It's catchy, right? This was the title of the documentary idea that started me on the road to launching my own production company. I got the idea for the film after 4 years of earning a living as a full time local performer. At first I planned to explore the behind-the-scenes aspects of both the work and the lifestyle. I discovered along the way that I also wanted to examine how it all overlapped with life in the ministry world. As I developed the idea in 2011-12, the project kept growing and growing in scope to the point where it could no longer be captured in one feature film.
Once I realized that I could write a book solely on the bizarre experiences I'd had as a musician in church, the documentary project became unmanageable. Eventually I had to walk away from this unfinished project to focus on providing for my family, but I never let go of my idea. This unfulfilled yearning led to the birth of Corey's Stories and Alder Grove Films. As for today's post, it may be a dry read if you're not either an entrepreneur, musician or performer. I intend for it to be part 1 of 2 (maybe 3 at the most) of my essay on the unglamorous life of the local musician.
Corey, left, and TIBL co-founder Shane Madere Jr. pose for a promotional photo for their 2012 relaunch. The project originally began 5 years prior, amidst Corey's plans to propose to his then girlfriend.
Getting Started
It is pretty typical for a cover band to start with nothing more than a name, a few members, a set list and maybe a barebones PA system. This was all I had when I first decided to step out on my own. Up to that point, I had spent years supporting other people's projects, never taking the lead. My partner and I developed the show for a couple of months and then hit the streets looking for work. Despite an initial boon, the first project I co-founded, Two If By Land, fell apart within 2 years. As it turned out, the biggest challenge wasn't to launch an acoustic duo, but to keep it together and compete with all other entertainment options in our area.
To be fair, we had a lot working against us. At any given show, every Louisiana cover band from the top down must contend with one another, as well as the LSU Tigers, the Saints, hunting and fishing, festivals, any national touring acts in town, bad weather, movie openings, weddings, etc. Not to mention the ever growing human apathy toward live music. If you’ve ever been in a club when a band finishes a set, you’ll notice that the DJ is the real star. Hell, even a club owner with an iPod can put bands to shame with one click. Typical bar patrons just seem to tolerate the bands until their breaks, at which point a swarm of people cover the dance floor to hit the quan to pre-recorded music (mostly songs about, well... hitting the quan).
Two If By Land is featured in a press clipping from an article about the 2008 Andouille Festival in Laplace, La.
As if all that weren't enough, there was plenty of internal conflict, major life events among band mates, etc. Ultimately, the economic downturn of 2008 proved too much for our fledgling band to overcome. Many bands folded throughout this period. I learned the hard way that establishing a lasting cover band is an endurance race. A legitimate, professional act is a small business. There’s a lot more to it than performing on stage or being good in front of a crowd. There are a lot of responsibilities involved, both on stage and behind the scenes. In order to compete with the best professional show bands in your area, there are a number of things to consider:
Talent
This is the one thing that you as band members are solely responsible for. You can pay other people to do just about anything else, but musical talent is #1 and it must come from the stage. I'm gonna go ahead and muddy the water on my first point. There are South Louisiana bands who have held on for years with little to no focus on talent. Two or three local darlings come to mind who are all about costumes and gimmicks. There's another well known local act who stand behind fake, non-functioning keyboards and pretend to play along with an iPod. They still get booked. This is the longterm effect of the cruise control mentality, which I will get to later.
Funding
You will definitely need some start-up capital, as well as continued financial support until your band becomes profitable. You could also find yourself needing to be propped up if your band ever goes through a dry spell. Funding can come in different ways, and it can determine who holds the power in your business.
You must also decide whether to start a cash business or go into debt. Cash business can be less risky, when you consider that using cash on hand will encourage you to start smaller and build. On the other hand, if you secure a loan, you may get started faster and appear more impressive. The problem there is you may be tempted to bite off more than you can chew. As an investor, you could destroy your credit if you default or go bankrupt. No matter what, funds should be skimmed off the top and distributed among investors according to percentage of outlay. There is also business overhead to consider, before pocketing what remains. Once you've recouped your initial investment, you have to decide whether to reinvest or coast.
The most important thing about funding is to decide whether all members will invest evenly, or if some members will invest more than others. What if Jim Bob has the most cash to put down, but he also happens to have the least business experience? If he holds a controlling interest in your band, Jim Bob may insist on some sort of leadership role or financial benefit. He may also run your business into the ground, so you might want to pass. The same thing could happen if your biggest investor insists on being the frontman despite being an inferior vocalist. Putting up more money is one way in which someone can highjack your project. It's important to take your time and think through how your band is put together, and how it could affect things down the line.
Sound Reinforcement
Despite all the behind-the-scenes work that goes into making a band successful, you only get paid when you’re performing. In order to perform, you need sound reinforcement. PA equipment is easily one of the biggest expenses your band could have. Whether owning or renting, you need a reliable, nice sounding system capable of providing enough sound reinforcement for the number of singers and musicians in your band, as well as the size and types of venues you intend to play. Your band may be able to practice with just amps and monitors, but you’re not likely to get professional results during a paid performance without separate monitors and mains. This is especially true for drums and vocals.
If you choose, you can just hire a sound company. They take care of everything, and you just show up and play. You’re not guaranteed to get their best system or their best engineer on a given night. They are not likely to be responsive to feedback (pun intended) if, say for example, you wish the guitars or your monitor mix sounded better. What’s worse, if they think they’ve got you over a barrel, they could just raise their rates or play hardball at any time. It’s not a good long term strategy to rent systems, in my opinion. A proper system will definitely pay for itself over the long term if your business succeeds.
