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.
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!
Harmony is a vital part of what makes a band sound great. The ability to harmonize throughout a melody immediately causes listeners to take note. However, many leaders fail to recognize that the most important harmony in a band is not audible. It’s the harmony that’s a physical bond and trust among band members and a leader’s ability to guide a band towards collective success.
I’m going to share a perspective which has ultimately led me to managing and building successful bands. If you’ve read any of my previous articles, you will see them talking about components of a successful bands such as same commitment, work ethic, and values, however, this one is directed at leadership.
Let’s first get this out of the way. Do you have to be born a leader to manage and lead a band? No. Matter of fact, industry has begun to acknowledge that people become leaders as a result of experiences (experiences = surviving mistake). I’ve often talked about going back in a time machine to punch myself in the face and this is no different. My actions as a young leader were terrible at best. Fortunately, I’m a quick learn and my survival of mistake (experience) has lead to some positive results decades later.
In this article, we’re going to talk leadership in a method of revolution versus evolution. With many years in management roles, leading teams, bands, companies, and even sports teams for my kids, I’ve been fortunate to learn some really valuable lessons and I can certainly testify that Theodore Roosevelt knew what he was talking about when he said “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care”.
It’s my hope that some young person who is starting a band will read this and consider that leadership is not about a title of being a boss and barking orders, rather, a skill that is about building teams and helping others.
Revolution vs. Evolution:
John Maxwell once said, “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” This quote encapsulates the essence of leadership as a guiding force that navigates the path towards a common goal. However, the way leaders choose to tread this path and the outcomes can vary significantly.
Revolutionary Approach
A revolutionary approach to leadership in managing a band may entail swift decisions, imposing authority, and prioritizing results above all else. Although that may sound like a quick way to success, and generally used in the industry through “hired guns” (fired guns / commodities), it’s my opinion that it doesn’t truly build a band.
As an extreme example, if someone put a gun to your head and told you to do something, chances are you comply quickly. At no point in time would you respect the person who is forcing the action, nor trust them.
Assuming your band leader does not pull a gun on you, what about a band leader yelling about someone’s ability to not play something? Maybe threatening that they will be fired from the band? Docking pay…etc?
While an approach with threatening words can yield immediate outcomes to many band members, it often fails to cultivate genuine respect and loyalty among band members. Instead of fostering collaboration and empowerment, the band members will ultimately have resentment and discord, ultimately undermining the cohesion and morale of the group and causing breakups or a rotating door of musicians in the band.
This type of leadership style often comes from growing up in an environment where authority is based on punishment and not reward. Generally, a hierarchical mindset or power which is completely opposite of what a band is, an ensemble of peers going for the same goal with mutual respect.
Is there a place for this style? sure.. the music industry has it now with hired guns. It is the easiest model to hire and fire musicians as commodities. Musicians are simply employees.
However, in the context of building bands, this method rarely works in my experience. I’ve witnessed band leaders to this day in our area whose reputation has been completely ruined and regardless of the great people in the band, the leader will likely never get support from the community because of the way they treated and led their band.
Evolutionary Approach
Contrastingly, an evolutionary approach to leadership prioritizes relationship-building, mentorship, and personal growth over immediate results. As John Maxwell aptly stated, “Leaders become great, not because of their power, but because of their ability to empower others.” In the context of managing a band, this means investing time and effort into understanding each member’s strengths, aspirations, and challenges, and providing the necessary support and guidance to help them thrive.
In the most successful bands I’ve led. I’ve made it a point to build on strengths, not weakness. Understanding members strengths and weaknesses allows a leader to grab on to the greatness of the player and showcase it.
A leader who adopts an evolutionary approach prioritizes open dialogue, active listening, and collaborative decision-making. By encouraging input from all members and fostering a culture of mutual respect, the band can harness the collective creativity and synergy of its members. A leader still must make the tough decisions, but the transparent dialog continues to foster trust and respect of the final decisions.
