It's easy to assume that starting a rock band is as simple as, say, cooking a meal. You get the ingredients, pre-heat the oven, throw some stuff in a pan and that's it, right? Wrong. Starting a band -- or, rather, starting a successful band -- is a far more difficult and involved process. It's a lot like making a movie; before you can even consider shooting the scenes, you have to write the script, scout locations, cast the parts and find financiers. Movies are all but made in pre-production, and awesome rock bands are hinged on their very beginnings.
 
The following article will supply you with the information you need to not only start a band, but to build up your talent and commitment to a point that will all but guarantee your success. Learning how to become a rock star has never been so easy.
 
Learn About the Music Industry
 
Before you can truly commit to the task of starting a band, it's important that you understand the industry that you're about to navigate. Talk to friends or coworkers who may have done this before, or go to your local bookstore and browse the music section; there are always tons of great titles about both specific rock and pop artists and the music industry in general. Learn about how labels, booking agents and publicists work on the independent and major levels, and try to imagine how your band might fit into that.
 
As you learn more about the music industry, make goals for the start of your band. Aim for the stars, of course, but also use your new-found industry knowledge to create smaller, more achievable goals for yourself. The more you know about the music industry, the better you'll be able to imagine without question what you can or cannot achieve right off the bat.
 
Consider Lessons
 
Even if you are already pretty proficient with your chosen instrument, it can never hurt to try a lesson or two. Not only will music lessons get you used to playing constantly, they will also improve your ability to branch out into different styles and improvise. And, if you find an instructor who has worked within the music industry on a professional level, you might even pick up a few songwriting pointers! Check the closest college for classes in your instrument, or talk to someone at a well-respected music store; they'll almost certainly know where you can find a great music instructor.
 
And while you are at it, why not try a lesson or two in an instrument you don't already play? Every musician interested in starting a band can benefit from knowing a bit about all the instruments they intend to incorporate in their group. Learn some piano (especially how to read music), try your hand at vocal lessons, or get acquainted with the drums. Knowing your way around several instruments will aid in your ability to both write songs and find proficient band members.
 
Practice, Practice, Practice
 
Sure, it might go without saying, but practicing your instrument (or instruments) is the only surefire way to start a band; after all, the music itself is the key predictor of your success. Prioritize your time, make a rigid practice schedule and stick to it! Don't flake out on important obligations like work or school, but you can afford to skip a night of Gilmore Girls, can't you?
 
If you have a four-track recorder, or even a small tape recorder, consider recording your practice sessions. That way you can truly hear which aspects of your playing are improving and which need work. You'll also be able to pick out a general playing style that is characteristic of you, and knowing your strengths in that area is absolutely vital to starting a band.
 
See Live Music
 
No one can start a band in a vacuum -- you need to know what's going on in the world of music! If you have been out of the loop for awhile, or just downright too busy to get out that often, check your local papers for upcoming concerts and make a real effort to attend them. Try to encompass as many genres as possible, really get the full range of what bands are up to these days. Listen intently, even take notes, as to what seems to be prevalent among artists. You may hear some things you really want to try, or you may be disgusted and decide to completely buck tradition; either way, your band will have an instant leg up simply by knowing what other people are doing.
 
Seeing live music is also important when starting a band because shows can often help you forge fantastic contacts. If you see a band you like, don't hesitate to talk to them. Local bands are often extremely generous in giving you pointers and maybe even helping you set up your first show. Contacts, after all, are a lifeline for those interested in starting a band.
 
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What's a band without its band members? Finding musicians might very well be the most difficult aspect of playing rock or pop music; you need to find band members that are not only fantastic at their instruments but also pleasant, punctual and easy to work with. It's a totally fine balance.
 
Maybe you already have a few friends or coworkers interested in rocking out with you, or know how to go about finding musicians to complement your vision. If so, great! You've definitely got a leg-up in the process. If you're like a lot of us, however, and know only a few musicians, most of whom you either can't trust or don't play anything near the style of music you love the most, read on. This article will provide you with several tips and tricks to help you find band members.
 
Join the Music Community
 
The best way to find band members is to get well acquianted with the music community in your area. This may seem like an overwhelming task, given how broad most music scenes are, but there are surefire ways to crack it.
 
Internet: Never underestimate the power of the internet to find band members or break into music scenes. Lots of cities have their own music community blogs and most of them include messageboards with topic headings specifically for finding musicians. Profile sites like Myspace and Friendster offer great bulletin-posting abilities and community sites like Craigslist give you the ability to post wanted ads to find band members or browse listings by others in the music community interested in finding musicians.
 
Live Shows: Attending local rock or pop shows is the absolute best way to break into your music community. Get out there and see what bands are doing in your area, talk to people, make contacts. Music scenes thrive on their open-ended communication, so be a part of that. You never know who you'll meet.
 
Local Papers: Most local papers, especially alternative newsweeklies, have sections devoted entirely to the local music community. They cover local bands, clubs and may even have some listings for musicians interested in finding band members. Read these papers religiously and pay close attention; music journalists have an inherent sense of what's happening in music scenes and are always more than willing to share their knowledge with the general public.
 
Music Stores: Music shops, either commercially or privately owned, are very often the cornerstone of a local music community. Talk to the employees, or even the owners, and find out about what's happening in your music scene. Music stores are also typically nice about letting people post fliers in the interest of finding musicians, and some employees may even be seeking band members themselves!
 
Cut a Demo
 
Okay, so you don't need to get super professional about it, but cutting a basic demo can go a long way in helping you find band members interested in what you're doing. Even if you've only got a few simple parts, put them down on tape to pass out to musicians you're interested in working with. Not only will it give them a basic idea of what you're trying to do, it will also afford them the opportunity to write some parts around the bits and pieces of songs you already have. What's more, circulating a simple demo around your music community may actually bring musicians to you, instead of the other way around.
 
Audition
 
By far the most important part in your quest to find band members, auditions can go a long way in narrowing down what exactly you're looking for. They're also very tricky; auditioning band members can sometimes seem like an overwrought formality, so you'll need to strike a balance between business and pleasantries.
 
The first order of business when auditioning band members, obviously, is to get a sense of playing style. If you've cut a demo, give it to the musician a few days prior to the audition so he or she can write a few things or play along. Or, if you've already got a few people lined up, get a whole group together for a jam session. Pay close attention to tone, form and even stage personality; these are all things that will become of vital importance later on.
 
Equally important as playing style is a band member's personality. Sit down and have a conversation with him or her, talk about the music community or bands you both like. Try to get a sense of who this person is, what he or she has done before and interested in doing for the future. Finding musicians is moot if they aren't in line with your specific vision, or if they're boring, mean-spirited or distrustful. Don't be afraid to get picky; the process of finding musicians is certainly an area in which you can afford to be.
 
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General music genre is typically a given for musicians interested in starting a band, but what happens if you love tons of different musical styles and are unsure about which you'd like to pursue? The problem is completely understandable; it's sometimes difficult to sift through the muck and figure out which music genre suits you best or, even more importantly, at which you're naturally talented. If you're feeling up in arms about what kind of music you really want to play, read on -- these tips could save your sanity.
 
Weigh Your Options
 
Flip your CD collection, or, better yet, put your iTunes on random and listen carefully; do you notice a pattern? Which music genre comes up most often, gets your blood truly pumping? Are you interested in, say, the lyrics of one musical style and the guitars of another? The sort of music to which you're naturally drawn is very often the best indicator of what you should be playing, even if it's a style you least expected. That's not to say that everyone is suited for every music genre you love -- there's a lot to be said for a diversity in taste -- but you should actively pursue whichever musical style makes your heart pound, whichever type of song that makes you think a man, I wish I could do that. And don't underestimate the power of new music to inspire. Seek out new musical styles whenever you get the slightest chance -- you might be surprised with what you find out about yourself.
 
Evaluate Your Playing Style
 
Before you can truly dive into a musical style, you need to take a long, hard look at how you play. Maybe you're intensely drawn to flamenco guitar, but if your playing abilities aren't up to flamenco par you might find yourself disappointed, frustrated and unable to get yourself motivated. Learn the parts for some of your favorite songs in any music genre -- not based on ease of the tune, but rather what you love -- and see how naturally the musical style comes to you. If you're breezing through the song with absolutely no problems, you're golden. But if you're struggling more than a little, having a truly difficult time mastering even the first few notes, it might be time to re-evaluate the music genre you've chosen.
 
Of course, that's not to say that you can't play in whichever musical style you'd like; learning and writing songs will just be a bit more work. If you're dead set on playing a style that doesn't come naturally to you, find an instructor who specializes in it. Talk to your local music store owner and employees about who they know, or get in touch with local bands playing that musical style. A lot of times, a local band member will be happy to tutor you for a small fee, or maybe even free of charge.
 
Write Some Songs
 
Even if you're not a natural songwriter, try to pen a few tunes without tying yourself to a music genre. You may never intend to keep them, the songs might get thrown out the minute you start writing a record or playing shows, but what you write will ultimately tell you which musical style is deeply embedded in your brain. But be easy on yourself; you don't need to write a Top 40 hit to get the benefits of this exercise. It's what you're attempting to learn about musical style that matters, not whether you've written the best song since the Beatles.
 
