What does it take….

[Rip Van Dan]

Different people have different notions of “success”. If what you’re talking about is getting regular, paying gigs, then you need a look, a solid demo, several hours of flawlessly rehearsed material that your target demographics like, and someone taking the job of manager super seriously.

Yeah, it was a lot easier back in the early 70's when I was touring the Western and Mid-Western US with a nightclub group. But it was a LOT of work. We would typically play5-nights a week for a 2-week stint at each venue before driving to the next one. Pay was really good back then and the group I started with went from 4-pc to 5-pc. to 6-pc. to 5-pc. over the three years I did that. I joined when they were already known and booked 3 months in advance. My cut at the beginning of that time was ~$465, which would be $3,135 a week in today's money. The last year and a half my cut was usually around $650 a week, which is $4,380 a week in today's money. So the market was much more open and live music was normally a 5-night a week gig at venues that had live music.

In today's market if you can get both Friday and Saturday nights each week, you're doing pretty good. But that won't get you enough to support a family. So then you have to start looking at other venues like Weddings, and Corporate gigs that usually pay much more. You might also want to put together a duo and play restaurants where the money is much less, but you only split it two ways. And then, if you're well connected enough you can book gigs yourself and hire folks to come play the gig with you. You can also charge for lessons if you feel so inclined although if you do it through a music store, they will take a big chunk of the money. Hard to contest that since they are providing both the space and the students, but it can certainly help. Of course monetizing your online presence is a good move, but you won't ever make money playing covers doing that because the recording labels will ALWAYS contest the copyright. You can get the views but they will make the money. So you get the advertisement but they get the $$.

Making money making music is harder now than it was when I was young and full of energy back in the early 70's, but at least you don't have to wear double-knit clothes on stage like we did back then.

 

[cassanova]

I agree totally. I think the crowd knows the difference between a band that nails the record versus one who just half fasts it.

I'm incllined to agree with you on this. I recently remade a recording of ELO's Don't Bring Me Down. It was drastically different than the original, and it didn't go over as well as I hoped.

 

[Joe Nerve]

I'm incllined to agree with you on this. I recently remade a recording of ELO's Don't Bring Me Down. It was drastically different than the original, and it didn't go over as well as I hoped.

I like it !

 

[mike o]

I'm incllined to agree with you on this. I recently remade a recording of ELO's Don't Bring Me Down. It was drastically different than the original, and it didn't go over as well as I hoped.

I like it too!

 

[hrodbert696]

In the end, at least in my neck of the woods - it isn't so much the band as it is the club experience. 90% of the people in that packed club I spoke of above never heard of us. We have that gig though because the club knows us from our reputation. The people aren't showing up for the band. But the band has to be able to deliver.

I think this points to a really significant divide in the cover band world. There are a lot of small-scale cover bands (including most of what I have played in) that get gigs because the singer has a bunch of heavy-drinking friends or whatever. That's valid enough for what it is. But I think in most areas, there is a circle of higher-end clubs that draw crowds because of the CLUB's reputation, and that club will hire bands that deliver what the club's clientele expect. That's a point where you don't need to worry about the band's draw because the venue itself draws, and you can focus on delivering the show. It's also a pretty charmed circle to try to break into as a band.

 

[Joe Nerve]

I think this points to a really significant divide in the cover band world. There are a lot of small-scale cover bands (including most of what I have played in) that get gigs because the singer has a bunch of heavy-drinking friends or whatever. That's valid enough for what it is. But I think in most areas, there is a circle of higher-end clubs that draw crowds because of the CLUB's reputation, and that club will hire bands that deliver what the club's clientele expect. That's a point where you don't need to worry about the band's draw because the venue itself draws, and you can focus on delivering the show. It's also a pretty charmed circle to try to break into as a band.

I agree completely and feel super grateful to be in that spot. I have about 40 years invested in begging friends to come to shows. This newer experience invites a very "charmed," feeling. And I've been around long enough to know it can disappear just as quickly and easily as it came to be. Interesting business we're in here .

