Music Industry Blog 06
The Promotional Packet
By: Matthew Mazer

At Minimum
You should put together promotional packets to market yourself professionally. These packets should at least consist of:

1. Standard 8x10 Black & White Photo
2. Band/Artist Bio & Contact

Try to make it appealing, but professional. The bio should not be more than half a page. The contact information should be on the same page as the bio and include name, phone,email, mailing address, and web address. You can include additional information within this packet, but do not exceed three pages. People are busy, and usually will not spend the time to go through anything more. If you are going to put in additional information, be sure it is business driven. Good additional info to include would be:

1. Major venues played
2. Involvement with key industry people
3. Short term business goals
4. Name & contact for your manager/agent
5. Record sales statistics
6. Radio play statistics
7. Other accomplishments

You will notice that I did not include "Demo CD" in the list of things to provide. Many artist support sites will say you should, however I disagree.
 
The Good Old Days
The days of sending promotional packets to labels are over. Packets sent to labels these days can be found at the nearest landfill. Promotional packets used to include a demo disc with up to three songs, and all the information about those songs. You would send it to a record label, and an A&R would possibly listen to it, then call you. Because of the rise in  artists due to technology advances, this practice is no longer... well... In practice. "Unsolicited Music" is no longer accepted by major labels, and you must be represented by an industry professional to get love.

Today's Promotional Packet
The delivery of the Promotional Packet has changed, but the importance of it has not. Promotional Packets appeal to business people, while your songs appeal to everyone else. Music Professionals do not care about your music, they care if money can be made from it.  So how does one use today's packet? You will find uses for it throughout your travels as an artist. When you are contacted by an industry professional, you will need to have this ready. You do not want to make them wait for anything, they tend to loose interest if your not prepared. Don't just use packets for A&R's, give them to business related people to validate your professionalism. Venue owners, agents, and managers would like to see this as well. It tells them that you are serious about your music.

To Include A Demo?
Some professionals may ask for a CD, however you will find most have heard your music before they contact you. If they do ask for one, it is most likely because they want to show you to someone else, which is a good thing. The CD you provide them should be a completed and packaged product. I guess it is not really a demo cd anymore now is it? I would suggest a single with no more than three songs, but we will discuss this in the next post.