Copy This In and Fill It Out
This is a template you can copy into a doc right now and fill in — no theory, no fluff. Every section below is something a booker, editor, or curator actually expects to see, in the order they expect to see it. If you'd rather skip the copy-paste and have this build itself from your existing links and profile, thewav's free EPK builder does that part for you.
1. Bio — Three Lengths
The single biggest EPK mistake is having only one version of your bio. Different contexts need different lengths. Write all three now so you're never trimming a paragraph under deadline.
50 words (one-liner / lineup blurb) — used for festival posters, lineup pages, and quick intros. One or two sentences, genre-forward. Template: "[Artist name] is a [city]-based [genre] [producer/DJ/band] known for [one distinguishing trait]. [One credibility marker: a release, a stage, a co-sign]."
150 words (standard submission bio) — the workhorse version, used in most booking forms, blog pitches, and playlist submissions. Open with genre and location, add 2–3 sentences on your sound, add key credits in specific terms (names, numbers, dates — not "numerous shows"), and close with what you're doing now or next.
300 words (feature / long-form bio) — used for interview requests, festival program notes, and press features that want the fuller story. This is the only version where a bit of narrative belongs. Even here, keep it concrete: specific rooms, specific records, specific people, not abstractions about your "passion for music."
2. Photos — Specs That Actually Work
Minimum resolution: 1500px on the shortest side, so it holds up on both web and print use. Format: JPG or PNG, under 5MB. Orientation: include at least one landscape (16:9 or 3:2) and one portrait (4:5) — different placements need different crops.
Content: at least one performance or in-studio shot, not just a posed headshot — bookers want a sense of what they're buying. What to avoid: heavy filters, text or logos baked into the image, screenshots of Instagram posts, group shots where it's unclear which person is you.
File naming: "artistname-photo1.jpg," not "IMG_4821.jpg" — a booker assembling a lineup page from a folder of forty artists will thank you.
3. Music Links
List your best 2–3 tracks, not your full catalog — lead with what best represents what you'd play or release next. Include a primary streaming link (Spotify or Bandcamp preferred, both allow inline preview), a SoundCloud link if you post mixes or unreleased material, and one direct link per track — not just a link to your artist profile.
Template: "[Track name] — [platform link] — [one clause on why this track, e.g. 'lead single, most-streamed release']."
4. Stage Plot (for Live / Performance Bookings)
Only needed if you're pitching venues for a live performance, not a straightforward DJ set. A stage plot is a simple top-down diagram showing where each performer and piece of equipment sits on stage. It doesn't need to be professionally designed — a clean, labeled diagram beats no diagram.
Include the number of performers and their stage positions, instruments or equipment per position (e.g. "SL: synth + laptop," "C: vocal mic + stand"), monitor requirements, and power requirements if you're bringing hardware that needs specific outlets.
5. Technical Rider Basics
A rider tells the venue what you need to perform. Keep it to one page. For most electronic/DJ acts, this is short: an input list (what you're plugging in), monitoring needs (what you need to hear yourself), backline requests if any, and hospitality basics only if you have a standard ask — most DIY-level bookings won't need this section at all.
If you don't have specific requirements yet, it's fine to write "standard DJ booth setup, will confirm specifics ahead of the date" — that's honest and still useful to a venue.
6. Contact Block
The section that actually gets you booked. Make it impossible to miss and impossible to misread. Template: "Booking: [email]. Management (if applicable): [name, email]. Socials: [Instagram] · [website or thewav link]. Streaming: [Spotify] · [SoundCloud/Bandcamp]."
Use an email a real person actually checks — not a shared inbox nobody monitors, and not "message me on Instagram."
The Version That Builds Itself
Everything above works as a manual document — a Google Doc, a Notion page, a designed PDF. But it's also exactly the set of fields a thewav profile already asks for: bio (in multiple lengths), photos, music links, and current shows. Claim a handle and thewav's free EPK builder assembles a live version of this template automatically — no re-formatting every time something changes, no re-sending an updated file to everyone who has the old one.
If you want the reasoning behind why a live page beats a static file, see what is an EPK and the live-vs-PDF breakdown on the EPK builder page. If you're starting completely from scratch, how to make an EPK walks through the whole process step by step.