The Record Industry as a whole cried itself to sleep the first few years after the turn of Millennium in denial that the infrastructure it had so graciously abided by for the past 50 years wasn’t working anymore. We all know that unless you are Katy Perry or Eminem you can no longer make a living off of your album sales and airplay alone, but even they have their labels telling them to tour for months on end to support it.
Being a successful artist today is about you, maybe a little about your music, a little more about your live show, and alot about your persona. Why is that? Because what is most important today, is not your music itself, but what people are saying about it. The world of technology has made its users a community of nosey gossipers! Good or bad, is makes news travel faster than ever and trends spread across the globe over night. The connection you make with your fans has to be more personable than ever, even if it does mean tweeting what kind of cream cheese you had on your bagel this morning!
Making your album art catchy to the eye on a shelf isn’t nearly as important than producing a song that could play well behind a commercial or sitcom intro. With so many changes happening in the music industry from physical to digital you do not need to be backed by a billion dollar label to make it happen for yourself. Yet many of he same principles are there and it is important for you to know how to do it yourself, both efficiently and accurately. Promotion is what you are striving for. In order to have a loyal fan base that will come see you play shows, watch your videos, and buy your material, they first need a way to find out about you. There are people who can help you, by just spreading the word, and they wont ask for much in return! Those that do it best today are college radio DJ’s, indie radio station DJ’s, editors, podcasters, and the true taste makers of our day, Bloggers!
There is one item that these people need from you, it was the same 50 years ago in the old model and through all the changes, is still the same today. This is The One Sheet. A one sheet is just what its named, no need for confusion. A brief, organized, strategic layout of information that anyone could ever need to know about you to think they’d love your music without even hearing it. It states album tracks, a promo picture, very short bio, album tracks with singles highlighted, recent specific stats on social media sites, sales, recent or upcoming touring dates, website links, and past review highlights. Whenever you send out a press kit a one sheet should be included. Most labels and radio stations still prefer to receive them over anything else. Today when sending information over the web, the use of an EPK has the same essential use. The One Sheet’s digital equivalent, the Electronic Press Kit.
An EPK is what viewers see when they go to your main page where you host your music. Most musicians do not realize just how important the look and layout of this page is for the future of their career. The Internet is an open circuit.You never know who may be surfing the web and stumble upon your page. Colors count, professionalism counts. Does the accurate portrayal of your image,persona, and musicality bleed through? Your tracks should be in order of quality and should have the best representation of your music and vision. Your pictures should be creative and artistically pleasing. All of your important links should be placed easy to find; facebook, twitter, and main music player site are a must. Any positive press you have ever gotten should be linked to or quoted, as well as tour dates, and available tracks for purchase or download. You should update and connect with fans and other musicians on a regular basis through your EPK. This page is your haven for success and you need to nurture it! So go out there and DIY, but utilize the basics tools that were there 50 years ago and are still there today. People WILL listen.
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