How to Make a Professional Musician's Portfolio

Professional musician's portfolios need to be ready to send on a moment's notice. If your music is accepted for radio, or an organization or company wants to book you for a performance, they will want this information. The information in a professional musician's portfolio provides the most important information that news agencies and organizations need to write articles about you and book you for performances.

Step 1 Create a professional photo. This is an important step. Prospective agents and publishers want to see what you look like. Adding a professional photo will add an element of professionalism to your work.

Step 2 Record a professional demo. This one will cost a little bit of money. Book some time with a recording studio and record your demo. Try to record at least two works for the demo CD. The works should be contrasting in nature and show off your versatility.

Step 3 Provide a list of professional references. Two to three references is the normally accepted number. Don't use personal references. Look for professionals in the field that can attest to your ability and ask them for their permission ahead of time.

Step 4 Include a list of works. If you are not a composer then include a list of albums you have created. If you haven't created any, it is better to leave this information out. The list of works should include date of creation and the full name of the piece.

Step 5 Include a list of performances. The performances should be as complete as possible. Include the date, venue and music performed. If the music was your own, make sure to include that as well.

Step 6 Include contact information. The contact information should include your business address, or home address, email address, website address, full name, telephone number, as well as a band or ensemble name.

Step 7 Hire a writer to create a professional press release for you. A good press release will have generic information about you organized in a way that allows the creation of interesting new stories. This is the basic information that a newspaper or online commentator will need to write a review of your music.

Step 8 Create a digital version of your musician’s portfolio. The digital version should be slightly different from your "paper" portfolio. Include everything from the full portfolio, but leave out addresses, phone numbers and references. Instead, provide a contact email address for this information.

Be careful about providing information to someone you do not know and that does not provide you with an agency to call. If you receive an email for additional information, request their phone number and affiliation. Call them back rather than giving them your information.