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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.

 

 

 

9 Tips for Making Money Online from Your Music

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Today, I’d like to share with you some practical tips for making money online from your music. The stereotype of ordinary musicians being constantly broke is still floating around. This by itself is bad enough, but what’s worse is how much it discourages young musicians from fully pursuing their creative dreams.

 

The truth is that not only is it possible to make money from music, but the technology we have now means that making money online from your music is so much easier than it ever has been in the past.

 

Licensing

Creating music for use in soundtracks is a great way to turn instrumentals and music that doesn’t fit your usual genre into an extra source of income. Indie music licensing is growing more and more as film, tv and commercial producers are looking further afield.

Tutorials

If you’ve been spending years or even decades mastering your instrument, why not show others how to get to where you are now? All you need is a good quality camera and a microphone, which you may already have. Both are relatively inexpensive. Plus, with ad revenue from sites such as Youtube.com they can quickly pay for themselves.

 

Ghostwriting

Much like being in a supermarket, music can be a ‘cash or credit’ situation. You can either take credit for your work, or take cash. Once you’ve developed a bit of a following you can take both, but it’s nice to know you can start getting paid very quickly by writing music for others to perform. This is incredibly common in the music industry, and many of the biggest music stars actively use ghostwriters.

 

Mastering

Finding somebody who can master a track or even an entire album is easier than ever thanks to websites such as Fiverr and other platforms that allow people with different skill sets to collaborate. By mastering music for a fee, you can make a very healthy income and build a formidable skill set at the same time.

 

Digital Sales

This can either be through your own website, or through a third-party such as iTunes. Be aware that third party retailers will take a commission of the total price, which can be quite high.

 

To get the most exposure, make sure you gather a few favourable reviews from friends, family and anybody else you can persuade. This will dramatically increase your chances of selling online to people who may have never heard of you before.

 

High quality artwork

I know, I know. You’re a musician so why should you care about how the album looks? However, you’re missing a great opportunity to show off your band’s aesthetic with a visual representation as well as having a bit of fun. High quality, interesting artwork is also much more likely to catch somebody’s eye as they flick through all of the music available to them – so it translates to more sales and downloads too.

 

Crowdfunding

You don’t have to work 8 hours a day at a job you don’t want just to fund your music, nor do you have to persuade a record company. Instead, take your music public from day one and encourage others to chip in to help take it from a concept to a polished album or single. Online crowdfunding platforms such as Kickstarter or Gofundme are excellent for this.

 

Podcasting

Doing guest appearances on internet radio shows and podcasts is a great way to boost your profile. Just like a normal radio show, being part of an interview or doing a live performance is a great way to reach a massive audience without having the hassle of building one from scratch. Be sure to let the listeners know where they can find your music online for download or streaming.

 

Micro-producing

Instead of creating whole tracks, create tiny snippets of music. This can be in the form of loops, sound effects and samples. Developing new content for other music producers is much more exciting now thanks to user-to-user online marketplaces being supported by DAW developers. You can get in on the action in tons of different ways. Everything from programming brand new VSTs to making presets.

 

By now you should be feeling much more confident about having a career in the music industry. Whoever told you that you can’t make money online from your music was wrong.

 

Author bio:

Zac Green is chief editor of popular music blog ZingInstruments.com. He believes that music isn’t just a thing you do – it’s a mindset, an attitude, a way of life.

 

 

 

Where To Find The Best Up And Coming Bands

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In this day and age, we are constantly inundated with new music from a multitude of channels—Spotify Discover Weekly Playlists, Youtube recommended videos, and releases pouring onto every streaming device you can think of. And say what you will about the quality and style preferences heard in some of today’s hottest tracks, it is truly an exciting time for the music industry.

 

However, sometimes all of this new music can be overwhelming. If you are an avid music lover like me, you want to know how to block out the fluff and find really great up and coming artists. But this is easier said than done. Of course it takes a lot of time and effort to stay current in today’s music industry, but check out some of these tips if you’re interested in finding the next great artist.

 

Check Out Your Local Open Mics

No matter where you are currently living, chances are there is a bar or restaurant somewhere in the vicinity that hosts an open mic night. Open Mic Nights are a great way to get the community involved, draw a crowd, and ultimately provide free entertainment for the establishment.

 

Next time you see a sign for a local Open Mic Night, or any other local music gigs, make a note to check it out one night. You might be surprised by the kind of up and coming talent that is just starting to get out there.

 

View Trending Tracks on SoundCloud

SoundCloud is a wonderful place to go to find up and coming music. The platform tends to lean towards independent and DIY artists, so you can be sure that all of the likes and shares are authentic. No matter what kind of music you are into, you’re likely to find some really great artists on SoundCloud.

 

If you’re in the mood for something new, check out the top songs and most shared tracks on SoundCloud. Many of the top tracks on SoundCloud are also featured on the most popular music blogs and publications as well.

