If you haven’t already seen them, please start by reading the following parts before you go any further with this guide:

How To Form A Band Part 1.

How To Form A Band Part 2.

Once you’ve gone through those guides first, let’s carry on setting up and positioning our money making band.

The Thorny Bits – Money, Equipment And Who Does What

Running a band isn’t always going to be smooth sailing. In the previous parts, we’ve walked you through how to get the right band members, and how to start getting yourself out there. But there are going to be some other issues you’re going to have to deal with. Some of these can be touchy areas, so it’s best you think about them now so you’re prepared to deal with them if they ever come up.

Bands And Money

Lots of bands will work for beer (which cheapens the market for everyone else, but that’s another story). As a professional band however, you want to make it all about the money.

If you’re serious about making money, then ground rules should be established as soon as possible. Find a method that works for everyone. It took ages for things to settle in Celtic Clan, but we learned a lot along the way. Here are some suggested scenarios to make things easier:

Scenario 1 – You (The Band Leader) Takes A Cut

Presuming you do all the work, you must take something for this. I’d suggest 15%. The rest is then shared equally, with everyone equally sharing any expenses. Any objections – show them this article!

As the bandleader, you generally:

• Find the work. Negotiate the fee. Mail the band members any set dates. Work on the basis that unless they have booked out a date, it is available. This saves you having to ring around everyone to check they’re free.
• Deal with the paperwork. Always have contracts with weddings and private functions. Nothing fancy – just stipulate the client’s name and address, your details, the venue, and the timings.
  Ask for any special requests from the client’s party, and make sure there’s a clause at the end that says the deposit is non-returnable in the event of a cancellation. Take their deposit first, then send them two copies of the contract, both signed by you. They keep one, and sign and return theirs within 7 days. Arrange for either cash or check on the night, or for it all to be paid up-front 14 days before the event.
• Organize the final set list for gigs, which should be printed up and distributed to the band.
• Liaise with clients before the gigs to organize first dance requests, timings for arrival and set up, the length of your performance at the venue etc…
• Generate stories and publicity for the band. Look at what’s happening locally; what can you get involved in?
• Digital marketing. This is a HUGE job, and if you have the skills, could take up several days a week. This is any activity that promotes you online. Anything from putting free ads on Gumtree, to filling in your dates on websites like wherecanwego.com and registering your band on Google maps. There are countless free business websites available, and some of them can really help get your band out there. Things like blogging, tweeting, setting up a Facebook fan page or even guest-posting on other people’s sites can all help as well.
• Looking for new material, printing out song words, organizing tour schedules and accommodation, audition and rehearsing with deps (deputies), and lots more. It’s a major job!

If you do all of these duties or a good amount of them, then you deserve to take that extra 15%. If you do the majority of the work, you should get paid accordingly as band leader.

Scenario 2 – You Pay The Band A Set Wage

This is a tough one. It works on the basis that everyone gets a set wage, regardless of the gig. Of course, things can go either way…

If you play at a run down pub for hardly anything, but you have to guarantee them their £100 or £150, not great! Alternatively, if you get hired to gig at a wedding for top money, it’s bonanza time for you! Everyone gets £100 and you walk home with several hundred more.

I worked the band like this for the first year, but I also picked up all the expenses too. Ultimately they voiced that it didn’t feel very inclusive and was too secretive, so we now do the more open accounting and it seems to flow better.

Scenario 3 – All Money Goes Into A Pot To Be Divided Up

Some bands do work this way, but they tend not to be high earners. The idea is all money gets held back and just petrol covered. It goes into an account which, depending on how often you work, is then split over the band members every now and again (or when someone leaves).

Ultimately, it’s up to you all to decide what will work best.

Sharing Your Band’s Expenses

Ok, so this is very important. You need to keep all receipts, and keep everyone informed of what expenses are coming up. These expenses could be anything from:

• Petrol.
• The printing of flyers and banners.
• Website domain names and hosting fees.
• Advertising costs in papers, on websites and for trade shows.
• Backing tracks (if you use them).
• Equipment repairs.

