If you've ever tried to pitch an artist to a festival, venue, or playlist curator, you've probably been asked for an EPK. But what exactly is an electronic press kit, and why does everyone in the music industry seem to need one?
An EPK (Electronic Press Kit) is a digital portfolio that showcases everything a music industry professional needs to know about an artist. Think of it as a one-page resume, business card, and promotional package rolled into one. Instead of scattering links across emails and hoping the right person finds the right file, an EPK puts your best assets front and center.
Whether you're a booking agent pitching artists to promoters or an artist managing your own career, a well-crafted EPK can mean the difference between getting booked and getting ignored.
Why Every Artist Needs an EPK
Before diving into what goes into an EPK, it's worth understanding why they matter in the first place.
Music industry professionals are busy. Festival bookers review hundreds of submissions. Venue talent buyers field pitches daily. Playlist curators receive thousands of tracks per week. An EPK cuts through this noise by packaging everything they need to make a decision in one convenient location.
Here's what a solid EPK accomplishes:
- Saves time for decision-makers: No hunting through email threads or clicking multiple links
- Presents a professional image: Shows you take your career seriously
- Provides social proof: Press quotes, streaming numbers, and achievements build credibility
- Makes sharing easy: One link to forward to their team or partners
- Stays current: Unlike printed press kits, you can update it anytime
The music industry has largely moved past physical press kits with CDs, photos, and printed bios. Today's EPK lives online and works harder because it can be updated, tracked, and shared instantly.
The 8 Essential Components of an EPK
A complete EPK includes eight core elements. Miss any of these, and you're making it harder for people to book or promote your artist.
1. Artist Biography
Your biography tells the story of who you are and why people should care. But here's the thing: you need multiple versions.
Short bio (50-100 words): The elevator pitch. Use this for social media profiles, quick email introductions, and festival program guides.
Medium bio (200-300 words): Covers your origin, sound, notable achievements, and current projects. This is what most press outlets will use.
Long bio (500+ words): The full story for feature articles or in-depth press coverage. Include your journey, influences, milestone moments, and artistic vision.
All bios should be written in third person ("They have toured with..." not "We have toured with..."). This makes it easy for journalists and promoters to copy-paste directly into their materials.
Start with your most impressive recent achievement. If you've opened for a major artist, landed a sync placement, or hit a streaming milestone, lead with that. First impressions matter.
2. Professional Photography
Visual content drives the music industry. You need high-quality images that venues, festivals, and media can use for promotion.
What to include:
- Horizontal and vertical orientations (social media needs both)
- Color and black-and-white options
- Live performance shots showing energy
- Posed promotional photos for editorial use
- High-resolution files (300 DPI minimum for print)
Avoid amateur photos, blurry images, or shots that don't match your artistic brand. If your music is high-energy electronic, dark moody photos from a coffee shop don't fit.
Pro tip: Include a PNG of your logo or artist name graphic. Venues often create event flyers and need assets they can drop directly into their designs.
3. Music
This is the core of your EPK. Make it easy for people to listen to your best work.
Best practices:
- Lead with your strongest tracks, not chronologically
- Include 3-5 songs maximum (don't overwhelm)
- Embed playable audio directly in the EPK when possible
- Link to streaming platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, SoundCloud)
- Consider offering downloadable files for radio or sync licensing
If you're pitching for a specific opportunity, adjust the song selection. Festival booker? Lead with high-energy tracks. Chill playlist curator? Showcase your mellow side.
4. Video Content
Video demonstrates what you bring to a live performance, something audio alone can't convey.
Essential videos:
- Live performance footage (professionally shot if possible)
- Official music videos for recent releases
- Behind-the-scenes content showing your personality
- Interview clips or documentary segments
Quality matters. A shaky phone recording from the back of a venue won't impress bookers. If professional live footage isn't available yet, a well-produced lyric video or visualizer can work as a placeholder.
5. Press Coverage and Reviews
Social proof builds credibility. If respected publications or blogs have written about your music, showcase it.
How to present press:
- Pull the best quote from each review
- Include the publication name and link to the full article
- Use logos of well-known outlets for visual impact
- Keep quotes concise (one or two sentences)
No press yet? Testimonials from venues, promoters, or collaborators work too. A quote from a festival booker saying your artist delivered a memorable set carries weight.
6. Highlights and Achievements
This section proves your track record. List concrete accomplishments that demonstrate momentum.
Examples:
- Total streaming numbers (be specific: "5 million Spotify streams")
- Radio play (station names and countries)
- Festival performances and notable venues
- Tour support slots with established acts
- Awards and nominations
- Sync placements (TV shows, films, commercials)
- Press features and interviews
Update this section regularly. Last year's stats feel outdated if you've grown significantly since then.
7. Social Media and Streaming Links
Make it effortless for industry professionals to find you everywhere you exist online.
Include links to:
- Spotify artist profile
- Apple Music
- YouTube channel
- TikTok (especially for emerging artists)
- Official website
List your most active and relevant platforms first. If you have 50,000 Instagram followers but 200 Twitter followers, lead with Instagram.
Important: Authentic engagement matters more than raw follower counts. Savvy bookers check engagement rates. Buying fake followers will backfire when they notice your 100,000 followers generate 12 likes per post.
8. Contact Information
Clear contact details might seem obvious, but many EPKs bury this information or leave it out entirely.
Include:
- Booking contact (name and email)
- Management contact
- Press/PR contact (if different)
- Record label contact (if applicable)
If you handle multiple roles yourself, create professional email addresses for each function (e.g., booking@artistname.com, press@artistname.com). This looks more established than routing everything through a personal Gmail.
