Why does Encore review profile picture quality?
We've noticed that the quality of a musician's profile picture has a big impact on whether they get booked on Encore or not. In fact, the musicians with the best quality of profile picture tend to get booked 3 times more on Encore than those without (see graph).
Our aim is to make sure musicians get the most bookings they can from Encore, so one way we do this is by promoting musicians who have great photography. We've formed partnerships with a number of great photography suppliers to help make this affordable. Find out more here.
What criteria are used to assess profile picture quality?
Photography is not an exact science, so we can never be entirely certain about the impact of a picture upon a client. When reviewing profile pictures, we look for any of the following flags in order to estimate the photo quality.
Excellent: the photo is professionally shot, contains no flags and is highly likely to convince a client that the musician is a professional.
OK: the photo may be professional shot, but contains a few minor flags which could reduce the likelihood of a client being convinced of the musician's professionalism.
Poor: the photo contains major and minor flags and would likely put off some clients from booking this musician
Major flags
- The artist does not appear in the photo
- The image is blurry or low resolution
- The image shows the artist in a non-professional situation (e.g. a holiday photo)
Minor flags
- The musician is too large or small in the composition of the photo
- There is a low dynamic range in the photo
- The image is shot in poor lighting conditions
- Obvious photoshopping or additional text in the image
A few other things to consider:
- Facial expression - this might not apply to every photo, but it's worth considering that smiling is an expression which builds trust
- Musicianship - is it clear in the photo that you are a musician? For example, if you are a flute player it might be helpful to include part of your instrument in the photo. This reinforces to the client that you are a professional, trustworthy flautist.
- Dress - does your outfit reinforce the impression that you are a professional musician.
Some exceptions:
It may be the case that not every music needs great photography to get booked, particularly if online bookings online form a small part of your work. In that case, you may not need to worry about having an excellent profile picture.
The Spirit of the Profile Picture Review
We fully understand that your profile picture is a personal choice and would never want to tell you how to present your unique profile. If you receive any emails referring to your photo review score, please treat this as a friendly recommendation, which you are welcome to ignore.
You can find more information about what makes a good profile picture here.