Bands are a lot like businesses; and just like businesses, four out of five bands fail in the first year of existence. Why? The same reason that businesses fail. They are not properly managed.
Managing a band is really all about managing a practice. If one can master the art of managing practice sessions, then the odds are much greater that a band will last beyond the first year.
In order to properly run a practice there are three principles the band leader must absolutely adhere to. First, all practice times should be “set in stone.” This means having a set time each week for practice. For example, practice could be scheduled for every Thursday night. If you try to set practice schedules based on everyone’s upcoming schedule then you will find very few available practice days in common.
Pick a practice time and stick to it. Don’t change the practice time if it becomes inconvenient for someone else. Be willing to lose a band member over this philosophy if you have to. When band members realize that this policy is unwavering, they will (amazingly) find fewer excuses to miss practice.
Another principle that is important for managing practices is to have a very strict time policy. That means starting practices and stopping practices on time! One way of reminding band members about upcoming practices or gigs is the utilization of a voice messaging service. Voice messaging services are normally inexpensive and do all the heavy lifting when it comes to notification of band members. The band leader simply records one message, and that message is delivered to all band members at once. Most of these voice messaging services charge by the message - or by the length of the message - and are extremely cost-efficient when you consider the amount of time they can save.
The third (and probably most important) principle for managing a band is taking charge. A band leader must take control of the band as well as the practices. All of the band members must understand who is in charge. A band is not a democracy, but a dictatorship. Too many bands break up because of rivalries, jealousies, and petty fights over issues like: Whose songs are we going to work on? Who gets to sing lead tonight? Who gets to play the cool solo?
All of these issues can be resolved if there is one clear leader who makes the final decision. That being said, the best bands are run by “benevolent” dictators, leaders who are firm and decisive, yet respectful of other people’s feelings and opinions.
No one ever said that managing a band was easy, but if you follow these three principles, your band will have a lot greater chance of staying together. The side benefit is that the longer you stay together, the longer you can make beautiful music together.