If you already know a bit about songwriting and feel like getting really creative, try rewriting the same song in several different music genres. See what feels natural, listen to the nuances of every musical style you're playing withtin. Even if you're already set on a music genre, you might wind up surprising yourself.
 
Break Out
 
No matter what anyone tells you, there are absolutely no hard and fast rules about music genre, so don't feel obligated to stick to the rote rules of whichever one you've chosen. Unless you're writing symphonies or fugues, classical forms that absolutely adhere to steadfast rules, feel free to go out on your own a bit when it comes to musical style. Play around, write what you know and love. Some of the most interesting music has come out of a melding of music genre, and sometimes the combination creates a whole new music genre of its own. Terms like alt-country, pop-punk, rap-rock and nu-metal get thrown around so often that you barely have a moment to think about what they really are, but those music genres only became popular based on a few bands, willingness to take risks with whatever they loved. So be a risk-taker with musical style; it could just propel your band to historic fame.

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Ah, band rehearsal. Time to flesh out those new songs, get a feeling for what your band can do together, drink a few beers, play and bond. Fun, right? Sure, band practice can be the most fun you'll ever have in the life of your band, but it's also the place where you'll work the hardest and develop the most. And, contrary to popular opinion, a band rehearsal is nowhere near as simple as just setting up and playing some songs. You have to have a workable schedule, a great space and an inherent sense which aspect of your playing needs the most fine-tuning. If you're having some troubles getting your band practices in shape, settle in and take the following tips to heart.
 
Create a Schedule
 
Scheduling band practice days that work for your band both musically and personally is absolutely vital; you can't afford to leave anyone feeling angry or misrepresented, but you also can't afford to skip three practices due to the guitarist's weekly poker game. The first step, obviously, is to find the times when every member is available. If it amounts to more than one day, fantastic! In the early stages, band rehearsal is best set at more than once a week. But if it's completely impossible to all be in the same room more than one day a week, don't sweat it. You can still make the most out your schedule. Consider holding a segmented band practice or two: times when only two or three of the members get together to flesh out certain parts or go over old songs.
 
A lot of times, the specific time of day during which you hold band practice will be already dictated by work schedules, but if you have a choice, get together when your band collectively has the most energy. It might be difficult to balance everyone's daily high points, but find a happy medium and stick to it. And if you don't have a choice over time of day, make sure to come to band rehearsal as prepared as possible. Do whatever it takes to keep you awake and moving (short of, of course, drugs).
 
Find a Space
 
Maybe you're totally lucky and you, or one of your bandmates, have a basement or spare room just waiting for a band to set up shop and fill it with greatness. If you're not so fortunate, however, you'll have to find an alternate rehearsal space for your band practice.
 
A good practice space is difficult to come by. It can be tempting to grab whatever you can get for the lowest fee, but there are a few things your band rehearsal absolutely needs. Ideally, you'll want to find a medium-sized, windowless rehearsal space where you can leave your equipment -- which means it locks and no one else has access to it. Some cities have places that will rent a practice space for a monthly fee, and sometimes storage spaces will let bands take up residence there (though you'll have to provide both heat and fans). Talk to other bands in your area about where they hold band practice; referral is often the best bet for finding a good practice space. And if money is a concern, ask a friendly band if they'd be interested in sharing their practice space (and the rent) with your band.
 
Once you find the perfect practice space, it's time to customize it. How you set up rehearsal space is a matter of personal taste, of course, but you'll definitely need: a space heater (if your band practice is in a storage space), fans, a blackboard or dry erase board and music stands. Also, remember to pad any windows and put rugs some other sort of cheap insulation on the walls to absorb sound. You may even want to get fancy with your practice space and add, say, a mini-fridge if you're planning a long band rehearsal.
 
Use Your Time Well
 
How a band organizes time within a single band practice is relative to the band, of course, but you'll want to at least know what each practice is meant to accomplish before you walk in the door. In the early stages, you'll want to focus mostly on learning to play together so it might be good to work on a cover or two. As each band practice gears itself more and more to writing, you'll start striking a balance between writing new material and rehearsing the old, and when getting ready for a show, tour or recording session, band rehearsal will be in pursuit of making the set as fluid and tight as possible.
 
Whatever you do, whenever you do it, make sure to spend a little time each band rehearsal just hanging out with your bandmates. Take some smoke breaks, have a beer after band practice, or just talk for a few minutes between every other song; the strongest bond in any band is friendship, and band rehearsal is the best time to nurture that.
 
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Sometimes musicians -- or entire bands, for that matter -- lapse into a state of disrepair due to avoidable outside influences. Everyone knows the stories; VH-1's Behind the Music is based entirely on the explosive nature of rock bands on the rise, how quickly they can dissolve into fits of drug abuse or alcoholism. These things may seem like just another rung in the rock music ladder, like something every young musician must go through, but they aren't. This is no rite of passage; substance af buse can completely ruin the lives oeven the most dedicated bands, and while there's no all-encompassing method to keep this problem from coming up, there are specific ways to handle it if, or when, it does.
 
Alcohol
 
Alcoholism is typically the most common problem among rock and pop bands for one very understandable reason: alcohol is constantly shoved at you. Every bar, every club, even a ho-hum band practice usually features at least a beer or two, and those beers can quickly become a drinking problem. What was once a few drinks to loosen up before a show can suddenly morph into full-fledged alcoholism, and before you know it, you (or one of the other band members) can't separate your drinking habits at shows from your drinking habits at home. This is precisely how alcoholism starts.
 
While it's usually impossible to ban alcohol from the band completely (and who would want to, anyway?), it's wise to put a limit on the number of drinks consumed at shows or on tour. The occasional drunken night is fine, of course, but if the whiskey starts coming out at 2pm, it's probably time to give it a rest. Alcoholism can, and will, sneak up on young musicians suddenly, and denying that you have a substance abuse problem, or enabling the substance abuse problem of a band member, will not make the threat of alcoholism evaporate into thin air.
 
Of course, that's much easier said than done, so what happens if one of your bandmates lapses into a drinking problem? First, do not under any circumstances dismiss it as part of the rock music lifestyle; sure, it might be common, but we only hear the horror stories. No one talks about the young musicians successfully staving off alcoholism every day. This is your friend, remember, and you have a responsibility to him or her outside of band obligations. Talk to him or her about the substance abuse, mention it to the family, stage an infamous intervention; do whatever it takes to keep your bandmate away from the alcohol. If the alcoholism proves to be more powerful than any intervention, offer to help set him or her up with AA meetings or rehab, if necessary. And don't be afraid to put your band on a hiatus to take care of someone's drinking problem. You may lose some momentum, but your friend and bandmate won't be stuck in the terrible substance abuse cycle.
 
Drug Abuse
 
Like alcoholism, drug abuse is a common problem among rock musicians because of the availability. Fans and promoters alike are often anxious to offer drugs to bands, and it's usually not with malicious intent; they just want to have some fun. And maybe it starts off as just a little here and there, some lines in the bathroom before a show, a pill to take the edge off. Maybe it's nothing at first, no serious drug abuse to be seen. But then, suddenly, it's an addiction. Full-blown substance abuse, the likes of which is notoriously difficult to cure in young musicians.
 
The best possible way to keep drug abuse at bay is to ban all drugs from the band; they aren't necessary after all, and most of them (save for some strategically prescribed pills) are illegal. Make sure every one of your bandmates understands that any drug use will get them thrown out of the group. It sounds harsh, but drug abuse affects even the non-users in rock and pop bands. Consider it; most bands will get pulled over at least once or twice on tour, and the better part of them will be questioned by police for no reason other than their appearance. If you look like you live the rock music life, authorities will tend to treat you accordingly, however unfair. And if you or one of your bandmates has any illegal drug in tow, you'll go to jail. No questions asked.
 
But what can you do if someone in your band is dealing with substance abuse? Like alcoholism, don't treat it as part of the rock music lifestyle. This is a serious problem that needs serious attention. Stick to your promise, however difficult, and ask that person to leave the band. Don't, however, end it there. Out of sight is absolutely not out of mind, and you have an obligation to help this person get past their substance abuse. With the help of his or her family, get your bandmate to rehab or therapy. Again, put the band on a hiatus if you must, and don't discount the idea of allowing the person back in the band once they've cleaned up. Young musicians have the ability to be fierce and resilient, and signs of good faith are always appreciated.
 
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There's no better way to get your name out in the music scene than to network. It sounds like a cliche, sure, but meeting people is pretty much the only option if you want to advance the career of your band. Easier said than done, right? The mere idea of networking in the music scene is intimidating; all that approaching and cold-calling, it raises insecurities in even the most confident of musicians. But it's got to be done in order to conquer the rock clubs and make your band a prominent, and undeniable, member of the music scene. And while networking isn't exactly a science, there are a few points you'd do good to remember.
 
Create a Buzz
 
If your band is new to the local music scene, buzz will quickly become your best friend. It spreads like wildfire and significantly reduces the amount of networking you'll have to do completely on your own. Before hitting up some of the bigger rock clubs, get your CD or demo to prominent people in the music community: music journalists, radio station managers (or even interns), independent club promoters. Think outside the box; who really has a say in what the music scene listens to? Music store owners, for instance, are notoriously influential, but tend to remain sort of on the outside when musicians think about networking. And don't forget to approach other local bands. If they like what you're doing, they'll often refer you to music clubs or request that you be added to a show they've already booked.
 
