When you’re in a band, the moments on stage are electrifying. But just as essential are “The Space Between”—the times before and after the show and those valuable minutes between sets. Here’s how to make the most of them and keep the crowd engaged all night.
Pre-Show: Setting Up with Purpose
Preparation is key. Arrive early, set up quickly, and have a routine in place to keep things efficient. Beyond the technical setup, think about curating a soundtrack for the pre-show and the breaks between sets. The right music sets the mood and builds the energy in the room, guiding the crowd into the show’s vibe even before you step on stage. If you can, choose an intro track to lead right into your first song, letting the atmosphere naturally flow as you take over the night.
Between Sets: Connecting with Your Fans
During breaks, it’s all about connection. This is the perfect time to move through the crowd, spread the love, and make fans feel appreciated. Keep interactions short and meaningful so you can reach more people, even if it’s a high five—everyone wants to feel part of the experience. Your fans are the heartbeat of your shows, so let them know they’re one of the reasons you do what you do. And keep the vibe alive by letting your curated music play during these pauses, keeping the energy up and the crowd engaged.
Post-Show: Celebrating and Wrapping Up
After the final note, take a moment to bask in the energy of the performance. Enjoy the applause, share a moment with the band, and let the night sink in. But after about 20-30 minutes, it’s time to wrap up. Pack up quickly, efficiently, and with the same purpose you brought to the setup. The crowd will sense your professionalism, and it’ll add polish to the whole experience.
In the end, “The Space Between” is all about setting a mood, connecting with fans, and keeping the momentum going. Each phase of the night adds depth to your performance, making the time on stage feel like just one part of an unforgettable experience. With a little intentionality and some well-chosen tunes, every moment becomes a part of the show, creating memories that last long after the last chord fades.
Holy crap! You see the band “Cod Fish Diaries”, they are blowing up!!
Well, are they? This topic frequently generates questions from ranging from “Are those views real?” to “Are they paying to look bigger?” to “Should I buy followers for my band?”.
For those that don’t know, many bands across the globe, primarily original bands, use a strategy to pay for views, likes, followers, gigs and more. And, it’s ok. It’s a tough industry and sometimes you’ve got to spend some money to hopefully make some.
This article provides a breakdown of different growth strategies as well as the advantages and disadvantages.
Organic Growth
Organic social media growth means naturally building a following through genuine content creation, fan interaction, and word-of-mouth marketing, allowing your audience to grow authentically over time based on real interest in your music and brand.
Purchased Growth
Purchased growth involves paying services to artificially inflate your follower numbers using fake accounts, bots, or inactive profiles to create an immediate appearance of having a larger following.
It’s important to note that while many immediately discredit bands who “pay” for engagement, it’s a strategy used throughout the industry. Some may call it “cheating,” whereas others consider it a “cheat sheet.” Although compelling data and experience suggest bands should not utilize any paid model, it’s certainly present across the industry.
Here is the breakdown of each approach:
Organic Growth
Advantages
1. Authentic Engagement: Real fans interact with your content, which leads to a higher likelihood of merchandise and music purchases. This type of growth provides genuine feedback on your music and content, unlike strange comments from overseas workers. The authentic engagement also contributes to better concert attendance and word-of-mouth promotion.
2. Algorithm Benefits: Platforms favor accounts with authentic engagement and can flag accounts with sporadic increases. The benefits to the algorithm lead to better reach for future posts, higher chances of appearing in “Recommended” sections, and more accurate analytics for audience targeting.
3. Industry Credibility: Labels and promoters can spot authentic followings. It’s easy to see who is paying versus who is authentically getting engagement, which leads to better opportunities for partnerships, sponsorships, stronger negotiating positions for deals, and genuine industry connections.
Disadvantages
1. Time Investment: Building a following requires consistent content creation and regular engagement with followers, and it can take months or years to build a substantial following.
2. Resource Intensive: The process demands creative energy and planning, all while maintaining gigs and creating music. It requires real skill in content creation (photos, videos, etc.) and ultimately may lead to additional advertising expenses. This is one of the reasons some bands are hiring social media managers.
Purchased Growth: The Quick Fix?
Advantages
1. Immediate Results: You get an instant boost in follower count and quick appearance of social proof. It can help overcome the “empty room” effect and potentially attract real followers through perceived popularity (lemming effect).
2. Cost Efficiency: The approach offers predictable expenses with guaranteed output. This requires virtually no need for constant content creation and involves lower initial time investment.
