What are One-Sheets and why do artists need them

One-sheets are simply a one-page document used by music industry professionals to promote artists and new content. The document will contain key information about the artist’s brand or content to spark interest in potential clients. knowing how to put together a good one-sheet will prove valuable for any artist.    

A Short-Form promotional tool

Unlike press-releases, one-sheets are short and sweet. They should only include information that will catch the reader’s attention by immediately showing value. The one-sheets short and direct structure make it a versatile tool for independent artists. Artists can use One-sheets to promote an album or land a gig and even obtain a sponsorship. For this reason, artists should identify the goal of their one-sheet so they only include relevant information.

Distributors, for example, who can place albums on the shelves of retail stores would want to see the stats from your last physical album sell, or at least your streaming numbers. A club promoter, on the other hand, would be more interested in how many tickets you sold at your last show.

One-Sheets should compel

Outside of the statistics, one-sheets should always contain compelling stories about the brand or content. It’s a well-known fact that in sales customers buy more into the person than the product. The information about the artist should tug on emotional strings that can reach the reader on a deeper level. It doesn’t really matter what emotion it is, as long as it causes those feelings to stir. On a side note, this is a very good branding tactic as well

Conclusion

In the end, one-shets area one-page sales pitch. They are tailored to whatever ‘deal’  an artist is trying to land at the moment. Distributors and labels use them to convince companies that sell albums to put theirs on the shelf. One-sheets are simple but valuable. They can be the key to lucrative deals for artists when done properly.

Editor’s Note: Originally published March 20, 2018. It has been revamped for accuracy and comprehensiveness