November 20, 2012TweetHow to Write an Artist Bio That Won't Get IgnoredBy Rob Daily of DailyUnsigned.comRob DailySo. You are in an unsigned band and everyone around you (this includes your peers) is telling you how important it is to have a bio on your band, and how that sweet bio is going to help you get signed and move your music career further along. Honestly, that is such BS! To be brutally honest, 99% of the bios that are sent out to the press, label execs, music managers and bloggers (that's me) never get read and most of them are tossed in the trashcan. Why, you ask? Because they are boring, terribly boring, and most of the time the content included in them is all fluff. And I get hundreds of these crappy bios on a daily basis.So what is a band to do to get its bio information out there? Glad you asked!Here is a music industry secret (and if you are reading this, please tell all of your band friends out there so you can make all of our lives that much better). I want you to imagine putting everything that is pertinent to your band on one sheet of paper. Not multiple sheets, not both sides of the sheet, just one side of the sheet. Now imagine putting enough content on that one sheet of paper in a way that tells everyone why they need to know about your band, and do this in a way that a fifth grader can understand! That's it - basic and to the point. Oh, and imagine that the fifth grader that is reading it has ADD too.Here is how you want to structure your band's "one sheet" and what content should be in it:Band logoName of the bandMember names and what they doWhat kind of music you play (DO NOT mention that you "sound like Blink 182 meets Eminem!" When you compare yourself to another band, you automatically set the mood for the potential listener)Where to find your music: PureVolume, ReverbNation, Bandcamp, SoundCloud, etc.Where the band is fromAverage age of the bandList of press accomplishments (if you have any quotes)How many plays, followers, likes, subscribers and video views you have on Twitter, Facebook and YouTubeA brief description of what your band is about...no more than 30 wordsContact informationAny equipment or product endorsementsHow many shows or tours you have doneIf you sold large quantities of song downloads or EPs, mention itIf you have/had radio play, mention where and whoWhat larger bands you have opened for. Keep it as brief and to the point as possible.I hope this helps all of you out!********Rob Daily is the curmudgeonly curator of DailyUnsigned.com, a premiere new music discovery site. Since launching in June 2010, Daily Unsigned has featured 100 artists of all genres that have gone on to sign record deals. The site's weekly newsletter is emailed every Friday to a growing subscription base of thousands of music industry professionals, new music fans and unsigned artists worldwide.
