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The job of an independent artist is as much about making music as it is being your own manager and publicist.
Between distribution and promotion, getting your music heard takes more than artistic talent.
Beyond connecting with fans, getting your music in the hands of managers, labels, promoters, and journalists also requires the right tools. An EPK, or electronic press kit, is a must-have for artists looking to be found. Fortunately, building one doesn’t have to be complicated — DistroKid’s Bandzoogle is a convenient option with all the tools artists need to get started.
An EPK is an artist website that fans can visit, and it also needs to include all the key information that booking agents, venues, and journalists need to quickly learn more about you. It’s also something of a digital resume and business card for artists. Here’s what artists need to know about EPKs and how to easily set one up.
What is an Electronic Press Kit for Musicians?
An electronic press kit contains everything that industry professionals and media need to know about you. The basics include an artist bio, which should be written in third person and include both a short version (a few sentences) and a long version.
EPKs should also have a variety of professional-looking photos, plus a touring calendar and any press coverage you may have gotten. Other essential features are links to social media and a contact form.
And of course, an EPK should clearly highlight your music. There should be links to your music on streaming services, as well as music videos. But a great EPK will include an embedded music player, so anyone can easily listen to your music without having to follow an external link.
How to Build an EPK
Fortunately for independent artists, building an EPK doesn’t have to detract from time that would be spent writing and recording. The right tool can make it easy to highlight your work and bio in an easy-to-access way.
Bandzoogle, DistroKid’s site-building tool, ticks a lot of the boxes that independent artists need to build a professional-looking EPK. The easy templates and themes let you create a site that feels true to you, with no site-building experience required. You can also customize fonts and colors.
An advantage of Bandzoogle is the easily embeddable links and videos. Bandzoogle is integrated with DistroKid, one of the leading music distributors for independent artists. That means you can easily import your discography to your EPK, rather than uploading your tracks one at a time.
Bandzoogle also lets your site grow as your audience does, letting you expand from a one-sheet to a full-fledged website (so you can get back to performing).
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