Expenses that individuals are responsible for are repairs to their own gear, their stage clothes, their strings etc.

Who In The Band Should Buy Equipment

Always a tough one. It’s probably best not to pitch in and buy together, as it’s a minefield if somebody leaves. If you can provide the basic PA this is ideal, and everyone else provides their own microphone, stand, leads, and amps where needed.

If you can’t afford a PA, then consider hiring one for your first few gigs, just to see how it all goes.

Or if you do buy together, make sure everyone is responsible for a ‘bit’ of the rig. If someone leaves, they take that with them and nothing else.

How To Run A Band Conclusion

So, hopefully all this will have been some help to you forming a band. If you’ve read all the articles (See How To Run A Band Guide 1 and Guide 2), then you should have found your look, your sound, your brand and the right people. The internal running of the band should be established, and you and/or the others will be looking hard (in the right places) for good quality work.

It’s not easy. In fact, it’s a hard slog. And sometimes you’ll wonder why you bothered. But ultimately, bear in mind there are far worse things you could be doing to earn money. Enjoy the journey and ALL THE VERY BEST!!!!

This is a guest post by Ruth Graham, band leader of the Irish wedding/function band Celtic Clan. Take a look at their website for more useful information or to book the Midlands’ best Celtic and Irish function band.

How To Form A Band – The Ultimate Guide Part 1

This is a three part series looking how to set up and run a professional or semi professional band. If your aim is to form a band which can make money from gigging (Or you already have a band but want them to do more with themselves), make sure you read these guides in full.

Start off by reading the above mentioned guide, and once you’ve done, get started on this one.

Now that you’ve caught up with part one, let’s continue on from where we left off.

P.S. If you find these guides helpful, please share them on your usual social networking sites, and link to them on your own websites. The more shares we get, the more articles we’ll write.

Marketing For Maximum Exposure

When I set up my band Celtic Clan, I had the advantage of knowing how to market a product, as that’s my background (marketing and PR). Happily, this resulted in a full book of work, just 3 months after launching. We did around 100 shows in our first year, and were able to turn professional almost immediately.

Some of my ideas you’ll like, and some you won’t. When reading this guide, I suggest you take what works for you, but do bear in mind these are tried and tested methods. So many bands fail at this step because they don’t know what to do to get work, and people get fed up of waiting and drift off.

I’ll keep everything brief here, and if as a reader you’d like more expansive information, keep checking our website and band blog as I often post more up there.

Step 1 – Deciding Who Does What

Vital!!!!! If people have different skills to offer, that’s great. But everybody in a band has to pull their weight, otherwise resentment forms.

I’d recommend one person (the bandleader) handling this side of things if possible, so you can keep track more easily. And DO NOT be afraid to take a cut of the fee for doing this. I take 15% for managing the band – it’s all transparent and nobody minds, because without it, we wouldn’t be getting any gigs in the first place. If you’re the person in your band who gets gigs, you can see more advice on how to get gigs here.

Step 2 – Branding Your Band

A ‘brand’ is the uniqueness of something that makes it memorable. Think of all the great brands that spring to mind instantly: Coca Cola, BMW, Walkers Crisps, Cadbury’s Chocolate. All household names with recognizably. And that’s what you need for your band.

We chose a great logo for ours, a strap-line (the slogan, if you like), and a look; kind of Celtic, gypsy with coin belts, crushed velvets and waistcoats for the guys. It makes us look professional and we stand out.

Everything to do with your band should reflect the look or feel. This should ideally be sorted out during the stages where you’re first forming a band, but if you’re past that stage and haven’t done so yet, now is the time.

Step 3 – Building A Great Website

This can’t be under-estimated. Get a decent site build, it should cost around £400 – no more.

Note from editor: If you want another way to creating a music website for much cheaper, you should check out this site which walks you step by step through the process of how to make a music website.

A good site really sorts out the men from the boys. Again, keep the band colors, the logos and the ‘look’ in keeping with your branding.

