Promo packs/one sheets

[Next to Nothing]

Getting ready to do an official one of these (Finally) and wanted to ask some of you very experienced folks for input.

 

We are an original band and are basically trying to get into some other venues.

 

The two main questions I have are:

 

1. how important is the 'band photo'?

 

2. Are cd-r's acceptable to send out? We dont really feel like paying the cost to have cd's pressed just for a promo pack. Of course, we would do nice laser printed labels, etc. But it is still a cd-r. I imagine most of these just end up on the floor anyway.

 

Any input is appreciated!

 

-j

[Lee Flier]

CDR's are fine for gig demos. In fact some venue owners seem to prefer them over pressed "release" CD's because they presume you've done a lot of studio trickery on your studio releases. With Autotune and all the other available technology these days, a lot of venue owners have been burned by bands who sound fine on their CD but can't play or sing live.

 

So just make a 3-4 song demo of what your band really sounds like, and make some CDR's of that as needed. Put them in paper sleeves with a see-through window, or thin jewel cases, and print ALL the pertinent info on the CD label itself - song titles, band name, band contact info. If you send something in a jewel case and most of the pertinent info is on the cover, forget it. The jewel case will be lost or thrown away almost immediately.

 

As for the one-sheet/band photo, you can make the photo be part of your sheet. Most people don't care anymore about getting a separate photo. We have hi res photos available for download for those who ask, but for most folks, the one sheet is enough. Here's ours so you can see what I mean:

 

http://www.what-the.com/what-the_onesheet.pdf

 

Hope that helps.

[Next to Nothing]

I really appreciate that pdf, Lee! Thanks for all the other info too.