Bobby Tanzilomusic editor:OnMilwaukee.com drummer:The Yell Leaders

What needs to be in a good press kit:

• A bio. A real bio, not a joke bio. Trust me, no one outside the band and its friends think the joke is funny and, frankly, it's worthless to the media. The only thing that separates a joke bio from sending nothing at all is that one costs more money for the band. Both will result in the same coverage.
• A photo. And these days, a CD-ROM with a 72 dpi color pic for web-based media and a 200 dpi black and white and/or color one for print media, is a better use of your money than a B&W glossy.
• A list of upcoming gigs with DETAILS (showtime, cover charge, address and phone of venue, other bands on the bill). The key is to give the press what it needs. If writing about one band is a lot harder to do, under deadline, than writing about another (because one provided everything useful and the other left a lot of blanks), it's not hard to guess who will get that coveted space in the publication.
• Music. And a finished CD always makes a better impression than an unfinished one. You worked hard on deciding how to package your music, why not show us?
• Don't forget contact info: an email address, a phone number, etc.
  

The purpose of a press kit:
It's the first impression in a lot of cases and may help decide whether or not the band is serious enough to warrant coverage. There's a million bands out there (and that's not really an exaggeration anymore), so you've got to look like you're taking the band seriously. If you're not, why should anyone else?

How to alienate the recipient of the kit:
See the joke bio rant above. My wife also writes previews and she's quickly learned what I've known for a long time: there's nothing more frustrating than having to spend hours trawling an outdated band web site or club site trying to find info on a band that sent a press release full of holes.

What to avoid:
Avoid hyperbole. Unless Jon Pareles wrote that yours is the best band to emerge from Milwaukee in a long time, don't bother. Just the facts, ma'am. Who's in the band, when did you get together? What influences inform your music? Where have you played and who with, etc.

How to tailor your kit to the recipient:
I think the basics are the same across the board, although some - like music directors for film and TV, and radio people and that kind of thing - will likely want a warning about songs that are full of potty mouth and will like a hint about which tracks are being pushed. A journalist on the other hand doesn't much care about that stuff. A club owner might be more focused on where you've played and with what bands, and if you're getting radio play. Most of it, however, really is common sense. Take a minute to consider to whom you're sending your press kit and what their needs are. And remember, all of these people get loads of music every day. Get to the point and don't try to be too clever. And don't be a pest. It's fine to send a press kit and then send an email asking if it arrived. But don't call or write every day. A squeaky wheel does get the grease in the sense that you won't get covered unless you make the effort to send something, but if the wheel is too annoyingly squeaky, it's often easier to toss the bike.

Where to send it:
I don't think the approach should be quantity. It should be quality. Do a little research and save yourself a lot of time and money. Are you a Milwaukee band that's never played outside of town? Then don't waste your time sending a disc to Greg Kot at the Chicago Tribune. He ain't writin' about you, even if you include a crisp stack of fifties. Are you a punk band? Don't waste the money sending a press kit to No Depression or Performing Songwriter. Are you the new Willy Porter? Don't bother with Alternative Press.

What to put in there to guarantee coverage or play:
Aah, the eternal question. If I had the answer, I'd be a rock and roll star by now. 

There's two things you can control: 1) The music. Play what's in your heart. 2) Presentation. Record your music well. Make it sonically good and dynamic. It doesn't have to sound like a Steely Dan record, but again, if you take it seriously it's not hard to convince others to take you seriously. Same goes for the packaging. A lot of bands make a brilliant CD and then release it in the equivalent of a moldy cardboard box. That does you and your music a disservice because, like it or not, first impressions are strong and people judge books by their covers.

Contacting the press electronically:
I think it's ok to email your bio, etc, but a hard copy of the CD still can't be beat. Links to downloads, etc, still require people to do some work and damn if we're not a lazy bunch. Plus, I know from my standpoint, I enjoy seeing how the music is being presented to everyone, which involves the sleeve design, reading the credits, etc. It's one case where a tangible item really offers an intangible experience.

If you're going to mail the CD, then don't email the bio, because then you're relying on someone to dig through their emails (I typically have anywhere from 300-500 waiting for me on a Monday morning, for example) and match the bio to the CD that's sitting in a pile on the desk. You can see how this is introducing more confusion into the situation than required.

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