Getting together an EPK!

outbreak525

outbreak525

Member
Jun 15, 2010
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(Electronic Press Kit)

Hey guys, my band just dropped a new album and we're working on playing our first shows and coming out really legit with backtracks and all the good stuff!
I definitely think our music has more than enough potential to make a label money and to me my life isn't complete till I can travel the world and play my music to people everywhere.

I just need help with getting an Electronic Press Kit together, attractive enough so that all the labels will WANT to check it out, so they DO check it out and HOPEFULLY it blows their minds :Smokedev:

So I need help doing just that! Anyone preferably with label experience wanna lend a brother a helping hand?
 
We made ours a few months ago (now outdated) but we've sent it to a few labels (and a few have asked) and it's gotten good results so far...

http://wormwoodprophecymetal.com/press-kit/ (digital)

402095_313321798715719_224968467551053_851319_1126343305_n.jpg
 
Sloan said:
You should have a website that has all the info anyone interested in your band needs. Please have a music player near the top and don't make it auto play.
Click to expand...

What do labels want to see specifically in the press kit?
Your discography, band bio, member bio, show photos, show videos, update videos, and all the like?
 
Don't confuse what Jon/Wormwood Prophecy have done with an electronic press kit! It's really a "show yourself to labels as hardworking and desperate to make it"-kit.

An electronic press kit is this: http://www.faderhead.com/epk because it's a) electronic (as opposed to printed) and b) geared at the press or anyone who wants to write/report/promote your band. Not much in the Wormwood Prophecy kit helped with that - which is why I'd rather call it a "printed-label-kit".

To the OP: in general I agree with the "your website" comment that was posted above. What Wormwood Prophecy have done is a very detailed behind-the-scenes look at what they do. If I was a label getting that from them, I'd know that they are hungry and are aware of the current time and market requirements. I'd also know that I could exploit the living shit out of them because they "want it bad". It might help getting them signed but personally don't think that it's the best possible approach because it makes the band look "small". Labels don't want "small". They want "on the rise and past small". Labels want bands that don't actually need labels, because that means: little effort and maximum possibility of income.

Btw: All of this is completely void if someone somewhere totally digs your music. :)
 
JonWormwood: I like your work ethics and structured thinking. How much response from sending out those kits have you received?

Also: with your current setup, why not do the labelwork yourself? If you can front the cash necessary, you'll be much better off in the end.
 
smy1 said:
Don't confuse what Jon/Wormwood Prophecy have done with an electronic press kit! It's really a "show yourself to labels as hardworking and desperate to make it"-kit.

An electronic press kit is this: http://www.faderhead.com/epk because it's a) electronic (as opposed to printed) and b) geared at the press or anyone who wants to write/report/promote your band. Not much in the Wormwood Prophecy kit helped with that - which is why I'd rather call it a "printed-label-kit".

To the OP: in general I agree with the "your website" comment that was posted above. What Wormwood Prophecy have done is a very detailed behind-the-scenes look at what they do. If I was a label getting that from them, I'd know that they are hungry and are aware of the current time and market requirements. I'd also know that I could exploit the living shit out of them because they "want it bad". It might help getting them signed but personally don't think that it's the best possible approach because it makes the band look "small". Labels don't want "small". They want "on the rise and past small". Labels want bands that don't actually need labels, because that means: little effort and maximum possibility of income.

Btw: All of this is completely void if someone somewhere totally digs your music. :)
Click to expand...

Haha you see, I BELIEVE our music is way past small!
But if my band had both this EPK (done right!) and freakin' awesome music it would be twice as effective?
 
outbreak: everyone believes that about their music. Most of the time your own belief doesn't mean anything to the rest of the world.

The fact that you don't even have a website means that you are below small - you don't even exist. Regardless of how you think about your music.
 
I'm on the right track, I have confidence.
We are running off of Bandcamp for the moment.
Are you saying I need a domain name to exist? (nemora.com or what-have-you)
 
smy1 said:
JonWormwood: I like your work ethics and structured thinking. How much response from sending out those kits have you received?

Also: with your current setup, why not do the labelwork yourself? If you can front the cash necessary, you'll be much better off in the end.
Click to expand...

We've gotten typically 'they look amazing', I believe where we are going with the physical ones is the right direction but haven't proved to make any extra ground with them. Each CD has a PDF version that some labels require oddly. They are off info from 6-8 months ago and we have grown quite since the inception of the PK so an update is necessary.

As far as fronting the cash, I wouldn't even know where to start. It's something I never thought about really. It's a possibility...
 
Outbreak: no offense, but yea, you need a domain name to exist. I listened to one track off of your bandcamp and I'm sorry but I did not want to listen to another track. Of course music is always a highly subjective topic, but I think you are such beginners at everything that I wouldn't even start looking at labels right now.

1) get a coherent sound and image going
2) get a website up that goes with that image
3) start gigging and driving people to that website by being good at online promotion
4) once you sell 1000+ CDs per release, then look at labels.

Good luck.
 
JonWormwood: the typical financial situation for releasing a CD properly on your own label is as follows.

Studio costs = $ ???? (I self-produce so it's 0)
Mastering = $300-500
Pressing (1000 CDs) = $1800-2000 (can be cheaper, but I don't recommend cheapest option)
Shipping costs = $500
Poster/Flyer = $500
Ad-Buys in metal magazines = $3000
Music Video (self-produced) = $1000
Digital Distro = $50
Possibly tour buy on = $300-500 per show
Merch order = $1000

Approximately $9000 for a release. My newest one is above 10k Euro at the moment, but I spent more money on videos/visuals.

Advantages of fronting this cash and being on your own label:

- you get 100% of the digital income
- you get 100% of the physical income (if you ever had to pay 6-7 bucks to your label for buying your own CD so you can sell them at merch, then you'll know how much that sucks)
- you get 100% of the merch income
- you get to decide on everything
- every $ that comes in goes into your band fund because everything is pre-paid already

I can't imagine going back to an indie label that does what I do, just worse ...
 
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