What is an EPK for musicians?

An Electronic Press Kit (EPK) is a professional media package that musicians use to introduce themselves to media, music labels, festival bookers, venue promoters, and industry partners. A music industry EPK typically includes a biographical video, performance footage, press photos, a written biography, music samples, notable achievements and press coverage, and contact information. It is the music industry equivalent of a professional portfolio.

Do independent artists need an EPK?

Yes — any independent artist actively pursuing media coverage, live performance bookings, festival slots, label interest, or industry partnerships needs a professional EPK. Without one, you are asking industry contacts to make decisions without adequate information, which typically results in no response. A well-produced EPK signals professionalism and serious intent — two of the most important signals in the music industry.

How much does an EPK cost to produce?

A professional musician's EPK typically costs $1,500–$5,000 for the video component, depending on complexity and production values. This includes the biographical video, performance footage capture, and editing. Photography adds $500–$2,000 for a professional session with a music industry photographer. Some production companies, including 171 Entertainment, offer EPK packages that bundle video, photography, and written content.

What is the difference between an EPK and a music video?

A music video is a standalone creative piece produced for a specific song — designed primarily for audience engagement, streaming platforms, and music channels. An EPK is a professional presentation document about the artist as a whole — their story, catalog, achievements, and identity — designed to open doors with industry gatekeepers. Both are important, but they serve very different purposes and audiences.

Complete Guide

EPK Guide for Musicians: How to Create an Electronic Press Kit

The complete guide to creating a professional Electronic Press Kit (EPK) for musicians. What to include, how to structure it, and how a great EPK opens doors in the Australian music industry.

What Is an Electronic Press Kit?

An Electronic Press Kit — EPK — is a musician's professional calling card. It is a curated digital package that tells your story, demonstrates your talent, and proves your professionalism to the people who can open the right doors for your career. Music labels, festival programmers, venue bookers, media outlets, publicists, and potential management all use EPKs to make informed decisions about whether to invest their time and resources in an artist.

A professionally produced EPK communicates something that no amount of social media following or streaming numbers can: that you are ready to be taken seriously at an industry level. At 171 Entertainment, we've produced EPKs for artists at every stage of their career — from debut independent releases to established acts seeking new label deals — and the ones that consistently open doors share a set of clear characteristics.

Who Needs an EPK?

If any of the following apply to you, a professional EPK is essential — not optional:

You are approaching music labels or management companies for the first time
You are applying to play at music festivals or significant live venues
You are seeking media coverage — interviews, features, and reviews from music publications
You are pursuing music supervision opportunities for television, film, or advertising
You are seeking corporate gig bookings and private event performances
You are approaching radio stations for airplay consideration
You are building relationships with booking agents and tour promoters
You are preparing material for an international market entry

In short: any time you need to make a strong professional first impression without being in the room, your EPK does the work for you.

What Goes Into a Professional EPK?

A complete musician's EPK contains video content, photography, and written materials. Here is what each section should include:

Biographical video (2–5 minutes): The cornerstone of any EPK. A professionally produced video introducing the artist, their story, their music, and their personality. This is what sets a professional EPK apart from a collection of links.
Live performance footage: 1–3 songs captured professionally, showing your live performance capability. Venue footage with an engaged audience is more compelling than a studio session.
Music video excerpts or full music videos: If you have professionally produced music videos, include them or link to them prominently.
Professional press photography: A minimum of 6–10 high-resolution professional images from a music industry photographer. These must be licensable by media for editorial use.
Written biography: A polished, 200–400 word biography in the third person, suitable for direct publication by media.
Short biography (50 words): A condensed version for use in festival programs, radio scripts, and event listings.
Music samples: Streaming links or audio files for 3–5 of your strongest tracks, ideally your most recent releases.
Achievements and credits: Awards, notable press coverage, significant festival appearances, and industry recognition — presented concisely.
Contact information: Management or artist contact details, booking enquiry email, and website.

The EPK Video: What to Include

The biographical video is the element of your EPK that industry gatekeepers will spend the most time with, and the one that creates the strongest first impression. A professional EPK video of 2–5 minutes typically includes:

Opening with music: Begin with a strong musical moment — a live performance clip, studio session, or music video excerpt — within the first 10–15 seconds. This establishes instantly what kind of music you make and its quality level.
Artist interview: 2–4 minutes of well-lit, professionally shot interview with the artist speaking to camera. Questions should draw out your story, your musical influences, what drives you, and where your career is heading. Authenticity is essential — read answers are immediately apparent and undermine the effect.
B-roll footage: Footage of you in your natural creative environment — in the studio, during soundcheck, on stage, rehearsing, writing. This gives the interview energy and variety.
Performance footage: Intersperse live performance clips throughout — they demonstrate what you actually deliver when someone books you.
Clear identification: Your name, artist name, genre, and contact information should appear on screen at the opening and close of the video.

