ARTICLE: How to package your music for feature considerations with the media and bloggers on popular websites

Have you ever released a quality song only to find yourself wondering why you can’t seem to land as many features as you had anticipated? Are you starting from square one and want to know how you should send your music out for feature consideration? If you answered yes, then this article is especially for you. Many times artist find themselves putting a lot of hard work into their campaign strategies only to be unsatisfied with the results produced, but can’t figure out where they went wrong or where they could have done better.

There are a few standard things you can do to improve your music’s packaging for feature considerations. Yes, this indeed means that you can’t just email everyone in your media and music industry contact databases your mp3 and think it is going to make a difference because your song is fire.  Having hot music is only half the battle, your visuals need to be just as impeccable as the music you make. What do I mean by this? I mean that your press materials, your cover art, your mp3 and any other relevant materials related to your release should all be neatly presented in a downloadable zip file that is properly labeled with the release name and your name on the file names.

Every day thousands of music  submissions cross my screen for 5+ different major brands I work with. The one thing all these sites have in common is the same thing all websites have in common, CONTENT IS KING. When the occasion pops up that an artist submits music but no cover art or no bio, I immediately click delete no matter how great the music is and simply move on to the next submission. JUST because you are an independent artist does not mean that the media, radio pros and dj’s won’t expect your to adhere to standard practices. Listed below are 5 things to help you improve your music package presentation to the media and music industry.

1. Make sure your EPK is properly labeled and contains your bio, links where your music can be previewed prior to downloading, a list of all your links, a list of prior press, your discography, a one-sheet on your current release, 3-5 high resolution press pictures, management and publicity contact information.
2. Be sure to include the cover art to your music release because readers interact better with features and articles that have visuals in them, they are more appealing.
3. In your email ask for the website to provide you with links to the feature should they give you placement so that you can fully promote it on your end.
5. Embeddable music players are important for your music. If you are including links to where your music can be heard, make sure it is from your account because not many sites are fond of embedding players with other sites branding on it. (Some PR’s provide all embed codes in their e-blasts, this is helpful).
6. If you do not want your music to be presented as a free download, it is vital to your campaign that you state “For Streaming Only” within the body of the email as well.

Avoid flooding your media contacts with the same submission over and over… AND PLEASE DO NOT FORGET TO USE THE BCC FEATURE WHEN EMAILING MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS OR USE A PRO PLATFORM TO HANDLE THE JOB LIKE FANBRIDGE. The recipient may become annoyed and may unsubscribe from your mailing list if you don’t remember these things. Good music and good packaging belong together and are a direct reflection of your professionalism. These few minor but important details are helpful tips that will improve your chances of receiving features from the media and bloggers.

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