Disadvantages
1. Platform Risks: Account suspension, termination, and shadow banning are all risks with purchased followers. This leads to many negative side effects such as reduced organic reach, potential blacklisting from promotional features, and more.
2. Quality Issues: You’ll see low or no engagement rates with obvious fake profiles. Many of the comments appear in broken English, and bot accounts often get purged, damaging account analytics (making it easier to identify what’s real).
3. Industry Reputation: The risk of being exposed for fake followers is significant and can lead to loss of credibility with real fans. It becomes difficult to secure genuine partnerships, and you risk potential backlash.
4. Financial Impact: Growing and promoting a band is expensive. Significant money can be spent on non-converting followers, which leads to potential loss of real fan investment. These actions may lead to resentment and wasted advertising spend on fake audiences.
My opinion
Save your money and invest it in your product, it will continue to pay dividends. For most bands, organic growth is not only the best approach but also the most affordable. If you choose the paid model, doing it properly becomes expensive.
Many bands purchase engagement for one platform, like YouTube, but fail to maintain consistency across other social platforms which can quickly be questioned and lead to lack of trust from fans and industry (there is another article on here about lying to your fans BTW). For example, a video might receive 200,000 views within a week but show no corresponding followers, comments, or posts on Facebook or other platforms. If they do have comments, they are usually broken English or have no real context to the post. Within a week, the video receives no additional views, and other content shows no engagement but the band may be out thousands of dollars.
The problem I see is that all the data is available for those who know how to get it and when it comes to business, integrity is key. Investors mindsets can quickly go from wanting to invest to the thought of deception which is not good for the band or the industry. Mind you, buying market share has been around forever but I guess my point is that the data was not there to show where things were being manipulated. Fast forward to today, you can literally graph where manipulation occurs which makes the risk is much higher now in my opinion.
Here is what a paid engagement looks. This data is freely available and used within industry circles. Notice the spikes.
Here is an example of paid video views. This is where things can get expensive to maintain. If one video gets 200k views, it would be expected that subseqent videos get the same. If the video is removed, set to private..etc, those views are removed from the graph as seen in the negative spike.
Conclusion
While purchasing growth might seem tempting for quick results, the risks and long-term disadvantages typically outweigh the short-term benefits. If you have lots of money, it may be a strategy and it’s actually used by record labels as we speak to sort of jump start artists. However, building an organic following takes more time and effort but creates sustainable success and real connections with fans—the true currency of the music industry.
For bands serious about their career longevity, investing in organic growth while utilizing legitimate promotional tools offers the best path forward. Remember, social media success should ultimately translate to real-world results: streams, sales, and concert attendance. Only genuine followers can provide these outcomes.
I had started on this article a while back. It was a painful article to write to be honest. I wanted to hit delete many times as this article started outlining some real pain in the industry which would frankly not be accepted well by musicians (and I didn’t want someone shooting the messenger).
It reminded me of my own success and failure with original music but ultimately started to make me a bit depressed for the future generations looking to become successful recording artists. The information and stats kept leading to the same question, “How on earth can someone beat the odds?”
Although I’ve rewritten to include only a few sobering stats, my intent, as always, is to share some experience and hopefully provide some information to help others make smart decisions.
Please note: this article is not intended to be gloom and doom but exposing some realities for those who may be interested in pursuing this life.
Let’s talk about original bands. Some are loved, some are hated. I’ve had the great opportunity to be in original bands that toured across the southeast in the early 90’s. In my mind, I still remember them as the “good ol days” but even over 30 years ago, being in an original band was difficult and there was still a lot of love and hate. I think people loved us though.. i think?
Fast forward today, everyone is still opinionated (probably more due to social media) and we’re in a world with over 100,000 songs a day published to Spotify (Jan 2024). Even back in the day, there was a network of folks who would burn cassettes / cd’s and if you were in the know, you had opportunities to get your music heard through those underground channels or performances (when clubs used to book original bands). I always remember a guy who would load me up with tapes when we did shows in Orlando. The underground music scene was alive and well.
Ironically, now bands and artists have the unprecedented ability to put their music worldwide, yet it seems harder than ever to be found due to the sheer volume placed online.
In hopes to resolve that, bands and artists are forced to spend money to even be seen or heard through paid promotions, tour buy-ons, or other marketing strategies. Even the labels themselves have used paid promotions and fake streams to kick start an artist or band. It’s not an uncommon practice and just reenforces the challenges in the industry.