Length and Pacing

Aim for 2–4 minutes for your primary EPK video. Festival bookers and label A&Rs have limited time and vast amounts of content to review. A 4-minute EPK that captures attention immediately and maintains it throughout outperforms a 10-minute video every time. Cut everything that doesn't directly advance the story of who you are and why you matter.

EPK Photography and Visual Assets

Professional photography is the visual shorthand of your EPK. Low-quality photos — poor lighting, consumer cameras, tourist-style poses — signal amateurism before a single word of your biography is read. Professional EPK photography should include:

Hero portrait (3–4 images): High-quality, well-lit portraits that can be used as primary artist images across all promotional contexts — album covers, press features, website hero images.
Performance images (3–5 images): Live performance photographs showing you on stage with an engaged audience where possible. These are the images that appear in live music reviews and festival programs.
Lifestyle/environmental portraits (2–3 images): Photographs of you in your natural environment — in the studio, backstage, in a creative space. These support feature articles and in-depth interviews.
Horizontal formats for landscape crops: Ensure your photographer provides both portrait (vertical) and landscape (horizontal) versions of key images. Media use both, and a great portrait image is useless if it can't be cropped for a magazine spread.

All EPK photographs must be delivered at full resolution (minimum 300 DPI) and licensed for media editorial use without restriction. When briefing your photographer, confirm this licensing arrangement explicitly.

Written Components of an EPK

The written biography in your EPK serves a different purpose than the copy on your social media channels. This biography needs to be:

Third-person and media-ready: Written as if by a journalist or publicist, not by the artist. Media can often use a well-written bio directly with minimal editing.
Factual and precise: Specific achievements, specific releases, specific venues and festivals — not vague claims about being "passionate" or "unique".
Genre and influence-aware: Name your genre clearly. Reference your influences in a way that helps industry readers quickly categorise your music.
Forward-looking: End with what's happening now — your current release, upcoming tour, or next significant project.

A strong full biography runs 200–400 words. You also need a short bio of 50 words (for festival programs and radio scripts) and a headline-length bio of 15–20 words (for event listings and brief introductions). Prepare all three lengths as part of your EPK.

EPK Formats: How to Deliver Your EPK

Most EPKs are now delivered digitally, but the format of delivery still matters:

Dedicated EPK page on your website: A password-protected or public page containing all EPK assets, embedded video, and downloadable materials. This is the industry standard and the most convenient format for recipients.
Google Drive or Dropbox folder: A shared folder containing all video files, photograph files, and text documents. Include a cover sheet document listing what is in the folder.
Wix Music EPK / ReverbNation EPK: Dedicated EPK hosting platforms used by independent artists. Functional but aesthetically limited — a custom website page is more professional.
PDF overview document: A single-page PDF that provides a quick overview of the artist with links to video and audio. Useful for initial outreach emails but should link to a more comprehensive digital EPK.

Common EPK Mistakes

Poor video production quality: A visually poor EPK video undermines the artist's credibility regardless of how good the music is. Never produce an EPK video on a smartphone or with amateur lighting.
Too long: An EPK video over 6 minutes will not be watched to completion by most industry recipients. Cut ruthlessly.
Outdated materials: An EPK with a bio from 2019 or photos from an earlier era signals that the artist is not actively pursuing their career. Keep your EPK current — update it with every significant release.
No clear contact information: If an industry contact wants to reach you after reviewing your EPK, the contact details must be immediately visible. Don't make them search for it.
Missing live footage: Bookings are made based on what an artist can deliver live. An EPK without live performance footage raises an immediate question mark for promoters and venue bookers.
Self-written biography: Artists are almost never the best writers of their own biography. The first-person perspective and emotional proximity to your own story makes it difficult to write with the clarity and objectivity that industry readers need. Hire a music industry publicist or copywriter to write your bio.

EPK Production Timeline and Cost

A professional musician's EPK typically takes 2–4 weeks to produce from initial briefing to final delivery:

Brief and planning (3–5 days): Creative briefing with the artist, interview question development, production planning
Video shoot (1 day): Interview capture and B-roll filming. Live performance footage may be captured at a separate show or booking.
Photography session (2–3 hours): Portrait, performance, and lifestyle photography session
Post-production (5–10 days): Video editing, colour grading, photography retouching and selection
Written materials (3–5 days): Biography drafts, review, and finalisation
Delivery (1–2 days): Final asset organisation and delivery to the artist

Typical costs at 171 Entertainment: EPK video production ranges from $2,500–$6,000 depending on scope. Photography packages are quoted separately. Contact our team for a package tailored to your specific requirements and career stage.

Ready to build the EPK that your career deserves? Contact 171 Entertainment to discuss your EPK production. Or explore our production work first — see examples in our production archive and portfolio.