Lots of musicians have master plans on how they are going to take their bands to the next level and their music global. Executing these plans is not always as easy as making them and this is why a lot of bands end up falling short of their goals. It is possible to achieve this goal with a bit of planning, organization, and an understanding of how everything works. To help you achieve your goals, here are some helpful tips.
Rethink Social Media and Your Online Presence
Most bands already know that being “discovered” at a concert is getting incredibly hard unless you can rise to the top and perform at the right place at the right time. The most likely place to be discovered these days is online, through your website, video hosting sites like YouTube, and social media. This should be fairly obvious to most bands, but the one thing that is not obvious is how to utilize these online assets to get to the next level.
Your social media, for example, should not be about posting performance dates or news about the band, it should be about interacting with the fans and cultivating a large enough following so there is so much demand to see you perform somewhere that promoters cannot ignore you.
Online merch stores are not just there to carry and sell your merch, they should be treated as traffic hubs. These traffic hubs are to be used to sell online tickets, signed memorabilia, show-used attire, and other items that make and keep fans interested. What you want to generate is hype and internet traffic and an online merch store can help with both.
Lastly, be so focused on social media and other platforms you use to sell yourself that they help legitimize you. Use them to show people you are serious about what you are doing, have an understanding of the business side of music, and you are a professional. Being a legitimate band all the time will keep your band alive.
Have a Strong Catalog of Music
If you are used to performing locally or in familiar venues, you might have a catalog of music that is enough for a few hours of performing. However, if you are booked outside these venues, the amount of music you are expected to perform might be a lot more than you are used to performing, and so you will need a larger catalog of music. Remember that for live performances, it is always better to have too much music than too little music.
The other reason why you want to have a strong catalog is because of social media and online advertising. When you are just starting out, you might want to put out a few songs that let people know what your band is all about and the type of music you play. However, as people get to know you, they will come to expect that you have a lot more music for them to listen to.
Because you might not have time to record new music when you are on the road, it is always a good idea to record as much music as you can when you are not on the road. For this, you need to find a reliable music studio that has everything you would need to rehearse, record, mix, and produce your music quickly. Studio networks like Pirates make finding a recording studio easy because they have studios in numerous locations around the world. Their studios have self-service access, professional equipment, and 24/7 availability for when the creative spark hits you.
Make Friends Wherever You Go(Never Stop Selling Yourself)
As a band, you should aim to leave with more friends than you came with everywhere you go. Doing this will help get your name in the right places and will be the difference between being known inside your circle and being known inside a bigger one.
A great way to make friends is to interact with people when you are on the road. Connecting with bands that have the same sound as you and that complement your performance can lead to mutually beneficial situations for both of you. Performing with such bands helps you tap into their fanbase, and this can help you get introduced to a new fanbase and people who may have never heard of you.
Selling yourself is often about asking other people for their business. If you are performing at a show, ask a band that is known by more people if you can perform with them some time. If you are selling merch at a concert, let everyone know who you are and ask them if they need a band. It might be tedious to keep selling yourself like this, but you never know who could say yes and the opportunities that could come out of that.
Operate Smarter
Being a band and maintaining its cohesiveness is already hard enough, and this is why bands that want to go to the next level should operate smarter. The first thing to do is to prioritize the most important tasks. These are the tasks that have the most impact on the band such as recording new music or ensuring people can find tickets for your next show online.
Delegation is a great way of managing the resources you have and completing a few things at the same time. Delegate different tasks to different band members and you will have time to complete all the tasks within the budget you have. If you need something done and one of the band members can do it, there is no harm in outsourcing these tasks.
Lastly, avoid spreading yourself too thin, especially online. It can be tempting to have 10 social media accounts where 3-4 would do. It is easy to try to get your music on all platforms where getting it on 2-3 would be better.
There are a lot of things holding independent bands from going to the next level. The points above are just a small sample of things bands can do to start reaching their full p