The sobering thought that you released a hit song today and so did over 99,000 other people is a hard pill to swallow, but it happens every single day and growing. Worse, when coupled with people being overwhelmed with other solicitations such as memes and videos and the average human attention span of 8.25 seconds (which is less than the attention span of a goldfish – 9 sec), it’s discouraging at best.
The ugly truth is as an original artist, you’ve selected something which is saturated, and the laws of supply and demand are in full swing. Those desires to be heard, become rich and famous, doing what you love while paying rent quickly become extremely difficult to make happen in a cut throat industry. There is a reason many top artists came from wealthy families.
To add to the sobering state of things, it was discovered that 0.2 percent of artists are “mega” stars, 0.9 percent are mainstream, 1.4 percent are mid-sized, 6.8 percent are “developing” and the whopping 90.7 percent are wholly undiscovered in a study next big sound did.
90.7% UNDISCOVERED???
Getting booked as an undiscovered artist, you don’t want to know those odds.
Geez, thanks for the buzz kill!
Don’t lose hope though. Please continue reading.
Although I don’t have a solution to all the world’s music problems, I would offer a change in mindset may be warranted.
Mindset change #1: maybe we are NOT in the music business anymore and we need to accept that music itself is just a conduit to something bigger.
The music business: the business of selling recordings.
If you’ve not looked around, folks don’t sell albums much anymore. Sales are mostly singles and those are generally streamed. RIAA equates 1500 streams of a track equals one album sale (10 songs). The math can get difficult pending where it’s streamed but it can quickly give you an idea that nobody is getting rich on streams. Spotify is paying $0.003–$0.005 per stream and apple generally does $.01 per stream (not including splits).
How can an artist’s live on that? (many don’t. many, by their own words have become t-shirt salesmen to survive)
Even the traditional record deal doesn’t exist anymore with the introduction the 360 deal in the early 2000’s due to declining revenue of album sales. The days of large advances rarely exist (unless you have millions of followers) and the 360 deal is going to take a piece of anything you put your likeness on.
Point is, selling records is hardly enough to survive on and record label recognize the need for other revenue streams from the artist. This is also an indicator why many artists from the past are now touring.
So what has the industry become?
In simple terms, THE ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS. That’s embodies selling an experience, media, brand, and something that gets people LOOKING at you.
I say LOOKING at you because people expect to connect with your brand visually now more than ever.
Unlike decades ago, a hit song these days must have some form of media to enhance it to get a look. It doesn’t mean you have to put big budget video on everything (although it helps) but it does mean you have greater odds of a 10 second video view than a link to SoundCloud or Spotify with your latest hit.
Mindset change #2: We must be SEEN to be heard.
I suggest bands shift their mindset on not just music but embrace and invest in their most powerful tool in their arsenal, their ability to connect with people and share their story and experiences. At the end of the day, people are not sold just on a song but the person, band, or artist singing it and their story that makes them unique. There has been many an artist developed strictly from viral videos (that had no previous musical experience). The number of followers indicated potential sales from that brand and labels jumped on it.
People love a good story. What makes you tick? What makes you interesting? Videos that share some insight and maybe a behind the scenes or day in the life will likely engage more with an audience than a simple link to a song.
What else can I do?
Be a good human and connect with people. Whether online or in person, get out to other music events, support other bands and the community. I learned early on that the music industry is smaller than you can imagine. Your reputation and ability to network while treating people well is just as important than the product you create.
What else?
Have a deep understanding of connection within performances. Even with AI at our doorstep writing decent songs in less than a minute, nothing is going to replace the power and raw energy of artists conveying their story and looking people in the eye and sharing a moment collectively. Invest in those opportunities.
The thing is, as an original band, you’ve selected one of the most fulling things in life which is creating art and sharing your gift and message through music. It’s truly amazing when you see others singing your songs. There is no better feeling when people embrace your art. It’s better than the best drug and likely why there are so many attempting it as a career.
Mindset #3: Be real with yourself
When I look at those sobering stats apply this to my own original projects through the decades, was I really ever discovered?
Statistically, NO.
Did I feel like I was doing something huge, of course. But if I were to be real to myself, I was just one of thousands of bands doing the same thing. Being more real, I didn’t hustle as much as I should of because there was this overarching thought that eventually “someone will see us”. In today’s world, you’ve got to either do something really stupid to be put on TikTok or make something so engaging that people can’t look away.
So, did I just waste a decade of my life pursuing original music?
ABSOLUTELY NOT.
Those were some of the best times of my life. The memories of those times are priceless to me. My bandmates still joke about stuff that happened back in the day.
