Limitations of cover band???

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89gtsleeper

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Limitations of cover band???

Where is the line here? I currently just joined two bands... one an active gigging cover band that's been around my area for about 10 years. The other, a new ground up original band. I know for now the cover band has more potential just because they've been around the block, and they get gigs every week or two without trying. But reallly how far can a cover band go?? I guess you could be a house band for one bar, or you could try to play like 3 or 4 shows a week locally, but I don't see how a cover band can ever tour to other places or even get shows in other cities. I also don't see how a cover band will make much money. Back in the day, most high-school proms did live bands and paid well, but that's becoming more and more obscure. I guesss you can try to get booked for weddings, but is there anything else other than that??? Any opinions on this???
 
The best paying gigs for cover bands are at resorts, casinos, and anywhere the masses gather to vacation. A good agent can get you jobs just about anywhere with the right songlist and presskit.
 
Which do you prefer? Cover bands can be fun, make money, and get you lots of exposure; original bands can too but have a harder time getting bookings until they are fairly well established and develope a following. Many clubs hire cover bands more than all original bands, people seem to like bands which play music they are familiar with. Which band can draw the larger audience? That's the one which will be getting the most gigs (and better paying ones.) Playing covers will not hamper your developement of originality, it will force you to learn licks which you will be able to use later in your musical career. Many original bands get stuck in the rut of trying to have "their own sound" and forget to explore a lot of possibilities and variations. I think most musicians would prefer to play originals so they can showcase their style and abilities, unfortunately this also narrows the appeal and crowd drawing power in any venue. Remember that even the "super groups" started out playing other people's music, even The Beatles were once a cover band! Don't worry about playing covers, but at the same time don't stop developing your own style or creativity.
 
well it depends how far you want to go. there are certainly limits, but you can also go pretty far. basically, if you're a REALLY good cover band, you can play some pretty damn large shows. Most of the cover bands that do well here in San Francisco are ones that specialize on mearly covering one band. for example, these bands do VERY well for the area...

Police Cover Band: http://www.stunglive.com/ (sell out 600+ seat venues)
AC/DC Cover Band: http://www.acdshe.com/ (sell out 300+ seat places)
Neil Diamond Cover Band: http://www.superdiamond.com/ (sell out 2 nights in a row 700+ venues)

Anyway, that gives you an idea. the "stardom" curve is much smaller, but then again, are you a star if you're simply playing someone else's songs? I think that these 3 bands i've listed are about as far as you'll ever get with a cover band, and frankly i'm surprised they've made it this far, but the market for bands that play songs that everyone knows is pretty high. These bands are also VERY good at what they do.

It's a lot more tough to make it as an original band, but there really isn't a stop to how big you can become. You also won't find many radio stations playing songs from a cover band. It all depends what you're looking to do.
 
yeah that's the thing...cover bands make good paychecks, and it's easier to be steadily gigging, but.... you can only go so far in one...as bitter as all musicians are these days, success is still a possibility, and a cover band, while they make a pretty decent amount of money and gig regularly on a local level will never rise above that.
 
I think a band that does both would be pretty well off. Or one that starts all-covers then adds an original or two a week or something.
 
Well, I'm kind of doing two things. I'm doing the cover band right now to get back on the stage and get in the swing of things... again, I used to play shows about every week, then I didn't play for 4 years in front of people. This cover band has been around for 10 years, I'm just the new lead guitarist. (and a better one IMO). I'm also doing my home studio thing recording my own album. I plan to save about 1500 bucks from getting paid to play in the other band, and when I get that, I should have my album finished and I can send it off to get 1000 copies made and shrink wrapped. I've got a drummer and bass player that REALLY see potential in my original work I've recorded so far... so much so that they want to quit the bands they've been in for a long time to do this instead. My goal is not neccessarily to make any moeny or stardom, but I'd like to take some shirts and my cd with me and hit the road... I have very few personal belongings other than my music equipment. If I can even make enough money to keep gas in my vehicle, and food in my stomach, I'll hit the road and never come back. If I run out of money, I have a family that loves me and would help me come back home and get on my feet again. This is my dream, and I have ZERO intention of backing down. I want this so bad and I am determined to do it.
 
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