May 31st, 2011

How to avoid getting ripped off by promoters

Many promoters go out of their way to make gigs great for bands and audiences, listing gigs on Live Unsigned, putting up posters, flyering and spreading the word across social media. This post isn’t about those promoters. It is about the promoters who create the gigs that split up bands and waste your time. You can avoid them by researching venues online and playing at places that friends and bands you like play at. You have to be careful, there is one venue in London that manages to tick every box on the list below. Here are some things to watch out for:

Pay to play – The way this one works is that you have to buy a certain amount of tickets from a promoter then the band has to sell these tickets to get paid. However what normally happens is that the band can’t get the correct amount of people to the gig and loses money. Don’t play at any venue that asks you for money to play there, instead set up your own night like we wrote about here. If you buy tickets and have to sell them to get your money back you are taking the risk, not the promoter. Some venues insist this is standard practice but its actually quite rare, often these sort of venues will allow any band to play, regardless of quality as long as they are prepared to pay the money up front. By playing these sorts of venues you can often end up playing on bills crammed full of bands that don’t share an audience and are of variable quality. You don’t want to be associated with this and if you are offered these kind of deals make sure that you tell your friends to avoid these venues and spread the word to other bands. This needs to stop, no band should pay to play.

Over filling venues – What happens here is the promoter tells the band there is a smaller audience than is actually at the gig. So for example for a gig with 300 people they would say there is only 230, allowing them to pay a band who is on a percentage of the door a lot less. This happens often in even the biggest venues, you would be surprised. It is also dangerous in terms of Health and Safety, if there was a fire at some of these gigs it is going to be really dangerous. Peter Grant who managed Led Zeppelin used to get people from his organisation to count the amount of people coming into the gig to ensure that Zeppelin got paid correctly. You can do the same but be careful, promoters are unlikely to take kindly to this. Try and keep some sort of rough idea of how many people are actually coming into the building and you have more chance of getting paid correctly.

Promising to pay you then failing to do so – This happens a lot. Some promoters disappear before the night is over, others say that costs have risen and “there is no money in the pot” to pay the band. The way to avoid this is to agree in writing what you’ll get before the gig, so there is no argument about who gets paid and how much. Ask if there are any conditions that may result in non-payment. Get it in writing and you have a chance of getting paid. If you can get a promoter to sign one of the standard contracts that’s great but it is very hard to get most venues and promoters to do this.

All of the above and worse happen to bands every day. We’ve written before about being careful about choosing the venues you play (you can read it here) but some promoters actually go out of their way to try and get that little bit extra out of bands. If you are treated badly at a venue, tell people and help others to avoid being ripped off. What normally happens to theses promoters is that eventually their reputation becomes so bad that they stop promoting gigs. Unfortunately there are always more people thinking there is easy money to be made from gigs. Be aware these promoters are out there and be careful where you play.

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May 26th, 2011

What do A&R people really want?

Increasingly record labels are taking less chances with the artists they sign. At the recent Great Escape music conference we got a chance to talk to a major label A & R person and ask them about some of the things they are looking for. One of the most important things to note is that labels expect you to already be making waves. You should already have a fan base, be selling records and have a large mailing list if you want to get labels interested in what you are doing. One figure mentioned was a few thousand people on the email mailing list. The days of bands being developed by labels and labels taking risks are long gone. Here are a few things they are looking for:

