I think most
of us have dreamed about playing in a band and a quite few of us have. For most
of us it’s just a fun memory in the past. But for some it becomes a lifetime
obsession. So why do so many bands fail? Well here’s 10 sure fire reasons why
your band won’t succeed.
1. Lack of
combined vision
It is great
that you dream about playing the Royal Albert Hall in two years time, but that
is no good if your bass player sees your band as a bit of fun or few drinks on
Friday night. If you all don’t fight for the mutual goal you will fail.
2. Looking for
a manager instead of managing yourself
No
professional manager will want to work with an unknown band. They want a band
that is already making money. So get off your backside and start learning the
ropes by yourself. Once you have done it yourself, you know better what you
look for in a manager and won’t get screwed over.
3. Looking
for a record label instead of releasing
your own records
Another
reality check, no record label is going to pay you to record an album unless
they know you will be making money and lots of it for them. Once again, learn
the ropes. Put out an album. You’d be amazed how much you will learn along the
way.
4. Not
writing good enough songs
Here’s the
thing. No one was born as a natural songwriter. Believe me, I’ve been told I
was, but I had to learn my craft. I dissected Rolling Stones, Beatles, Chuck
Berry, Bruce Springsteen songs since I was a young kid. I learned structures, I
learned what a good rhyme sound like. I wrote hundreds of songs that never saw
the day of light. You need to work at your craft a lot.
5. Investing
too much money too early in your career
There is no
point booking your band into a fancy studio when your band is not ready for it
yet. There is no point of filming a fancy video, if your song is not up to scratch
yet. There is no point investing in advertising of any sort before you have
something to advertise. There is no point in booking an expensive prestigious
venue when all you are going to fill it with is your mates. Why don’t you just
do it in your local pub? You’ll make more money that way.
6. Not
willing to invest money in your career
Once you are
ready, you need to be willing to pay for a proper website (this one’s a must!)
If you don’t know anything about marketing, pay someone to design you a plan and
show you how it is done. And once you start getting busy, learn to outsource
the stuff that will eat too much of your time that you could be utilising for
something much more important.
7. Not
willing to learn skills outside your comfort zone
These days to
be successful, you need to be willing to do a lot more than just play music.
You need to learn all aspects of the business. The information is out there on
the net. You just need to be willing to search and learn.
8. Not
playing enough live shows
This is where
you become a real band. This is where you will iron out your live show. Don’t
even think about getting precious about concerts until you have at least 100
shows under your belt.
9. Being a
douchebag
News flash.
No one wants to work with an asshole! Be a person people want to be around, a
person people want to work with. This is very important!
10. Giving up
In most cases
it takes years of hard work before you build following and things start to
“happen”. You need to be in it for the long haul. “Rome wasn’t built in a day”.
Most bands give up before they even get good, let alone build a big enough name
for themselves. If you don’t give up, you have 90% bigger chance of success
than the rest.
Keep rocking,
and keep rolling.
J.P. Kallio is a singer / songwriter / coffee
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