Writing a good band bio is a very tricky and often overlooked feature for an independent band. Do you pay the big bucks to get a professional to write it for you? Do you write it for yourself in 3rd person? Do you just write casually?
All of these and every other question you have can be answered in one single question: Who are you marketing to and how are you doing it? The answers to these questions vary greatly depending on who and how you are marketing. For example, if you are a singer/songwriter, it is important to write the bio yourself in a very personal manner. That genre is very personable and intimate, so the bio must match it. If you are a fun punk band, then you should have the lead singer write up something that is informative, but that middle/high school kids will laugh at. Again, you have to match your demographic. If you are a metal band, you should pay to have a professional do it (and make sure you have your “tough guy” picture to go along with it). Actually, if you are making metal music, you should probably just stop.
Here is a list of things to consider when writing the bio:
1. First, start by gathering all the information you can about the band and its members. How long has the band been together? Where are you from? What makes your band worth listening to? Interesting stories to possibly incorporate? Played any shows with a decent list of known artists? How are you different than everyone else?
2. Keep it short. It can be good to actually have two written – one in a longer form and one in a shorter form. Even the longer bio should not be more than 3 paragraphs or you are wasting the reader’s time. Also, it is very important to be able to describe your music in a sentence or two to people. We are a twitter-type generation, so make it quick.
3. Tell of your influences and list your genre, but avoid “sounds like”. Read More