 

Head To Shows Early To Catch The Opening Acts

Live shows are often fairly long endeavors, and can go pretty late into the night. Not to sound like a total buzz kill, but it’s important to plan ahead so that you have enough stamina to last the entire night. But that said, some of the best new up and coming artists are most likely on tour opening for the bands that you already know and love.

 

If you have any upcoming music gigs planned, trying going on the earlier side to catch some of the opening acts, as this is a great way to find the newest talent. These are bands and artists hand-picked by the headliners, so you can be sure that they are on the rise.

 

Staying on top of the latest music industry trends is exciting and fun for anyone with a passion for music, but the platforms and methods for finding new talent are always changing, and it can be very time consuming to weed through the noise to find the really good stuff.

 

Next time you’re on the hunt for a hot new up and coming band, try out some of these tips and let us know if they lead you to any artists that you plan to follow for years to come.

 

Author bio:

Freddy Tenny is an audio engineer and avid music lover. He owns and operates Rivington Music Rehearsal Studios, a legendary music and band rehearsal space located in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. These studios first opened in 1988 and boast an all-star list of bands and artists who have practiced in them.

 

 

 

Independent Musicians “Bloom” at youbloomDublin Music Summit & Festival

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The youbloom Mission Achieved

In the words of The Key Regimes, who performed songs from their debut EP at youbloomDublin, “education and community” are the aspects of youbloom’s mission that they relate with most. “There is never enough of either”, they stated.

 

How does youbloom provide this through youbloomDublin? Just ask the artists who performed.

 

The Key Regimes, who were “blown away with the quality of the bands playing over the weekend”,  relaxing before a set at youbloomDublin

 

Community and Education Fostered at youbloomDublin

“Having a sense of community is extremely important for musicians”, Pixie Saytar, a three member band who played a set at 4 Dame Lane, stated. The ability to form a connection rather than a competition allows artists to “feel a part of something bigger”. Pixie Saytar believes a community atmosphere is “vital to growth as both an artist and a person”.

 

To Pixie Saytar, the educational aspect of youbloom is also important in that it’s about “sharing your expertise with others”, and meeting industry figures removes some of the big bad scariness.

 

Pixie Saytar striking a pose at youbloomDublin

 

 

For others, such as Dandelion Tea, youbloom is about “building a community that supports artists” and learning from others in that community. They quoted Vaughan Williams who once said that “the composer must not shut himself up and think about art, he must live with his fellows and make his art an expression of the whole community.”

 

ELLYD, who returned to youbloomDublin this year as a solo artist, playing some tunes

 

Successes and Takeaways From youbloomDublin2017

CARRON is hoping to make it to youbloomLA this year. The two sisters are thankful for the advantageous music industry contacts they made who can offer valuable tips for artists such as themselves. They also look forward to possibly “performing [with them] in the near future”.

 

Dandelion Tea also saw success in that they were “booked for another gig straight after.” Overall, many artists felt as though their performances were well received by a nice crowd. In the words of ELLYD, “it’s always a pleasure to play at youbloom!”

 

 

 

Purchasing Fans

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Every artist wants a big number of fans. Looking at those numbers on social media gets everyone excited. The artists feel important and new people to the music, as well as labels and talent agents, see big numbers and think there is something going on with the artists. There are a couple of ways to get these numbers on social media, including purchasing fans. You have to be careful about how you go about getting fans, though. Just make sure you stay connected with the fans who truly like your music.

Paying for Fans:

An easy way that a lot of artists think work is purchasing fans. There are plenty of people out there who will do it for the artists. You will pay a ton of money for them to find people who are willing to follow you for a certain amount of money. There will be some people who do this and will call or email to get you to sign up with them. If you decide to get “fans” this way, make sure to do as much research on the person as you can. There are plenty of them out there that will scam you for money and not actually do anything.

The problem purchasing fans is there’s no connection and most of them, if not all of them, won’t do anything but follow you. You want to make sure there is actual interaction with that many fans. It is true that the first thing people notice when they look at your social media accounts is how many likes and follows you have. But the second thing they will look at is if there’s any kind of interaction with those fans. Are they “liking”  posts, commenting, re-tweeting? If you have thousands of likes and follows, but no interaction, labels and venues will notice. It is hard right now with so many pages out there for anyone to see everything you’re posting, but you want to make sure there are some connections happening.

Free Fans:

Getting fans the old fashion way will take longer and won’t be as easy, but it will be worth it more in the end. It will show how much work you put into your music and fans. There will be more interaction and will catch the eye of the people you want it to. Labels and venues will be more impressed and see all the work you’re putting in. Your page will be filled with genuine fans who will want to share your music with others and want to share what you’re posting. 

There are websites out there that will help you purchase fans and you can get fans on your own. Really think about what you want to do before you decide to “purchase fans”. A lot of people will notice if they are real or fake numbers. There are a lot of scammers out there, as well. Make sure to do a lot of research first. The numbers may look good in the emails, but looking up reviews on them will let you know how they really are. Getting fans without that kind of help won’t be as easy, but will help way more in the end. The fans will be true and genuine and will be helping you gather more fans.