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The 75% Rule

4SG

4SG

Mar 6, 2014
1,412
10,352
#1
75-percent-clearer-skin-icon.svg


There are countless posts on good ol' TalkBass about bands arguing over material. Lots of discord about being asked to play some tired old number you can't bear to hear one more time. I've definitely been there myself. But I think my present cover band has hit on the solution: The 75% Rule. Goes like this:

We're a four-piece: singer/rhythm guitar, lead guitar, bass, drums. (Just like the Beatles!) We all suggest songs, the only criteria being that at least 3 of 4 people in a crowd will know and love the pick. If the song meets that level of popularity we then decide if at least three of us like it enough to play it. If any 3 of us are into it we do it whether the 4th is into it or not.

Our set includes 'Crazy Train' by Ozzie, 'The Pretender' by Foo Fighters, and 'The One Thing' by INXS. I'm not into INXS or Foo Fighters and I hate Ozzie. But my bandmates love those tunes and, more importantly, they go over really well with a crowd. So we all put as much work into any agreed on song as if we suggested it ourselves. After almost 2 years together we've never nixed a song that meets the 75% rule. And we've had exactly zero arguments about our setlist.

I'm not saying this is the solution to all band song selection issues. It certainly helps that my group are good friends with similar musical tastes. But the goal is entertainment and, if you keep your eyes and ears on that prize, it's that much more fun for the crowd and rewarding for the band.

Anyone else got something similar in effect?
 
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#5
If the rule works for your band, it works for your band, so good. In a four-piece, it's effectively majority rule (since a 2-2 vote would be a tie, not a majority). It's next to impossible to build a set list of songs that everyone in the band is enthusiastic to play. You need to have some professionalism and give a little.

I don't mind letting band members have a veto on song choice - if they really just do not want to play a song, just as well to pick something else. But that's also assuming you have people who won't be prima donnas and complain about everything that's not their favorite. Allow the veto sparingly.

I also like allowing each band member a "vanity" pick - one song that the band will play, at least at one gig, just because a band member really wants a chance to play it, regardless of other considerations. You can't fill the set list with that stuff - deep cuts and obscure songs - but I think it's good for morale and it can give the crowd some pleasant surprises.
 
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#6
here's ours:

1. as with you, 3 of 4 band members must agree to try it at least at one rehearsal and see if it meets the criteria below.
2. is it a well-known song? if not, out it goes
3. Do we sound good doing it? Can our singer/singers pull it off, especially if key harmonies are needed? Do we have the right instrumentation and talent to pull it off?
4. Do people like it? Play it out 3 times. if you get little to no response, out it goes.
5. Is it cliche? Is it one of the 20 tired covers that every other cover band seems to play? if so, don't even go there. it never gets past #1 anyway. There are 60 years worth of great and well known pop/rock songs. Be creative - you can meet #2 without violating #5 and people will like the fact that you are doing a song that they don't normally hear a cover band doing yet know the song well.
 
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#7
Hmmm - I’ve often experienced the 25% rule in bands I’ve played with - where one out of four members will pull the veto card out.

then there’s the ones we rehearse and spend time nailing down only for the frontman to call an audible and skip that tune during a gig.

majority rules can work, but when the minority can grab onto an absolute like that, it all falls apart.

another aspect of the 25% rule is that the benevolent dictator (band leader and musical director) is responsible for decisions on the bulk of material. I’m OK with that most of the time, but in one of my projects that’s meant we’ve played more deep cuts/B-sides the versus crowd favourites.
 
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#8
Sounds like you have a good plan - but how in the world can you possibly know that 3/4 of the general public will know or like a song? I personally am terrible at predicting that - there's a lot of stuff I've played that seems to move a lot of people but not me and vice verse. So while I might question a songs viability, I always have to defer to other band members on that. I've been known to repeat "really? - people like this?" when being told a song is popular.

I do agree that all band members should some degree of:
1. Input. Tossing out ideas with the understanding that LS has the ultimate call)
2. Veto power. Once in a while, a song is just intolerable and as long as it doesn't become the norm, bands should respect individual boundaries. There's a lot of other songs that will replace anything. I've played a lot of songs that I just don't like - my veto stamp comes out when the band just doesn't sound good doing it. Cover bands ' jobs are to sell beer - not to please member's.

I also think that not every song has to be well known - if it fits your groove, there's nothing wrong with a couple of lesser played/B sides/"haven't heard that in decades"/original songs slipped into a set to introduce people to their "new favorite song". You just can't overdo it.

I'm not a fan of the "vanity" pick mentioned above. I'm not saying you don't explore it a bit, but to go through the effort of getting a song tight enough to gig just for one show, would not be good IMO.
 
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#10
We are a 5-piece. About once a quarter, we will submit 5 songs each for new songs to play. We then vote on the 25 songs, and you don’t vote on your submissions, and take the top 5 vote getters. We then play those out at a few different venues and gauge the response. We then vote on each one to see if it stays in the setlist rotation or is retired to the other songs we know list.
 
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#11
4SG said:
View attachment 4302295

There are countless posts on good ol' TalkBass about bands arguing over material. Lots of discord about being asked to play some tired old number you can't bear to hear one more time. I've definitely been there myself. But I think my present cover band has hit on the solution: The 75% Rule. Goes like this:

We're a four-piece: singer/rhythm guitar, lead guitar, bass, drums. (Just like the Beatles!) We all suggest songs, the only criteria being that at least 3 of 4 people in a crowd will know and love the pick. If the song meets that level of popularity we then decide if at least three of us like it enough to play it. If any 3 of us are into it we do it whether the 4th is into it or not.

