Task 1: Electronic Press Kit
Task 2: Supporting Commentary
Reason and Purpose for EPK
The reason I made this EPK was to help promote myself to record labels, any artists interested in collaborating and to advertise my skillset to anyone interested in needing a producer, recording/ mixing engineer or a session player. My aim for this EPK is to help with collaborating with other people and to get my name out there and so people know what I enjoy producing and playing.
EPK Structure
My EPK has quite a simple structure, so it is easy to navigate for the audience. The intro page of my EPK has a video which contains clips of me working with an artist in the studio as I felt it helps to portray what I do immediately rather than having to read. I think that the video prompt is a nice touch rather than just a still photo as it may stand out in comparison to other producer EPKs. The main body of writing is in the Biography as this helps to give context on what I do and my background within music. I added a photo I had of myself working in the studio alongside my bio.
The next section in my EPK is my skills and experience as I felt this summarises some of what was said in my bio but in a bullet point format. I did this as I thought if someone was to scan read the EPK then they are more likely to understand what I do based off reading the skills and experience section instead of the biography as the information isn’t as condensed. I also added in a photo of me in a recent recording session micing a string trio as I thought it’s nice to see photos of me in working. However I would replace this with a better photo, but I do not have many photos of me in the studio that are high enough quality for an EPK.
I then had a ‘services offered’ and links section as it allows people to read what I do and then check out anything I have released so people are able to see if my services appeal to them. I added a link to a song I produced called ‘Clue me’ by Rosa Neather as it is a good example of what I do. I also added a photo of the album cover as I felt it was a nice touch.
I then had a testimonial page, with testimonials from artists that I have worked with as either a producer or as a session player. Finally, I had a photo of me and some others working in the studio as the background of the last photo alongside a ‘let’s collab’ and my contact info I.e., email and Instagram tag.
Image selection
The image selections were well thought as I wanted to portray myself as more of a producer who can session play rather than a session musician. So, I ensured that the photos I chose linked to me producing/ recording rather than me performing or session playing. All photos selected of me show me in a studio environment to best portray that I am not a performer and this should show my audience that I am a producer first not a session player.
Is an EPK relevant today?
I think an EPK has its relevance today, but many would argue that Instagram has replaced the need for an EPK. When collaborating with people now, it is often through Instagram and people will upload professional photos, have an artist bio and links to their work. However, an EPK is still much more professional and if for example, you are looking for work with a record label or a film production company, the EPK would be more helpful in helping you advertise yourself for the job instead of Instagram. You can also change your EPK depending on who you are trying to market yourself to as you may want to change the focus point of your EPK if you are trying to find work as a producer, in comparison to a session musician.
Professional Development
Writing this EPK has given me a chance to reflect on what I think my professional qualities are and what professional qualities are desirable in an employer or potential artist to work with. I would say that I am always conscious of time management as it is crucial in a studio environment due to them only being booked for an amount of time and you can’t usually go over. I am good at working to deadlines, as I am an organised person. I found it is important to try to portray these traits in the EPK and the easiest way for key to do this was through the use of testimonials as it is someone else commenting on these traits which feels more believable than someone saying it about themselves.
Evaluation
I think the format of my EPK is quite good and easy for the audience to use. The biography is a bit ‘wordy’ and may not appeal to some as they may want to skim read. I think that my photo selection is ok as they portray me as a producer. However, they could be much better photos, but I do not have many professional photos but ideally in the future, I would use professional photos. I would also like to have more things I have worked on to be released so I can link it in my EPK. I think another way I could have improved my EPK would have been to attach some audio files of some pieces of music I have produced as it would allow me to show some variety in style and genre. I would also have liked to have added a clip from a film where I had re-done the sound and music, But I was unable to find the file.
Evidence of Group Work
In the first ground seminar, we discussed ideas on how to format your EPK and what would and wouldn’t appeal to other people. We discussed colour schemes and how they can cause someone to be perceived. We agreed that though the bright colour schemes stand out they are not always the best choices and that some of the more simple and duller tones are better choices and often look more class and contemporary.
We also discussed photo selection in this session, and all agreed that professional photos of you either performing or producing in my case were the best option but if you didn’t have any of those then you should something of your in your desired environment.
In the second session, my group recommended that I link the song that I worked on that has been released. They said it is a good example of my work and that it should be easily accessible to anyone that viewing my EPK. Lucas recommended that I use the videos I have of myself in a recording session with shadow rather than photos for the front cover of my EPK. The whole group agreed that this would help me to stand out compared to other music producers.
My group also recommended that I should one main emphasis of the EPK and shouldn’t attempt to market too many different avenues. They recommended that I exaggerate the fact that I am a producer rather than a session musician but to still ensure that people know I am a classically trained musician as this may interest some people and could possibly link me to a different avenue of work based of this fact.
I did not have anything about prices or costs in my EPK. My group was split about this as they thought the EPK should lead to people reaching out and contacting you rather than booking you immediately. We then agreed that costs and pricing should be dependant based on what you are trying to advertise to your audience. If you are a session player, it may be useful to know how much you charge per session, whereas it may be harder if you are a producer as each project could be different and would costs different prices. You could possibly have a set fee for how much you charge for one mix.
We discussed as to whether it is necessary to specify what equipment you use or are familiar with, but it was hard to tell whether that was an advantage or a disadvantage as it may limit you as people may think it is all you can use. For this reason, I chose to keep any mentioning of specific equipment out of my EPK as I thought it may do more harm than good.
