There are two kinds of musicians: The one that wants to ‘get discovered’ and the one who want to serve and put in the work.
The ‘get discovered’ types make a lot of noise—”watch me, listen to my music, come to my show!”… You get the idea.
You’ve gotta stand out from them. That’s why your music bio is important.
In this article, I’m going to give you short bio examples from musicians who do it right. I’ll explain why, and then help you write yours so you can stand above the noise and get the recognition you deserve.
A Short Musician Bio Example
Here are some examples of good (short) musician bios.
Short Musician Bio Example 1:
- Travis Barker’s Twitter bio
- Travis Barker’s Instagram bio
What do you notice about this first example?
The artist only uses three words to portray himself.
In addition, he has a call to action and a way to contact him for gigs.
And did you see the emojis? A picture is worth 1,000 words. Super important in a short bio.
Finally, location. “Damn near everywhere”. Travis is famous (and a great drummer, IMHO). This authority is reflected in the location description of his short bio. If you can stand out in a similar way, do it!
I’ll explain how (and more) in a bit. But first, let’s look at another example.
Short Musician Bio Example 2:
- Peter Hollens’ Instagram bio
This is truly an example of ‘less is more’.
Peter is a ridiculously successful independent musician. I had the opportunity to interview Peter in this MMP episode. He’s following the same short bio format as Travis.
Notice, too, that most music career advice says to mention your kind of music in your bio. Neither of these examples does that.
(Interesting…)
Moving on.
Why A Short Bio Is So Effective
Remember: ‘Get discovered’ musicians are noisy. They’re training music fans and industry professionals to tune you out.
When an artist writes a bio, we’ve gotta combat that. We want to be quick, punchy and memorable. And we want to put it in the best location: social media.
And that’s just it.
A person goes to a digital social network to catch up, watch cat videos, and bitch about their baby’s poopy diaper. They’re not there to read your bio.
That’s fine, and it’s also why you want your bio to be short.
Attention Span = ZERO
The fewer words you include, the stronger your message will be and the less you’ll sound like just another one of those other musicians…
You might be thinking, “What if I don’t know people in the industry? Is this length going to be enough?”
More on that in a sec.
Now that you know why a tight band bio is so effective, let me show you how to write a great one.
Two Types Of Musician And Band Bios
There are two versions of a good musician bio:
- The short version (what we’ve been talking about)
- And the long version (but still succinct)
What’s the difference?
Short bio:
Your bio is a summary for people and fans. A good length is under 190 characters. (That’s characters, not words.)
Ninja Tip: Use https://wordcounter.net to see your bio word and/or character counts. You can also use Google Docs by clicking on ‘Tools’ then ‘Word Count’.
The Long Bio:
The ‘long’ bio version goes on your website. Specifically, your About page. It can also go on your Electronic Press Kit (EPK).
(I say “long” but it’s still going to be short. Under 200 words is great.)
I won’t go into how to write your long bio right now, but I have several examples and templates you’re welcome to use if you want help.
How To Get Going And Write!
Writing your music bio is simple. Just answer these questions:
- What three words can you use to describe yourself (work, interests, your identity)?
- Is it possible to use emojis to support those words with images?
- Can you ask people use to contact and/or hire you (your website’s About page or an email address) in your bio?
Things to remember while writing a short musician bio or band bio:
- Space and attention are limited—your bio needs to say everything about you in as few words as possible.
- Don’t be afraid to get creative—I’ve suggested this as a template for you to tweak accordingly, don’t get stuck on it.
- Read your back to yourself—think about fans and (most importantly) yourself as an artist.
- Would people read it?
- Are YOU proud of it?
After you write your bio, the next step is to put it in the correct locations.
Bio Location (Where To Put Your Bio After You Write It)
Put your Short bio on your social media profiles.
Specifically…
- (YouTube)
…or any other location where space and attention are limited.
How about your Long bio?
It goes on your website.
Which includes the following places:
- Your About page
- Or Bio page
- Digital EPK / press kit
…or any other location where space and attention are limited.
Musician Bio Templates And Tips For Writing
If you want help writing your musician bio or your band’s bio, here’s a link to a post on MusicianMonster that includes templates and examples you can use.
I recommend you cross-reference the examples I’ve provided with the templates and summaries linked in the article above.
Pulling It All Together
In summary, you are competing with many so-called ‘artists’ all fighting for attention and making a lot of noise.
If you want to get the attention of fans, grow your career, and stand out in a crowded industry, a short artist bio is a good place to start.
Now you have specific examples and steps to write a great one.
If you like this article, share it. Thanks.
If you or your band has questions or wants help, use the comments below.
