Starting a Rock Band – 10 Tips to Launch Your Music Career
There are few things more thrilling then standing on a stage playing an instrument or singing your heart out, while watching the fans below having a great time — especially if a lot of them are of the opposite sex!
Yes, starting a rock band can be a lot of fun AND it can be profitable, if you follow a few easy steps while getting started.
1. The first part is getting together a group of like-minded people who want to play music together. Make sure the other people have similar interests, morals and don’t smell too bad. You will be spending a lot of time with them, so you should get a long well with each other or you’ll be spending more time looking for replacements than you will playing music.
2. Once you have the people in place, you need to agree on a style of music to play. If you have a songwriter in the group, you’ll want to play those “originals.” These are songs you will own, record and sell. If no-one in the group is a songwriter, you’ll be playing “covers”. When starting a rock band this is how most begin. Covers are other people’s music that you like on the radio or from a certain era, or genre. (80s, 90s, or Classic Rock, etc.) While you can have a lot of fun and make a good living just playing covers, the real money and “rock stardom” come from playing originals.
3. Next, you’ll need to think about where you want to play. Wedding bands are mostly cover bands with a very wide variety of music styles. Since the band is not the star of the show (the bride is) they tend to be a little more subdued. If you want to play a lot of loud music with lots of stage antics, you’ll be playing at clubs and theaters. Corporate gigs are great, since they can pay a lot of money, but they tend to best suited for established “show” bands, usually with a female singer or two.
4. OK, so you’ve got the band together, you’ve learned the songs, now you’re ready to go right? Wrong! Starting a rock band also means starting your band promotion. Now is when you get ready to cash in on all the long hours you’ve spent learning your instrument and rehearsing with the band. This is where the band marketing and promotions come in. Think about the marketing of your band just like you would any other aspect of it. You wouldn’t go on stage without your instruments, or a sound system, right? Well don’t forget the marketing either.
Marketing Items You’ll Need:
Band Name
Banner
Promo Kit (Online)
Web Site Auto Responder
5. Your band name will set the tone for your image. For example, if you are starting a rock band that is going to play heavy metal music, you’ll probably want a name more like “The Devil Demons” rather than “The Cute, Fluffy Bunnies.” Make sure your band looks and acts like your name name implies and relates to the music you play.
6. Get a banner made up at any local sign shop that you can hang up behind you wherever you play. I can’t tell you how many bands I have seen and have no clue who they were because they didn’t have a banner. This is no way to start a rock band. It’s a way to guarantee you never play anywhere but your garage.
7. Next you’ll need an online Promo Kit where you can store your band photos, demo music video of you playing, contact numbers etc.
8. Your web site should have info about the band, some sample photos, music demos, videos, etc. Be sure your phone number is there where someone can easily find it. VERY IMPORTANT – Be sue you have a place where someone can sign-up to be on your mailing list.
9. Which leads us to the Autoresponder. An Autoresponder creates a form on your web site so you can capture email addresses. It then stores them for you so you can automatically send out messages, or send them out whenever you want. This way your fans will know when and where you are playing. You can also send them notices of new music and merchandise you have for sale.
10. Be sure whenever/wherever you play that you have someone with a sign-up sheet getting people’s email addresses. You will then enter them into your mailing list. I can’t stress enough how important it is that you create this fan base. This element is one of the most important when starting a rock band. This list of people will be who you market your shows and recorded music to for a long as you want to make money with your music. Every show you do without getting these emails could be the difference between you becoming a hugely successful, professional musician, or just having a fun hobby.