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Setting and Understanding Your Priorities

© Wendy Beck

At first this appears to be a strange article for this column, but I believe it can be a "make or break" idea for any performer or band. Bands and musicians often fail if they have not made some basic decisions about their goals and directions. If you're in a band or have been in a band and experienced "infighting" regarding which venues to play and how promotional money should be spent, maybe it's time to take a minute to assess your band's priorities.

Your band may be following one of two tracks or trying to combine the two and finding that each band member has a different set of priorities. The limited amount of time and money that you as a band have can create a combative atmosphere and a lot of friction. Let's look at the two tracks that often affect bands. The first is to be signed and the second is to be a working musician. At first glance, you may say they do not seem to be opposed. Isn't the goal to be a working musician, get signed and make the big bucks? The answer to that question is a "maybe." I know a number of working musicians who are not signed. They make a fine living touring and selling their music in local and regional markets, playing on studio albums for other musicians, holding musician's workshops, writing music for others, and a host of other music related business areas. I also know that "being discovered and signed" is a tough goal and does not guarantee success. Look at the bios of many successful bands and you will find that they are littered with the names of previous "signed" bands that never went anywhere and were dropped from various labels.

I'm not saying that one track is better than the other, but I am saying your need to sit down with your band mates and discuss your priorities. Confirming that you are all working toward the same goal will help you to make choices that are best for your band without the constant arguing. You will ask different questions when a decision about your approach to exposure and promotion is concerned. For example, there are many prestigious venues that cater to music executives. If you are looking to get signed you will want to focus on getting into these venues and clubs for the exposure. From my experience, it will take a lot of time and effort to build your band's resume to get into these places (not to mention the time you will spend convincing the venue to take you on). The competition is fierce for slots and performances are often not moneymaking gigs for a band. If you are simply trying to make a decent living as a musician, you may evaluate these venues from a different perspective. Your goal would be more focused on selling your band to the public. What this means is that you will evaluate your opportunities based upon the revenue they might generate. For example, your band might select to play at a smaller venue that caters specifically to your target market where the audience is the general purchasing public.