By Sam Wilder
Ok so you want to be in a band (who doesn’t) but there’s some things you need to know in order to build a successful band. We’ll call them rules for the sake of this Pro Tip.
Rule 1: If you are surrounded by musicians who are truly success minded, there are no limits to what you can accomplish.
Rule 2: If you have a band full of unmotivated musicians, the chances of succeeding with your music business are close to 0.
Rule 3: In order to build success for your band, you will need to consistently put out a great deal of effort (this applies even once you’ve begun to “make it”). If your band only contains a couple of people who do all of the work, the amount of work will simply be too much to handle. As a result, the band will likely not achieve real success. Once you start to notice that the other musicians in your band are not putting out much effort to help the band (i.e. not doing homework, showing up late, leaving early) bring this up to them. Tell them that they have only one shot to change their ways. If they don’t, cut them from the band. These people will only drag your band down.
Rule 4: It is common for musicians to talk about becoming successful, but not actually follow up on what they say. Every musician wants to become highly successful in music, but very few musicians will truly put out the effort in order to achieve success. You will run into these kinds of people all the time. People like this will want to join your band, but won’t be able to help your band in the long run (they will only slow down your progress). Steer clear of these types of musicians.
Rule 5: Some musicians make for excellent band members from a purely musical standpoint. However, it is a very common situation that talented musicians actually prevent their band from making progress in music. This is because talented musicians (like any musician) can still be the ‘wrong’ people for your band. If you want to achieve success with your band, you will need to focus on the bigger picture of where your band is going. This means, if someone is the wrong person for your band, you need to let them go (even if they can “play” great).
Rule 6: Finding the right band members may sometimes seem like an impossible task. However, remember that the most dedicated musicians are also looking for you at the same time that you are looking for them. These people are also going through the same difficulties as you, and share the same desire to play in a successful band as you do.
Rule 7: There are many bands that have already achieved high success in music who are unsatisfied with some of their current band members. It is a mistake to assume that because a band is already successful, they are not actively looking to find the right musicians. It is very possible that people from these bands could join with your band instead or even that you could replace a member in their band.
Think about all that you will be able to do once you have found the right musicians for your band. This means being surrounded by musicians who not only “talk big”, but “do big”. These are people who are highly motivated, and work hard on a continual basis to make progress in their music. Once you have these people on your side, you will be totally unstoppable!