  • A proven track record – To really get labels interested you should have so much buzz about your music that they find you themselves. Bloggers are talking about you, fans are looking out for listings on Live Unsigned and your music is being shared on torrents and across social media. Focus on fans and the media and eventually the labels will find you.
  • To be great live and have people coming to the gigs – You need to be an amazing, confident, controversial live act. Ideally you’ll already have an audience coming to gigs and will be confident performing in front of them. There are some tips on becoming a great live act here.
  • To be young and look good but have a potential to sell to an older audience – Labels still want to sign bands under 30, but increasingly they have an eye on the the over 30′s audience as they still pay for music. If you are a young band who can cross over to an easy listening audience then you have more of a chance. Otherwise focus on building a niche loyal fan base within a supportive genre for example metal, hip hop etc until you have so many fans people take notice.
  • To have great songs, ideally – Great music needs to be at the route of everything. You still need that, it costs more in marketing if the music isn’t good enough so they want the acts to have great songs.
  • To work really, really hard – This isn’t like winning the lottery, a record deal is just the start of the hard work. Forget seeing friends and family and make sure you have a good relationship with the other people in the band because you’ll be spending a lot of time with them, in often unpleasant conditions. You need a really serious work ethic.
  • To sign a 360 deal – All new artists labels want to sign are offered a 360 deal, this means the label gets a cut of tour revenues, publishing, merchandising and other income streams. They will have a cut of anything you make, rather than just record/download sales. Most artists and managers prefer to avoid these deals if possible as it gives the label far too much control of your career.

The above is just the start of what labels are looking for. The best way to get them interested is to just ignore them, build relationships with fans, bloggers, podcasters, journalists and eventually there will be so much buzz about you that they will come to you. Then you can argue your case for a decent record deal, not the first one you get offered. Remember signing to a record label is only one option, for many artists they are no longer required.

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May 24th, 2011

5 ways you can make your fans feel special

Every act from hip-hop to death metal needs fans, people who support you financially and spread the word about your music. But why should fans choose to follow you? It takes more than great music, although that always has to be the start of it all. To build a fan base you need to build real relationships with your audience and become part of their life. This isn’t quick or easy but will pay off in the long run.

A popular blog post a few years ago spoke about the concept of 1000 true fans, the idea being that you build a small loyal audience that will each pay towards supporting your annual income. The number of fans required to make a living varies from act to act, how profitable your music business is and how much you need to survive (especially if you have lots of members in the band). It may well be that to get 1000 hardcore fans that buy everything you will need 20000 normal fans. The hardcore are those who will get excited by every new gig listing on Live Unsigned, blog post or tweet, they want to know everything and they will spend a lot of money. These figures will vary for every band but the important thing is that you are aware of the idea that a hardcore fan base is vital for every band that wants to earn a living from music.

Signs things are going well when building an audience include you starting to see the same faces at gigs miles apart and get messages from the same people, sometimes on a daily basis. This is the point you will have to deal with the phenomena of the “obsessive fan” (think of Mel in the Flight of The Conchords TV series, it’s very realistic), but at least you’ll know you are building an audience. These early adopters are vital, treat them well and they will bring people to gigs and support you for years to come.

Here are 5 ways you can make your fans feel special:

Spend time with them – Shake hands, sign things and have your photo taken with them. How often has a friend said that they met a band and said that they were “really nice”. Just the act of them telling you this is perfect viral advertising. Even if the band were just being friendly these small acts all add up, especially if you are meeting thousands of people over the course of a European tour. You build a fan base one conversation, handshake or autograph at a time. It is almost like having a customer service job, you need to be there for the fans as ultimately they pay your rent. Often all they want is to have a chat and spend some time with you.

Say thank you – This is vital and many bands forget to do it. Say thanks in CD inlays, blog posts and news letters. When talking to fans at gigs thank fans for coming, it only takes a minute to make people feel special.

Offer fan exclusives – Whether it is a limited edition free live album exclusive to fans on your list or backstage passes for gigs, think of what you would like your favourite band to do for you. Update fans regularly and create interesting content – blogs, guitar lessons, videos or exclusive access to rehearsals via Ustream. Talk to them and treat them well, you need to engage with them if you want them to buy your music. Things have changed, thanks to torrents fans can get music for free, if they want to. Treat your fans well and you have more chance of them paying for your music because they choose to support you as an artist.

