Atlanta Music Scene Collective

This guide is going to assume that your band does not suck. You’ve already put together some killer material and are ready to take it to the people.

You are done playing to nobody in your basement because you are the next big thing. You’ve been a long time coming and if the people have to wait any longer to know and love you, they might just die.

Getting to this point is worthy of it’s own guide which we may tackle in the future. For now, you are all diamonds in the rough exploding with the potential to go global and be a rock star.

Is this a Hobby or a Profession?

If you are reading this guide, you are probably not in or working on a hobby band. You are likely a serious musician that is interested in taking your art out into the world.

Even more than that, you are interested in finding a way to turn your artistic talent into a source of income.

For the purposes of this guide, we are going to call that the ‘Pro’ mindset.

One thing that should be cleared up right away about the Pro mindset. If you are going to go down this path, you must realize that this is a business. You’ll have to learn how to separate the creative from the business end, and once mastered, you’ll be an unstoppable machine.

Alternatively we have the ‘Hobby’ mindset. This person may be the most talented artist you’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.

This person also has no desire to play in front of a raging crowd of people or even make money from their music.

Neither mindset is a bad one, they just need to be matched up. If you are serious about taking your music to the next level, you should probably find other musicians who are also willing to put in the time and do what it takes to make that happen.

Working with someone who has the hobby mindset is only going to be frustrating and poisonous to the overall group when the time comes to really move forward as a professional musician.

Find people who share your mindset and you’ll save yourself a ton of time and headache.

Who is the Leader of the band?

I’ve met a ton of bands over time, as well as put on many shows. Doing this allowed me the opportunity to work with more bands than I can remember.

What I have found is there is a natural echelon that occurs. If and when everyone is on the same page, it helps the success of the band that much more.

Someone in your band is the real go getter. They set up all the practices, book all the shows, make sure the merch is ordered, work the website and social media accounts, and generally do all the administrative stuff that comes with being in a band.

I am going to step out on a limb and say that if you are reading this, you are that person.

That person is a leader, and is going to put everything they have into making it work.

There is no way that this leader is going to be able to handle everything required of them without delegating some of it out. This can be to other members of the band, or if they are unwilling to participate in that way, outsource it completely.

As with any business, there could be more than one leader or ‘partner’ when starting. Just be sure that everyone is on the same page with what is expected of them. Make sure to keep a system of accountability.

Separating Business and Art

As mentioned earlier, you’ll need to learn to separate the business part of this industry from the creative. At the core, you are an artist and entertainer.

The only reason you think you can make it as a professional is because you have loads of talent that, if enough people could just hear it, would set you up financially.

It is real easy to let the stress from doing all the administrative things required of a successful group bring you down and take the fun out of it. When the fun leaves, and your mind can not be free, it is much harder to reach your creative place where the magic happens.

The easiest way we have found to work through this is to set up specific times for the two different activities.

Once a week, find a day and time that works for everyone to meet up and talk shop. Even if the Leader is doing most of the work, the Followers need to be there to support and hold them accountable.

Use this time to discuss all the booking, financial, and strategy, as well as vent any frustrations with how things are going with the group, etc. Try to make this meeting happen away from the practice space. Being too close to their instruments, musicians love to ‘noodle’ and it will be harder for everyone to pay attention.

That said, when it’s time for writing or rehearsal, keep the business stuff to a minimum. Leave it at the door so that you can really get into that creative space.

Managing the Financial Stuff

From day one the financial items should be discussed and noted. This doesn’t mean you need to go out and hire an accountant(though that is never a bad idea when starting a business), but it does mean you should be keeping records, setting budgets and goals, etc.

Our suggestion is that no one in the band gets paid at first, instead keep all of the incoming cash from shows, merchandise, and other sales as a band fund.

Think about this example. You are in a band totaling 4 members. You guys play a show and make $200. Split that’s $50 each which goes about as far as a full tank of gas. That $200 however is a much larger amount that could be used for buying merchandise, printing flyers for your upcoming shows, replacing strings, picks and sticks, and more.

Money has torn many a band apart because it was not taken care of properly, not talked about enough, and generally miss used. If you are serious about being a successful musician, you need to invest in your business.

Keep a steady part time job to pay your own bills while you build, and let any income from being an artist feed that business until it’s sustainable enough to also pay your bills.

The Rap…err Wrap Up

Of course there are many other things you should probably know before playing out, but if you tackle these, the foundation for your group is going to be much strong.

Thanks for reading!

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