Wow the Promoters
 
The thing about promoters at prominent rock clubs is that they're often immune to the marketing wiles of new musicians. These people are incredibly busy; they receive tons of press kits and show requests everyday from new bands, the vast majority of which are completely unremarkable. In order to truly wow the music clubs, you've got to step it up a notch. Revamp your press kit to be as professional and unique as possible; include bios, quote sheets and tour histories with your band's logo as the letterhead, spend the few extra dollars on high-quality press photos, even make unique artwork for your demo cover. Just make sure to not be obnoxious or too over-the-top. Few things are more annoying to rock clubs than an overly flashy band with an entirely unwarranted ego.
 
Another way to get into a rock club's good graces is to request a show with a band who has frequently played there, so get in touch with your friends in the music scene. Music club promoters will pay way more attention to a group if they're coming in on the heels of a band they already know and trust, and they'll be far more likely to offer you another gig if they like your music.
 
And always, always be as easy to work with as possible. Once you're offered a gig at a great rock club, don't put any unreasonable demands on the promoter. Do as much publicity for it as you possibly can and generally make the promoter's job a million times easier. You'll quickly get a reputation for being a real team player, which counts for just as much in a promoter's eyes as the music itself.
 
Keep 'Em Happy
 
Don't think you're done with the networking just yet. Now that you've landed the gig, you've got to live up to the hype, and that can be the most difficult part of all. Audiences, after all, don't just magically show up to rock clubs; you've got to give them a good reason to be there. Promote your show like there's no tomorrow. Network with music editors and writers and try to get at least a write-up in the local papers, inform radio stations of the event and ask if they'll mention it once or twice on the air, and post fliers for the gig all over town. Call everyone you know in the music scene to let them know about the gig and ask them to tell another person. Create yourself an audience out of thin air.
 
Audiences aren't the only people you've got to keep happy, however; this all goes double for the music club promoter. Do exactly what he or she asks of you. Show up on time (or a little bit early), set up and break down as quickly as you can, play when and for how long the promoter requests. The more reason you give them to love you as business associates, the less it'll matter that they barely know you at all. And if you bring tons of people into their club, they'll continually call on you to open, or maybe even headline, gigs. It's an entirely win-win situation. See? Networking, intimidating or not, does truly have its benefits.
 
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What good is a fantastic gig at a fantastic club if no one's there to see it? Promoting a concert is just as important as playing the concert itself, but it usually takes more than just a little word of mouth to get the buzz going. And even if you've already tacked up tons of posters and fliers, it's important to remember that people aren't always interested in an event they only know about via generic promotion tactic.
 
That's why handbills are an amazing form of concert promotion. By creating and passing out handbills, you get to promote your concert with face-to-face contact, really getting in there and giving the people a reason to see you play. Audiences want to feel connected to the music they're experiencing, be it rock, pop or even opera, so engaging them in conversation while promoting a concert gives your show a much better chance of being completely packed. Handbills are interactive and personal -- and often a savior to new bands looking for a built-in audience.
 
Handbills Defined
 
Handbills are, simply, small versions of a flier or poster used to promote a concert. They're typically about the size of a postcard or standard photograph and include promotional information about the event they are advertising. Beyond that, though, there aren't many rules. Much like concert promotion itself, handbills are unique and relative to the band or event they are promoting.
 
It's important to understand, however, that while handbills may look like miniature versions of posters and fliers, they function very differently. Fliers promote a concert with almost full anonymity; people reading them never really get a sense of the people behind the event and will often forget the information 30 seconds later. And because there are so many fliers posted on a bulletin board or telephone post at any given time, the document's design is an important aspect of the concert promotion. You can't physically grab the person and tell them about your show, so your stand-out flier has to do it for you.
 
Handbills, on the other hand, are interactive. Though you'll most certainly want to think about the design aspects of your handbill, the biggest selling point will be how you interact with the person receiving it. You'll need to engage the person in a way that doesn't smell of a sales pitch and make them forget that you're actively promoting a concert. Discuss their musical interests, talk about what's happening in rock music today, and let them know why your concert is in line with their taste. Talk to them, not at them. Though you'll of course want to rehash the promotional information found on your handbill, make sure to give people room to ask you questions.
 
Learning the Layout
 
Though page layout isn't the most pressing concern when it comes to promoting a concert by way of handbills, you definitely want to create something eye-grabbing, easy to read and indicative of your band's personality. You can achieve this one of two ways: a computer-based layout program like Photoshop or the cut-paste-photocopy method.
 
Photoshop is the program of choice for many bands doing their own concert promotion. It offers a vast array of tools to create the most professional looking handbills while still managing to be user-friendly. And even if you've never used a layout program before, it's easy to create a handbill using the basic functions of a program like this. Choose the document size (4x6 or 5x7), color (black and white if you intend to photocopy, color if you're printing the handbills yourself) and font (something clear and readable), and let your imagination run! Just make sure to include your band's logo, if you have one, and to create a thin border around the page so the handbills don't cut off important parts of the text. And always print a few test copies before you commit to a design. Be sure that nothing is blurry, the color is uniform (no too-dark or too-light areas) and that each piece of text is completely readable.
 
Even if you aren't comfortable using page layout programs, you can still create handbills to promote your concert; you'll just need to do it in a more organic manner. Cut a piece of paper to the size you desire and physically paste the images and text onto it. Grab images from magazines or newspapers, create a background collage and paste your band's logo on top. Then, use a simple word processing program to create the text; cut the sentences into strips and paste those below your logo. Once you've cut and pasted your way into a unique and interesting handbill, photocopy the original. It will definitely look hand done, but even professionals are using this design tactic in recent years. Personality, after all, is the best form of concert promotion.
 
Getting Guerrilla
 
Now that you've finished creating your handbills, you need to distribute them. Take your handbills with you everywhere you go -- tuck them in a backpack or purse -- and give one to each person you talk to; promoting a concert is a full-time activity, and you should be prepared to discuss the show at any given time. But don't use only this gradual method of concert promotion; plan specific outings for the sole purpose of distributing your handbills. Go to concerts or events similar to yours and talk to people, get them interested. Take a small stack to your local music store or record shop and ask the employees to keep them on the counter and talk to customers about the event. You could even ask your concert's venue to place some handbills at the bar or on tables, or to hand them out with cocktail napkins; it's not the most interactive way to promote a concert with handbills, but every little bit counts.
 
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No matter how successful your rock group has become or how immune to band problems you feel, maintaining a good relationship with your bandmates is vital. Watch any episode of VH-1's Behind the Music, and you'll understand why; famous bands have this peculiar habit of imploding just when things are going well, usually due to some sort of turmoil or disagreement between two band members. So how do you avoid becoming another sad story on "Behind the Music"? Just as you care and nurture for your equipment and songs, you must care and nurture for the relationships with your bandmates. The following article will show you how.
 
Air Your Concerns
 
In order to keep band problems from festering and turning into seething resentments, you've got to get any concerns out in the open the very minute they pop up. It may be easier said than done, especially if your concern has the potential to hurt a bandmate's feelings, but better deal with it quickly now than have it end up another reason for why your group eventually broke up. Talk to the band members about whatever the problem is, and do it in a respectful and congenial manner; hurt feelings tend to be mitigated when the concerned band member is nice about it. And remember to always bring a solution or two to the table. Talking to your bandmates about a specific concern without mentioning any method of solving it is a good way to prolong an argument unnecessarily.
 
To combat band problems before they even come up, try to find the time each week for a short band meeting. Not only will this give you a chance to talk about any business issues, but it also affords each band member the opportunity to air their concerns in a non-judgmental space. Make sure your bandmates know that these meetings are in place specifically to deal with problems and that it's better for everyone to mention them now instead of later. And if a problem does come up, always try to come to an agreement with your bandmates before the meeting is adjourned. It's sort of like mom always said: Never go to bed angry.
 
Remember the Friendship
 
The best bands are often built on incredibly strong friendships. Yours is probably no different. After all, you wouldn't be working with these people if you didn't have some affection for them. And even if you didn't know your bandmates prior to forming the group, chances are good that you've become close since; hours and hours of practice tends to bring the band members together. And, conversely, band member togetherness tends to make those hours and hours of practice a lot easier.
 
That's why it's important to focus on the friendship even outside the normal course of rock band business. It sounds sappy -- rock bands are tough, right? -- but making time for your bandmates will do nothing but strengthen the life of your rock band. Schedule the occasional band outing, something like paintball or snowboarding. If no one can get away for those sorts of activities, try at the very least to catch a live show together or grab a few drinks. Maybe even consider organizing some sort of dinner party for the band members and their families to give everyone a chance to meet a chance. Get creative; what kind of activity you do with your bandmates isn't important, really, so long as you make the time to do one.
 
Take Some Breaks
 
Perhaps most important to the life of a band and its band members is the ability to goof off. Yes, of course, band practice is supposed to be serious and focused if your rock band has any chance of getting ahead, but all work and no play makes band members sometimes take themselves too seriously. And ego of any sort, even if it's warranted, causes tons of acrimony.
 