Let them have their say – Ask your fans questions and listen to what they say. Ask fans what songs they want to hear you play live, if they like CD artwork, what venues you should play or any other questions you can think of. Thanks to social media fan relationships are now conversational, as long as it doesn’t compromise your artistic vision it is worth getting the opinion of your audience.

Collaborate with them – Offer them the chance to provide artwork, remixes, videos or even a guitar solo on a track. Let them be a part of your process, as long as you feel it is appropriate for your music. Don’t ever do anything that compromises your music, if it doesn’t feel right then don’t do it.

You need to make the fans feel like they are important to you and part of what you are doing. If you make the fans feel special they are more likely to pay for music, tell their friends and generally help your career. Nothing impresses people in the music industry more than already having a fully formed fan base. Make the effort, it is worth it.

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May 20th, 2011

10 lessons DIY artists can learn from Frank Zappa

Frank Zappa was an artist that people either loved or hated. A brilliant guitarist, composer, satirist and band leader Zappa’s career extended from the 60′s to his tragically early death in 1993. An original thinker way ahead of his time, by the end of his career Zappa owned his own masters and released a vast amount of material on his own label, very much like DIY artists are doing today. He even conceived of a pre-web scheme to distribute music via the telephone system.

Here are a few ideas that Zappa used in his career, that are very relevant for DIY musicians today:

  • Follow your artistic goals. Zappa’s focus was the music. The music needs to come first, without that nothing else will work. Great, interesting, remarkable music needs to be a given. Without that it is very difficult to build a fan base or any kind of career.
  • Be controversial. As Zappa himself said “I was happy to offend anyone who wanted to be offended”. He picked targets for satire that others wouldn’t dare to pick. Zappa upset more people than he made friends with but the people who liked him really liked him. It is better to polarize opinion than for people to say you are “alright” or “OK”. If you want to get people talking don’t play it safe, but don’t be controversial for the sake of it. Zappa would fight for issues he cared about even if he ended up in court.
  • Be great live. The early Mothers gigs were theatrical and exciting, cutting up dolls and throwing things at the audience. Zappa constantly worked with amazing musicians, if you work with quality players you’ll rise to their level. Take chances and be amazing live if you want to build an audience.
  • Don’t be afraid to change. At the height of the Mothers success Zappa broke up the band and made solo and orchestral records. Often bands think that what will give them long term success is to repeat what worked for them in the past when in fact what got them the audience in the first place was being exciting and taking risks.
  • Be different. The look of the Mothers was as different and weird as their music. Zappa took chances that stopped them getting gigs but when they did get gigs they started to build a following because people remembered them, they were different and remarkable. Zappa was constantly looking at new ways to connect with his audience, he was one of the first artists to advertise in Marvel comics and create music videos. And that moustache was iconic.
  • Release lots of content. Some people say Zappa put out too many records but the endless stream of records allowed him to have a constant income stream. By the end of his career he owned his own record company and master recordings, he was in control very much like DIY musicians are in control now. He created lots of content and merchandise (videos/t-shirts/books/mail order albums) for his hardcore fans.  Because the fans would buy all this merchandise and multiple live albums he was able to fund his ambitious artistic goals, like making orchestral recordings. He was way ahead of the game in terms of allowing his audience to fund his career.
  • If you want to be original, be open minded. Zappa combined varied influences such as avant-garde composer Edgard Varese, world music, jazz, doo-wop and R&B with comedy that was all his own. By combing these influences along with his own remarkable gifts as a musician and composer he created music that was truly original. Keep an open mind if you want to stand out and be different.
  • Pay your dues. Zappa played cocktail lounges with R&B bands, he learned his trade. If you want to be great put the time in playing live. Experience gives you confidence.
  • Go where the action is. Zappa had to leave home and head to LA to find an audience for his music but in the end it wasn’t until he got to New York that he really found his audience. These days your audience may not be in one physical place, they may be located on a specific forum or other online community but you need to go where the people go if you want to build real relationships with fans. Initially the Zappa fans in New York were small in number but they were so excited by Zappa’s stage act and music they told their friends.
  • Be at the cutting edge of technology. From the early use of 16 track recording in the 60s to using the Synclavier in the 80′s Zappa was constantly looking for new sounds. We live in a time where access to new sounds is far easier then it was when Zappa was alive, what sounds can you create that are new and unique to you?