 

[LBS-bass]

Someone early on mentioned schmoozing with the audience on breaks. A lot of people don't want to do it. But I have learned from working with a few bands that had good followings that there's a huge benefit when you get out there and shake some hands and thank people for supporting you.

People love to feel appreciated and if they feel like they have a personal connection with the band, they absolutely will come out and see you again. We should all remember why they are there- they are there to have fun. Being noticed and appreciated for what they are giving to you as audience members is super fun for them, and it's your best secret weapon if you truly want to develop a following.

I'm not saying to walk up to everyone who is in the venue and strike up a conversation out of the blue. I'm saying to take note of who is actually enjoying the show while you are playing, and to go up and thank them for being there when you are on your break. And make sure that you also spend a few minutes with anyone else who is there that you know or have seen at your shows in the past. It's super easy. I go up to everyone I know, say hello, thank them, chat for a minute and then tell them I need to go say hi to some other folks and I really appreciate that they were there. Everyone feels seen and everyone understands that I can't just spend my whole break in one place.

Beyond this, it's just the usual. Be good at what you do, be tight and clean with your sets on stage, and don't look like you wandered out of a homeless camp.

 

[51PRI]

My experience over the years since my first gig in 1966 has been exactly the opposite of yours. I belong to a blues trio besides the "used to be 5-pc. band (now 4-pc)", and thought since we were playing the blues that we could fit in more slow songs over the 4 hour set than we would with a strict Rock gig. Because, you know, people like to listen to and feel the blues. The one comment we got numerous times that evening that we did that was that we needed to play more songs that people could get up and dance to and not so many slow songs. The owner gave us a $100 tip over our agreed price but said, "you need to play more dance-able numbers the next time you come back. Outside of too many slow songs though, it was a great night and our bar did well."

There's nothing quite like seeing a packed dance floor empty out when you pull out a slow song and they are not interested in a slow dance. 6 of our 40 songs that night were slow songs. The problem with "seeing how it goes" is that when one slow song empties that dance floor, it can be darn hard to fill it up again, especially if there are other choices in town. A packed dance floor from upbeat songs empties out quickly with one or maybe 2 couples dancing to the slow song you decided to play next. After you finish playing that slow song, it may take 4 more upbeat songs to get the dance floor going again presuming they haven't left the building. Once you get people partying they seem to want to stay partying.

YMMV, but unless you've already had a lot of experience with 8 slow songs per 4-hour night, I wouldn't bet on it and I sure wouldn't advise a new group working on its repertoire to do so. Now, if you are playing to a sit down audience where there is no dance floor, you can get away with quite a few more of the slower songs. But if you have dancers who want to keep dancing...keep them dancing.

Like I said, YMMV but that's been my experience over the years.

In my experience a lot of men won't dance except on the slow songs. Now I don't mind a lot of women, especially young women, dancing together but there are a lot more people on the dance floor here for a slow song.

...
Making money making music is harder now than it was when I was young and full of energy back in the early 70's, but at least you don't have to wear double-knit clothes on stage like we did back then.
View attachment 4390210

And you could afford a guy who just played congas!

I think this points to a really significant divide in the cover band world. There are a lot of small-scale cover bands (including most of what I have played in) that get gigs because the singer has a bunch of heavy-drinking friends or whatever. That's valid enough for what it is. But I think in most areas, there is a circle of higher-end clubs that draw crowds because of the CLUB's reputation, and that club will hire bands that deliver what the club's clientele expect. That's a point where you don't need to worry about the band's draw because the venue itself draws, and you can focus on delivering the show. It's also a pretty charmed circle to try to break into as a band.

I knew we were in trouble when, in our first and turned out only, gig at a new club when the owner stopped by our table to ask how many people we were bringing.

 

[hrodbert696]

I knew we were in trouble when, in our first and turned out only, gig at a new club when the owner stopped by our table to ask how many people we were bringing.

"Well, there's four of us in the band..."

