As a band, writing a band bio is probably one of the least favorite things you will do. Just your luck, it is also one of the most important things your band will ever do. It most likely will be the first impression your band makes on anyone who gets their hands on it.
A band bio serves two purposes:
1.) It informs everyone who reads it about you and the music you perform. The goal is to entice people to take the next step from just reading about you to learning more about you, listening to your music, signing up on your email list, attending a live show and/or buying merchandise.
2.) It informs venue owners (and those who book performances) about you, your music and your professionalism as a musician to help them make a decision as to whether or not they should hire you to perform at their venue.
An Example of a Band Bio
I’ll use my own bio as the example and break things down. Here’s my bio in its final form:
———————————–
Quality music:
Nick Venturella provides original acoustic folk/pop music about life’s ups and downs underscored by a spirit of hope.
Sounds like:
John Mayer meets the BoDeans, Ryan Adams and Roger Clyne
Listen to some of Nick Venturella’s music
Experienced professional:
Nick Venturella is a college market entertainer — solo singer/songwriter — professionally performing since 1994.
Has shared stages with:
- Jason LeVasseur (solo and with his band, Life in General)
- Copeland (on The Militia Group label)
- Catchpenny
- John Hermanson (of Storyhill)
- + many more…
Here’s a list of some past venues where Venturella has performed
Other accomplishments:
- Has written, produced and independently released 8 solo albums
- Subscribes to the capitalistic karma mission of GrowLoop
- Wrote and published the music business/marketing book The Local Music Journey
- Has performed at the largest music festival in the world: Summerfest
- Continues to engage and delight students at college campus coffeehouse shows
Affordable price:
Contact Nick to negotiate a price for your specific event. Nick is reasonable about creating an appropriate win-win price/value situation for all parties involved.
Easy to work with:
No ego guaranteed! Being a solo artist Nick is not overly picky, nor is his set-up complicated. Read the testimonials for more on this.
Expect nothing less from your hired entertainment!
Book now:
Contact Nick Venturella to book him for your upcoming event
———————————–
Break it Down Now (the example band bio, that is)
Now, let’s break down what’s going on in this band bio so you can use these tips to enhance your own. I like to use short section headings so the band bio is broken up into easily scannable chunks which is helpful when someone reads this online, or from their mobile device.
Quality music:
[what kind of music do you play?]
Nick Venturella provides original acoustic folk/pop music about life’s ups and downs underscored by a spirit of hope.
Sounds like:
[give a reference to other known musicians so someone can envision what you sound like]
John Mayer meets the BoDeans, Ryan Adams and Roger Clyne
Listen to some of Nick Venturella’s music [this is a link to where someone can easily experience your music online – it’s a call to action for a potentially interested fan to easily take the next step and listen to your music]
Experienced professional:
[establish credibility – offer a bit more detail about yourself and how long you’ve been doing your music thing…if not long, then just give some further detail about what you do as a musician, the audience you resonate best with and/or an accomplishment or two within music that gives you some credibility]
Nick Venturella is a college market entertainer — solo singer/songwriter — professionally performing since 1994.
Has shared stages with:
[others you’ve performed with or opened for can help in establishing credibility, especially if those listed are better known than you]
- Jason LeVasseur (solo and with his band, Life in General)
- Copeland (on The Militia Group label)
- Catchpenny
- John Hermanson (of Storyhill)
- + many more…
Here’s a list of some past venues where Venturella has performed
Other accomplishments:
[again this helps to offer credibility making those who hire you more comfortable that you’re an established professional]
- Has written, produced and independently released 8 solo albums
- Subscribes to the capitalistic karma mission of GrowLoop
- Wrote and published the music business/marketing book The Local Music Journey
- Has performed at the largest music festival in the world: Summerfest
- Continues to engage and delight students at college campus coffeehouse shows
Affordable price:
[this is really for the booking person looking at this band bio to give them confidence that you’re a professional who does demand a price for the value you bring to a venue as a performer, but it doesn’t offer an exact price as this is often negotiable based on many factors]
Contact Nick to negotiate a price for your specific event. Nick is reasonable about creating an appropriate win-win price/value situation for all parties involved.
Easy to work with:
[again, this is for the booking person reviewing this band bio, but I like to throw this in because I think it’s a refreshing distinction from many other musicians who may have given venue owners a bad impression about hiring musicians]
No ego guaranteed! Being a solo artist Nick is not overly picky, nor is his set-up complicated. Read the testimonials for more on this. [the testimonials are 3rd party verifications of how great you are – you’re not just saying it yourself, your fans and other venue owners who have booked you are saying it too. This adds a lot of credibility to what you do]
Expect nothing less from your hired entertainment!
[This is a nod to the professionalism I strive to bring to every gig engagement for which I’m hired. It’s a small statement, but it forces the booking person to think about the less-than-professional other musicians they’ve struggled to work with and gives me an advantage over those who were not easy or fun to work with, which may, at least slightly, increase my chances of getting the gig or getting through to the booking person.]
Book now:
[you definitely want a call to action for the booking person to get in touch with you to book a gig]
Contact Nick Venturella to book him for your upcoming event
Sharing is Caring
Once you have your band bio where you like it be sure to get the word out — share the link with your mailing list and post it on your website and social media sites. Also, if you stop by in-person (not a bad gesture I might add) to drop off a demo recording at specific venues where you would like to book gigs, be sure to have a printed version of your bio (at the least) along with your demo and contact information.
Finally, your band bio will evolve as your music career does, so don’t be afraid to update and change it as needed along the way.
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Music Career Coaching Guide: 8 Ways a Coach Can Help You Become a More Successful Music Creator
This guide shares eight ways hiring a coach can make you a more successful, profitable, and full-time music creator.
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