As an evolutionary leader, it’s not expected you are the one who does the greatest work, rather about you being a cheerleader to get the greatest work from your bandmates. This translates to providing mentorship, constructive feedback, and opportunities for growth to each member. By nurturing their talents and fostering a sense of ownership and accountability, the leader empowers band members to unleash their full potential.
Last, every great band is driven by a compelling vision and a shared sense of purpose. An evolutionary leader inspires and motivates band members by articulating a clear vision, aligning individual goals with collective objectives, and leading by example. By instilling a sense of purpose and passion in their work, the leader galvanizes the band towards greatness.
Conclusion
You have a choice as a leader. You can be a Boss, make the rules, and drive members to comply or you can embrace an evolutionary approach to leadership, rooted in relationship-building, empowerment, and vision that cultivates a culture of excellence, collaboration, and innovation. One may work in the short term but the other will continue to rock for decades. Rock on!
This short article was inspired by our own local legend Val Smith, from the band Midlife Crisis. If you are on the Facebook, inevitably you will see posts and shares from Val in regards to just about any live music event and band. What’s most impressive is that he even shares others band events that would technically compete with his band on the same nights. Val, like many in our area, represent what is good in our community. Steve Hutson, you are another one with your events listings (thank you).
So, without further ado and a little sarcasm. Welcome to Pro Tip #44
So, you’re in a band, huh? Living the dream, killing it in the wiregrass, and making all that money at your local watering hole. You are the best and can play three steps like nobody’s business. But hey, have you ever stopped to think about the other bands out there trying to make it? No? Well, you should, because if you’re not supporting your fellow musicians, you’re basically sucking at life. Let me tell you why.
It’s Called Solidarity
Duh! Imagine a world where every band was just out for themselves, only caring about their own gigs and their own success. Yeah, sounds pretty lame, right? Supporting each other creates a sense of unity in the music scene. So, if you’re not sharing your fellow band’s posts or showing up to their shows, you’re basically telling the world, “I’m too cool to care about anyone else.” Congrats, you suck.
Karma’s a Bitch
You know that feeling when you’re desperately trying to get people to come to your gig, but it feels like pulling teeth? Well, guess what? If you’ve been a selfish jerk and haven’t supported other bands, don’t expect them to come flocking to your shows. Karma’s got a funny way of biting you in butt.
Networking, Baby!
Here’s a little secret: the music industry is kinda all about who you know. By supporting other bands, you’re not just being a good person, you’re also expanding your network. Who knows, that band you helped out might just return the favor one day and introduce you to someone who could change your life. But hey, who needs connections when you’ve got your own ego to stroke, right?
The Power of Social Media
Ah, social media, the holy grail of self-promotion. Sharing posts and events from other bands not only helps them out but also shows your followers that you’re not a self-centered narcissist. Win-win, my friend.
Because, Seriously, Who Wants to Be Known as That Band?
You know the one I’m talking about. The band that everyone rolls their eyes at because they’re too busy patting themselves on the back to lend a hand to anyone else. Don’t be that band. It’s important to market yourself well but be the one that’s known for lifting others up and making the music scene a better place for everyone as well.
Last thoughts
On a less sarcastic note, folks like Val and Steve are great humans. They do this for the love of the community and expect nothing in return. As humans, I think it’s easy to do things like this and then ultimately start to feel resentment when others don’t do the same or even support with a like or comment. I encourage us all to start sharing, at a minimum, when your band is not playing a date. Being part of a community and showing support certainly pays dividends. I’ve seen this time and time again with bands that perform at Live at Harlow’s. It has nothing to do with me but there is an bond of sorts that comes from performing on that stage. I’m always extremely proud to see bands that have played at the venue share gigs, share experiences, and make lasting friendships. Our community has an opportunity to make our area a live music hotspot, but we’ve got to work together. All ships rise at high tide!
