Top 10 mistakes when starting a group

The decision to form your own music band is a very decisive and very responsible step for a musician. However, when you perform alone, you rely only on yourself, and all of your musical activity is based on your own internal beliefs and understanding of "how it should be". But here you decide to work together, because a musical group is, first of all, a collective and in some cases a conglomerate, when musicians, whose character and individual personality traits can be directly opposite, perform together.

But being in a band is a 100% cool adventure that means making music, hanging out together, and going to places you've never been. But behind these perks lies a number of challenges that you'll probably have to go through. And how you overcome those hurdles will determine how long your band will last.

And there really is a lot to worry about, because some bands manage to make such stupid mistakes the first time they cross the threshold of the rehearsal studio. It is important to understand that the band is an organization consisting of several people, and besides the music itself, all of you have to somehow coexist with each other, consider the interests of all, and be able to smooth out conflicts at the initial stage.

Below are the main mistakes that you should avoid if you create your own music band.

Too complicated or unoriginal name

If you've already come up with a name, immediately type it into a Google or Yandex search and see if there's anything similar. It's often the case that a music band with that name (or an auto parts store) already exists. We all strive for individuality, so such a coincidence will not be good for you.

The name should not be too complicated and tricky, no matter how you do not want to stand out from the crowd. New listeners may not remember this complex combination of letters and simply not be able to find you on the Internet.

The choice of band members solely on the basis of musical skills

Searching for members of the future band - this is the first and most basic step. And this is where many newbies make the mistake of emphasizing the wrong selection criteria.

Many try to focus on the musical skills of the potential participant, believing that this will guarantee the result. Certainly, technical skills are very important, and in principle it is not bad to have a person with a professional musical education in the group.

Do not take in the group of those who play worse than you

This point can be considered a continuation of the previous one. We said that musical skills are not the main thing, but it would be wrong not to take them into account at all. This does not mean that the other members of the group should be guaranteed "stronger" than you in terms of music, but your levels should be approximately the same.

Lack of a clear understanding of what music you are going to play

Yes, a music band is very cool. You can brag about being in a band to your friends and family, but you need to be clear about what exactly you will be performing.

The creative freedom is of course great, but it's just as important to be strategic, because you are going to do it seriously, right? Even if you like different music, at least there should be some overlap in the artists that you all like, to one degree or another.

Lack of a leader in the band

Yes, we are all individual, ambitious and want to be at the forefront. But in any group there must be a person who is the linchpin. A frontman, if you want. He must be a kind of "lighter", inspire the other band members and, if necessary, make them do something.

Too much responsibility on the leader

Another mistake of a young group will be to throw all the responsibility on the leader in general. It often happens that he works, writes music, spends his own money on recording, rents a recording studio, while the rest just have a good time.

Promoting the band only through social networks

Social media is one of the most effective tools for promoting a music band. But it's wrong to assume that this will be enough. You will surely need your own website, which will help you control all your activity: news updates, releases, videos from concerts, etc.

Don't spam other musicians

Let's say you've already recorded your first album, put it on iTunes, created a social media page, etc. What do you do next?

Then you might get the idea to get even more attention and seek collaboration with other musicians. This is worth trying, but you don't have to be too aggressive. Remember that they are unlikely to sleep and see a collaboration with some unknown people who don't know what they want.

Excessive trust in the organizers.

As soon as your successes become more or less visible, the organizers of various "festivals" will start contacting you.