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PART ONE by Ariel Hyatt, Ariel Publicity
© 2001 All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission
For this article, I interviewed several entertainment writers from across the country. Their comments and advice are included throughout. Writers who will come up throughout are: Mike Roberts (The Denver Westword), Jae Kim (The Chicago Sun Times), Silke Tudor (The SF Weekly).
MYTH: A Big Fat Press Kit Will Impress a Writer
TRUTH: Writers will only become exasperated by a press kit that is not succinct and to the point. A bio, a photo and 6-8 articles double-sided on white paper is a good sized kit. If a writer wants to read more than that he will contact you for further information. If you don't have any articles, don't worry, this will soon change.
The first step in your journey is to create a press kit, which consists of four parts -- the Bio, the Photo, the Articles and the CD.
Jae Kim: "The ultimate press kit is a very basic press kit which includes: a CD, a photo with band members' names labeled on it -- not a fuzzy, arty photo -- a clear black and white, a bio, and press clips -- 10 at most, one or two at least. 40 is way too much."
PART 1: The Bio
Write a one page band bio that is succinct and interesting to read. I strongly advise avoiding vague cliches such as: melodic, brilliant harmonies, masterful guitar playing, tight rhythm section, etc. These are terms that can be used to describe any type of music. Try to make your description stand out. Create an introduction that sums up the your sound, style and attitude in a few brief sentences. This way if a writer is pressed for time she can simply take a sentence or two from your bio and place it directly in the newspaper. If you try to make a writer dig deeply for the gist, that writer will most likely put your press kit aside and look to one of the other 30 press kits that arrived that week.
TIP: Try to create a bio with the assumption that a vast majority of music writers may never get around to listening to your CD (500 new releases come out in the United States each week). Also, writers are usually under tight deadlines to produce copy -- so many CD's fall by the wayside.
Q. Whose press materials stand out in your head ?
A. Jae Kim: "Action shots of bands. Blur has had a few great photos, and Mariah's are always very pretty. Also, Mary Cutrufello on Mercury has a great photo -- enigmatic with a mysterious quality. Her picture was honest and intelligent, just like her music." A. Silke Tudor: "The Slow Poisoners -- a local SF band who are very devoted to their presentation. They have a distinct style and everything leads in to something else. Photos are dangerous. If the band looks young and they're mugging you have a pretty safe idea of what they're gonna sound like."
PART 2: The Photo
It is very tough to create a great band photo. In the thousands that I have encountered only a few have had creativity and depth. I know it can seem cheesy to arrange a photo shoot but if you take this part seriously you will deeply benefit from it in the long run. Create a photo that is clear, light, and attention grabbing. Five musicians sitting on a couch is not interesting. If you have a friend who knows how to use PhotoShop, I highly recommend you enroll him or her to help you do some funky editing. Mike Roberts tends to gravitate towards: "Any photos that are not four guys standing against a wall. Also, a jazz musician doesn't always have to be holding a horn."
MYTH: Photos Cost a Fortune to Process in 8 x10 Format
TRUTH: Photos do not have to be expensive. There a few places to have photos printed for a great price. My personal favorite is ABC Pictures in Springfield, MO. They will print 500 photos (with layout and all shipping) for $80. Click the link to check out their web site or telephone 888.526.5336. Another great resource is a company called 1-800-POSTCARD, which will print 5000 full-color, double-sided postcards for $250. Extra postcards not used in press kits can be sent to people on your mailing list, or you can sell them or give them away at gigs
PART 3: The Articles
Getting that first article written about you can be quite a challenge. Two great places to start are your local town papers (barring you don't live in Manhattan or Los Angeles) and any local fanzine (available at your favorite indie record store). In addition, a few hours of net surfing will reveal the hundreds of sites that review CD's. Look for reviews of music that is similar to your band's type of music and then send your CD's to those reviewers. As your touring and effort swell, so will the amount of articles written about your band.
PART TWO by Ariel Hyatt, Ariel Publicity
© 2001 All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission
Part 4: The CD
I assume that if you are reading this you probably already have your CD printed and ready to go. If this is not the case, CD's are easy to print up and lots of manufacturers can guide you in the process. My favorite CD manufacturing house is AMG CD's. They do a great job, have a quick turn-around time, and their prices are great. Mention that you found out about them through us and you will get a discount!!
The CD artwork, like the press kit, must be well thought out. You should customize your press kits so that they look in sync with your CD. This way when a writer opens up a package the press kit and the CD look like they go together. Also, put your phone number and contact info in the CD so if it gets separated from the press kit, the writer knows how to contact you.
I asked Eric Rosen, the VP of Radical Records, how he oversees the development of product. He had a few things to say about stickering CD's (placing an extra sticker on the cover to spark the interest of a writer).
"If you are going to sticker your product, be unique in the way you present it -- try to be clever about it -- plain white stickers are boring." He went on to say that "Recommended Tracks" stickers are great for the press (suggesting no more than two or three selections).
Eric does not think that stickers are too advantageous in CD stores, because then "You are just covering up your artwork." Don't waste precious CD's! Keep in mind that 500 new CD's come out every week in the United States. Unless you are sure a writer actually writes CD reviews (many are not given the space to run them) don't waste your hard-earned dollars sending that writer a CD. Again, ask the promoter which writers like to receive CD's for review and which ones don't need them.
Q. What do writers like ?
A. Silke Tudor: "When people personalize things and use casual words. If an envelope is hand-addressed, I will notice it right away and I always open things that people put together themselves. Hand-written stuff gets read first. . .The bands that do PR for themselves are the ones that stand out for me"
A. Mike Roberts: "Include the name, show date, time, ticket price, place, and who you are playing with. . .If I don't see the contact number I have 69 other kits to get to."
Q. What do writers hate ?
A. Jae Kim: "I hate those padded envelopes that get gray flaky stuff all over you -- I feel like it's asbestos." She also dislikes "When I get a package with glitter or confetti in it -- it gets all over my desk." "I [also] don't like Q & A sheets" -- She prefers to come up with questions herself rather than receive answers pre-fabricated for her and spoon-fed. A. Silke Tudor similarly reports: "I never open anything over my computer." A. Mike Roberts: "I don't have much interest in gimmicks like hard candy. If I tried to eat it, it might kill me. Also you can't expect a writer to shove something in the paper at the last minute. Please give as much lead time as possible." Q. What do writers throw in the garbage immediately? A. Mike Roberts: "Anything past deadline." A. Jae Kim: "Pictures of women's butts or profanity that is degrading to women." A. Silke Tudor: "If I already know the band and I know that I don't like it."
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Ariel Hyatt is the President of Ariel Publicity, Artist Relations, and Cyber Promotions, in NYC. For the past five years she has worked closely publicizing a diverse family of touring and developing indie bands including Sally Taylor, Leftover Salmon, K-Floor, The Stone Coyotes, Soulhat, Fathead, and devon. http://www.arielpublicity.com
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