Zappa was a one off and it would be difficult to contrive the set of circumstances that created his unique world view and career. The best you can do as artist is to be unique and work hard to gain the skills that will allow you to build your fan base. Now with tools such as Ustream, Twitter and Live Unsigned you have the chance to connect with your audience far more easily than Zappa could, imagine what he could have done with the web the way it is now.

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May 17th, 2011

6 reasons why you should promote your own live music night

Bands often complain that they can’t get gigs or have trouble building an audience. You can wait around for promoters, the press, bloggers and fans to discover your music or you can be proactive and make it happen yourself.  Promoting your own gig with other bands/acts you want to play with and a decent DJ can open lots of doors and can also be fun to do. If you come from a town where nothing is happening this is your chance to make a difference. Here a few reasons why you should put on your own night:

  • You can make it special – A toga party metal night? A paint everything silver night? Who says it has to be all bands/musicians, what about adding performance art or comedy to your night. The only limit is your imagination (and who you can get to play). Everyone is bored of unsigned band showcase nights, it has been done. Put some effort in and people will remember you, don’t be afraid to take risks or look foolish. If people say what you are doing is ridiculous at least you’ve got them talking. Better to be interesting and remarkable than do what all the other bands are doing.
  • You get to make contacts – If you want to play with a band, book them for your own night. Even some bands you may think of as well known may be interested in playing all sorts of gigs, you’ll never know until you ask. There are lots of bands that feature in magazines and have fans that still have day jobs and are desperate for gigs. Get in touch. Ask the key players in the local scene to be part of the night. Ask the local bloggers and podcasters to DJ or ask if know any good acts that you should get to play. Make it a community event, bring people together.
  • It gets people talking – This is one of the most important things a band needs to do and this will only be amplified through social media, twitter, blogs and the press. Anything you can do to get people spreading the word about your band/night will make a difference.
  • It builds the local scene – We’ve written before on this site about building local scenes, but it really is essential. A community of people will always be stronger than an individual artist. For example when Alan McGee was starting Creation records he also had a club night. Here he could showcase his own acts alongside successful bands to build their audience. This then built a loyal audience for his events. Now with the distribution opportunities of the web you’re less likely to need a label but you can still use these kinds of tactics to build an audience.
  • You learn new skills – Ever had to set up a PA, deal with venue owners or sort out booking agents? Promoting your own nights will get you lots of experience very quickly. Focus on all the details and the big things will come together, for instance many a gig has failed due to no one wanting to share a drum kit!
  • It brings the industry to you – Many bands focus on sending off demos to labels/publishers/managers but this rarely gets results. What you need to do is create events so popular with fans that the industry finds you. The music industry is very small in terms of people in power, especially for niche artists. If the word of mouth from your fantastic regular night reaches someone in the industry you have a far greater chance of doing well than being one of the thousands of artists sending off demos.

For your gig/night to really work you’ll need to make it something special. Look after your audience and the other acts, really make an effort to promote it. List it on Live Unsigned, invite everyone in your social network, hand out fliers and put up posters. If you want this to work you need to work really hard. If you can get the first one to go well then it will get easier, the hard thing is building an audience. As with everything else, build it one person at a time.

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May 12th, 2011

How often should you put out new music?

