Band Press Packs

dead air

Hello, does anyone have any experience in putting together a press pack for a band? I'm trying to put one together and would appreciate any advice anyone could offer.

We think we should include the following anyway by looking at random press packs we found on google:

Brief introduction (biography and background of the band)
Photos
Demo cd with three songs
Stage set up (diagram with positions with basic equipment needed and our own gear)
Notable past gigs
Contact details

I suppose what I'd like to know is really regarding the format...

1. how many pages should it be? can it be too long?
2. how many photos? should they be on the main page or attached seperatly?
3. online format: pdf file? web page?
4. generally, what do you think makes a good press pack?
5. and anything we should avoid?

oh, and we don't really have any reviews to include either.

thanks

Doctor J

Keep it brief and to the point, go for quality over quantity. Try to do something to make it stand out. Provide a link to a website where in depth information is available, if possible, but not rammed down their throat. You'll be sending it to people who have to wade through tonnes of crap every day, so try and keep it informative without disappearing up yer own arses Include a hand written letter to go with your printed matter, let that person know you care enough to have set this up specifically for them. Be nice, be confident (hopefully justifiably) but avoid arrogance for the moment. Be unique and imaginative. Imagine a desk with 100 cd's and press packs on it, why should they go for yours first?

Make sure the first 10 seconds of your CD kicks insane levels of ass or else you might as well not bother. The songs should be different from each other but not disjointed overall. Make sure your CD stands out visually as well as aurally. If your CD doesn't sound great (mixing and mastering) then you could do more harm than good by getting someone to listen to it. If you want good mixing done cheaply PM me. Basically, you're sending it to someone who has to be convinced they can make money out of you, that you are sellable (sp?), that your average punter will part with their hard earned to buy your product. You only get one chance to make a first impression and it certainly will last in the music biz, so don't **** it up.

Oh yes, have fun, be happy. If you look sad and bored playing your music why should anyone be happy to listen to it?

dead air

that's excellent... thanks for the advice doctor j!

Baggio

Dead Air,

,,you could follow the good Doctors advise or just tell them you know me,,,it's all the same hahaaha

ciao' amigo Baggio


Doc; where are you lads hiding all of a sudden?...

Doctor J

Sorry Baggio, I'll give ye a ring later on.

Dead Air, another thing to bear in mind with your CD, it sounds stupid, but make sure there is not dead air on your CD Seriously though, what I said about the first 10 seconds is to imagine a bored biz person who once used to love music but is now wearing a suit and has sold their soul for €€€ - they've listened to 20 crap CD's and it's not even lunchtime. They put in your cd and press play... then there's nothing coming out of the speakers for a while... NEXT!

Your music has to sound as good as you can afford it to. It should start immediatley and it should kick ass. It should be recorded well onto the CD - ie if your cd is recorded quietly onto the CD, it'll sound weak if it goes on after a CD which has been recorded well. Avoid artistic intros (ie 50 seconds of atmospheric noises before the song begins) and make sure there isn't 5 seconds of silence before the second song begins. When they skip to track 2 they better hear track 2 straight away. It sounds crass but you're selling yourself here, so you've got to tailor your product to whoever's going to be listening to it. Therefore, three hits on your CD, no epic 15 minute ballads. Get to the point and nail it. Once they're interested you can show them your artistic side, for a demo, get your catchiest, strongest most immediate stuff on there and make sure it sounds amazing. Don't let yourselves down and waste all the hard work you've put into your music get pissed away. Get your CD mastered properly, it is worth the extra money. You've got to sound better than every other CD that ****er will hear that day, that week, whatever. Regardless of how good your songs are, the sound of your CD has to kick ass. Then, if you've got the talent, you may have a chance. It's all about presentation when you send in an unsolicited demo. Good luck with it.

kirn

some nice advice there Doctor J.
a good bio will include details of notable past gigs and snippets of quotes if you have any, so you needn't have another section for those.
for support slot gigs its also important to be available, independent (ie own transport, amps) and not be any hassle.
its also a good idea to give a few of your next gigs so they can check you out if they want to.

Bonzo

Nice ideas Doc J.
We are getting a press pack together at the mo and the hand written letter idea will go in there now