To many people, starting a band appears to be straightforward. You find people you get on with who can play instruments, you write songs together and then take over the world right?
If only it were that simple I can hear several of you cry! Starting your band can actually be one of the most frustrating parts of the business for a musician. If you are in this for the long haul then your band will be your family for the rest of your musical life. You’ll do everything together, including argue so if you don’t choose the right people at the beginning of this process then you’ll find yourself in an endless cycle of replacing various members and trying to get new members ready to play your songs in time for shows. Not to mention the difficulties that this can cause when it comes to songwriting and recording royalties…
So, in order to try and save yourself this hassle, here are a few things you should be thinking about when assembling your band:
What does your band need?
You’d be surprised how many people don’t think about this question when it comes to setting up their band.
When you think about a band you generally think singer, guitarist, bassist and drummer, the standard band set up, but look at The White Stripes, or The Ting Tings, neither of these have a standard band set up, so why should you? Think about the kind of music you write; if it lends itself to the standard set up then go for that, if it needs keyboards then you’ll need a keyboardist, if it works better with a drum machine then get a drum machine! It’s your music, so it’s up to you after all.
Don’t try and fit something in if you don’t need it, work out the roles you need filled and then find the musicians to fill those roles. Remember that you need a band who can play shows together; that’s your aim, so stick to it.
Once you have this worked out then your next step is…
Find the musicians to fill your roles! 
You’ve written your songs and you know what roles you need filled to help you bring this music to life, so now all you need are the right people to help you do this.
What’s the best way to go about this?
Well depending on your circumstances here are a few ideas to help you get hold of the right people – remember, they’re going to be your family from now on so choose carefully…
1. Ask around your mates: This is probably the safest but also in some ways the most dangerous way of finding band members. It’s good because if you recruit someone you already know then you know what they’re like as a person and you will already have a pretty good idea of how they would fit into your band. However, because they are already your friend, unless they’re as passionate about your music as you are, you may find that they could start to take the piss a bit by not showing up on time, missing rehearsals etc. Despite this, as long as you know your mates are reliable and can play, then this is the best way to start.
2. Studio/Rehearsal Rooms: If you’ve ever been in one of these before you’ll know that most of these places the world over will have a bulletin board for you to post an ad for your band. It’s also worth talking to the people who work here as they see everyone who comes through the doors and so know who is playing with which band and who is looking for a new gig, so they could tip you off on an amazing guitarist looking for a new band.
3. The Internet: Lots of music websites and local listings sites have a section or a forum filled with ads from people looking for a band to join. You should definitely look through these and place your own ad seeking band members. We’ve had loads of success with Gumtree in the UK and Craig’sList is great in the US as well.
4. Posters: You should also put adverts up in your local area in the places that you know musicians use. This will differ from town to town but good places to target include college and university campuses, clubs and venues, and record stores (if you have any left in your town!).
5. Youtube: …or similar. Never tried this ourselves, but if you can get people to come and see what you’re doing, and upload what they’re doing so that you can check it out, it might work. Worth a try to avoid sitting in rehearsal spaces day after day. At least try to get your potential candidates to point you at some video somewhere so that you can check them out whilst making a shortlist.
If you get the word out there and let people know that you are looking then you should find that you have a steady stream of people contacting you. Then it’s down to you to audition them and see if they fit with your vision!
Rules and expectations
Most bands have a natural leader and this is usually the songwriter and/or the person who formed the band. How far the leader chooses to define their role depends on the band dynamics but one thing they should do at an early stage is to set out some basic band ground rules and expectations in order to make the band run as smoothly as possible. These needn’t be huge, life changing, rules, they just need to cover the basic info that all band members need to know and adhere to. These should include the following:
How many times a week do we practice and for how long?
Where do we practice?
Do we split all rehearsal costs and other expenses equally?
How much money, if any, am I supposed to contribute to costs?
If anyone continuously breaks or ignores your band rules then sack them and look for someone else to take their place. They’re not committed enough and this will cause further problems in the future. This sounds harsh I know, but it’s true and you’ll thank me for it later.
As well as general band rules you’ll also need to discuss writing with your band.
For example will there be just one songwriter or will you all pitch in? And if everyone contributes to songs then you’ll need to decide if you’re going to split royalties equally or not. This might seem like something that you don’t need to worry about too much at the start, but it will save a lot of arguments in the future, so make it clear from the outset.
Get the show on the road
At this point you should have a happy band family who have been writing and practising together. The next step is to get out there and start playing shows.
You may think that at this point your band is all set for world domination but you would be wrong – this is in fact the final part in putting your band together. Once you start booking and playing shows you will realise if you have a band that works together or not.
We’ve seen many promising bands implode when asked to live in a van with each other for two weeks, and through this process it is guaranteed that you will find out who is committed and who isn’t. Any differences between you will also rear their head at this point too so take note of the differences and difficulties and after you’ve played a few shows look back and see if your band is working. If it isn’t then you’ll need to go back and start again, if it is, great!
The hard work is about to begin…
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And, don’t forget, in the UK, Forming Bands – http://formingbands.co.uk/site/index.php
Very popular and lots of people using it to hook up with like minded people.