How many of you have read a resume or bio from someone in the music industry such as a studio, an engineer or a producer and run into a strange list of names. You know, “I work with This Person who worked with That Person.” While this impresses a few fans and friends, it actually makes you look worse to the industry. The name dropping doesn’t fool anyone….anyone = the people who matter. Yeah, I’m talking to you, studios and producers. Instead of just appearing strong, why not funnel that energy into actually being strong?

There is referencing that is beneficial and then there is just outright bragging. Like I said, come off strong, but let’s clearly define that. Ego, bragging and arrogance are overdone. In a way, by going over the top, instead of standing out, you are just dropping yourself in to the bag with a truck load of other mediocre studios, engineers and producers. Instead, showcase what you have really done and how you really do things.

Too many musicians are presented such a line of crap when it comes to booking a studio or hiring a producer or an engineer. They spend the time, the money and the effort and then find out they were not able to get what they wanted or what they thought they would get for their recording.

With the rise of many user generated content sites, many independent artists, musicians and bands are left with the daunting task of writing their own biographies. The lucky ones will usually hire a professional and avoid it all together.

In there lies the problem… A while back, I was searching for some pointers on how to write a great bio. I came across a post with some really good info and it made me think about the hundreds of bios on social networking/artist websites I read so often. So I left the following comment:

“I have come across many profiles and usually read the shorter ones that grab my attention early. I usually don’t have time to read a book. Also, the bios written professionally all read the same and are instantly bypassed. I would much rather hear from the artist themselves. I can’t relate to encyclopedia like bios.”

It is funny, after all the bios I have read, I really don’t remember much about the content. What I do remember are the personal stories and things I can relate to about the artist. For example, here is an excerpt from a bio with a band that we worked with in the past:

“Another time, we broke down on the Pennsylvania turnpike and had to walk eight miles at three in the morning to the nearest town. We were picked up by some kids who ended up being drunk and they wouldn’t let us out of the car. They lost control of the car doing 120 miles per hour around a turn on an off ramp.” – Darling Waste