 

[Rip Van Dan]

***SNIP***
And you could afford a guy who just played congas!
***SNIP***

Yeah, well sort of. He was actually the bass player who left the group in 1971, which lead to me becoming the bass player. In 1972 he was interested in coming back, but as a vocalist instead of bass player. His name is Tom Ellison and he sang Elvis Presley and Tom Jones songs like you would not believe. GREAT voice and a very congenial guy. He also sang a number of country tunes. I was glad to have him back with the group because of his voice PLUS I could hand off my bass to him when we did country songs. Most of the ones back then were three chord thumpers that bored me to death and he was happy to play bass on them. We also had a keys player, so when I wasn't playing bass I'd double on piano or organ, which ever one the keyboardist wasn't using at the time.

This group had amazing vocals with 4 lead vocalists, all who had different strengths. We'd do 4-part harmony on anything that it would work on, and were one of the few bands at the time that could pull off 5th Dimension songs. And it didn't hurt that our female vocalist (who was married to the drummer) not only had a gorgeous voice but was also eye-candy in her micro-mini skirts.

Our drummer was the one who decided to put Tom on congas when he came back so he wasn't just standing around all the time. aAnd the congas worked wonderfully well on the Santana songs we'd do. After our keys player left, I would switch-off letting Tom play bass on the country western song while I played the congas...softly I might add. I was not a conga player of any repute.

 

[cassanova]

I like it !

I like it too!

Thanks. Musicians that heard it dig it, but overall the general listening public did not because it veered too far off track of the original.

 

[Steadfast]

Now that's hilarious. I suppose you turn up your volume when the owner tells you to turn down too, huh?

you gotta become the owner.

 

[Steadfast]

I am 61 and have played around 12000 gigs. I don’t give an eff anymore. I play what I want.

You can't name 3 or 4 examples?

Does that attitude actually work to get your band gigs? Are you in a band? Do you gig?

 

[51PRI]

I'm incllined to agree with you on this. I recently remade a recording of ELO's Don't Bring Me Down. It was drastically different than the original, and it didn't go over as well as I hoped.

Was your band named "Midlife Crisis?" At one time there were three totally different bands around here, in the so-called tri-state area, named Midlife Crisis. I think two of them have disbanded now, but one of them is still gigging. Is Midlife Crisis the most commonly used band name of all time?

Even more than The New Originals?

 

[cassanova]

Was your band named "Midlife Crisis?" At one time there were three totally different bands around here, in the so-called tri-state area, named Midlife Crisis. I think two of them have disbanded now, but one of them is still gigging. Is Midlife Crisis the most commonly used band name of all time?

Even more than The New Originals?

I was originally using the name Bandwidth Brothers because it's all being done remotely, but there's a media corp with the name Bandwidth Bros, so I was advised to change it to avoid trying to be recognized with them. Used Midlife Crisis for no other reason than the project is older material, and I thought the name would be an ideal fit for the songs I'm doing for the project.

 

[PhatBottomBass1]

Without reading most replies, but a few...

I think it comes down to knowing how to throw a good party...the people are there, the bar is stocked, may or may not have food going on with Murph and the Magictones @ Bob's Country Bunker!

 

[Rip Van Dan]

Was your band named "Midlife Crisis?" At one time there were three totally different bands around here, in the so-called tri-state area, named Midlife Crisis. I think two of them have disbanded now, but one of them is still gigging. Is Midlife Crisis the most commonly used band name of all time?

Even more than The New Originals?

I was in a group called the Midlife Crisis based out of Roanoke Virginia area. That was 2006 through about 2009 I think... But we didn't do any ELO...would have liked to do that though.

 

[pcake]

a front person who can connect to any audience and get them involved is a huge plus. i saw flotsam and jetsam in like 1999, and the bass player stood on the very front of the audience left side of the stage, shooting us with his bass, leaning over people in the front, smiling and making eye contact. he was like a second front man. an entire band that does that is rare and a good thing.