them. It may contain gig venues, musical styles(s), key performances with audience num-
bers, if possible, etc. It all that quantifiable data.
Biographies
In some instances, you can address key bio information in the backgrounder. For ex-
ample, if the kit is about an individual. In other cases, it makes more sense to create a
"Bios" page. This is a couple of paragraphs about each key player in the band. The bio
should list the person's instrument, other bands they’ve play with, awards, key responsi-
bilities, relevant education and experience and the likes. But keep it brief. A couple of
paragraphs should do the trick.
The Act and the Music
This is a page or pages that outline your tunes, albums, merchandise and similar stuff.
In a business press kit, this would be the Products & Services page. The main thing to re-
member here is focusing on benefits, not features. Lots of people get hung up with their
offering's swell bells and whistles, but that's not usually what's important to writers, edi-
tors and readers-in-general. They want to know what’s in it for them and their readers and
why they should they care.
Past Press Coverage
Got press? Include it. Journalists are usually more comfortable printing something
about you when they know somebody else took the risk before them. Reprints from mag-
azines are handy for this and they look better than copies with shadowy spine folds or
crooked placement. You can, for a fee, request magazine reprints from publications where
you’ve been featured. If you can afford it, it’s the way to go. Professional reprints look a
lot better than copies.