Though it’s a good long term strategy, owning and operating a PA is a lot of responsibility and hard work. If you go this route, you need a way to transport the equipment to the show, unload it, set it up, tear it down, load it back up and transport it home. A typical system requires a fair amount of physical strength in order to move it around. You also need a safe place to store it when it’s not in use. You need a way to maintain the equipment and get it repaired quickly between shows. You also need a back-up plan for what happens if your equipment fails, like renting from a sound company or keeping a back-up system. You probably need insurance, too, in case something happens to your gear or someone is injured by your equipment.
Finally, you need someone to operate the equipment during your shows. Sound engineering is part technical skill, part artistry. If someone in your band can be an engineer/utility player, that’s ideal. If you have to hire a dedicated sound person, plus pay for the equipment, this can cut well into your profits early on. It should go without saying, but bands are supposed to sound good. You might think that it’s all about “putting on a show.” However, unless you’re a regional or national act with a larger budget, you probably can’t rely on pyrotechnics, multimedia gimmicks, on-stage antics or star power to impress people. You may think of yourself as more of an entertainer than a musician, but a professional band should set the standard for quality sound.
Now What?
A lot of bands get to this point and then set the cruise control. A few hundred miles down the road, they may find themselves unable to keep up with the competition. About a year after we launched Two If By Land, I went back to school full time at LSU. This lasted for 3 semesters, during which I made excellent grades. I lost a ton of weight and was feeling pretty good about myself. However, work started to slack off unexpectedly about midway through.
It got harder and harder to keep acoustic shows on the books, and I didn't really know where I was going wrong. What I did know is that I could only afford to attend LSU and be the breadwinner for my household because of my success in the local music scene. If the gigs dried up, we'd be marooned. Thankfully, a bigger name act came along and recruited me as their new sideman. Well, sideman sort of morphed quickly into frontman, which was awkward because the whole project was supposed to be built around its namesake, not me.
If my first novel were about life at Healing Place Church, the follow-up would have to be about life in The Allison Collins Band. It's the project that originally inspired Get A Real Job. Unfortunately, the band never tapped into its potential, but not for lack of trying. The bandleader and I worked tirelessly to become the premiere party band of the Deep South, but we just never quite got there. We were the first band in this area to carry our own, fully programmed LED light show, which the bandleader built single handedly from the ground up. He was a true visionary. He insisted that I buy outlandish stage clothes. He would film the band and analyze our stage presence. I could go on for days about the ups and downs of the whole 2 1/2 year experience, but perhaps another time. Suffice it to say I learned a lot.
If one thing has been true of every pro band I've been in, it's this: There's always someone in a band who wants all the benefits, yet will shift as much of the burdens as possible to his or her band mates. All too often I've started projects with people who agreed to 50/50. Once things got going, I often found myself holding the short end of the stick. Obviously, when I talk about the benefits, I'm referring to things like profits, being in the spotlight, maintaining creative control, etc. So what do I mean by burdens? Investing yourself into a small business like a band requires hard work, responsibility, sacrifice and risk. These burdens need to be distributed among band mates in a way that is reasonable, and is in proportion to each member's share of the gold. I've made a list for your browsing pleasure:
Band Leadership/Quality Control
· Establishing and periodically refreshing the band’s repertoire
· Arranging instrumentation and BGVs
· Scheduling, running and hosting rehearsals
· Training new members when needed about musical dynamics, microphone dynamics and general equipment usage
· Designing a stage plot
· Creating a set list or calling the songs during the show
· Making sure the show starts and ends on time, and that breaks don’t run over
· Grooming the band regarding appearance, behavior and etiquette, both on-stage and off
· Avoiding the free-for-all, every man for himself, ego-driven attention whoring and volume competitions, etc.
Business Management
· Being the point of contact for the band, whether on site for a performance or behind the scenes
· Negotiating and executing contracts and deals with venues, agents or private/corporate clients on the band’s behalf
· Collecting payment from venues, agents and clients
· Maintaining the performance calendar
· Communicating vital information to the group in a timely, courteous manner
· Maintaining a list of fill-in players for when a band member can’t make a scheduled performance; booking fill-ins as needed
· Hiring and firing members as needed
· Negotiating pay for freelancers or fill-ins
· Arranging for transportation, lodging and meals as needed
· Seeking legal counsel when necessary to draw up contracts, settle disputes, etc.
Marketing
· Photography
· Graphic design for logos, web, merchandise and advertising
· Website data management
· Social media campaigns
· Print media (flyers and posters, business cards, etc)
· Audio/Video production for demos, YouTube, etc.
· Brand Development (the overall cohesiveness of the band’s appearance, sound, set list, stage presence, web presence, merchandise, social media presence, etc)
Accounting
· Setting up and maintaining the ability to accept payments made out to a band name, and to distribute pay to the various members of the band. This usually involves getting a tax ID, setting up an LLC and opening a dedicated checking account.
· Record-keeping
· Paying taxes and issuing 1099s, or working with a CPA to get it taken care of
· Merchandise sales, inventory and storage
· Paying bills. All of the above things cost money, and in the case of revolving payments, someone has to be responsible for making sure the business expenses are getting paid on time. Money has to be skimmed off the top of all revenues to cover regular overhead, and to save for future expenses.
Don't get played
I feel very strongly that the benefits of a successful band should be distributed to its members according to how much value each one adds, including how much of the hard work, responsibility, sacrifice and risk each one takes on. So what happens when the people you work with don't want to carry their weight, yet they all think they're entitled to an equal or higher cut of the band's profits? This is more common than you think. Everyone wants the benefits, but no one wants the burdens associated with small business. If you're the only one who sees the band as a business, you'll quickly find yourself running it by yourself. Soon after that, you'll be ready to renegotiate how the money is distributed, which is when the whole thing really goes sideways. More on that in the next post.