Why Bands Dont Make it?

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Courage!

You got the tools to make the contribution? (the goods) If yes, you must drop the safety net. And don't look back. You can not serve two masters. YOU are either the master or, your boss is the master.

You must have the courage to choose. Otherwise you ain't contributing to your goals or your bosses goals.
 
BMWerks said:
You got the tools to make the contribution? (the goods) If yes, you must drop the safety net. And don't look back. You can not serve two masters. YOU are either the master or, your boss is the master.

You must have the courage to choose. Otherwise you ain't contributing to your goals or your bosses goals.
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true
so
true
preach
man
preach!!!
 
BMWerks said:
You got the tools to make the contribution? (the goods) If yes, you must drop the safety net. And don't look back. You can not serve two masters. YOU are either the master or, your boss is the master.

You must have the courage to choose. Otherwise you ain't contributing to your goals or your bosses goals.
Click to expand...


You got to serve somebody - Bob Dylan
 
You know, the bottom line is, there are only a few chairs available and a whole mess of people playing musical chairs, God knows how many. So everyone should be accountable to themselves to be the best they can be, but at the end of the day it simply isn't possible for every band or artist that is good enough to make it to actually make it. That's why no one should gamble their future on a career as a rock star. Reach for the brass ring, for sure....but this business about "if you're not hungry you won't make it" is a good way to spend the rest of your life hungry. Yes, there are the MTV stories, the Madonna's that made it because they believed in themselves and never gave up. There are also plenty of people who made it and had a degree or profession in their back pocket. So it is possible to chase dreams and bank on reality at the same time.

-RD
 
Reverend B. All rise.............. Please be seated.

gullyjewelz said:
true
so
true
preach
man
preach!!!
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Yeah but, you gotta wake up and go to bed with these values too.

That you agree and can understand what I'm saying puts you closer even to Cha-Ching!$ and realizing your dream.

I'm very very fortunate to have come from a loving and compassionate family. Yes. I've been accused of soapbox preaching. But, I know I do it well. And, I don't even need to take a drink to do it! :p

My favorite sermon is about gratitude. Ask me how freakin important THAT is. Go ahead. :eek:
 
peopleperson said:
People would waste a lot less time if they would know when it's pointless to be so persistant.
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Reminds me of the definition of insanity. Insanity; "When you continue to perform the same routine over and over again and expect different results."

Yep. Sure are a lot of crazy musicians out there. :o

That said, tenacity is a valued quality in business as long as you've ballanced it with a healthy amount of R&D.
 
One of the biggest problems I've seen over the years has been that most musicians want full time pay for part time work. Sure, it would be nice if all we had to do was show up and play, unfortunately it just dosen't work that way. Like with any business, there is a lot of "behind the scene" work involved, and this requires time, effort and cash from all the band members. Everyone has to carry their share of the burden of "making it happen." One nondedicated member will cause an entire band to fail.
I have to agree with the above statements that a band has to be entertaining. People are willing to pay to be entertained, music quality has a lot to do with how many CDs you sell but for live performance it is the "show" that people are paying to see. I've seen really good bands (musically) fail because their onstage presence was lacking, and other bands succeed (with music which isn't all that great) because the put on a great show. Just look at all the cute young ladies who can pack a large arena but couldnt sing their way out of a paper bag or the band with the fantastic light/pyro show that draws the crowd while their music sucks.
Another factor which has caused the failure of many bands has been simply too much party and not enough playing. Drinking and drugs are not on the menu for success. Nobody will pay to see a bunch of drunks, they can see them for free. Drugs should only be used to fool an audience into thinking a band is better than they really are, and not used by the band itself.
My final thought on how to prevent a band from being successful is toss in a good amount of ego. At some point we all encounter the "kiss my ass and I'll let you play with/for me" which is certainly a good thing to break up a band. It's too bad those inflated egos tend to belong to the worst members and make life miserable for the real talent in a band.
 
exactly. it's all about the flash

case in point

nick drake vs. any freaking band nowadays

no flash and genius vs. flashiness and BS
 
A few weeks ago I compiled these and posted them on MySpace:

1.) You sound like everybody else, which probably means you sound like what record labels were looking for about 3 or 4 years ago.

2.) Your band strangely resembles and sounds like a larger, more iconic band which coincidently are probably your largest influence.

3.) You only play gigs that are within a 25 mile radius of your home.

4.) Your band has been around for less than 3 years.

5.) The entire band's equipment can be readily purchased at a local Guitar Center.

6.) Your most popular song live is a cover song.

7.) You don't have an agent, booking agent or manager--and you can't get your friends to do it.

8.) Your idea of promotion is telling your friends about your band and having creating a MySpace band site.

9.) You have less than 2 hours of original material.

10.) You've never been on tour longer than 2 days.

11.) Whenever anyone hears your band they compare you to someone that's already on the radio and it's always the same band.

12.) Your parents and other adults think your band is "cute."

13.) You figure that a 2 hour weekly band practice is more than enough. Especially if you get high before, during and after practice.

14.) All of your songs are obnoxiously alike--such as always having squeaky clean verses and uber-distorted choruses. (Which also makes you like everyone else.)

