SHR4C007R~002 Option 2: Electronic Press Kit Template
Task 1: Electronic Press Kit
Task 2: Supporting Commentary
An electronic press kit may be essential for me and my future careers in the music industry as it allows people who may want to work with me in the future as they will be able to see my skills, achievements, and be able to find my contact details. An electronic press kit may be particularly important for my specific niche as the label of “Pop guitarist/bassist specialising in Rock and Metal’ is a very competitive field. Therefore, it may be pertinent to ensure I stand out in the vast array of others alike myself.
My electronic press kit is structured in order to keep the most important information near the top. This is so that people are immediately informed of my background and overall image as a musician. I have put a video of me playing underneath that so people can directly see my ability as a guitarist and bassist. Next to this I have put my influences and teachers to show where the inspiration for my sound has come from. Underneath that I have put reviews which mainly focus on how I am to work with and elements that may not be apparent from videos or pictures. This is to ensure whoever may see it that the information listed previously is not cherry-picked and that other people have positive things to say. Underneath that I have listed my specific skills. This is important as it will ensure that whoever reads my electronic press kit will tailor work to my specific skillset. Underneath that I have put my aspirations and specific proficiencies. This is to certify to whoever reads my electronic press kit that the job they have put before me is in line with what I want to do in the future and what I am already good at. I have put this next to a track that I featured on. This is to show some of the professional work I have already done, showing that I am experienced. Finally, I have put my contact details. This is so that I can be contacted about any work information someone may want to give me.
Some of the pictures are not as high quality as they should be, but I will be able to get more as I do more work, specifically live gigs. I intend to put more examples of achievements and experiences on there once I have more.
I have chosen purple to be the main colour for the background of my electronic press kit as it is used by many others in a similar style as it is modern. Due to it being a dark colour, it is regarded as authoritative and serious, which ensures my electronic press kit is taken seriously.
An electronic press kit is a very useful tool in making sure you can be found in the vast musical market, however a more modern tool to achieve this is social media, such as Instagram or TikTok. Due to Instagram being far more informal than an electronic press kit, it is more likely for people to accidentally stumble across your page, when compared to an electronic press kit. This means that it is likely to gain more traction and online attention than an electronic press kit, which is very useful for musicians and creatives as success is largely judged by numbers. This may lead to some believing that Instagram is a more useful tool than an electronic press kit in the modern age. This is because social media allows for you to connect with your audience better than an electronic press kit an create a relationship with them. This leads to a greater reputation and stronger fanbase. Instagram is also seen as an ‘easier’ or more relaxed platform to upload content to in comparison to an electronic press kit, which is more formal. This allows for easier access to discover musicians and creatives. In fact, it is now possible for musicians to make a living purely off of social media, with the new age of the “Instagram guitarists” such as Mateus Asato (Von Bader, 2020). However, Instagram may still be looked down on by a potential future collaborator. This is because it is seen as an application used by children and this looks unprofessional if you want to secure genuine work. This may turn away potential work, which is the exact opposite of its intention. Overall, I would assert that Instagram and social medias alike are very useful tools for digital engagement in the modern age, which is why I have included links to my Instagram and TikTok pages in my electronic press kit.
My audience would likely be professionals in the music industry, given that I intend to work with those people, as I have made clear in my electronic press kit. This may range from songwriters to promoters to producers to gig venues. I have suited my electronic press kit to fit this audience by ensuring I use formal language in it as to look professional. I have also only included relevant information and excluded personal matters.
• What is standard practice in your field/what do others do? Analyse – what you like,
dislike, where do you fit in etc.
Including elements such as previous experiences, styles, skills, and links to other social media is common on guitarist’s electronic press kits, especially those that are on websites. This can be seen for example in Mateus Asato’s website (Asato, 2024), which functions as an electronic press kit for him. However, it may be crucial to ensure that my electronic press kit stands out from the rest. In order to do this, I have used different colours than expected and made it clear where exactly I excel.
This electronic press kit will drive revenue as it will be a useful tool for professionals who want to work with me to see my experience and abilities. This will mean that because of this electronic press kit I should be offered job opportunities that I will receive money from. It may not therefore be the case that I make money directly from the electronic press kit, but indirectly instead, as I shall make money from people who would not have heard of me if it weren’t for this electronic press kit. This is true because I have targeted this electronic press kit towards a professional audience, therefore meaning that it is only likely that the people who see the electronic press kit are seeking someone with my skills in order to pay them for work.
In order to maintain and modernise this electronic press kit, several costs will be necessary. This includes but is not limited to, photography, design updates, and portfolio work. As previously mentioned, I will seek to increase the quality of some of the images on the electronic press kit in order to make it more professional. In order to do this, hiring a professional photographer may be necessary. This will ensue high costs.
It may be useful to consider marketing this electronic press kit in order to boost its popularity. A common way to do that is through social media marketing. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and most social media sites run with adverts which you can pay for. These can be targeted towards people with interests in music and creativity. This will be useful for ensuring that the marketing for this electronic press kit is worth the money and it will not be a cost I see no return for.
In the WITCI seminars that take place every two weeks, my electronic press kit plan was discussed numerous times with my peers. They gave numerous comments on how to improve my electronic press kit. One included adding more parts about my experiences and skills specifically on bass guitar. This is something that I will look to add in the future as I currently do not have access to any content of myself on bass that is high-quality enough to add to my electronic press kit. In other discussions, it was discussed that I should attempt to obtain photographs and videos in a more professional setting that in my room or in Leeds Conservatoire studios. This is important as if I want to impress other creatives, it will be pertinent to give belief that I have experience in professional contexts. A good way to show this is visual information for example, in the form of photos and videos. I therefore will need to obtain this in more professional settings.
Overall, an electronic press kit is very useful to my future career as a musician and I have made a promising start to a professional electronic press kit. However, there is still room to improve and it will be necessary to continue working on it consistently to keep it up to date with my improvements as a musician and the industry as a whole.
Von Bader, D. (2020) 5 Instagram guitarists to watch in 2020. Available online: https://www.guitarworld.com/features/5-instagram-guitarists-to-watch-in-2020 [Accessed 15/05/25]
Asato, M. (2024) Mateus Asato. Available online: https://mateusasato.com/en-us/ [Accessed 15/05/25]
