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Seven Dos and Don’ts When Forming a Band

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Seven Dos and Don’ts When Forming a Band

Not everyone is lucky enough to go to high school with their musically inclined buddies or meet compatible musicians while attending college.  Sometimes, a musician must actively recruit members for a band.

It doesn’t matter if you form a band organically or through planned machinations.  What matters is finding like-minded musicians and getting the most out of your experience.

There are probably as many ways to form a band as there are bands.  Regardless of how you put your group together, there are some dos and don’ts that you might want to consider.  Below are seven tips for artists looking to form a band.

 

Do Be Professional

Being a musician conjures up images of licentious groupies and wild partying.  In reality, it’s a lot of hard work.  Being in a band is like starting a business with one or more partners.  That means you’ll need to show up on time, be prepared, and stay sober—that includes the formation process.  You can be wild and crazy on stage, but before and after, you should act like a professional.

 

Do Know What You Want

Before starting a band make sure you know what kind of music you want to play and what type of career you’re hoping to achieve.  This will help you find like-minded musicians.  When discussing your project with others, be clear and honest about goals and expectations.  You’re going to encounter plenty of personal issues while in a band.  Don’t let simple misunderstandings be one of them.

 

Do Consider More Than Just Talent

You’re going to spend a lot time with your bandmates.  Do you really want to hang out with a bunch of jerks?  Sure, you want musicians with talent, but don’t let that be your only deciding factor.  Before joining forces with another musician, get to know them a little to see if you’ll enjoy their company.  You’ll still have conflicts, but it will make being in a band much more enjoyable.

 

Do Get a Dedicated Email Address

Perhaps you’re going to find musicians on the internet.  Perhaps you’re going to find them at jam sessions, local music gigs, or record stores.  Whatever method you choose, consider getting a dedicated email address that you can give to potential bandmates.  This prevents someone of dubious character from having your personal email address.

 

Don’t Be in a Hurry

You’re probably very excited to form a band, but be patient.  Don’t necessarily pick the first musicians that come along.  It may take weeks, or months, to find like-minded musicians you’re comfortable with, but when you do, the wait will have been worth it.  

 

Don’t Pouch Musicians from Other Bands

Some music industry insiders recommend pouching musicians.  You attend a gig, find a musician you like, and steal him or her away from their current group.  The problem with pouching is the musician you steal is likely to be stolen from you.  If they’re not loyal to their old band, why will they be loyal to their new band?  A better route is to occasionally check in with the musician to see if they’re still in a band or let them know that you’d like to work with them in the future.  If the fates are kind, you’ll be jamming in no time and without burning a single bridge.

 

Don’t Stop Practicing

Throughout the process of forming a band, don’t neglect your chops.  It will be easier to recruit like-minded musicians if you’re constantly improving your skills and challenging your musical abilities.  It will also show potential members that you’re serious about music and forming a band.

 

BIO

Bert Gordon is a writer living in Vancouver, Washington.  He has been writing about music and the music industry for nearly a decade.  You can read more of his articles at Clickitticket.

 

 

 

The Music Industry: Artists’ Outlook

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YoubloomDublin2017

At around noon on Thursday, June 1st, Dublin’s atmosphere became a bit more community-minded. More specifically, it became a bit more nurturing towards those who possess a love of music.

 

Sixty independent musicians based in multiple countries—from Portugal to Sweden—would play a unique gig during that weekend at the youbloomDublin Music Summit & Festival, an independent music conference and festival. Its uniqueness stems from the fact that youbloom caters specifically to unsigned artists with the intention of altering the current unsustainability of said artists.

 

How do they accomplish this? Well, just ask the artists themselves who performed at youbloomDublin three weeks ago.

 

Oski Bravo at youbloomDublin

 

But first, let’s take a step back.

 

The Music Industry Exposed

The music industry is extremely skewed: a few hundred artists make 75% of the revenue. Smaller artists usually remain unseen because they simply don’t have the support they need to grow their business. These music industry statistics and the monopoly effect lead artists like Oski Bravo, who performed at youbloom Dublin for the first time, to insist that the music industry is a “pigsty”.

 

Back to the Ocean, an alternative band who played twice at youbloomDublin, also attests to the demanding aspects of the music industry in that independent musicians basically must figure out how to get fans on their own. They’re “expected to have world class recordings, [a] big fanbase, professional videos and social media profiles, and [a] business orientation”.

 

Back to the Ocean rocking out at youbloomDublin for their first performance at the festival

 

A Love of Music

But for many, even though the odds seem insurmountable, the love for the craft is greater.

 

“It felt like a natural progression for both of us”, CARRON stated. For the two sisters who played at youbloomDublin in Phoenix Park on Saturday and The Globe on Sunday, it began with “leading roles in shows like ‘Annie’, ‘The Wizard of Oz’, and ‘The Sound of Music’” along with violin and vocal lessons.

 

They believe the music industry standard is quite high, particularly in Ireland with artists such as Hozier attaining success. However, they are hopeful for what it means for them in that “[they] must always be progressing too, writing new music and taking part in as many live events as [they] can”.

 

CARRON striking a pose at youbloomDublin

 

For others, such as Dandelion Tea, who performed at 4 Dame Lane on Saturday, “Music is just something that always made sense. [It’s] an intangible form of art that can impact so many people in a big way. We felt we had something unique to say and music was the language we could best express it in.”

 

The music industry may receive complaints, but as Dandelion Tea said, pictured here feeling the music at youbloomDublin, “that’s the nature of monetizing art.”

 

The overwhelming nature of the music business may discourage artists to pursue music, but many still do simply because they couldn’t imagine themselves doing anything different. It’s this overwhelming love for music that fuels artists and youbloom members alike.

 

 

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