My 30 years in the music world was mainly spent playing drums. In the late 80’s and early 90’s Metal music was very popular. My friends and I would go to shows with the hopes of one day being that band on stage that people enjoyed listening to.
In 1991 it started to happen. We had our music ready to record/to play live. One of the most important things musicians need to be ready for is the cost of a good recording studio. This can be quite pricy if you don’t have one or know somebody who has one. This is critical to your success. It is not cheap and you don’t want to take short cuts. When somebody hears your band for the 1st time you want them to be impressed even if they don’t like the style of music. If the sound quality is good it makes it that much easier for someone to listen to it. Who knows, maybe you will impress them enough and they listen more often. People listen to music and very rarely understand what it takes to get to that finished product. In my opinion, they either like a song or they don’t. I call this a 50/50 split.
When promoting your band, it is important to make connections with clubs and local college radio stations that will play your music. It’s reasonable to start within a 50-mile radius. This is also an important part. This is a NUMBERS GAME! You will reach more people on the radio. You never know who is listening. If the right person or people hear it they will contact you. It’s essential you make sure you are accessible. Take advantage of every outlet, a website, social media advertisement in trade papers. Be sure to provide the name of the band, contact person (name, address, phone and email). These outlets will make it easier to connect with other artist and clubs that you are interested in working with. This will give them up to date accounts of what the band is doing and for you to watch their activity as well.
Playing out of state is a great way to increase your fan base. Connecting with bands from other states is a great way to network and get to play out of state. The same goes for the others bands you are networking with. You would book a show in your area and they would do the same in their city. Giving reasonable time for each band to make time for the shows.
Being from Boston, MA We played as far as Connecticut and New York City. Depending on where you live the drive could be fairly short or really long. The Northern states are not too big it was easy to get from Boston to New York City or upstate in 6-8 hours. There are things to take into consideration when booking out of state shows. Compensation to cover travel expenses (fuel, food and lodging) is negotiable. Always remember, your time is worth something and if they are interested they will meet you at a fair and equitable amount. If they are requesting for you to come play that is a cost that they should understand.
As with any business you should consult a CPA (Certified Public Accountant) as startup business costs can be deductible. Ask questions! You are paying them. They are working for you. You are considered an independent contractor and would be responsible for filing your estimated taxes. Always remember, even though you are in the band it is a business. Just like when negotiating to be paid! Equipment is expensive on top of all the other costs and not planning properly is the downfall of most bands. They don’t keep track of these things. It doesn’t have to be a formal software the main thing is to track all expenses. Whether you use a word document or old-fashioned ledger paper it’s fairly easy. Classify it by category: (1) Mileage, (2) Equipment, (3) Hotels ETC. Each band member should have their own CPA but you could all use the same as separate clients.
onelesslimb@yahoo.com – Yahoo Mail
Don Ferguson
One Less Limb
Recording Studio