Our set includes 'Crazy Train' by Ozzie, 'The Pretender' by Foo Fighters, and 'The One Thing' by INXS. I'm not into INXS or Foo Fighters and I hate Ozzie. But my bandmates love those tunes and, more importantly, they go over really well with a crowd. So we all put as much work into any agreed on song as if we suggested it ourselves. After almost 2 years together we've never nixed a song that meets the 75% rule. And we've had exactly zero arguments about our setlist.

I'm not saying this is the solution to all band song selection issues. It certainly helps that my group are good friends with similar musical tastes. But the goal is entertainment and, if you keep your eyes and ears on that prize, it's that much more fun for the crowd and rewarding for the band.

Anyone else got something similar in effect?
Click to expand...
It's called a 3/4 majority. It's the basis of democracy.
 
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#13
QORC said:
the band i'm in now insists on playing a super boring song (I won't say which) and it's become a running joke that I personally hate it so much. but on stage, we often do it anyway and we've simply made an inside joke about it. She'll get on the microphone and literally say, "this next one is our bassist's FAVORITE song". ...lol
Click to expand...

LOL! We have a song like that in the band that I'm leaving in August......it's a tired, boring number that I can't stand. Our singer also does the "this one is our bassist's favorite song" shtick.

Regarding the 75% rule, there was a similar rule in other bands I've been in, but my current main band doesn't have that. It's pretty much the singer and the lead guitarist that call the shots for the set list, much to my dismay. One of the many reasons that I'm leaving that band.
 
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#14
4SG said:
View attachment 4302295

There are countless posts on good ol' TalkBass about bands arguing over material. Lots of discord about being asked to play some tired old number you can't bear to hear one more time. I've definitely been there myself. But I think my present cover band has hit on the solution: The 75% Rule. Goes like this:

We're a four-piece: singer/rhythm guitar, lead guitar, bass, drums. (Just like the Beatles!) We all suggest songs, the only criteria being that at least 3 of 4 people in a crowd will know and love the pick. If the song meets that level of popularity we then decide if at least three of us like it enough to play it. If any 3 of us are into it we do it whether the 4th is into it or not.

Our set includes 'Crazy Train' by Ozzie, 'The Pretender' by Foo Fighters, and 'The One Thing' by INXS. I'm not into INXS or Foo Fighters and I hate Ozzie. But my bandmates love those tunes and, more importantly, they go over really well with a crowd. So we all put as much work into any agreed on song as if we suggested it ourselves. After almost 2 years together we've never nixed a song that meets the 75% rule. And we've had exactly zero arguments about our setlist.

I'm not saying this is the solution to all band song selection issues. It certainly helps that my group are good friends with similar musical tastes. But the goal is entertainment and, if you keep your eyes and ears on that prize, it's that much more fun for the crowd and rewarding for the band.

Anyone else got something similar in effect?
Click to expand...

Personally I would vote to dump the part about whether the band likes the song. If the crowd test is a pass then you should do the song…but that’s just me.
 
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#15
We had something similar in my old band, a five-piece (so 80% rule, I guess). Someone would suggest a song and if four out of five of us at least did a shrug-nod, we'd try it. And if the song ended up not working that well, the suggestor had the authority to nix it. I played a few songs I didn't like, but I figured a bandmate probably didn't enjoy playing a song that I really liked, as well. It's all part of working with humans.
 
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#17
First of all, whether or not you are an Ozzy fan is irrelevant, CRAZY TRAIN IS AWESOME!!!!

But yes, I like they way you set this up. Any 4 people never agree on everything. Being on the outside all the time means there is incompatibility and being on the outside some of the time means you're just normal people and you learn to get along and do some "work" for the team. Nothing at all wrong with liking 3/4 of the material you play. We all have different preferences. This means you're willing to work with other people to get things right. I bet we all know a lot of people who struggle with this concept. Good on you.

Arrow's Impossibility Theorem. The gist is that any time there are more than 2 possible outcomes it is impossible to be fair. You have boundless songs to choose from. Mostly because you have the option to vote both for and against. Anyway, being in a band is like that. Getting along with others is "75%" to quote a TB genius, @4SG .
 
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#18
Redhead is not a democracy. If the BL wants to sing it, we're going to learn it. Redhead is also in the business of providing an enjoyable experience for people who like to dance. So even if she likes it, and we learn it, if it doesn't go over with the crowd, it's gone. Any of us can suggest songs; if she doesn't sing it we may do it even if she's not enthusiastic. But the same rule applies: If the crowd doesn't respond favorably, it's out the window.
 
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#19
I have a cover situation that I play in where the setlist has been mutually agreed upon for decades. Generally, if someone REALLY wants to play it- we support him. I really enjoy playing a song where the band is into it... even if the song isn't one I particularly enjoy.

I'm not a country guy. I play in a different band that does a couple of country songs. The singer knocks those songs out of the park every time. It makes it fun for me.
 
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#20
Oddly said:
That's an excellent selection system. I've always hoped for something similar, but...singers.:rollno:
Click to expand...


Greetings All,

Giving the singer the final say is why I started to sing again.

Two things can occur here..... first he'll not like the competition as "he's the singer" and will threaten to quit, whereupon you can now explain he can sing the songs or leave.

The Second.......he won't like to stand around while others sing, and he'll rethink.

There are other options, bug these two seem to be most prevalent.
 

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