How to Create Your EPK
Now that you know what to include, here's how to put it all together.
Option 1: Dedicated EPK Page on Your Website
The most professional approach is hosting your EPK on your official website. This keeps traffic on your domain and gives you full control over design and analytics.
Create a dedicated page (e.g., yourartistsite.com/epk or yourartistsite.com/press) with all eight elements organized cleanly. Make sure files are downloadable with one click.
Option 2: EPK Builder Platforms
Several platforms specialize in EPK creation:
- Bandzoogle: Website builder with built-in EPK features
- ReverbNation: Free EPK builder with customization options
- Electronic Press Kit (epkbuilder.com): Dedicated EPK creation tool
These work well if you don't have a web developer or want a quick solution. The trade-off is less customization and hosting your content on someone else's platform.
Option 3: PDF EPK
A downloadable PDF works for situations where you need to attach something directly to an email rather than send a link.
Keep it under 10MB so it doesn't clog inboxes. Include all essential information but link out to videos and full music rather than embedding massive files.
EPK Best Practices
Creating an EPK is just the start. These practices help yours stand out.
Keep It Updated
An EPK with 2022 statistics and a bio mentioning your "upcoming debut album" (that released two years ago) screams neglect. Review and update your EPK quarterly at minimum, or whenever significant milestones occur.
Design for Scanning
Industry professionals skim EPKs quickly. Use clear headings, bullet points, and visual hierarchy. If someone can't find your contact info or streaming numbers in 10 seconds, they might give up.
Tailor for the Opportunity
A generic EPK works for most situations, but customizing for specific opportunities increases your success rate. Pitching to a jazz festival? Lead with jazz influences in your bio and your most relevant tracks. Going after a corporate booking? Emphasize professionalism and past corporate event experience.
Include a Call to Action
What do you want the person viewing your EPK to do next? Book a show? Add you to a playlist? Interview you? Make the next step clear with a direct call to action and the relevant contact information.
Test Your Links
Nothing kills credibility faster than broken links. Check every single link in your EPK before sending it anywhere. Test from different devices and browsers.
Common EPK Mistakes to Avoid
Even experienced artists and managers make these errors.
Too much content: Your EPK should be comprehensive, not overwhelming. Five strong songs beat fifteen tracks nobody has time to hear.
Outdated information: Old photos, expired tour dates, or stats from years ago make you look inactive.
Buried contact information: If bookers can't find how to reach you easily, they'll move on to someone who makes it easier.
Low-quality assets: Pixelated photos, compressed audio, and shaky video undermine your professionalism.
Ego over usefulness: Long philosophical artist statements and obscure references don't help someone decide whether to book you. Be practical.
When to Use Your EPK
Your EPK should be your go-to resource whenever you're pitching for opportunities:
- Submitting to festivals and venues
- Pitching to playlist curators
- Approaching media for press coverage
- Seeking management or booking representation
- Applying for showcases and conferences
- Pursuing sync licensing opportunities
- Connecting with record labels
Include your EPK link in your email signature, social media bios, and any submission forms that ask for additional information.
Making Your EPK Work Harder
For artist managers and booking agents handling multiple artists, creating and maintaining EPKs is an ongoing task. Each artist needs their own kit, and each kit needs regular updates.
This is where organization becomes critical. Track which version of the EPK you've sent to which contacts. Monitor which assets are getting the most engagement. Update streaming numbers and press coverage as they happen rather than scrambling before a big pitch.
The right systems turn EPK management from a chaotic scramble into a streamlined process. Tools designed for artist management can help you maintain professional materials across your entire roster without duplicating effort.
Your EPK Checklist
Before sending your EPK anywhere, verify it includes:
- Short, medium, and long artist bios (third person)
- High-resolution photos (horizontal, vertical, color, B&W)
- Logo/artist name graphic (PNG format)
- 3-5 best tracks with streaming links
- Video content (live footage or music videos)
- Press quotes with publication credits
- Achievement highlights with specific numbers
- Social media and streaming profile links
- Clear contact information for booking, press, and management
- All links tested and working
Conclusion
An EPK is more than a promotional document. It's your artist's professional calling card in an industry that moves fast and values presentation. A well-crafted electronic press kit shows bookers, promoters, and media that you're serious about your career and easy to work with.
Start with the eight essential components, keep everything current, and make sure the information people need most is easy to find. Your EPK won't book shows by itself, but it gives every pitch you send a better chance of getting the attention it deserves.
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FAQ: Electronic Press Kits
What does EPK stand for?
EPK stands for Electronic Press Kit. It's a digital collection of promotional materials that artists use to pitch themselves to venues, festivals, media, and other music industry professionals.
How long should an EPK be?
An EPK should be comprehensive but scannable. Include all eight essential components (bio, photos, music, video, press, achievements, social links, contact info) but organize them so decision-makers can find what they need in under 60 seconds.
Do I need an EPK if I'm just starting out?
Yes. Even emerging artists benefit from having an EPK. Start with what you have. A short bio, a few quality photos, your best tracks, and contact information are enough to begin. Build out the press and achievements sections as your career develops.
Should I include my rider in my EPK?
No. Your EPK is for pitching and promotion. Technical requirements like your artist rider come later in the booking conversation, typically after initial interest is established.
How often should I update my EPK?
Review your EPK quarterly at minimum. Update immediately after major milestones like new releases, significant press coverage, notable shows, or hitting streaming benchmarks. Outdated EPKs signal an inactive artist.
