Music Press Kit Template: A Practical EPK Checklist

A music press kit is not a pile of files someone has to sort through. It is a clean, accurate introduction to your artist project, built so a journalist, booker, curator, promoter, or collaborator can understand the music and contact the right person without asking for the basics twice. The strongest version is simple: one public link, current information, and only the materials that help the recipient make a decision.

Use this music press kit template as a working document before you turn it into a page, PDF, or public folder. Replace every bracket with facts you can stand behind. Then test the finished link on a phone and in a browser where you are not signed in. If a busy person can understand the artist, hear the music, see the visual world, and reach the right contact in a few minutes, the kit is doing its job.

Start with the one-sentence introduction.

Template: “[Artist name] is a [city]-based [genre or sound] artist whose new [single, EP, album, video, or live show] explores [real theme, story, or creative angle].”

This is the line that helps someone place the project quickly. It is not the moment for every influence, every milestone, or a string of big adjectives. Name the artist, give a truthful sense of the music, and connect the sentence to the moment you are asking someone to consider. If your release is a new single, say that. If you are pitching live dates, lead with the performance story instead.

Keep the wording human. “Baltimore singer and songwriter making warm R&B around late-night conversations” gives a reader a clearer starting point than “a versatile artist redefining music.” The first line does not need to explain the whole career. It needs to make the next click feel worthwhile.

Use a short bio, then keep a longer version ready.

Short bio template: “[Artist name] makes [sound] shaped by [real influences, place, or perspective]. Their current release, [title], centers on [truthful subject or moment]. [One relevant credit, release, live detail, or accomplishment, if real.]”

Write the short version in roughly 50 to 100 words. It should answer who the artist is, what the music sounds or feels like, and what is happening now. Journalists, playlist curators, and event teams often need this version because it can sit beside a photo, a release link, or a short announcement without taking over the page.

Then create a 150 to 250 word version for people who need more context. Add only details that support the current story: where the artist is from, a real turning point, an earlier release, the creative partnership behind the music, or a current live focus. The site’s artist bio guide can help you shape both versions without making either one sound copied from a résumé.

Put the music and the current release first.

Template: “Listen: [one public streaming link]. Current release: [title], available [release date]. Written by [credits only if confirmed]. Produced by [credits only if confirmed].”

Lead with one reliable listening link. A recipient should not have to request access, download a mystery file, or choose from ten unrelated tracks before they can hear what you are pitching. If the project needs context, add two or three supporting tracks below the lead song, with the strongest one first.

Check the link while signed out. A private SoundCloud draft, an unfinished distributor link, or a folder that asks for permission slows down the exact person you hoped would listen. If the song is unreleased, label it clearly and use the approved private link your recipient expects. When release day arrives, replace that with the public listening path and update the date everywhere at once.

The independent release guide is useful for lining up those details before the first pitch goes out. A press kit works best when the release date, title, collaborators, artwork, and links agree with the rest of the campaign.

Choose photos that a publication or promoter can actually use.

Template: “Press photos: [landscape photo link] and [portrait photo link]. Photo credit: [photographer name, if required]. Usage: [approved editorial use, if true].”

Include a small set of recent, high-quality images that look like the artist today. One landscape option and one portrait option cover most needs. Avoid screenshots, heavily filtered social graphics, old group shots that no longer reflect the project, or images with text across the subject. A writer should be able to recognize the artist at a glance and use the image without hunting through an unmarked folder.

Name the files clearly before sharing them. “Artist-name-press-photo-landscape.jpg” is easier to find than “IMG_4829-final-final.jpg.” If a photographer requires a credit or has specific usage terms, state that plainly. Do not claim broad permission you do not have.

Add proof carefully, not theatrically.

Template: “Selected press: [publication], [date], [link]. Live highlight: [venue, city, date]. Streaming milestone: [real figure and platform, if current].”

Proof can build confidence, but only when it is specific and real. A short list of reputable features, an upcoming confirmed show, a meaningful previous performance, a verified playlist add, or an accurate audience milestone may belong here. Link directly to the source when possible. If you are early in the process, it is perfectly fine to have no press section yet.