If you find yourself in the middle of an especially taxing band practice, the kind that has your bandmates' nerves completely on edge, whip out a riff to a famous song and encourage everyone to play along (this is where it comes in handy to know how to play something like, say, Warrant's Cherry Pie). Or stop practice altogether and force your bandmates to sit down, have a beer and watch something hilarious on television. Stepping away from tension is usually the best way to resolve it, even if it's at the expense of a particularly important band practice. If you don't give your bandmates the chance to be silly or laughingly play some cover songs, all those band practices will be moot anyway; all that seriousness will put you straight on the path to "Behind the Music" and its special sort of rock stardom.
 
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Entertainment lawyers are an inevitable part of the music business. Even if you've been mostly self-sufficient up to this point, landing a major record deal means lots of contracts, lots of meetings and lots of money exchanging hands, none of which you want to navigate without legal representation.
 
But don't freak out: retaining the services of a music attorney isn't nearly as difficult and expensive as you probably assume. In fact, a lot of the larger record companies will often provide legal representation for you and pay the fees either out of your advance or charge them against future royalties. But if your label has no ties with an entertainment lawyer, or you feel that it's necessary to find your own legal representation, read on. The following article will tell you everything you need to know.
 
Finding an Entertainment Law Specialist
 
Though it's true that a lawyer is a lawyer, musicians in search of legal representation need more than the everyday attorney. An entertainment lawyer's merit is based not only on how well he or she knows the law but also how inside the industry his or her firm is. Many of your legal needs will require that your entertainment lawyer be well connected, that he or she know some of the most influential people in the industry. So while it might be difficult for you to break with your longtime family attorney, it's absolutely necessary -- unless, that is, he or she moonlights as a club promoter.
 
So how does one go about finding these specialists in entertainment law? The easiest, and most obvious, way is to slip through the yellow pages and start making calls. That tactic is problematic, however, because not all entertainment lawyers are created equal; in fact, some just shouldn't be lawyers at all. You'll probably spend more time screening sketchy music attorneys than you will actually writing music. Not exactly the most efficient use of your time.
 
Your best bet for finding a great legal specialist is to ask around. Talk to your musician friends (or anyone else you might know in the industry) and see whose names pop up most frequently. And while you're at it, ask about any entertainment lawyers you should absolutely avoid; this will go a long way in helping you to pare down your list.
 
Researching the Prospects
 
Before you schedule a meeting with any music attorney, it's important that you conduct a bit of research. If you're sticking strictly to your list of referrals, it isn't very likely that you run into anything immediately negative. But the myriad of entertainment lawyer horror stories that float about the industry coupled with the small chance that you might fall prey to one makes the research completely worth your time. Besides, even if you know the music attorney's record to be spotless, it's not a bad idea to familiarize yourself with the sorts of artists they typically represent.
 
The first step in your research is simple: check to see if the entertainment lawyer as a website. Most entertainment law firms maintain webpages that list their clients, availabilities and any major milestones. Glance through the client list and see if your band fits there. Is it mostly rock music? Rock and pop? Do they specialize in genres or worth with the entire spectrum?
 
If no client list is available, or you're still itching for more information, call the entertainment law firm and ask for a list of references. Music attorneys very frequently keep a list of client references on hand and will be more than happy to put you in contact with a few people they've represented. Just be sure that the entertainment lawyer had recent contact with the client; the music industry shifts at the drop of a hat, after all, and you absolutely need the most up-to-date information.
 
Digging into an entertainment lawyer's professional history is another way to obtain vital information. It's also the way to find out anything negative; obviously the entertainment law firm's own website won't post any complaints or disparaging comments. Get in touch with your local branch of the Better Business Bureau and ask if any complaints have been filed against the music attorney's office. If you do find a complaint, take great care to confirm the validity of that claim. More often than not, claims filed with the Better Business Bureau are valid, but you'll want to make absolutely sure. Call anyone you know in the industry and ask what they know about the firm; you may never get the perfect answer -- meaning that you may want to stay away from this particular entertainment lawyer -- but you'll certainly get a general idea of how based in trust the complaint is.
 
And one last word to the wise: never trust complaints against an entertainment lawyer posted on a random website, unless several people are complaining of the same problems. Though these sorts of things might put up a red flag for your research, an entertainment lawyer's merit can never be judged purely on rumor.
 
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You've conquered the clubs, recorded a killer album and landed a deal -- now it's time to spread the word about your music. While print outlets like magazines and newspapers are fantastic publicity tools, there's nothing quite like radio and television to truly sell people on your music. After all, hearing is believing; a writer could shower you with the highest possible praise, but audiences won't be entirely convinced until they've actually heard your songs.
 
So how exactly do you go about getting played on the radio or landing a spot on TV ? Figuring out how to get your songs played on the radio is definitely an art, but the following article will break it down for you, step by step.
 
A Note About MTV
 
Before we dive too deeply into the world of radio airplay and music television, it's important to mention that unless you've got a great deal with one of the most prominent major labels, getting played on MTV will be pretty much out of the question. It sounds discouraging, but think about it this way; MTV is the most dominant force in the music industry, and thousands of bands are constantly vying for a slot. What's more, MTV doesn't play nearly as many videos as they once did, so the limited time they have for videos is usually reserved for already gigantic acts like Aerosmith and Eminem.
 
That's not say getting played on MTV is completely impossible; you just need to know how to approach it. Talk to your publicist and label owner about trying to get a slot on MTV2 -- the station runs shows specifically for new bands -- and constantly check the MTV website for any special contests. At times, they'll run promotionals specifically for the purpose of breaking new bands. But even while you're investigating your future at MTV, put most of your efforts into getting played on the radio and local television. It's far more likely -- and often just as beneficial.
 
Radio
 
It used to be that in order to get your songs played on the radio, a band had to hire and independent -- and often extremely expensive -- radio promoter. This tactic isn't without benefit; radio promoters are well-connected members of the music industry and can usually get your songs radio airplay at major stations all over the country. But for a band minding their dollars -- or just deeply entrenched in the art of self-sufficiency -- radio promoters can seem like a bit of an extravagance.
 
That's where college radio comes in. Not only are college radio stations known for bringing new talent to light, they're also open to receiving unsolicited material from people other than radio promoters. Follow these steps for maximum radio airplay on college radio stations:
 
Find a Match: Locate the most widely listened to college radio stations via a search engine directory, and look at their websites. Make sure your music fits the styles they typically play (glance through their playlists if you aren't sure), then get the name, number and address of the music director; this is who you'll be directing your packages to. But always remember to call the station to confirm that the website's information is correct. College radio stations are notorious for constantly changing music directors.
 
Send a Perfect Package: Along with your CD and press kit, send a cover letter that includes a brief summary of the packages contents, which song you're pushing as a single and any other college radio stations that are currently playing the song. Getting played on the radio is often easier once one other college radio station has picked up your music. Also include any tour dates or other promotional shows you might be playing in the station's area.
 
Follow-up Appropriately: Music directors are busy people, and they often take several weeks to respond to unsolicited requests for airplay. But if it's been more than two weeks and you haven't heard a thing, it doesn't hurt to give the college radio station a call just to make sure the package got to them safely. Be patient if the music director hasn't had a chance to listen to it yet, and do not under any circumstances badger them. One call is a nice push, two calls is just plain pushy.
 
Local Television
 
Local television has undergone a massive facelift in recent years. Though it was once just the province of local newscasters and those creepy late-night shows, the medium now hosts some of the most diverse programming around. And a lot of that programming is geared toward young rock and pop music fans.
 
Creating a relationship with a local television station is similar to making contact with a college radio station (except you'll be seeking out the program director or station manager, not the music director). But before you can get in touch with anyone, you'll need to investigate your local programming options.
 
College Programming: If you have a mid-sized college near your town, chances are good that you've got a college television station. Programming at these stations is extremely diverse, and most of them have a local arts and culture show.
 
Public Broadcasting: Most towns have a local television branch of PBS (and many of them are tied to the college television stations). Since viewers fund it, public broadcasting frequently holds fundraisers, and many of these fundraisers feature local artists. Check with the PBS program director for the next fundraiser's date and send off your press kit; local television fund drives usually rate fairly well within the community.
 
Local News: It's rare, but local news programs sometimes feature local musicians on the nightly news; the key to landing this sort of local television gig, however, is to create an event of public interest. If any of your upcoming shows are fundraisers, or you're releasing a new CD on a well-respected label, send a press release to the station's news director. If it's newsworthy and of local interest, they'll get back to you quickly.
 
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Every famous rock band has at least one hit song to their credit; it's just part of the job description. But most of these stars didn't stumble into their hit single overnight. It took months, or maybe even years, of writing, re-writing and recording to latch onto the track responsible for catapulting them into stardom. But whether they worked for days or months or years, these famous rock bands knew instinctively what it took to write a hit song. Read on, and so will you.
 
Forget the Trends
 
Perhaps the most important thing to remember when writing a hit song is that imitation rarely pans out in the long run. Though you may have noticed a specific trend in rock music -- pop-punk, for instance, or maybe a resurgence of new-wave -- the music industry moves so quickly that by the time your song makes it to the airwaves, the trend may have passed. And hit singles do not operate on the better-late-than-never policy; if you've caught on to a trend mere days late, audiences will view you as a poor, starstuck imitation. Following trends unfortunately can hurt your career (and the life of your hit song) far more than help it.
 
Of course, it's perfectly fine to work from your influences while creating a hit. Just be absolutely certain that you're writing exactly what you want to write, not what you think will sell. Most rock and pop groups rise to stardom based purely on their willingness to take songwriting risks.
 