Many bands are starting to abandon the traditional method of releasing an album and some singles every few years. Artists as diverse as Kanye West, Jonathan Coulton and Radiohead have all chosen to abandon or vary the usual release schedules. Doing things differently gets fans talking especially when tied in with live events (listed on Live Unsigned) but what works for one band won’t work for everyone. You need to think about how engaged you are with your audience and how much of your content that they want to consume. Think about how much high quality music you can create, the last thing you want to do is put out poor songs because you feel you have to. Fans will soon see through it if your heart isn’t in it. Here are a few ways you can release your music:

  • A song a week – Jonathan Coulton put out a song a week for a year in 2006. It nearly drove him mad in the process and he told the story of how he did it on his blog. Along the way he built a fan base and gained the attention of the press. Since then quite a few artists have done this (or something similar, like a song a day) and it’s less likely to get you attention purely for doing it. A weekly song is still a good way of staying engaged with your audience, if you can keep up with the demand for content.
  • A song a month – This is a bit more realistic for most bands, you can even release a series of tracks then compile them as an album later in the year. It’s wise to get a few songs in the bank before you start in case you run out of inspiration mid-way through. Make sure you ask your fans for feedback on each track as you put it out and get them involved in the process by telling them how you make the music on your blog and through videos and photos.
  • A series of EPs – It’s easier to get bloggers to write about EPs than individual tracks and a series of well presented EPs every few months with perhaps a limited edition physical release can get people talking. You can theme them and compile them as a CD later if you want to. A few songs in an EP form every 3 or 4 months is a useful strategy for new bands as it gives your audience the opportunity to see you grow as a unit as you build a relationship with your fans.
  • An album every year or so and some singles – The traditional way, the idea is you co-ordinate your releases at one point and create one big media buzz. This is more difficult to achieve for DIY artists without PR and advertising budgets and it is better to grow your audience one person at a time through social media, gigs, blogs, Live Unsigned listings and podcasts. Once an album buzz disappears and there is no more content to release it is hard to keep the momentum going. Some blogs and magazines will only write about albums and for some fans and artists an album is still the most important artistic statement. A great album still opens a lot of doors.
  • A combination of the above – This is the approach most artists will take. Perhaps you’ll put out an album then a few remixes or acoustic tracks on a monthly basis or an album followed by a live EP. You can release limited editions and unusual formats, use your imagination. It is definitely worth keeping on putting out content to your audience, even if it’s just the odd remix (especially if you can get your fans to do the remixing). Your bands audience is unique to you, you’ll soon get a feel for how much music they want by keeping a close eye on how your music is consumed and how popular your downloads are. If you see something working do more of that, respond to the needs of your audience.

Whatever way you decide to release it the most important thing is that you create amazing, remarkable, controversial and exciting music and connect with fans through a great live show. Think about interesting ways to use the release of music to create real relationships with the fans and you’ll have more chance of longterm career.

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May 10th, 2011

Should your band accept the gig?

Once your band has been going for a while you should be in the position where promoters are offering you gigs. If you are a new band it is wise to take as many gigs as possible to gain experience of playing in front of an audience but once you’ve been gigging for a while it is better to be a bit more selective. Poor gigs can help you create great web content and funny stories but will damage your bands morale if you do lots of them. Here are a few questions to ask yourself before you accept the gig:

