try to keep your bio 1-2 pages at the most. Music industry professionals received hundreds of submissions a week. 1-2 pages are all they are willing to spend time reading. You want to be informative yet let your demo (that the industry pro is listening to) do most of your talking. It all comes down to the music however presentation is key. If you haven't had the chance, read my last article "How to protect your music and yourself" It's full of information on where to start. If you find this article helpful, feel free to recommend it to your fellow artists.
Best Wishes - Jamline