• » From "How to start a rock band" // November 25, 2010 11:58:48 PM UTC

  Well its depends on what your goals are, do you want a garage band just to jam once in a while, or a long-term headlining band?

  You need to know what genre you would like to band to go under, this way you can figure out how many people you need to recruit ; rap, rock, metal, solo etc..

  I would recommend you first get some knowledge on the music industry and have a background in business, take a crash course in music management/business. Learn about copyright, lawsuits, invoices, contracts etc... in this industry YOU have to take care of all these things, not your boss or company. Its highly recommended you know this stuff or else someone can rip you off big time. Talk to local band members, go to shows and talk to the roadies, soundboard guy etc... get an idea on how things are run and how much it costs. Its good to have prior knowledge so you can an idea of how much you have to invest. Also recommend taking a course on audio production, it will really help if you know how to use mixers, software, mics, etc... although it won't be your job, it is always helpful to have this knowledge, it will also make your demo recordings sound better and can save you money if you decide you go on an independent label.

  Before you go looking for band members, make sure you have lots of material, whether it be lyrics or the structures of a song or just even some melodies. Have them ready in notation and on a demo tape. This will sort of give an idea on what type or sound you are trying to aim for (ballads, heavy, soft.) Its always great to have material, you can always add on to it later and keep improvising until you have a song.

  The best way to get band members is to see if any of your friends are interested, if not then you should either place an ad in the newspaper or the internet, search for your local community bulletin boards. Once you meet someone who is interested in forming a band, talk to them. Before you hire someone in the band it is very important to know them. Form a friendship, see whether you can trust them and whether your personalities blend - you don't a band member who has bad communication skills, you need a good team worker. Discuss your goals and what you plan on doing, storyboard your goals ahead of time and determine you plan to accomplish them. Make sure they can play their instrument well or song whatever the case may be. If both of you are not too musically talented, you can still form a band and learn together, but make sure you all can keep up at the same level - you don't want someone to be slowing you down. Once you feel that they fit YOUR standards, you can hire them. Once you hire them, repeat the same process for any other member you add to the band.

  Once you have the desired amount of members, get together and start jamming. Look at all the stuff they have composed, perhaps you can find a melody which sounds great and create a song based up on it, think of a setting and lyrics while humming the melody so you can an idea of how to sing the song in tune. Don't just sit there with your band trying to create a song in a room, it won't happen... you will only get inspired by material when you are outside, when you have a good tune in mind, make sure you record it for later, always keep a voice recorder handy and a notepad so you can jot down lyrics. Then take your work and show it to then band and create your magic.

  Once you have roughly enough material and songs, say about 10 complete songs then go live. Start playing in local clubs in your cities, advertise on my space and everywhere you can. The best way to get noticed is word of mouth, so go out there and play live, once people notice you they spread the word... who knows some big producer out there may be watching your gig live and enjoys it, he may sign you a record deal. Record your songs, pick the best songs you have, say if you had about 30 songs, pick about 10-12 best songs (around 60-70 minutes) and make them better, these will go on the album. Make music videos for the best 3-5 songs, make sure the video is relative to the song and lyrics and makes sense. If a big company like MTV comes across your video, it will get your lots of publicity, make sure the video is about 3 minutes in length (the song can be 5 minutes, but you can have a shorter version for the video... music channels will only accept videos about 3 minutes in length for smaller bands, for Big Name bands there are no limits). I recommend you take a class on video production, it can save you lots of money. These classes usually run for about 3-4 months and can give you a good amount of knowledge.

  The rest of the songs that did not make it to the album can be used for the next album, you should improve them greatly. This way every time you record an album, you will always have tons of leftover material for later use.

  Go out there and tour, do lots of shows in your cities and local cities so you can get noticed. You have to be a big deal in your city so play lots over there, also head over to other cities. Try opening up for other bands and move up the ladder.

  Good idea to have a part time job in case you are not making enough money, have enough money in your bank to support yourself. Best way to spend less is always find deals, whether its merchandise, videos etc... Bands make more money from touring and merchandise, not so much from record sales unless you are U2.

  Good Luck

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