  • Will it help you to grow your audience? One of the main reasons to play live is to connect with your audience and help to grow it. Nothing builds an audience like being great live and shaking hands with fans. Treat your audience with respect and say thank you. Ask people for email addresses, try to sell some CDs and hand out some flyers with your website details on.
  • Will the press be there? If press/bloggers are going to be there it may be worth making the trip, the exposure can be worth lots of money in equivalent advertising spend (as long as it is positive). One press article probably won’t do a lot, what works best is a combination of things like press, blogs, radio, live gigs, listings on Live Unsigned and social media. What will really build your fan base is a complex combination of all these things. It is impossible to work out what combination will bring you an audience quickest as it is different for every band (and if you could work it out everyone would do it) but press is an important factor in terms of giving you credibility.
  • Will you make money (or lose money) from it? Doing music for money will often limit how quickly you can grow your audience and damage your long term opportunities. There are thousands of better ways of making money than playing in a band, so if that’s your goal you’re probably on the wrong career path. If you can build a decent sized audience you can make money from music, but this only happens over time. When thinking about accepting a gig you have to think if the (potential) financial loss will be worth it versus the amount of potential fans you can gain. Remember there is no point playing to thousands of people if they are the wrong crowd for your style of music.
  • Will it be fun? Sometimes just playing a set at mate’s birthday party makes it all worthwhile and reminds you why you play music. Never forget that sometimes gigs are worth doing purely for the love of music.
  • Is the promoter worth working with? You will want to build relationships with promoters in your genre, one contact with the local Hip-Hop, Death Metal or Indie promoter can make all the difference. If you do a good show and prove you can bring an audience, can you get a support slot with a more popular act? Find out what possibilities there are. On the other hand working with some promoters will damage your credibility. There is one notorious venue in London that you have to pay the promoter to get a gig and they will let anyone play there, regardless of how good they are and what style of music they play. Only play for promoters who will give you better opportunities in the future.
  • How far is it and how much time will you lose? You don’t have infinite amounts of time and gigs are often more enjoyable than having your photo taken, making video content, recording, blogging etc. However driving across the country to play to no one is a waste of your time and is bad for morale in the band. Sometimes it is worth using that time to focus on efforts that will help to advance your career (and ultimately get you better gigs).
  • Are the other bands playing on the same night in the same style? If you play a night where one band is death metal, one indie rock and one is reggae there is a very low chance of getting any cross over between the bands and gaining new fans. This won’t help you to gain that vital niche audience so consider carefully who you play with.
  • Is there a decent PA and equipment? Many a gig has been ruined by a rubbish engineer/PA/backline/drum kit. We once saw an acoustic night where the “PA” was an electric guitar amp stuck on a distortion setting. Be careful, research venues online before accepting gigs.
  • Will you meet industry people there? This is really least important. If you build an audience the music industry will end up coming to you, if you build your fan base one person at a time. Focus on the fans, then when the industry do get involved you have something to bargain with, you will have people to sell to and you will have proven yourself already.

It is worth thinking hard before accepting a gig, a run of poorly attended, money losing gigs with terrible sound for awful promoters has split up many potentially great bands. Don’t just accept anything and judge each gig on its own merits.

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May 5th, 2011

How to create a music press release

Press releases are an essential for getting print press, it gives journalists a quick and easy way to get the information about your band and what you are doing. They need to be well written, interesting and to the point. Just a few paragraphs and less than 500 words. Often the text of a press release can end up in a magazine or newspaper, perhaps with a few changes (journalists can be lazy!). Normally you will send your press release along with your press kit with a covering letter (which you must address to a specific person at the magazine or newspaper). They can also be sent out via email or the post or hosted on a password protected area of your website.

The layout for press releases is a standard one, they start with:

“FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE” or “FOR RELEASE MAY 1st 2012 (your date)”

“For further details contact: (include the contact name, address, email, website and phone number here)”

HEADLINE (In capitals) – This needs to be good. “Local band releases CD” isn’t good enough. Try “local band makes record in prison” or “local band makes album twice after studio burns down”. Be creative. Try reading some magazines within your genre to get some ideas.

You are now into the body of the information. The first paragraph needs to have a summary of most of the information, you need to hook journalists in. If you want people to write about your band you need to be interesting, it should be all about the music but it isn’t. Controversy sells, events are interesting. If you can tie what you are doing into an interesting news story you have more chance of gaining attention. Write in the third person and ensure you answer the questions who, where, what and why.

Try and keep to the point, the press can make it more descriptive if they need to. Include any relevant tour dates (especially if it’s a good support slot). Think about the audience, for example if it is for metal journalists use reference points within that genre. Don’t go overboard with the hype, people will see straight through it if you say you are the next big band but no one has ever heard of you. Mention any positive press and recent decent gigs. Get someone to check it (twice), any tiny mistake will lose you credibility.