Hunt the Hook
 
Think about one of your favorite songs, one you know by heart. Now imagine that you're trying to remind someone of it, someone who doesn't know the song title, and hum the most recognizable part. That's the hook.
 
A hook is a clear melody that functions as the catchiest and most definitive part of a hit song. It can be found in the vocals, the guitars, the keyboards -- some songs even manage to put a rhythmic hook in the drums (Nirvana's Scentless Apprentice, for instance). But wherever it is, it has to be there; hooks are what make songs catchy, what keep them in the minds of listeners. Creating a hit song is often a matter of hunting that perfect hook.
 
So how does a songwriter write amazing hooks? To be honest, there's no clear formula for hook-writing; you just have to feel it. You can, however, beef up your ability to hear, and write, the sort of hooks found in hit singles. Sit down with several of your favorite records and find the hooks in each hit song. On what instrument are they played? How often do they come up? Are they mimicked on any of the other instruments? Mapping out the way hooks work in your favorite hit singles is a great way to figure out how you could make one work in your song.
 
Solidify the Structure
 
Finding the perfect structure is sometimes the most difficult part of creating a hit. Sure, it may seem easy enough -- just put a few parts back to back and call it a day, right? -- but a strange or messy structure can ruin a song that may have otherwise been your hit single.
 
The verse-chorus-verse structure is the kind most frequently found in hit songs, but it comes with several variants. Consider the following structures taken straight from hit songs, and see how some artists chose to put their songs together:
 
Chorus/Intro - Verse - Pre-Chorus - Chorus - Verse - Pre-Chorus - Chorus - Solo - Chorus - Outro
(Nirvana, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" -- this is a very typical sort of arrangement for hit songs. The intro is based directly on the chorus, and the solo is played over a verse variant.)
 
Intro - Verse - Solo - Verse - Chorus - Solo - Verse - Chorus - Chorus - Outro
(Scorpions, "Still Loving You" -- a strange arrangement, but one that works based on the huge dynamics of the song. The intro is a verse variant, as are the solos, and the outro is a mixture of the verse and chorus. )
 
Intro/Hook - Verse - Pre-Chorus - Chorus - Intro/Hook - Verse - Pre-Chorus - Chorus - Intro/Hook - Solo - Chorus - Outro/Hook
(Elastica, "Connection" -- another basic structure, except this one places the most recognizable hook in the intro and then subsequently throughout the song. The verse is a variant of that, and the chorus is mostly a build-up to the hook.)
 
The most important thing to notice about these three hit songs, and most hit songs of their type, is that the chorus comes up at least three times. As the chorus is usually the part carrying the hook (except for the Elastica song, which repeats the hook part three times as well), it's important to get it in your hit single as often as possible without overdoing it. Three repetitions are fairly tidy; any less and you risk burying the most important part, but any more and you might bore your audience.
 
It's also important that you keep it short. Hit singles usually clock in somewhere between three and four minutes, with three-and-a-half being the most common. Some hit songs do break this rule, but it's usually after the artist has been established. The Scorpions track, for instance, is a little over five minutes, but it's a very slow ballad. It also isn't their most notable hit; "Rock You Like a Hurricane" conforms to the standard length of hit singles.

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Since its rise to a status of household necessity, the internet has been an amazingly effective way to promote your band. And though it was once considered to be vaguely amateurish, internet publicity is now known as one of the most viable means to spread the word, even by publicists who once favored working with print publications. Internet promotion gives you an accessible face to the world while at the same time allowing you to interact with people in a way previously unavailable.
 
But the internet is a big, big place. There are tons of websites, and many of them are of little use when it comes to promoting your band. Follow these guidelines to get the most out of your internet publicity campaign.
 
Personal Websites
 
Every band needs a website; internet promotion would be nearly pointless without one. Buy a domain name (preferably your band name), sign up with a hosting service and start planning your content. What information do you want to share with the world? Most band websites have sections for news, member information, tour dates or local shows, and media (pictures, music and videos), and you might want to set up a merchandise section if you plan to sell CDs or t-shirts. Also, some bands have taken to creating online versions of their press kits for easy access by venues, record labels and radio stations. This is a fantastic way to promote your band online; if you make that sort of information available to the general public, you might find that music writers and radio stations approach you before you get the chance to approach them.
 
The design of your website is just as vital to your internet publicity campaign as the content; after all, the last thing you want is to appear amateurish or unprofessional. If you know some HTML or Flash, you're all set. But if you haven't the faintest how to program even the simplest content, you might want to consider hiring a professional. Many small design companies will create your website for reasonable fees, and you might even be able to find a graphic design student willing to do it simply to beef up his or her portfolio.
 
Mailing Lists
 
Another way to get the most out of internet promotion is by way of mailing list -- quite literally a list of email addresses. Since many people don't have the time, or interest, to constantly check individual band websites for upcoming shows, delivering the information -- be it tour dates, album releases or whatever else your band deems newsworthy -- directly to their email inboxes is a perfect convenience.
 
But where do you get these addresses? While some bands and publicity houses have taken to buying mailing lists from direct mail companies, it's generally best to solicit contact information from people who've shown at least a little interest. Set out a sign-up sheet at every show you play, and ask people to jot down their email addresses if they're interested in having information delivered to them. You might also consider adding a subscription feature to your personal website; that way, anyone checking out your website can easily sign up for updates.
 
Myspace, Friendster, Facebook, et al
 
Community websites such as Myspace and Friendster have recently become fantastic developments in internet publicity. These sites provide a space -- in addition to your personal website, of course -- at which you can host music, videos and audio for absolutely no cost. What's more, they give you access to bulletin boards, message boards, blogs and internet groups, all of which allow you to interact further with other users.
 
The thing to remember about promoting your band on sites such as these, however, is that tons of other people are doing it, and most of them are doing it the wrong way. Respect is the name of the game with this sort of internet publicity; never randomly add people to your friend list without first messaging them, and always respect a user's request to not be contacted by bands.
 
Also make sure to always keep your information current and interesting. Post any show dates as soon as you book them, and create bulletin posts and blogs to promote your band's event. Perform regular maintenance on your mp3s and videos -- such highly visited websites often have technical issues -- and try to keep the features from interrupting the load time of your page. Users will sometimes shun your honest attempts at internet promotion if it takes 10 minutes for your page to load. Keep it simple, snappy, informative and professional; aside from your personal website, a page on a community website is your face to the world. Make it reflect your band's tastes and attitude, but do it in the most non-intrusive manner possible. Internet publicity only works if you strive to use it differently than those who randomly abuse the access.

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Congratulations, you've done it! After all that hard work -- the writing and recording, the networking and touring -- you've made it to the top. Nice job, rock star! Stop for a minute, pat yourself on the back and revel in the moment. It really doesn't get much better than this.
 
But don't get too comfy: becoming a successful musician doesn't mean all the work is over. In fact, some of the most difficult aspects have yet to start; successful musicians have the responsibility to stay successful. And with the music industry as it is, constantly moving from trend to trend in an exaggerated state of flux, staying successful is lots of work. Fans are fickle and real rock stars are in short order, so you've got to play your next moves carefully and with a complete understanding of the possible pitfalls successful musician's face.
 
The Sophomore Slump
 
Sometimes a successful musician with a hit record will release a follow-up album that leaves a little (or a lot) to be desired. The phenomenon is known as a sophomore slump, and it's a rock stars worst nightmare. The music industry is notoriously unforgiving ; one not-so-good release can ruin a famous band's career, even if they just recently had a hit.
 
And strange as it sounds, the sophomore slump is often completely out of a successful musician's control. So much time passes between the release of your first record and the writing of your second, it's not uncommon to find that your sense of musical direction has changed in the interim. Of course, fans and record critics don't care; they only just become acquainted with you as a famous band. No one's ready for a drastic change.
 
So how do you avoid this potentially career-ruining problem? Many successful musicians ward off the dreaded sophomore slump by stockpiling songs -- in other words, writing more material for your first record than you intend to use and tweaking the leftovers for later release. The problem with this tactic, however, is that you run the risk of your second album sounding like a carbon copy of your first -- or worse, like a collection of mediocre B-sides.
 
That's why many famous bands release five or six song EPs in the interim between their debut and its follow-up. That way, the stockpiled material is put to use, but the shorter format reduces the risk of it sounding like an overblown imitation. EPs also provide a nice transition between the old material and the new, especially if you, like many successful musicians, plan to take your second record in a new direction.
 
Of course, not every rock star has the luxury of stockpiled material. If you find yourself forced to write a new record completely from scratch, just remember one thing: fans and critics want a second record that stays within the boundaries of your band's sound, but breaks away just enough to be refreshing. A successful musician's sophomore record will almost always be a development of ideas introduced on the first, a more mature versions of his or her earlier self. Save the massive stylistic changes for your third record -- the industry becomes more forgiving as newly successful musicians grow to be more established.
 
Falling Off the Radar
 
Becoming a successful musician is a tough process, so it makes perfect sense that a famous band might want to drop out of sight for awhile after their first brush with notoriety. It's a well-earned vacation, right?
 
Well, sort of. There's absolutely nothing wrong with taking a little time off after a long stretch of recording and touring; rock stars, after all, need to recharge their creative batteries. But that time off can be a problem for newly famous bands. Fans and critics have a fairly short memory. Unless your band stayed on top of the charts for weeks, you'll need to keep your name in the public eye. Even the most successful musicians have to fight to keep themselves on the radar. The phrase "out of sight, out of mind" has never rung more true than it does in the music industry.
 