15.) You aren't selling t-shirts, full length cd's, stickers and anything else with your name on it at shows.

16.) You expect people to like your band solely because of the music.

17.) Your band ultimately stands for, or is against, nothing in particular.

18.) You don't have a full length album recorded yet.

19.) You first realized how sloppy your drummer (or bassist, or guitarist or singer, whatever....) was while you were at a recording studio listening to takes.

20.) Other than band practice you never pick up your instrument for more than a few minutes. The concept of a 2-3 hour daily practice regiment is alien to you.

21.) You don't write songs--you just "jam" on stuff until it sounds cool and those are your songs.

22.) The average listener gets lost and/or bored during your songs because they are either 7 minutes long, contain about a dozen "riffs" or "parts", or fail to deliver a single lyric that is memorable.

23.) When you do write a song your choruses sound like verses.

24.) Or, your verses are catchier than your choruses.

25.) You're thinking "what's a chorus?"

26.) Or you're thinking "choruses are for sell out bands."

27.) You haven't sent out about 100 press packages to various record labels, talent scouts, A&R reps, booking agents and so forth.

28.) You have no clue what to even put in a press package.

29.) Agree with the following: whenever it comes to your music you know it's good because YOU wrote it.

30.) Constantly bicker like schoolgirls whenever it comes time to make a decision as a band.

31.) Spend more time drinking/doing drugs/banging chicks/trying to bang chicks than doing music.

32.) Have no idea what that effect pedal does, but boy does it sound cool!

33.) Are easily confused by the knobs on your amp marked "gain, bass, middle, treble, master volume."

34.) Find yourself wanting to do a slightly different sub-type of music every six months.

35.) Have members of the band that can't even tune their own instruments (including drums).

36.) Figure that music theory will harm your creativity.

37.) Too lazy to learn music theory.

38.) Too dumb to understand music theory.

39.) Have a singer that isn't at half as good as the bands your admire.

40.) Have no sense of style or fashion.

41.) Have such great sense of style or fashion to the point it overshadows your music.

42.) Already act like a rock star diva asshead and have yet to headline your own local show, much less actually be a rock star.

43.) For some strange reason everyone that comes in contact with your band hates your guts.

44.) Have a few members of the band that are musical or motivational dead weight.

45.) Aren't spending every last dime you own on bettering your musical equipment.

46.) Reckon that your so talented that it's just a matter of time before the record industry finds you.

47.) Constantly find yourself saying: "that's not perfect but it's good enough... I guess...." about your songs, music, recordings, ability, etc....

48.) Have enough free time to watch TV or get 12 hours of sleep a day.

49.) Are dicks to the 14 year old kids that think your band is awesome.

50.) Aren't trying to make as much money with their music as humanly possible all the time.

Bonus: figure that if you just avoid these 50 no-no's your band will get signed because this is a complete list.
 
1.they suck
2.they're band name sucks
3.they're ugly (terrible but true.)
4.Too old (basically over like 30)
4. Not trendy enough (not ALWAYS, but it helps to be trendy)
5. bad marketing. I think this is the biggest reasons good bands don't make it. You need to constantly live off the road, playing clubs every day or as much as you can.

That's about it, I think.
 
antispatula said:
4. Not trendy enough (not ALWAYS, but it helps to be trendy)
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Be careful here because being trendy is worthless while the trend is happening. The trick is to get signed BEFORE the trend and help establish it, or already be in the recording industry pipeline.

Because if you are, for example, a post-pop-punk-sorta-emo/core band (fairly trendy now like Fallout Boy) right now you LOSE, because the bands that are popular in today's trend were signed a few years ago.

What I'm trying to say is if you chase the trends as they happen you are already at least a year out of date to what any real label is looking to sign. You may get signed, but by the time you record your album, make your video for Mtv, and tour around the trend will be on the decline and so will you.

Morale of the story: MAKE trends, don't follow them. Or at least jump on them very, very early (like a year or so before it actually becomes a trend). Basically, shine your crystal ball and take a chance.
 
antispatula said:
4.Too old (basically over like 30)
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Ridiculous. Seriously. Go play with your xbox some more.

Now for Cloneboy's list...and I'm really not trying to take the piss here. Show me any band in history that hasn't displayed the majority of those qualities at some point in their career, and I'll show you a band that has never existed. Yes it's cute, yes it's funny, but come on. The fact is...their are a million different setbacks that a musician/band will experience throughout the process of trying to "make it", and the ones that don't succeed are the ones who couldn't handle them. Why doesn't a band make it? Because they gave up. It's about as simple as that. Your band sucks? Then you gave up trying to be a better musician or trying to write better songs. You're not getting signed? Boo hoo. Promote yourself and enjoy the taste of ramen for awhile. Perseverance is the biggest part of the battle, and I don't mean just sitting there waiting for something to happen to you.

Blah blah blah, it's Christmas. I'm gonna go do something fun and get yelled at for this later.
 
