A good band description will get fans excited about hearing your band.
The Mid-Atlantic College Radio Conference (MACRoCk) is the annual celebration of college radio and the independent music community in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The festival features live music, panel discussions, and many more events specific to independent music. See Reference One. Bands who wish to perform at the festival are asked to submit an application. Describing your band is one of the most important parts of the application. You can use a good band description for other endeavors, such as booking shows, building a website for your band, and sending to radio stations with recordings.
Instructions
1. Contact the MACRoCK band organizer for an official application. Find the organizer's email on the website. See Reference One.
2. Get together with your bandmates. This is a description of your band, so everyone in the band should participate in the writing process.
3. Jot down names of bands that your band sounds like. Never write that your band cannot be classified. Get outside opinions from friends and family, if necessary. Comparisons and influences give reviewers a frame to work from when talking about your band. See Reference Two. This section also helps festival organizers or show bookers get ideas about other bands that your band can play with.
4. Summarize positive reviews of your band. Include reviews of live shows and recordings, if possible. Do not include the entire review, located the best part and note who said it. Example: "Band name is a group of very talented musicians who also put on a great show." Rolling Stone Magazine, August 2009.
5. List any major accomplishments. This includes recordings, awards, honors or special education, such as recording or music school. Avoid band bios, unless one of your band members was involved with well known or successful bands in the past. See Reference Three.
6. Include all contact information. Provide a physical mailing address, a phone number, and an email address. If your band has a website such as a Bandcamp page, be sure to include this information as well.
7. Edit your writing down to two concise paragraphs. See Reference Three. MACRoCK is not interested in reading a book about your band, especially since the band description is one part of the application process. Your band description should be exciting and make the reader want to know more about your band.
8. Ask a friend or hire a professional to proofread your final draft. Nothing looks more unprofessional than misspelled words and poor grammar.