And that’s where I want to conclude this article and focus everyone’s attention.
The music business / entertainment business is hard but rewarding at times. Even when the odds are stacked against you, making music is magical. Regardless of if someone “makes it” (i.e. able to pay bills and rent) or struggling on the road to get someone to listen to their material, making original music is about the journey. Although talent, hard work, strategy, funding, hustle, and lots of luck factor into getting to the top, nothing can replace the journey and connecting with folks in the process.
Being original in life is hard when faced with what society deems popular, important, or a standard..etc. The ironic thing is many times, to get to the popularity point that folks dream about, it requires not being original, but I digress.
So, what actually matters? After writing the article, I am reminded this stuff isn’t a race and none of us are curing cancer, although some of us take things WAY to seriously. It’s music, it’s fun, it’s a journey. Remember why you write songs and play in a band in the first place. It’s the most fun you can have with your clothes on. Although the odds are stacked against everyone in this industry, be smart, know the landscape, know yourself, and let your story be heard.
If you are doing the original thing, I salute you for your dedication and wish you all the success you are looking for. Rock on.
There I am, 18 years old, criticizing band after band. “Angus young sucks because he can’t play arpeggios”, “Yngwie has no feel”, “Poison sucks because they look like girls – maybe that’s still true LOL”. Point is, I’m reminded of that guy often and how much I want to invent a time machine simply to go back and punch that guy in the face. It’s amazing that the older we get, the more we realize how ignorant we really are.
Looking back, that kid was filled with pride and envy. He didn’t want others to succeed or somehow needed to comment on everything to try and gain some form of authority as if he was anywhere near the level of those touring artists. What a jerk and idiot. However, that level of thinking is still around and prevalent. Why? because it’s a human instinct and it impacts the music industry more than ever locally, regionally, and internationally due to social media.
In my research on this phenomenon (because I’m not a psychologist, I’m a dumb musician and businessman), a study was published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology and said: Envy occurs when someone lacks another’s superior quality, achievement, or possession, and either desires it or wishes that the other lacked it. This complex emotion can be particularly acute in competitive environments like the music industry, where success is often subjective and elusive.
This article is about that human instinct and often unspoken phenomenon that can hinder personal growth and community cohesion. It’s going to try and tackle the complex reason why the more someone else gets success, the more folks tend to want them not to succeed, and usually it’s the closest people you know.
Let’s first discuss the roots of envy. Here are some of the more common things musicians face:
Comparative Mindset: Musicians may constantly compare themselves to others, leading to feelings of inadequacy or resentment when they perceive others as more successful.
Scarcity Mentality: In a field where opportunities and recognition can be limited, musicians may fear that someone else’s success diminishes their own chances of achieving similar recognition.
Insecurity: Feelings of self-doubt or imposter syndrome can exacerbate envy, as individuals may struggle to validate their own worth in the face of others’ achievements.
Perceived Unfairness: When musicians believe that others have achieved success through luck or nepotism rather than talent and hard work, envy can arise as a response to perceived injustice.
So, who cares? We all should.
The consequences of envy within the music community can be detrimental both personally and professionally. Here are some key examples and things I’ve seen just in our area:
A Negative Self-Perception: Constant comparison to others can erode musicians’ self-esteem and confidence in their abilities. I’ve seen players who were truly amazing discredit themselves to the point they believed themselves and no longer performed at the same levels before.
Strained Relationships: Envy may create tension and resentment between musicians, undermining collaboration, and camaraderie within the community and bands. I’ve seen where musicians have put strain on band leaders trying to get them to adopt what other bands are doing because of perceived success, ultimately creating more stress, expense, and time for the band leader.
Stagnation: Focusing on others’ success instead of personal growth can hinder musicians’ creative development and career advancement. I’ve seen where band members were so worried about what others were doing, they failed to put the effort in their own band to be successful.
Here’s the good news. While envy is a natural emotion, we can take some proactive steps to mitigate its impact, which should enhance your mental well-being and professional success. Easier said than done but consider these simple mindset changes.
Practice Gratitude: Cultivating a mindset of gratitude can help musicians appreciate their own achievements and blessings, reducing the inclination to compare themselves to others. Setting small goals and achieving them is an amazing booster for me personally. Seeing bands support one another and coming out to the venue is a big booster for me.
