how to get a Wikipedia page as a musician.
you qualify when reliable sources that are independent of you have written about you in depth, or when you meet one of the other criteria in Wikipedia's guideline for musicians, such as a national chart placing or a gold record. the article then has to be written from those sources, by someone who discloses any payment, and reviewed by volunteers. nobody can buy that review.
by Studio Raine, a music PR firm in New York. we sell some of what this guide describes, and our own prices are marked as ours.
updated
the test: what others have published about you.
Wikipedia's guideline for music lists twelve criteria for musicians and ensembles, and says a musician may be notable on meeting at least one. the first is the one most articles rest on:
“Has been the subject of multiple, non-trivial, published works appearing in sources that are reliable, not self-published, and are independent of the musician or ensemble itself.”
the general rule behind it says a topic is presumed suitable for an article when it has had significant coverage in reliable, independent sources (Wikipedia:Notability, guideline).
what does not count.
“Any reprints of press releases, other publications where the musician or ensemble talks about themselves, and all advertising that mentions the musician or ensemble, including manufacturers' advertising.”
so your press release does not count, a site that reprints it does not count, and an interview where you describe yourself counts for less than a review someone else wrote. a paid placement is advertising. what counts is a writer, at an outlet with an editor, choosing to cover you.
the other criteria.
- criterion 2: “Has had a single or album on any country's national music chart.”
- criterion 3: “Has had a record certified gold or higher in at least one country.”
- criterion 8: “Has won or been nominated for a major music award, such as a Grammy, Juno, Mercury, Choice or Grammis award.”
the guideline adds that whichever criterion is claimed, the claim has to be verified by reliable sources independent of your own promotional material. all twelve are on the guideline page&oldid=1369560651#Criteria_for_musicians_and_ensembles).
do not write it yourself.
“Writing an autobiography on Wikipedia is an example of conflict-of-interest editing and is strongly discouraged.”
if anyone is paid, it has to be disclosed.
“If you were paid or expected to be paid in any way for contributing to Wikipedia, you must disclose it.”
the disclosure names the employer, the client and the affiliation, and it is required by the Wikimedia Foundation's Terms of Use. a paid draft also goes through review instead of straight into the encyclopedia: the Articles for Creation page says its process “must also be used by editors with a conflict of interest” (Wikipedia:Articles for creation).
nobody can guarantee acceptance.
“No one can guarantee that an article will be accepted or protected; any such guarantees are lies.”
the same page says help from real Wikipedia volunteers is always free. what a firm can sell is the work: checking the sources against the criteria before you pay for an article, writing the draft from those sources, filing it with the disclosure, and answering the reviewers. and it can put a refund behind it. that is how our Wikipedia service is built: you get the page, or you get your money back.
how to get there.
- collect every independent piece written about you: reviews, features, profiles. links and dates.
- check them against criterion 1. is each one independent, edited, and about you in depth.
- if the pile is thin, the work is press first. a campaign earns the coverage an article is built from.
- have the draft written from the sources, not from your bio.
- file it through Articles for Creation, with any payment disclosed.
- answer the reviewers. a decline comes with reasons, and the draft can be improved and sent again.