Music draws everyone but it moves musicians differently. We feel we have to combine our own music with that of others. It can amount to a couple of musicians getting together for a jam session or committing to other musicians to be a dedicated member of a band. Being part of a band means a lot of hard work, a lot of time, and learning to work as a team rather than an individual musician.
Unfortunately the path to forming your own band can be a long one if you don’t know which steps to take to make sure that it all works out. Rather than wasting time and learning the hard way it can be helpful to join an already formed band that has an opening or you can put in the time and start your own band and use these 10 steps toward success in forming your own band.
- Depending on what kind of band you are forming and what kind of music you will be performing will determine the types of musicians you need as well as if you need vocal members of the band. Sit down and write out your very minimum and the ultimate in band members. Start with the minimum and get things right with that group first then start adding members so that the mesh of personalities can adjust and set and then add the next member. Make sure you as the main organizer of the band put rules in place as to being respectful of one another’s music, skills, time, and opinions. Always remind everyone to “take criticism professionally and not personally” and keep the band’s goals in mind at all times.
- Look for band members in a variety of places and have an audition. Make it a relaxed atmosphere and play a song or two with them and see how you sound together, work together, etc. First impressions are important but it matters more how you sound together than if the person has the look you want for the band. Various places to find musicians are schools, students of well-known teachers in your area and churches. Put up flyers at music shops, coffee shops and post ads in college newspapers. Ask if college music departments have a community bulletin board too. Those are great places to find vocalists. Of course social media, word of mouth, and letting others know can network you with other band hopefuls.
- Come up with a name and make it distinct. Don’t use a trademarked name or one that is being used in another capacity that would limit your ability to buy a domain name for publicity. The name can be indistinct from the music you play – it just needs to be unique. Then once you are sure about the name buy the domain name, register a Gmail account and use it to set up Twitter, Facebook, a YouTube Channel and other social media accounts. You don’t have to set them up, just make sure they are secured for your use. The Gmail account can help you set up your social media accounts and you can always have another one later but Gmail can then lead your to your Google Plus account for social media marketing. Make sure to set up your Facebook account as a Fan Page for the Band and not a personal page.
- Make a band agreement that puts into place rules about setting practice time, what happens if you miss practice, how long you will practice, who will be in charge of booking performances, and other important issues. It is important that everyone turns up ready to work and they should be prepared, rested, and should stay for the allotted time.
- Visiting a Small Business Administration office or SCORE office could help you learn more about the business side of forming your band. The information and advice from these professional organizations is free. You will understand how to invest money you make back into the band’s marketing, equipment, travel expenses, meals, and lodging. It will help you to know in the beginning how to set up the bookkeeping and payroll for the members. By learning those things now you will be prepared for when the money comes in and you will know when it is time to hire a professional to help with management or accounting responsibilities. Often you can find someone working toward a marketing or accounting major in college that is willing to donate their time for the experience in managing a band. Put out some flyers or ads in college papers and see if you can get someone on board to take over that part of the job. Bands aren’t always lucky enough to have someone that is capable of filling those needs. It is better to get someone outside the band to do the work if no one in the band is able to take on the responsibilities of accounting and marketing.
- Find a good place to practice that has enough room, good acoustics, that is easy to get to for everyone in the band and it is available when you need it. Having a steady place to practice is important.
- Practice, practice, and then practice some more. It takes time to get the sound uniform and get everyone working together fluidly. Consider your band an Olympic athlete that is practicing for that big moment when it is all on the line for the Gold Medal. It takes just as much discipline both individually and as a band to get to the point where it is time to step on the line and have the stop watch begin. You have to be ready for an opportunity to come along not get ready once the opportunity is there.
- Record a demo. Don’t skimp here and practice for the demo itself. Be organized, be on time, be rested, be comfortable and be ready. The demo is so important and it will be the first impression for those that want to hire or sign your band. With the Internet being so much a part of promotion these days it can be helpful to have a professional looking video or two of your band available for viewing on the Web. Make sure the audio and video is up to par and portrays your band professionally which usually means it is recorded by means other than a mobile phone. Consider it your digital demo and be serious about what you put out there for people to see.
- Get your marketing in line with a Web site, professional email address, social media accounts, and a press kit (a professional resume for bands). There are many ways to find the right professionals to help you with these tasks but word of mouth referrals are usually the way to go. Don’t ask a friend’s friend or a friend’s brother to do the work. This is one place where you need to ask another band or band member for a referral as to who did their work if you like what you see with their marketing.
- Start looking for gigs. What is done in a practice session is very different from a gig. It is important to experience whether the band is truly ready and professional when it comes to everyone getting somewhere on time, efficiently and professionally setting up equipment, being ready to play on time, doing the set without problems, and getting down the equipment quickly and packed away. Not to mention you have to get the crowd into you whether they start that way or not. Play as often as you can even if it means doing it free in the beginning. Doing a gig is as much a part of your preparation for success as practicing.
Being in a band can be rewarding and if you are lucky it can be financially rewarding too. Don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t go smoothly or it takes time to get your members together for forming a band is much harder than it would seem to be when looking at it from the outside. Be willing to ask for advice and listen to any suggestions another band or band member will offer you. You don’t have to follow their suggestions each and every time but every suggestion could have something in it to learn from even if it isn’t particularly right for your band at the time.
If you would like more information please feel free to contact me, Mike King through our Twitter or Facebook page. Once you get going send me a demo – I’d love to hear it. Make sure to follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
Comments