Focus on Personal Growth: Instead of fixating on others’ successes, musicians can channel their energy into improving their skills, expanding their repertoire, and setting and achieving their own goals. Personally, I’ll use others’ successes as a possible roadmap. There is a reason they are successful, instead of trying to fight them, learn from them.
Celebrate Others’ Successes: Rather than viewing others’ achievements as threats, musicians can choose to celebrate their peers’ successes and use them as sources of inspiration and motivation. I can testify that bands who support other bands ultimately do better than those who do not.
Provided from Psychology Today
Anyway, this was a weird article to write but I felt led to write it because it exists in our community. I’m no expert on psychology but I don’t mind sharing the things I’ve seen, felt, and experienced in this regard.
I’ve learned that things like envy can prevent us from growing and experiencing happiness, the same as resentment, jealousy…etc (there are previous articles on that as well). Ultimately, I hope this article can bring some thought and possibly a positive change to our community. Rock On!
As our local music scene welcomes new bands, I’ve always been eager to facilitate connections among musicians, hoping they’ll create something fresh and impactful in our community. Yet, the journey of forming and sustaining a band is undeniably challenging. Keeping a band together, even more so.
Through my experiences in both Original and Cover Bands, I’ve come to recognize certain warning signs that, if ignored, can lead to a band’s downfall. In sharing these insights, my intention is to offer assistance to fellow musicians, drawing from both the highs and lows of my own musical journey.
Below are some key indicators to watch out for. The good news is, if you’re starting or currently in a band and notice these signs, you can address them early to prevent resentment, conflicts, and other negative outcomes.
1. Lack of Enjoyment
The camaraderie offstage lays the foundation for on-stage chemistry. If spending time together outside rehearsals feels strained or uneasy, it can translate into uninspired performances and a general apathy towards the band. Address any disagreements respectfully, aiming to strengthen understanding among members. I recall a band I was part of where one member’s constant negativity made being around them draining. Choose your bandmates wisely, prioritizing enjoyment as a fundamental value.
2. Poor Marketing
Talent alone isn’t sufficient to propel a band to success. Effective marketing is equally essential. Merely relying on social media may not suffice; a comprehensive marketing strategy tailored to your goals is crucial. In my experience, a well-executed marketing approach can yield significantly greater opportunities and revenue for a band whereas a lack of marketing and drive to get gigs can leave members looking elsewhere.
3. Poor Attendance
Declining audience turnout indicates a band’s diminishing relevance. Whether due to performance quality, promotional efforts, internal conflicts, or stagnation in repertoire, consistently low attendance signals trouble for the band’s longevity. While occasional fluctuations are normal, attendance should be monitored as a key performance indicator, particularly regarding attracting new fans. If you are not growing, you are dying.
4. Different Goals
A band’s strength lies in its shared vision. Divergent aspirations among members can lead to confusion and discord. It’s crucial to align on goals and commitments, ensuring everyone is working towards a common purpose. Mismatched goals, whether regarding repertoire or aspirations, can hinder progress and foster resentment among bandmates.
5. Lack of Enthusiasm / Victim Mindset
When passion wanes, so does the band’s energy. If rehearsals become burdensome, gigs feel like chores, and meetings lack enthusiasm, it’s a sign of trouble. Additionally, adopting a victim mindset, blaming external factors for lack of success, can stifle growth. Cultivating enthusiasm and maintaining a positive mindset are essential for a band’s resilience and success.
6. Good enough attitudes
Maintaining a “good enough” attitude within your band can be detrimental to its success. When some members settle for mediocrity while others strive for excellence, it can lead to resentment and discord among the group. To truly make an impact in the music scene, it’s essential to set high standards collectively and hold each other accountable to meet them. By fostering a culture of excellence and mutual accountability, your band can achieve its full potential and leave a lasting impression on both audiences and the industry.
7. Unchecked Egos
The delicate balance between confidence and humility is crucial for a band’s longevity. While it’s important to celebrate achievements and maintain morale, adopting a superiority mindset can lead to discord and the band’s demise. Entitlement breeds resentment among peers and fans, resulting in fewer opportunities and a downward spiral of morale and prospects. Internal tensions can escalate as conflicting egos clash, eroding trust and camaraderie until the band fractures irreparably. Therefore, maintaining humility and respect is vital for fostering a healthy environment that sustains unity and longevity.
In wrapping up, managing and sustaining a band can be quite the challenge. We’re a collection of artistic souls with our own emotions, egos, and aspirations. However, by recognizing these factors and addressing challenges head-on, bands can continue doing what they do best: creating music and enjoying the journey. Keep rocking on!