That doesn't mean you need to rush out and release a new record mere months after your first (a year is typically a nice interim). You don't even need to plan some expansive worldwide tour. Small steps often make big strides for famous bands; talk to your booking agent and publicist about small about small events at which you can perform while you're recharging your batteries. Think about trying to get one of your songs on a compilation and strive to play a few nearby out-of-town shows instead of launching a full-fledged tour. Also consider holding contests and giveaways via your label or website. Anything you can do to keep your name in the minds of fans is a good step toward keeping your rock star status.
 
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Even musicians with the most modest sort of integrity eventually wonder when they'll start making money. It's nothing to be ashamed of; with all the time and brainpower you've invested in your band, you're bound to look forward to the day when you'll make money from your music. And though it can be pretty difficult for anyone below the level of, say, U2, making music for money is definitely possible if you go about it with a little bit of know-how. So read on, rock and pop musicians; this article will provide just what you need.
 
Merchandise
 
While the most popular rock bands make money from gigantic door deals with equally as gigantic venues, young bands in their earliest stages tend to start making money with merchandise: CDs, DVDs, t-shirts, posters -- seriously, the only limit is your imagination. Create a great logo for your band and stick it on anything that will stand still; boasting a diverse merchandise catalogue is an important way to make money from your music.
 
But be careful in your selection of merchandise items -- you don't want to break your bank. While novelty items like personalized compact mirrors, matchbooks or denim jackets look absolutely amazing on a merchandise table, they tend to be very expensive to produce. You'll have to price the items very, very high just to make cost, which will significantly lower the number of buyers.
 
Since you'll already be spending money to make the essentials -- t-shirts, CDs and stickers, maybe even posters and one-inch buttons -- you'll want to increase the amount of profit on novelty items to really start making money. Ask around; maybe someone you know is especially skilled at making things -- handmade posters, maybe, or fabric wristbands -- and would be willing to cut you a good deal on merchandise production. Or ask someone to teach you a few simple screenprinting techniques and start making merchandise items yourself. It'll take a lot of practice, but once you start making money you'll see that it was completely worth the trouble.
 
Live Shows
 
Though they aren't always immediately lucrative, live shows are an essential part of any plan to make money from your music. That's how all the huge rock stars do it, right?
 
Understand, however, that in the early stages of your band, most venues will only pay you a portion of the money collected at the door (and sometimes not even that, depending on how much the door needs to pay out the bar and the sound person), and cash guarantees are difficult to get until you've garnered a pretty predictable following. But don't start panicking just yet; there are definite ways to move around the industry and make money from your music at live shows.
 
Play Often: The best way to grab a lot of money from live shows is to play as often as you possibly can. Aim for at least one show per week, possibly two if you can manage to hop to the next town over for one of them. You might also want to consider talking to a venue about setting up a residency, a set of live shows performed once a week for a specific amount of time. You'll be paid for the residency and you'll also get the ability to meet and play with a number of other local bands.
 
Publicize: If you know for sure that you'll be paid a cut of the door for you live shows, it's completely incumbent upon you to get tons of people there; more people, more money and less chance the club will try to stiff you for not bringing in a crowd. Paper your town with fliers, personally call everyone you know, get in contact with local media; do whatever it takes to get as many people through the door as possible.
 
Push Merchandise: Quite possibly, the biggest cut of your money will come from your merchandise sales, so you need to make sure people are completely aware that you have things for sale. Mention it once or twice during your set (but not too many times -- you don't want to appear pushy or desperate) and make sure to point out where the merchandise table is set up. After you've finished playing and tearing down, go straight for the merchandise table and stay put. A lot of times, bands will miss out on potentially great merchandise sales simply because they were getting a beer or hanging out with friends. If the idea of sitting behind a merchandise table all night doesn't appeal to you, then ask one of your bandmates to do it or offer to run it in shifts. It doesn't matter how exactly you coordinate it, just make sure that someone is sitting at that merchandise table at all times.
 
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It's no grand secret that musicians have a fairly contentious -- if mutually tolerable -- relationship with the media, specifically music critics. Bands tend to feel that music writers are snotty, subjective know-it-alls, while music writers are famous for complaining that bands are arrogant, demanding and impossible to work with. Yet somewhere beneath all that Sturm und Drang is a delicate understanding; music writers would be nothing if it weren't for musicians. And musicians would be nothing if it weren't for music writers.
 
Love 'em or hate 'em, the mainstream music media is a crucial component in your band's rise to the top. And even if you've chosen to stay mostly removed from the process by hiring a publicist to do your music media bidding, it's still vital for you to understand the inner workings of the music media and how heavily they will factor into your career.
 
What They Do
 
The music media is in place to publicize bands and musicians they find newsworthy. It's a type of publicity that can't really be bought, however, as music writers have their own craft at stake; music writing is an art in itself. It's incredibly difficult to hone the descriptive skills necessary to accurately describe a piece of music, and it's just as difficult to acquire the aural skills to pick out the most important elements of a song.
 
Music writers are tastemakers. These are people paid to give you their opinion, and though it may not be technically more valid than anyone else's, a music critic automatically holds more weight due to the platform afforded them by a widely read publication.
 
But the music media isn't nearly as pure as it used to be. More and more frequently, writers, editors and publishers find themselves beholden to publicists and advertisers for reasons that are as varied as the bands they choose to cover. Sometimes it's not in the best interest of a publication to like something (the controversy may give them weight with advertisers), so they very purposefully don't. And sometimes they seek out music writers with a bias toward something, or assign a piece that requires very little criticism even though it's masked as a review. It's difficult to know which publications are beholden to which, if any, outside elements.
 
Of course, this is why it's important that you have a good publicist. Though publicists can't necessarily change the minds of music critics, they can definitely put the most important musicians in front of them, swaying them to give certain things a chance. It's rare for a music writer to have their opinions changed, but those who walk the line can often be pushed over the edge by a good publicist.
 
How They Do It
 
A music publication functions pretty much like any newspaper or magazine, except instead of culling information from police reports or AP wires, they receive news via publicists (or writers who pitch a story). Music publications plan their issues based on their demographic, the newsworthiness of events, the accomplishments of the bands in question, and sometimes the sheer strength of a publicist's pitch.
 
The ways in which music publications can give your work some lip service is extremely varied, though the following formats tend to be the most typical:
 
Interview/Profile - This is the most difficult sort of coverage to obtain, but also the most desirable; it's very rare that an interview/profile will be negative.
 
Show Preview - Like an interview/profile, show previews are more often descriptive than critical, giving you a much better chance of being shown in a good light. And, of course, these pieces carry the added bonus of getting people to your show.
 
Record Review - Another difficult sort of coverage, but extraordinarily influential. If a prominent music critic loves your record, your sales will probably skyrocket. Similarly, if a prominent music writer hates it, you might have some trouble. Record reviews tend to be scary, scary things for musicians.
 
Show Review - Like a record review, show reviews are risky in terms of your being spun positively. Who knows -- you could play the one bad show you've ever played on the one night a music writer comes out to see you. When deciding whether to ask your publicist to pitch a show review, think about your strengths; if your live shows have a tendency to fall a bit flatter than your records, maybe steer clear of this sort of coverage until you've beefed up your performance.
 
Why You Care
 
The story goes like this: a promising artist recently received a terrible review by a music writer on quite possibly the most influential music website. This artist was not new to the industry; he'd been a member of an incredibly well liked band from the late 90s on and had garnered a lot of interest in his solo project. But because this one music critic decided to pan the record, he suddenly found himself in a strange position: his records stopped selling. Even the staunchest fans of his previous project were skeptical, simply because they’d heard the record was bad and didn't want to risk the money.
 
That story, right there, is why you should care about the music media.
 
Say what you want about music writers, but these are very tough, very influential people. They take a lot of flak from music fans who think they can do their job, from publicists who don't appreciate their candor, from their very own editors putting on the heat for a certain story. Most of them are acerbic and austere, jaded by years of hearing the same thing. Most of them have a razor sharp intelligence and wit. And most of them, deep down below the sometimes bitterness, truly love and respect music. Rub them the wrong way (either personally or musically), and you could have a huge catastrophe on your hands. But give them something to really write about, and they will -- usually with as much passion, fire and honesty as they've got in them.
 
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Quite possibly the most vital -- and sometimes stressful -- aspect of a rock band's rise to the top, studio recording has changed quite a bit in recent years. And maybe the most important change of all is the fact that recording at a studio has become a choice, not a necessity; the rise of incredible sounding and cost effective home recording equipment has made it easy for bands to simply record themselves at home, or at another space of their choosing, without having to shell out the bucks for expensive studios and highly sought-after producers.
 
Of course, that's not to say studio recording doesn't have its merits. There exist times that bands will want to book studio time and use a producer instead of trying their hand at home recording. Those times, however, are different for every band, so this article will guide you through the benefits and drawbacks of studio recording and let you know what to expect when, and if, you decide to pursue the studio recording route.
 