Conclude the press release with the contact details again and “###” at the very end to show that the press release is finished.

Only send out a press release when you really have something to talk about, ask yourself if it is genuinely newsworthy. Include relevant supportive quotes, this will give your press release credibility and always try to write it from the perspective of the journalist receiving it.

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May 3rd, 2011

Building your unsigned artist support network (part 2)

In part 2 of this post we look at some more people you will need for your support team. These people may be in your band or may be friends, fans or family. You’ll need all the help you can get in the early stages of your musical career:

  • A social media person – This person will be responsible for updating Facebook and Twitter and updating your gigs on Live Unsigned. They are building that vital connection with fans. In terms of actual updates it needs to be someone in the band, people want to connect with the artist not a PR person. In the early stages focus on building a fan base, once you have fans the industry will come to you. Then if you do decide you want the industry involved with your career you are in a stronger position to argue for better deals.
  • A publishing/licensing person – Getting your music on to TV, Games and Films is a great income stream for your band, if you can connect with the people involved. It’s not a conventional role to have someone pushing this in the early stages of a career but the potential revenue and exposure in this area now make this vital. There is more info on licensing here.
  • A press person – One way to grow your audience in the early stages of your career is to get some supportive press. Press will also give you credibility with potential fans, bloggers, promoters, and all aspects of the industry. If you can’t afford to employ someone to do this you’ll need to have someone identifying journalists who write about artists similar to you and building relationships with them. There is more information about guerilla tactics for getting press here.
  • A booking agent – Gigs in the right places will raise your profile quickly but bad gigs can lower the morale of the best bands. Booking gigs is a very important job, it needs to be someone who knows your music scene specifically and someone who is passionate about your music. It is sometimes hard for band members to sell their own music on the phone so perhaps this is a job initially for a loyal friend, fan or family member. Make sure they research where bands at a level slightly above where you are within your scene are playing using the gig listings on Live Unsigned, then they will know the venues to contact. Booking gigs is all about who you know, so if you don’t have anyone in your network who has these contacts you will need to look to get someone who is keen to build these contacts or get an established booking agent.
  • A web designer – If you’re not sure about this either start learning or get a professional involved, a fixed website with your own specific URL is essential to your growth online. Social networks come and go but your web site will remain. Good web design is an art, make sure it’s clean and reflects what you do and has all the info that fans and industry professionals need.
  • A live sound person – This needs to be someone who really knows what they are doing, possibly even leave this to the venue you are playing at. It is always useful if you have someone who really knows how your band should sound and can adjust the levels at the correct times during songs but this is a highly skilled area and it needs to be done by someone who knows what they are doing. If you have someone in your network who wants to learn these skills get them to help at your rehearsals and come along to gigs and watch how live sound works. It’s a skilled job that will take a while to learn but makes such a difference to how people perceive your band.
  • A recording person – You can record everything yourself but few people have the equipment, skills and resources to make a product that will make you stand out from the crowd in terms of quality. Recruit someone from your network who is brilliant or get a professional involved. Do deals with studios to get a good price, tell them your budget and ask them what they can do. It’s essential to have great recordings so be careful to make them amazing, an area worthy of some investment. Don’t forget to get them mastered.
  • A video person – Video content is very useful, from rough and ready social media content to high quality broadcast videos. You can make amazing video content on free programs or get Final Cut Pro and make a movie. Try asking fans via Twitter if they are interested in making videos for your songs, you can get some brilliant results this way.

Often the jobs will overlap and you may well have a driver/artwork/merch person. Your team will grow as your band becomes more popular and hopefully you will be less hands on yourself, however ensure that you are keeping an eye on what is going on, it only takes one person to cause a lot of damage. Remember that social media can spread the word quickly about things you don’t want people to hear about too…..

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