Never fill the gap with inflated streaming numbers, vague “as seen in” logos, purchased playlist claims, or quotes with no source. Those details create doubt faster than an honest, smaller kit. A clear new-artist presentation is more professional than a crowded page trying to look established.

Adapt the same kit to the person receiving it.

The core kit can stay the same while the order changes slightly for the opportunity. A journalist needs the current release, short bio, high-quality photo, and a quick explanation of why the story matters now. A venue booker needs to find a live-performance clip, location, recent dates, and booking contact without scrolling through unrelated release notes. A playlist curator needs the lead track, genre context, release timing, and a concise artist story.

Do not create three different artist identities to meet those needs. Create one accurate master kit, then make the most relevant material easier to spot in the pitch that accompanies it. If you are emailing a booker, lead the message with the live story and point to the performance material in the kit. If you are pitching a new single, lead with the record and its context. The page remains a dependable source of truth, while the outreach stays personal and useful.

This also makes updates less chaotic. When a new photo, review, show, or release replaces an older one, change it in the master kit first. Then every future conversation starts from the current version. That discipline keeps collaborators from accidentally sharing old bios, broken links, or artwork from a campaign that has already moved on.

Give each recipient the contact route they need.

Template: “Press: [name, email]. Booking: [name, email]. Management: [name, email]. Website: [URL]. Social: [primary profile links].”

Use a real contact name and email whenever possible. A general inbox is better than no way to reply, but a named person makes the relationship feel more accountable. Keep the roles separate only if different people handle them. If one person manages every request, say so once instead of repeating the same email under three labels.

Choose the links that help someone continue the conversation. Usually that is an official site, a primary social profile, and the platforms where listeners can hear the music. A crowded wall of every account the artist has ever opened is not useful. The goal is to keep the next step obvious.

Keep the format easy to open and easy to scan.

A single public web page is often the most flexible home for an EPK because it can hold streaming links, video, photos, and contact details in one place. A simple PDF can work too, particularly when a venue or radio team asks for a file. Keep the design calm enough that the music and information are doing the work. The reader should not have to zoom in on a phone or click through a maze of folders to find a bio.

Use headings that describe the content plainly: Bio, Listen, Watch, Press Photos, Current Release, Live, and Contact. A familiar structure lets someone jump to the part they need. Avoid auto-playing music, oversized files, a long introductory animation, or a page that opens with a password prompt. Those choices can make the kit feel more complicated than the artist project actually is.

Before every campaign, send the link to one trusted person who is not signed in to any of your accounts. Ask them to open it on their phone, play the song, follow the photo link, and find the contact email. Their experience is closer to a journalist’s or booker’s than yours will be after you have spent hours working inside the document.

Copy this final music press kit checklist.

Before sending, make sure the kit includes: artist name and one-sentence introduction; short and longer bio; one current listening link; release title and correct date; current press photos with any needed credit; selected real proof or live details; one clear contact route; and the links a recipient will actually use.

Then do a final review as the recipient. Can you understand the artist in one screen? Does the music open without a login? Are the photo files current? Does every date match? Is there a simple way to reply? If any answer is no, fix that before sending the kit to a writer, venue, playlist curator, or potential partner.

Spotify’s artist-profile guidance makes a useful related point: the story around the music should stay current and give listeners context. Your press kit is the same kind of promise. It should reflect the artist who is releasing and performing now, not the project from two years ago.

Turn the template into a repeatable release tool.

Save this template as the master version, then update it when the release, live schedule, photos, or contact details change. That gives every outreach effort a reliable base. When you prepare a blog pitch, send the relevant release link and kit. When you approach a booker, emphasize the live details and booking contact. When you introduce the project to a collaborator, lead with the artist story and strongest music.

Dyme Squad Music supports artists with music public relations, artist development, release planning, and media coordination. The goal is to help artists present real work with structure, not to promise attention that a journalist, booker, or curator must decide for themselves. If you need help turning the raw material into a usable release package, begin with the consultation route.