The Benefits
 
The biggest benefit to booking studio time and using a producer is how easily it allows you to step away from your own thought process and hear your songs from a different perspective. A professional producer's job, after all, is to help you clean up songs and create the best record you possibly can; quite often, this means dramatically changing certain aspects of arrangement or construction that you'd never before questioned. Through the ears of a producer, you may suddenly understand why the chorus just wasn't working or how important it is for a certain verse to pop. And even if you've booked studio time without an official producer, decided to pursue recording at a studio simply because you're not all that technologically savvy, playing your songs in a room away from the practice area (and not with the big, booming sound of club PA's) can sometimes open up the air around you and let you hear which tiny details need the most extensive work.
 
It's important to remember, as well, that the people working with your studio recording are well-trained professionals. They're extremely proficient with recording techniques and know how to create the exact sound you hear in your head. And most importantly, they have the equipment to do it; all too often, bands buy home-recording equipment only to find that for just a little more money, they could have worked with a studio to create a sound 100 times more professional and clean, minus all the hassle of difficult programs and strange techniques. Let the studio concentrate on the sound. You stay focused on your songs.
 
The Drawbacks
 
The one aspect of studio recording that tends to send rock bands' blood pressure soaring is the time limit. Assuming that you don't have a huge disposable income or a gigantic major label backing your every whim, you'll for sure have only a limited number of hours in which to create your masterpiece. And if those hours run up without the album being completed, well, you've got a difficult decision to make: either release an album that's only partially finished and not anywhere as amazing as you'd hoped, or suck it up and shell out hundreds, maybe even thousands, more dollars to get the album sounding the way you want. And neither choice seems very good, does it?
 
Another problem that commonly plagues bands recording at a studio is how easy it is to clash with a producer or engineer. If you've chosen to work with someone recommended by the studio, someone you don't know very well, it's entirely possible that the both of you will have completely different visions for your record. Maybe you can work past them (lots of bands do), but if you decide that the differences are just too severe, you might have already paid tons of money and not be able to pack it up and move on to a different studio.
 
The Process
 
If you've decided once and for all that recording at a studio is definitely for you, there are a few things you need to keep in mind while planning your studio time.
 
Find a Match: Make sure to find a studio that works with bands similar to yours. Ask around your local music scene and see who your friends' bands are recording with. Some of those bands may even have their own home studio set-up!
 
Book Early: Regardless of whom you're recording with, it's vitally important that you book your slot as early as possible, anywhere from one and a half to three months in advance -- and if you're working with an especially sought-after producer, you may even need more than that! Talk to the studio and find out how early they book up, but never book less than a month in advance even if the space is open (unless, of course, that's the only open space for a year); you'll need the time to practice and get ready for your studio time.
 
Be Realistic: Though you may have dreams of completing your record in a long weekend, chances are good that it'll take much, much longer than that. It may be way more cost-effective to only book a few days of studio time, but you'll be so rushed and panicked that you'll settle for less than the best. It generally takes at least three weeks to make a decent full-length album, and even that's rushing it. Talk to your friends' bands and your studio and be realistic about how long you'll be recording at a studio, even if it means spending more money than you intended.
 
Practice, Practice, Practice: It's definitely tempting to go into your studio time unpracticed; after all, you can always go back and fix mistakes, right? Sure, if you want to end up hundreds of dollars over budget. Before even setting foot in the studio, get your songs down cold. Practice them as if you're about to play the biggest show of your career and fix any problems right there in the practice space. Knowing your songs backwards and forwards is the best way to streamline your studio recording experience -- and spend less money.
 
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Bands inexperienced in the ways of touring tend to think of it as a thing that just sort of happens, like this crucial part of band life falls quickly and easily into your lap the minute your record is released. And sometimes it does; record labels often hire booking agents for their bands to provide musicians the ability to concentrate on playing, not deal-making.
 
But more often than not, you'll be responsible for booking a tour yourself at least once. In fact, some booking agents won't even consider working with a touring band unless they've had at least a little experience in tour booking, so it's important that you learn how to do it -- and how to do it right.
 
Start Early
 
In order to avoid some of tour booking's most stressful problems (or, at the very least, have time to work around them), it's crucial that get an early start. Give yourself at least three months before the first date of your tour to contact venues, send press kits, follow-up with promoters and secure any guarantees. If everything goes completely as planned, you'll have a few weeks to relax before you hit the road. But be prepared: the process of booking a tour almost never goes as planned. Venues will close, promoters will flake out, shows will be suddenly and inexplicably canceled. Getting an early start on tour booking allows you some buffer time to deal with these issues.
 
There is something to be said, however, for waiting, especially if you're a brand new band. A lot of times, booking a tour with slightly less lead time will allow you to hop on bills with already established bands in the area. Of course, there's absolutely no guarantee that this will prove effective, and it's a tour booking strategy best approached when you have a booking agent behind you; he or she will have the influence necessary to get you a space on an already packed bill.
 
Find Great Contacts
 
Perhaps the most important aspect to booking a tour is having a host of fantastic contacts. If you're working with a booking agent, or if someone well-versed in the industry is giving you a little help, these contacts will already be built in. But if you're like most new bands, familiar only with the venues and promoters in your area, you'll have some research to do.
  
The easiest way to find contacts is to ask around. Talk to your friends in touring bands and find out the names of promoters they've worked in various areas, or even ask the promoter at your favorite local venue; a lot of times, local promoters will have ties in other cities and can become invaluable resources to tour booking.
 
Also take a look at the tour schedules of some of your favorite bands. Where are they playing? What cities seem to be the most popular? Find the websites for the venues you see popping up most often, and put any email addresses and phone numbers in your contact file. Just be sure that the venues are an appropriate size and style for your type of music; it always helps to look at the schedule of touring bands who play a similar style of music to yours, or who are on roughly the same level career-wise. Sounding a lot like Aerosmith isn't enough to secure you a date at a huge arena.
 
Tweak Your Press Kit
 
Though a standard press kit is fairly adequate for the purposes of booking a tour, you'll need to make a few minor adjustments in the interest of helping a promoter get to your information as quickly and easily as possible. The following elements (all printed on your logo letterhead, of course) are vital for a tour booking press kit:
  
Cover Letter -- A brief, half-page letter telling the promoter who you are, which date you're trying to book (and whether or not that date is flexible) and the contents of the package.
 
Bio -- A copy of your standard bio (which should already be an important component in your press kit). If your bio is over one page, shorten it for the purposes of the tour booking package; promoters only really want to know who you are, where you're from, which label you're on and what you sound like.
 
Press Quotes -- This is by no means vital, but if you've received some favorable mentions from national publications, or any local to the area you're pursuing, feel free to send them along. But don't send magazine or newspaper clippings; format the quotes on a single sheet of paper, with the writer's name, publication and article date under the quote.
 
CD or Demo -- Obviously the most important part of your tour booking press kit, your CD or demo lets the promoter actually hear what they'd be booking. Make sure to include a full track listing and star any tracks you feel are completely necessary for the promoter to hear. Also, if you have MP3's available online, make that explicitly clear somewhere on your package; sometimes promoters prefer to hear your music online.
 
And make absolutely sure that you put your contact info on every piece of your tour booking press kit. If things get separated, the last thing a promoter wants to do spend time matching everything together again.
 
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You've found your members, decided on a sound and tested your talent and commitment to make sure you're in this for the right reasons: now it's time for equipment. Sometimes an overlooked aspect of starting a band, the right band equipment is vital to both your sound and your ability to play live; those little practice amps won't last forever, you know.
 
But maybe you don't have tens of thousands of dollars to spend on musical equipment. No worries! The following article will guide you through the band gear process, and give you the inside scoop on what you need and what you absolutely don't.
 
What You Need
 
Since you probably already have your main piece of band equipment covered (your chosen instrument, be it guitar, bass, drums or keyboard), your biggest concern is going to be things through which to play said instrument; namely amps. In an ideal world, you'd have amps built specifically for every instrument, especially bass, as the make of these pieces of band equipment can change exponentially with each individual instrument. But this isn't an ideal world, so chances are good that you'll have to make do with what band gear you can afford.
 
A good guitar amp is the best place to start. If you have no aspirations of playing shows (at least not anytime soon), you're fine with your 10-30 watt practice guitar amp. But if you're banking on hitting the clubs as soon as possible, you'll want to find a guitar amp worthy of live sound. The best bet for beginners is a 1x12 combo amp; it contains a 12 inch speaker and runs at about 50 watts (though some run at much more than this). The only problem with these combo guitar amps is that they can be mercilessly unpowerful. Be sure to shop around and talk to the employees at your local music shop to find one that is both affordable and powerful enough to hold its own on stage.
 
You can use these same general principles to find a good bass guitar amp (running a bass guitar through a regular guitar amp will sound absolutely terrible and can potentially ruin your band equipment), but be forewarned: bass players may want to seek out greater wattage. While bass does carry the low end and tends to be very powerful on its own, it often lacks the ability to cut through a wall of sound the way a guitar does; treble waves and bass waves function very differently. Some musicians recommend that bass players get a bass guitar amp of 300 watts or more, but your particular wattage will be entirely dependent on how many watts your guitarist is running, if you'll have more than one guitarist and if keyboards will be in the mix. Talk to your local music store owner about your band's set-up; he or she should be able to point you in the direction of a bass guitar amp that will cut through the other instruments.
 