Ya'll do know that having a hit CD isn't the only way to make a living in music right?
I've paid my bills since high school (1969) playing music. I play 5 or 6 gigs a week and I have a fairly nice house and can buy things I want within limits. Sure, I'm not rich ...... but a lot of those guys that have a single CD out aren't rich either. And the process of playing with zillions of different bands doing the hired gun thing has grown me as a musician beyond what i would have ever done had I just done my own thing and stayed in a particular style of music.
And I'm totally satisfied and fulfilled. I play with the best guys around here and believe me, in this New Orleans influenced area the best guys are comparable to the best in the world even if you'll never hear of them nationally.

Nowadays, if you're not young and hot with the emphasis on hot, you have little chance of 'making it'.
But if you truly have the joy and love of making music, that's not important at all ...... if you don't have that joy and love of it ...... if you don't think it's worth it unless you 'make it' ......... then you're not really a musician in the first place.
Not saying I wouldn't be thrilled if somehow someday I got picked up by someone big ........ but I don't stress out about it at all .............. at 54 with the whole impending death thing hanging over my head ..... I'm quite content to just be paying my bills with it and getting to play some fairly spectatcular music with some fine players even if no one hears it but us and the locals.
 
Purge said:
Now for Cloneboy's list...and I'm really not trying to take the piss here. Show me any band in history that hasn't displayed the majority of those qualities at some point in their career, and I'll show you a band that has never existed. Yes it's cute, yes it's funny, but come on.
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True, but how many bands that get signed *STILL* do those mistakes? Sure, everyone's been guilty of probably all of those at one point or another, but the bands that make it learn to not do that stuff.
 
5.) The entire band's equipment can be readily purchased at a local Guitar Center.
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I'm curious as to why this made your list, let alone be the 5th reason bands don't make it. Am I to infer that they only sell crappy gear at GC?
 
freshmattyp said:
I'm curious as to why this made your list, let alone be the 5th reason bands don't make it. Am I to infer that they only sell crappy gear at GC?
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Generally they only sell mediocre gear.

Mediocre gear doesn't cut it for the "WOW" factor a band that wants to get signed should be trying to instill in other bands and the audience. Also, it's hard to get "your" sound or a "unique" sound using the same crap everybody else owns.

Also, every musician owes it to themselves to find just one piece of gear that is uncommon that strongly contributes to their sound. (Ever notice how many of the "greats" have that odd bit of kit that nobody else uses?) Maybe its an old MXR Flanger they use all the time, or an unusual guitar like a MusicMan Stingray, or an off-the-wall amp like a Stramp. Just something that is a bit unorthodox that can become *YOUR* sound... sorta.

Plus, if you are serious about getting signed you should aim for having the right tools, and better tools, and more the merrier. Shoot for having 6-7 guitars on a rack case next to your Orange and VHT half stacks, while the bassist thumbs his choice of a Ricky 4002, Fender Jazz or Precision bass thru an Ampeg SVT, and the drummer is wailing on DW kit and Ludwig Black Beauty snare. Not only does that stuff sound better than some crummy Ibanez guitar thru a Marshall Mode Four (POS amp) it's way, way more impressive to other muso's... who will probably hate you, but still talk about the amazing gear you had to everyone they know. (And guess who will check you out the next time you roll thru town? Yep, the jealous band and all their equally jealous buddy bands....)

It's all strategic man.
 
Honestly, I think that's mostly BS. I've been gigging a lot of years, and in my personal experience maybe 2% of the crowd is interested in what instruments you play. The rest of them are there to be entertained.

I agree to a point that you need gear that sounds good, is stable and is reliable. After that, nobody except other music geeks care. Your sound is in your hands. If it isn't, you need more practice. I sound like me whether it's a tele through a twin, or a PRS through a triple rectifier. The rest is all smoke and mirrors.

That's just my opinion, and I could be wrong. God knows I have't been signed yet. :D
 
im 20 years old ive been in 6 bands in my lifetime i live in a shitty small town ..i know its a little off topic but this is the lame shit ive been though

1. their Girlfriend is more important then the band
2. the bass player thinks hes funny and makes weird noises in the mic.
3. playing acoustic version of your song at a coffee shop doesnt do anything for your band when half the band memeber are left out
4. some guy heard the acoustic set and wants them to record the acoustic set at his studio.
5. the guy wants to charge..and it discourages the band.
6. the live performances has to start with a theme song from a movie
7. the bass player wants to be louder then the vocals
8. playing in a 10X10 room with a five piece band sucks!
9. never get anyone under 18 in your band..they have to be home for lunch and dinner and they cant go out and play with their little band buddies :D
10. when you are singing through a bass amp that the bass player is playing out of you might as well just quit the band and get your self a Job and buy a damn Pa
11. when you start a band with a guitar player and he tells you he has a Fender Strat and you jam with him and find out he has a Squire..you might as well find another guitar player (the guy doesnt know the difference between a fender and a squire)
12. the band plays blink 182 covers for the 20 mins straight
13. the drumer thinks he can sing and delays practice
14.the Vocalist claims that Weed makes him Sing better
15. having myspace For your band and no Songs on the site.
16 your band members are commenting on the bands myspace..asking when they are going to practice again..(very unprofessinal)
 
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