Running a band can often make you feel like the first person who’s ever tried to blaze a trail through the messy mystery that is the music industry. How anyone manages to walk the line between disorganized “creatives” and the monolithic corporate structures to make it big — or even just get a decent cut of the door at the end of a night — is held like a closely guarded traded secret. But what if bandleading could be more of a collective experience — where bands share what they’ve discovered along the way and learn from each other, so that each new project doesn’t have to start at the very bottom when it comes time to get organized, write music, and find an audience?
Starting Monday we’ll be running a week-long campaign aimed at helping make every project a #BetterBand. It turns out musicians have been at it for ages, and you don’t need to reinvent the music management wheel. Even the least successful band out there has tried something that worked for them. We’re encouraging everyone to share stories of a time their band tried something with their DIY management or promotion efforts that really worked for them — from a new rehearsal technique, to wearing animal costumes on stage, to only posting pictures of food they eat on Instagram, to hooking up with a killer promoter or finding the right label for their music. Put your advice up on Facebook or Twitter with the hashtag #BetterBand and we’ll reshare your post on our page, help promote your band, and at the end of the week, round up all the best stories and tips in an article for Flypaper.
Throughout the week we’ll be running articles and sharing videos with tips and tools to help you run your band better. Things like picking out the perfect band name, to changing up how you deal with mistakes during rehearsal, to five states and dozens of venues perfect for booking a mini-tour.
And as always, if you want to get serious about taking your band leading or gigging to the next level, check out our free band management course, Building a Better Band, and DIY touring course, Touring on a Shoestring!
Is there an issue your band is struggling with? Share it in the comments below and we’ll find resources and advice to help you throughout #BetterBand Week!
