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Stage Name

#61
FugaziBomb said:
My last name is very unique and I can no longer have that associated with myself as an entertainer.
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Why not? When I tell my clients and professional colleagues I play in a band, I get nothing but positive comments and it's had no negative consequences on my professional life at all. As long as your social media posts as an entertainer are generally "clean," you shouldn't have anything to worry about IMO. I think people generally understand that someone may have very different interests outside of their careers. The Wall Street Journal recently profiled the CEO of Sprint, who does a weekly online video cooking show.
 
#62
knumbskull said:
- do a thorough clean-up job of your personal social media – scorched earth. delete photos, untag, set as much as you can to "private". delete all band links etc. nice smiling normal looking profile pic.

- set up a "musician" profile in whatever stage name you want. set this one to private too.

- if you need to, send a group message to your existing "music" contacts asking them to add you on your musician account.

- presumably you have admin access to your band's Facebook or whatever - just go through and untag yourself, delete all links with your "straight" profile and shift all music dealings to your musician profile.
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James Collins said:
The thing is your professional face and entertainment face are the same whether you have a different name or not. It is like being a school teacher but also doing porn; people will figure it out and it would be a problem. Better advice would be to perform music that you are not ashamed of or to get a job that isn't ashamed of your extracurricular activities.
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knumbskull said:
- do a thorough clean-up job of your personal social media – scorched earth. delete photos, untag, set as much as you can to "private". delete all band links etc. nice smiling normal looking profile pic.

- set up a "musician" profile in whatever stage name you want. set this one to private too.

- if you need to, send a group message to your existing "music" contacts asking them to add you on your musician account.

- presumably you have admin access to your band's Facebook or whatever - just go through and untag yourself, delete all links with your "straight" profile and shift all music dealings to your musician profile.
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I understand your need to change your name. I'm in a similar position as far as day job goes. For me, I carefully choose my gig choices....I pretty much limit my gigs to church gigs with occasional subbing with bands that I am familiar with. I have turned down several opportunities to join bands that would have been a lot of fun, because I knew that it would be a potential issue with my regular job that actually pays my bills.

You really have only two choices...scorched earth policy like the other post suggested, or quit your current music choices and play something else. Do what is best for you.
 
#64
I would do it ..but my first name ends with the same letter that my last name starts with...so something like...jack clark...so say that fast enough people ask "wha"??
so i would have used something like,
Jack lee,,or jack williams,,if those were middle names,,,and if stardom didnt pass me by like a cheetah after a gazelle.



But im not bitter.
 
#65
Back in the late 70's early 80's I was in a Metal Hair band and it was just the thing to do. No one with Poofy big hair and spandex is going to use going to use their real name ha ha ha. I came up with a stage name Mr. RT Slinger that has stuck with me for many years. Though I was as well know on the local music scene by my given name as well for my original music and being a decent bass player :). As for today you aren't going to have the same chance as I did because there was no internet. Use one if you want, but don't expect to disappear into the woodwork, because the connection will be made guaranteed. RTS
 
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#67
FugaziBomb said:
I still need a name to go by other than my last name. My big hurdle is committing to it as it feels really silly to me. I believe it is a necessity at this point, however.
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It is silly, and it's a little pretentious really. I get that Saul Hudson probably was right to go by slash and axl is a better fit than Bill Bailey, but those are nicknames, and everyone always knew the real ones. You won't remain anonymous. If someone wants to know it your real name, they will figure it out.
 
#68
Despite what I wrote above, I just recalled that in the days before the internet, in our teens and twenties, my buddies and I often used “road names” to maintain anonymity in certain situations (nothing illegal, mind you). I often went by the road name: Steve Dallas.
 
#69
I would go with something blatantly obvious, but short, like Bob X. Jones. Somehow I doubt it matters what the stage name is, and this is easy for people to remember (and say). I wouldn't make a huge point of it, but tell band members to be sure to introduce and refer to you only as your new name. My question is whether this is for contracts and payment, or just how people refer to you. If so, it might be worth double checking with an attorney or accountant to make sure you have no tax issues.
 
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#72
i understand the concept of a stage name if you have a boring name, a name people wouldnt be able to spell or remember, a too common name, or a name some one else famous already has. but if you think there is any such thing as anonymity these days your nuts. you cant be invisible anymore AND have a public presence. those days died with the creation of the internet.
 
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#73
Try picking a name using this chart
buldog5151bass said:
I would go with something blatantly obvious, but short, like Bob X. Jones. Somehow I doubt it matters what the stage name is, and this is easy for people to remember (and say). I wouldn't make a huge point of it, but tell band members to be sure to introduce and refer to you only as your new name. My question is whether this is for contracts and payment, or just how people refer to you. If so, it might be worth double checking with an attorney or accountant to make sure you have no tax issues.
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immediarely brought to mind Joe X. Doobie, drummer for Starz in the 70s
 
#74
knumbskull said:
- do a thorough clean-up job of your personal social media – scorched earth. delete photos, untag, set as much as you can to "private". delete all band links etc. nice smiling normal looking profile pic.

- set up a "musician" profile in whatever stage name you want. set this one to private too.

- if you need to, send a group message to your existing "music" contacts asking them to add you on your musician account.

- presumably you have admin access to your band's Facebook or whatever - just go through and untag yourself, delete all links with your "straight" profile and shift all music dealings to your musician profile.
Click to expand...

The only problem with doing that is that there will always be traces left behind.

It also creates the impression you had something you were desperately trying to hide if somebody stumbles across something and traces it back.

But that’s what happens when people embrace something like Facebook. No matter what its official function is, it also acts as a fairly effective surveillance system.

It used to be: “What goes on in Vegas stays in Vegas.”

Today, what goes on in Vegas ends up on YouTube. (And most times in less than a day.)
 
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#75
Stage name is useless at this point for anything other than fun and stage persona. If you have compromising pics of yourself floating on the interwebz already the damage is done. I hate to say it, but it's 2018, and it's the sad reality. It takes very little effort to connect the dots, and will only get easier the more facial recognition software becomes ubiquitous and advanced. The best you can do is clean your own facebook profile, and separate it from your band's profile as much as possible. Maybe ask nicely to delete the most compromising photos.

That being said, I can think of nowhere in the US in 2018 where just being in a band is by default a liability. And, frankly, I would think the folks who promoted OP would probably already know something about his life outside of work. Again, it's 2018.
 
#76
RustyAxe said:
A few players around here go by stage names. But if I knew them before they adopted a new handle, or have come to know them personally, I address them by their given names. Never had anyone complain. I'm not sure why one chooses to adopt an stage name ... unless of course one's name is Zxtplczk or something like that ... ;)
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I think he should go with "Zxtplczk". Google only got two hits and one was your post!
 
#80
my first union card (1964) had a line to sign specifically for a stage name: i've never considered a stage name unusual. :)

also: i've written and arranged for folks who were in businesses where everyone used a pseudonym (e.g., hollywood and porn). it's commonplace!
 

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