Making The Band... How Do I Make My Band Work?

I receive a healthy amount of demos/submissions from bands all over the place, even from countries I can't quite point to on a map (confession: I had to Google-check where Mauritius exactly is. Now that I know, I must go there). Time permitting, I sit here in my apartment and read/listen to it all, and in the most timely manner, I send you my honest-to-God feedback.

But the thing I've noticed is, more or less, every band asks the same fundamental questions. Every band/artist seems to share similar concerns, experiences, and fears. And in a word it sucks. There should be a better way to resolve this disconnect and bridge the gap.

At this precise moment, I'm sitting here on the floor listening to another demo from a band who reworked their material three times over and submitted it... again. And as I'm typing this, I glance at the back of my right hand and realize that I'm still wearing the ink stamp that the doorman at Rothko branded me with last night. I met up with James and Andrew there to catch up and discuss some upcoming projects. James is something of a wunderkind: he manages Rothko, manages awesome bands like Voxtrot (check out their myspace here), belongs to a couple of cool bands himself, DJs all about town, and occasionally helps me with my computer problems. Fuck! And Andrew is a marketing/publicity powerhouse with an amazing list of music clients (he's working on Fabric right now). Double fuck! So naturally, I'm thinking that if aspiring bands could get a hold of people like Andrew and James, and have an opportunity to rapidfire their questions off and get really useful advice... now wouldn't that be something?

Well, that opportunity already exists. Tom from The Black Spoons also spearheads Indie Night School (which has its very own blog, by the way). For lots more info, I honestly don't know where I'd send you (just google "Indie Night School" and a gazillion links will pop up.) If you are looking to meet other bands and musicians, network your way through bookers, A&R reps, lawyers, major and indie record labels, publicists, writers/critics, managers, etc... this really is the way to go. In all my time out there, this is the first centralized, organized hub for bands in need. And INS is really taking off. So much so that Tom is looking to take INS on the road. A tour of its very own so now bands across the country get a chance to connect with others just like them, and talk to those music business folks that seem to elude them. Furthermore, there's a new website and magazine in the works so that INS becomes readily available to every single person globally. For many people in New York City music, this isn't news. In fact, bloggers have been all over INS. And don't worry: these aren't classes in the social studies or chemistry sense of the word. Besides, where else are you going to meet other bands/musicians just like yourself as well as music professionals... at a bar, no less?

This post is meant to let all those who have been submitting your music know that your questions are all relevant and your concerns shared. Forming your band, getting it up and running, and ultimately making it successful takes more than just blitzing out your music, putting ads up on various newspapers and websites, and hoping for the best. There are proactive things you can, and should, do.

And when your band finally makes it in the music business, you can go back to playing on the streets and subways like Arcade Fire did last night (technically, this morning at around 2 a.m. near Union Square's N, R trains). Go here for the unbelievable photo.


Good luck.





Thanks
larajade