If you can set up a website before you begin gigging, this is a huge help. I did this with Celtic Clan, and it helped make us look like an established band, before we really were. It requires planning and some financial investment, but if you’re all in it together…

So, firstly you need to register a domain name. Use a site like 123-reg.co.uk (Good value). Register your domain name before someone else does.

Then start planning how you want your site to look. Ours unfolds in a great order, is easy to navigate and is full of lively info. People remark on how professional it is all the time. Imagine you’re a punter looking for a band, what do they want to see?

Your site should include pictures, a promo video if possible, gig lists, write ups on the band members and audio recordings.

Lastly, you need to find a good web designer. We used Darren from iKandidesign.com – a really helpful independent guy who works for lots of entertainers. He’s based in Birmingham, so if you’re also based there you may want to check him out…

Step 4 – The Marketing Accessories

As well as your site, you’ll need supporting material. These are physical tools which help your band stand out when you’re up on stage. Here are a couple of the things we like to get made:

• For maximum effect, we like to use two pop-up banners. These provide a great backdrop for any stage, and instant publicity. They cost around £60 each to have made, and they display just the logo, the website address, and our strap-line. That’s it. You don’t need any more info. Don’t put the phone number on, as you want to drive people to your website. People will be able to see a lot more information about you here, and be able to pre-qualify themselves as being someone genuinely interested in your band. After all, if they’ve already looked around your website and still make the effort to call you, don’t you think they’re going to be more interested then someone who takes your number in the spur of the moment and doesn’t know anything more about you? Your website will both inform people about what you offer, and screen out anyone that isn’t potentially serious about hiring you. This will both save you time and get you more gigs.
• We also give out postcard-sized flyers as our cards. These have the logo and strap-line on the front, and bullet points and contact details on the back. That’s all you need.

That’s probably enough to get going, but it’s worth considering CDs and T-shirts etc for the future. Anything to promote your cause.

Step 5 – Getting Seen

This is the hard part, but what you’ve been working towards. If you’ve done your background work, you’ll have a website, supporting materials, a good set list, good internal organization and all be working towards the same target. Time to let people know you’re out there. Consider the following:

• Showcases.
  One of the best things we did in the early days was the Keeping It Live showcase. This is a showcase event which happens in the UK twice a year, once in the northern area, and once in the Midlands. It’s a 3 day event that is really well run, and attended by literally hundreds of agents of all sorts. The phone rang every day for 3 months after this, and filled our diaries up completely. If you’re not from the UK, look around for alternative events like this where you live.
• Open Mike Nights.
  Sounds obvious, but a good way to get some exposure.
• The Care Home Circuit Is Another Opportunity.
  Retirement villages are massive now, and they have an active entertainment programmer. Speak to the activities coordinators there.
• Register With Agents.
  Agents are impressed with a good bio, photos, and if you can put a show reel on YouTube for them to show their clients, that also helps. Bear in mind this must be agent friendly (with no branding). So when you’re having a video made, get two edits. One with branding for your own use, and one without which agents can use to promote you.
• Look For Opportunities Outside Of The Norm.
  Malls and shopping centers often have events. Ask what’s coming up over the next few months and see if you can be involved.
• Weddings Are A Prime Market.
  Book to display at a wedding fair. Make sure you can play at the fair, or at least play your DVD whilst on the stand.
• Offer To Support Well Known Local Bands.
  Or to a charity night somewhere. Make sure you inform the local paper of when it’s happening too. Provide them with a good photo and a small write up of who you are and what you’ll be doing.

How To Form A Band And Get Paid Gigs Conclusion

So that’s it for part 2 of our guide on how to form a band, you can see part 3 here. The opportunities are endless once you get your thinking cap on, so don’t be afraid to think outside the box when it comes to getting paid gig. The important thing is that everyone in the band is committed to working, and available for work when it comes in. Good luck in your search!

This is a guest post by Ruth from Celtic Clan, the Birmingham Contemporary Irish band that doesn’t just do Irish! Take a look at their website for more useful information or to book the Midlands’ best Celtic and Irish function band.”