DIY Press Kit

Ok, so you are in a band, rehearsing heaps in a garage, or you are on your own, writing songs in your bedroom and recording them on your PC, maybe you’ve been lucky to have a gig or two at your local live music venue, that supports original music, and if you have a venue like that in your town, your very lucky there too ! Sadly live venues for Original music even in the cities are closing down, and to have them in regional towns, is really a good thing, supporting local bands and soloists singer songwriters, brings family and friends out to gather and support one another, and have a good time. A perfect way to practice your live stage performance, and gain followers whom like your music and the way you present it to them. 

So now you want to get into some music festivals in your region or state, like Victoria, you may be sounding great and people like what you do, but it won’t be enough. Festival applications are in the hundreds, and the talent pool is incredible, a photo, a Bio, a demo recording, is not enough. It is expensive to pay for recording , photography, videos, website designing, and so on, and you most likely do not have spare cash to do all this to get yourself what you need just to apply for a festival !

So here’s a few DIY ways you can get started for your own press kit to release to music promoters, events, festival applications...

1. Get some good recordings of your songs to upload to Soundcloud. 

Try Garage recording on free computer music recording programs.

Ask at the local music shop, is there a retired engineer around that might offer demo recording on a special deal for first time recordings. 

Share the costs with band members, or even start a fundraising Campaign on Facebook, where for example, every $20 donated the supporter will receive the recordings on MP3 download or a CD.

2. Set up a Website, there are plenty of DIY websites on the Internet, like WIX, though a really good Australian one, designed by Musicians for Musicians, is through

Onepagelink.com

3. Get some nice photos , give your phones over to your friends or family, get snapping and video taking, set up your own phone tripod and record your band practice, try to find a few nice pics among them all to add to your website, and Facebook Page, go to your local TAFE or year 12 at College, they might love to help that are studying Photography or Vis com, Arts. Be creative .

4. Think about a logo for your Artist name or band name, with how the font is designed, or a image, look at how others have done theirs, throughout music history, you’ll have to really like it and it somehow to suit your image, your style of music, what it is about your lyrics that makes you, YOU, or the band, it’s genre, like KISS and AC/DC, solo Artists keep their same name Fonts too, on every poster and album, do some research into image marketing on the net.

5. Put those recordings onto an Independent Music Site that supports Independent Music Creators. Like Bandcamp. Apple iTunes and Spotify is great, and some music sites can distribute your music to iTunes like Reverbnation, however for every few streams free listening, is only a few cents back to the Artist, so many bands are returning to Grassroots, where Independent tours , with door tickets, CDs and Merchandise like T-shirts for sale and having local support bands, all supporting one another, for when the next band has an album or EP to launch and do a small tour with. 

If you are just starting out, this is all going to take time and thought to work on, and even if you've been a Musician/songwriter for the past 25 years, you will need an up to date "press kit", you will need You Tube videos, links to your music recordings or videos, social media accounts, websites, all of it, mix the old-school ways in with the new, technology era. New to technology, don't despair, ask friends to give you a few points with your social media promotions, look into in a TAFE computer course, the library has handy people there too, read music blogs, and give it all a go. 

Remember a good Bio for your music !

yes, don't forget this, and it will be edited plenty !

That's a subject all to itself !

I'll write the next blog on ideas and ways to write a good music bio !

Don't forget to practice and keep songwriting...

haha

Keep at it !