Though microphones aren't absolutely essential to new bands, especially if you plan to focus on instrumentals before nailing down the vocals, it's a good idea to have a few on hand. Nearly every club will provide microphones as part of their house band equipment, but night after night of gigs will ruin their quality very quickly. What's more, the mics are rarely sterilized; imagine all the germs hanging out on one of those things. Constant use of club microphones is one reason touring bands find themselves with colds and the flu so frequently.
 
Microphones aren't difficult to purchase. The industry standard tends to be a Shure SM57 or a Shure SM58; these are perfect pieces of band gear for both performing and recording, though you'll probably want to reserve each for either one or the other. And they're very cost effective, usually hovering right around $100. The price may seem like a lot now, but it'll pay off extremely; this is one piece of band gear you'll find yourself holding onto for years and years, especially if you treat it well.
 
What You Don't
 
Bands sometimes go a little crazy with musical equipment, buying not only amps, microphones and cables, but tons of expensive gear more suited for recording than performing. Though those shiny new pieces of band gear might be tempting (especially if you have the money to spare), try to restrain yourself. Mixers are nice, yes, but you most likely won't need one for performing, unless you have tons of keyboards and samplers running at once and at different levels per song. Similarly, a PA is an absolutely unnecessary piece of equipment for new bands. Almost every venue in which you set foot will have one installed in the room, and the ones that don't (house shows, or places where concerts don't often take place) will almost always rent one specifically for your event. Focus your spending on the pieces of band equipment that will make your individual instruments sound best; let the clubs worry about the overall sound.
 
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Recording a demo is one of the best ways for a band to make their mark early on; not only will you have something to send to labels, booking agents and publicists, you'll also be able to sell your demo at shows or via your website. It's an amazing tool with which to gather a broad fan-base.
 
But more often than not, bands find themselves balking at the idea of shelling out the bucks to record a demo at a studio, especially if they anticipate spending a lot of money on a future studio recording. This is where the concept of home recording comes in; thanks to new technology and fairly cost-effective equipment, anyone can record a professional sounding demo at their own home studio. You just need the right recording equipment.
 
Computer Considerations
 
If you're planning to record into your computer (which is usually the most cost-effective choice, as someone in your band or someone you know is bound to have one), you'll need to understand how to make your system home recording ready.
 
Macs: The favored for choice for creative purposes, Macs are all but designed for home recording. If you've got a G4 or G5, you're probably set as far as space and speed is concerned, but if you're running on an older G3, you'll want to install as much RAM as you possibly can within your budget. 256 MB is the bare minimum, but 384 MB or more is highly recommended. You'll also need a USB or FireWire audio interface, as newer Macs don't have serial ports.
 
Window PCs: Though setting up a home studio with a PC used to be next to impossible, Windows system updates have in recent years made home recording a lot easier. You'll need a Pentium 4 processor running at least 2.6 GHz. 512 MB of RAM with 60 GB of hard drive space is the bare minimum, and you'll want to update to the newest version of the Windows operating system (currently, Windows XP). The audio interface issues are the same with PCs as they are with Macs; just double check that the interface is designed to work with a Windows system.
 
Software: Most of the best recording software is now cross-platform, so it's unlikely that your choices will be limited by the type of computer you own. Pro-Tools is by far the most widely used audio program by industry professionals, but it tends to be extraordinarily expensive; Cubase or Digital Performer are less costly choices, though they don't have as many features. Reason and Ableton Live work well for electronic music, and Frooty Loops, though very basic and sometimes not very functional, is very cheap and a decent choice if you're making something for your ears only.
 
Remember, using computer-based software for home recording is extremely cost-effective, even if it doesn't seem like it on the surface; they include on-board mixers and preamps, as well as a host of effects and compressors. You can, of course, buy separate mixers and preamps to create a cleaner sound, but for demo home recording, using the ones built into the software is usually the best bet.
 
Mics and Lines
  
The first step in setting up a home studio is finding the right equipment to actually record the sound itself. For this, you'll be using both microphones and line inputs.
 
Microphones, as you well know, are used to amplify acoustic instruments (drums, some guitars, pianos) and vocals. While most of the larger studios use several mics geared toward various instruments, those just starting out with DIY recording really only a multi-purpose mic like the Shure SM-58. You can use this mic to record just about anything, though you'll want to have several on hand when it comes to recording drums (one for every piece of your kit, unless you choose to record drums by simply using an overhead mic).
 
Line inputs are responsible for recording anything that doesn't need a mic and can plug directly into your recording source. You'll probably be using the same inputs for both mics and lines, so you'll need a converter to smooth the process. DI's, or direct injection boxes, are the best choice and can be found at any pro-audio store.
 
Headphones
 
They may seem a frivolous expense, but a fantastic pair of headphones are absolutely vital to any home recording set-up. Every member of your band will use them while recording, and you'll find yourself relying on them during mixing to pick out details. You'll need a closed-back pair that doesn't bleed sound and expresses the fullest range of frequencies. MDR 7506 or MDR 7505 tend to work best for home recording purposes, but discuss this aspect of recording equipment with your local pro-audio shop. They'll be able to provide something spot-on perfect for your DIY recording needs.
 
Monitors
 
Like headphones, a good set of monitors is vital to your home recording set-up; you want to accurately hear the sound you've recorded, right? You'll need a set with 6.5 inc h woofers or larger, which ensures that all frequencies are represented. You'll also want to find a pair that are designed to be heard in a small room, or at a close range; chances are you won't be setting up your home studio in a huge space, so you want something that represents your sound at the closest range possible. A good rule of thumb for setting up your monitors is to space them about three feet away from each other and position yourself dead center and three feet away from the speakers. Of course, this might not be possible while you're working with your system, but when listening back for accuracy of sound, always keep this space equation in tact.
 
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A philosophy of education, or theory of education was discussed by men such as Plato, Socrates and Aristotle more than a thousand years ago and the discussion continues today. People such as Jean Piaget and Maria Montessori, have all contributed to the field of educational philosophy and learning theory. Educational philosophy is the study of both how individuals learn, but also what the best teaching methods are. As you may imagine, although philosophers have agreed on some points of educational theory, they also disagree on others. The home school theory of education is no different. Advocates of home schooling differ in their beliefs about the philosophy of education and the best way to educate children. However, one of the educational theory points that people who use home school generally agree on is that the public school system is not the best place to apply educational or learning theory, while the home environment is.
 
Modern Day Theory of Education
 
Just over two centuries ago, children by and large were taught at home or in a small community setting using the Bible and other limited materials with no regard to educational theory and those who received a more liberal and broad e[ducation were generally those of the upper, more wealthy class. However in the last 200 years, this educational philosophy has largely been replaced as innovators in the philosophy of education felt that children of all classes could benefit from a more broad application of educational theory and towards the end of the 19th century, public schools which taught a liberal arts curriculum (math, reading, geography, etc.) were established in many communities and compulsory attendance policies began to be more commonplace. But, it was not long before families became unhappy with the learning theory and educational philosophy that was being practiced in public schools and began looking for alternatives such as home schooling.
 
Arguments Against the Public School Educational Philosophy
 
People who choose to home school their children do so for many various reasons, they may want their child to have a curriculum that has a more religious basis, or they may feel that the school environment is too dangerous, or they feel that their child's needs are not being met with the philosophy of education that is advocated by their public school. They may also subscribe to the educational philosophy that they are their children's first and best teachers. Public schools tend to rely more heavily on a text based, standardized curriculum with pencil and paper tasks taking up the large majority of teaching time. This is not the theory of education that many parents and also some educators feel is in the best interests of the child. Although the learning theory behind each home school program is based on a slightly different educational theory or philosophy of education, most have the underlying belief that each child should be taught in the way that they learn best and that it is different for every child.
 
Overview of Basic Educational Philosophy and Learning Theory in Home Education
 
Classical Learning Theory: This philosophy of education advocates using classical literature and presenting the material using the Socratic Method. Teachers present abstract material which encourages students to think, discuss and debate to achieve a greater understanding. Many home school and a few public schools have adopted this approach with success.
 
Waldorf Theory of Education: This learning theory bases its philosophy of education on the assumption that there are 3 developmental stages of childhood. First children learn through doing in the primary grades, then through feeling in the middle grades and then through understanding. Emphasis in all grades is put on teaching practical skills, artistic activities, and innovative approaches and thinking. This learning theory emphasizes educating the whole child.
 
Montessori Method: Maria Montessori believed that children can be self-directed learners if they are given appropriate materials, tasks and information to build on. Her philosophy of education has been adopted not only by many home schoolers, but also by private schools and charter schools throughout the world. An important aspect of this educational philosophy is children's rights. Children learn differently from adults and should be treated differently.
 
Charlotte Mason Educational Philosophy: Charlotte Mason was an educator in the 19th and early 20th century. Along with advocating a philosophy of education that included giving all children, regardless of social class a broad education, she also proposed a learning theory that is still used by many home school advocates today. It is based on spiritual or religious principles and uses "living" books rather than text books which have been "dumbed down" to make them easier to read and understand. According to this educational theory education is seen not as an isolated part of life, it is life.
 
John Holt Theory of Education: While most of the other educational philosophy genres of our time involve some sort of curriculum or planning, John Holt advocates a method called unschooling. Unschooling is completely child-directed and has enjoyed some popularity in the last 40 years among parents and home schoolers. According to this learning theory children should be allowed to choose when, how and what they learn. This educational philosophy asserts that children are naturally curious and driven to learn about the world around them.

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