Commentary
I have created my Electronic Press Kit to present to audiences who I am as an artist and what I do and am further looking to do. Its purpose is to catch the attention of the people who look at it and hope that it makes them want to check out my websites and social media pages so they can see through them too my upcoming music and more personal posts that show me recording music or little promotional videos that promote new music, or even sometimes bold statements that and catch their attention. The structure of my Electronic Press Kit starts with the artist bio. I believe starting with the bio clearly tells them about me, a glimpse into the things I do and have done as well. It also gives them a small idea about my music. Then on the next parts, I dive more into my experiences and skills as well as interests and ambitions. I believe discussing this next gives the people viewing my EPK a chance to try and connect with me or relate to me. Then I give the links to my website and social media to allow them to take a look if they have liked what they have seen and want to look further into me as an artist. Right now, I believe my content is quite good for the stage I am at right now. As I develop further, I want to have a bigger following and be more confident on more social media sites than just Facebook and Instagram, especially TikTok as it is definitely the most popular social media site for people if my age, which are my target audience. I think I struggle with how personal it is and would prefer just to post statements or promo videos on Facebook. I really need to reflect on this and work on it to branch myself out to more people. I also need to get more professional photos which is a current financial struggle as the photos I currently do have were taken on an iPhone and not a quality camera. I am hoping to be able to afford a photographer when I next go out and have more photos done so they look a lot more professional. When it comes to the content I create and also my image I try to stick to one theme and aesthetic which is red and black. I have always liked those two colours and I think they go really well together. These colours are used a lot. Particularly on my website but also the colours I I wear on most of the pictures you can see on my EPK. I believe sticking to a certain theme also makes your social media look a lot more professional and aesthetically pleasing for viewers. Also maintaining the professional look will come in handy if someone from a record label or a producer ever comes across the page.
My audience is people who are around my age. Most of my followers, particularly on Instagram are mainly female and between 18-25. My EPK fits this audience because its mentions about creating new music that will come out and people that are younger and follow me also see this information meaning they will be more likely to pre save and listen to it. Standard practice in the field of singer/songwriter as well as performing revolves around a combination of the creative development, liver performances, networking on social media as well as promoting your music. ‘For these artists, who write, record, and perform their own original songs, song writing is first and foremost a form of expression’ (Welch, N/A) On a daily basis, most singers practice their songs or spend time writing music as well as playing their instruments. ‘Song writing is another important activity that many singers engage in. This involves creating melodies and lyrics for new songs. Recording music is also a significant part of a singer’s day. This could be for a new album, a single, or other purposes such as soundtracks or commercials. Performing live is another key aspect of a singer’s daily life. This could involve rehearsing for concerts, doing sound checks, meeting with fans, and of course, performing on stage’ (Swinddlehurst, October 2023) As a musician, some days I really do fit in with this and then others I fall behind. I am beginning to spend a lot more time writing songs and music then I used to, as well as posting on social media constantly which is something I never used to do a lot. I always sing and keep my voice warmed up and I do regular live performances. However, at the moment these are cover gigs to earn a bit of extra cash. I dislike the idea of keeping up to doing certain things every day. Sometimes it seems a little bit unrealistic and very pressurising and you feel guilty if you can’t keep up to the standards everyone else creates.
While an EPK itself isn’t a financial or a legal document, creating one can involve a lot of legal and financial considerations. First of all, the cost of production when it comes to things like graphic design, photography, and website fees. I fall very lucky as my mother creates websites and does graphic design as her daytime job so I am able to go to her with ideas and she can create artwork and websites for me without charging. As an artist you also have to think about paying for studio time and paying a producer to mix and master. In terms of legal elements, you also have to think about copyright and licensing. ‘Copyright is the right to prevent copying so the owner of copyright can prevent others copying their work without their permission. In the UK, the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended, (“the Act”), gives creators further important rights over their creations’ (Union, October 2023) Making sure that you have the rights to all the videos, photos and artwork that has been included. You also have to make sure that all music included is properly copyrighted and registered with PRS.
I have spent time chatting with other students about their own Electronic Press Kits to gain ideas and share my thoughts and offer suggestions for theirs. I explained to them about who I was as an artist and what audience I wanted to offer my music to as well as which other artists inspire me. I spent time showing students some artwork and website ideas before my website went live and a lot of them said it gives them Chappell Roan vibes which made me very happy to hear as that is who I am inspired by, and I didn’t have to tell them that for them to say it to me. I showed them the links I have attached to my EPK which led to my Facebook page where they said that my page looked like it was run by an artist who has already made it in the music industry. I showed some students my artists bio and they told me I needed to talk more about my original music (even though my songs haven’t come out yet) and really sell it more than I previously did so that it really persuades people to give it a listen. These pointers have helped me to develop more professionally. Over the last year I have begun to be more professional, in terms of image and my networking and marketing skills. I have been able to make it clearer who I want to be as an artist and also what I want as well. Whilst when I was in the Foundation Year, I was telling everyone who asked me that I didn’t know what I want, and I’ll see where these next year’s take me. Moving forward I would still like to make more improvements. I need to become more comfortable on social media as that is such a huge thing in this day and age and begin posting things more relevant to people my age on more age relevant platforms like TikTok. I also need to go out more and seek live performances that aren’t just cover gigs but performances that allow me to sing my original music to people that would appreciate it. Overall, I have come a lot further in my professional career and have been making small developments over the last year that has really helped me to know how to get my music across to the people that would enjoy it. As I develop, there will be a lot more improvements to make.
Bibliography
Swinddlehurst, K., October 2023. Zippia. [Online]
Available at: https://www.zippia.com/answers/what-do-singers-do-on-a-daily-basis/
[Accessed April 2025].
Union, M., October 2023. Musicians Union. [Online]
Available at: https://musiciansunion.org.uk/working-performing/recording-and-broadcasting/music-copyright-performers-rights-in-sound-recordings#:~:text=So%2C%20as%20regards%20to%20the,the%20owner%20of%20the%20recording.
[Accessed May 2025].
Welch, G., N/A. Berklee. [Online]
Available at: https://www.berklee.edu/careers/roles/performing-songwriter
[Accessed April 2025].
