Electronic Music Press Kit Checklist: What To Send Editors
A useful press kit lets an editor hear the record, understand the story and find an image they can publish. It should answer the basic questions without a second email or a request for access.
For electronic music, the difficult part is often deciding what deserves attention. A folder full of biographies and artwork does not explain why this release fits a particular publication. Put the musical idea and the practical information together.
The First Page: Make The Release Clear
Start with the artist name, release title, label, release date and a working contact address. Add the format, such as a single, EP or album, and the tracklist. For a collaboration, make it clear which artists appear on which tracks.
Follow that with two or three sentences about the music. Describe something a listener can identify: the drum programming, a vocal performance, a change in sound or the circumstances behind a recording. Claims about an artist changing the scene need evidence. A specific musical detail is usually more useful.
Give Editors A Working Listening Route
Put a private stream near the top of the page. Test it in a browser where you are signed out, then test it on a phone. Check that the correct tracks play and that the link will remain available throughout the campaign.
Label versions clearly. An original mix, radio edit, instrumental and remix should not appear as four indistinguishable audio files. Include downloadable audio where you have permission to share it, especially when approaching DJs or radio producers. Keep the streaming route available for editors who only need to listen.
Supply Images With Usable Credits
Include release artwork and a small selection of approved artist photographs as separate files. Offer an image that works horizontally as well as a portrait option. A photograph pasted into a document makes it harder to reuse and may lose quality.
Put the photographer’s credit beside the filename and state whether the supplied images are cleared for editorial use. Identify the people in group photographs. If a publication needs a different crop, give them a contact rather than leaving them to guess what is allowed.
Keep The Biography Relevant
Provide a short biography that explains who the artist is and where this release sits in their work. Include a longer version only when it adds useful background. Distinguish the artist’s own statement from a quote supplied for publication.
For a new label relationship, explain how it happened. For a change in direction, identify what changed in the music. Previous support can help with context, but keep it attributable. A DJ downloading a promo and playing it in a recorded set are different things.
State Dates, Embargoes And Exclusivity
Separate the release date from any proposed announcement or premiere date. If material is under embargo, state the date, time and time zone clearly. Ask whether the recipient can agree to that timing before treating it as accepted.
A premiere offer should name the track and format being offered. Check the artist’s, label’s and distributor’s plans before promising exclusivity. Record what has been agreed, with whom and for which date. Do not offer the same exclusive to another outlet while an agreement is in place.
A Folder Editors Can Navigate
Start Here: release summary, tracklist, dates, contact and listening link.
Audio: clearly labelled versions, with private streaming access and authorised downloads.
Artwork: the approved cover image and any relevant alternative formats.
Press Photos: approved images, filenames, captions and photographer credits.
Biography And Quotes: a short biography, optional longer background and attributed statements.
Links: the artist and label websites, relevant profiles and public release page when available.
Use filenames that identify the artist and release. Replace outdated files rather than leaving several documents called final in the same folder. Keep the main link stable if possible, so a pitch sent last week still opens the correct materials today.
A Short Pitch You Can Adapt
Subject: [Artist] announces [release title] on [label], out [date]
Hi [name],
I thought this could suit your [specific section or recent coverage]. [Artist] releases [title] through [label] on [date], with [one concrete detail about the music or story].
You can listen here: [private listening link]. The press kit includes the release information, approved photos and image credits: [press kit link].
Would this be useful for [one relevant coverage format]?
Thanks, [name and contact details]
Check It Before You Send It
Can someone outside your team open the listening link and assets?
Do the dates match across the pitch, release information and artwork?
Are the audio versions and track titles correct?
Can an editor identify the image credit without asking?
Does the pitch explain why this release fits that publication?
Have you named one relevant request rather than offering every possible format?
Keep a record of pitches and agreed coverage. When an article appears, save its direct URL and the publication date. If you maintain an artist press page, link to the original piece so readers can find the full feature. A social screenshot is useful for sharing, but it does not replace the source.
For the wider campaign timeline, use our guide to promoting electronic music releases. If you are promoting a club night instead, start with our electronic music event promotion guide.
