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“Tips For Successfully Recruiting New Band Members” plus 1 more |
Tips For Successfully Recruiting New Band Members Posted: 24 May 2019 01:00 AM PDT When you need to find a new band member, it can feel frustrating, overwhelming, and upsetting. Like it or not, your band will probably change at some point, so it’s a good idea to be prepared. Whether you need a new member because your bassist left in a huff, your drummer moved away, or your vocalist didn’t appreciate the band’s shift from country music to heavy metal, having a few search strategies up your sleeve can help immensely. When searching for a new member of your band, you might feel tempted to search among friends and not cast your net very wide. This may work for you, but it’s a better idea to have a strategic search plan that involves targeting certain skills and personality traits you’re looking for in a new band member. It’s never a good idea to start a search without first knowing what you’re looking for. By investing in a social recruiting strategy, learning about America’s best music cities and venues, and knowing exactly what traits to look for in a new band member, you’ll be well on your way to finding a new member to take your band to the next level. Why You Need to Invest in a Social Recruiting StrategyIn a world where everyone is online, often for most of the day, your search for a new band member should be online too. It’s hard to find someone who is not on social media these days, so why not use social networking in the music industry to find your next dream guitar player or drummer? Chances are they’re out there on Instagram or Twitter, waiting for you to discover them. There are many benefits of investing in a social recruiting strategy. Social recruiting strategies can help ensure a good fit musically and professionally, often at a negligible cost. Social media is also a great platform on which to start a conversation, allowing easy screening of potential band members. Finally, in the case that you don’t get many responses to your query, it can also show how your search process could be improved. If you’re not already utilizing the power of social media as a musician, you should be. Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter provide an eager audience at your fingertips, just waiting to consume the content you put out if you commit yourself to doing it right. Using social media as a recruiting strategy for a new band member will not disappoint. Make sure that your own profiles are up to date and optimized so that potential musicians are more likely to see your band as a group they would be interested in joining, rather than a basement band with no potential. America’s Best Music Cities & Most Underrated VenuesSocial media can also be a great way to find out more information about the best music cities in America, as well as their underrated venues. Whether you’re looking for a place to find a new bandmate or checking out places for your next tour, this information can be helpful. Cities like Los Angeles, Seattle, New Orleans, and Austin all boast robust music scenes. Because of this, they inevitably attract more people who are either musicians themselves or have a thorough appreciation of music. Things like strong musical heritage, ample opportunities to play and experience live music, and a wide array of genres present all contribute to a great music city. It’s true that certain cities attract more musicians than others, so searching for a new band member in a music hub might yield more high-quality results than searching for one in a small town. You may have better luck opening your search to other cities besides your own — especially musically inclined locations like Memphis or Portland. Hubs like these are home to more seasoned musicians, managers, producers, and the like who have a lot of skill and experience. Because building your team is so important to your success as a band, putting a lot of work into your search is essential. What to Look for in a Band MemberSuccessfully finding someone new to join your team starts with knowing what qualities to look for in a new band member. Obviously you need someone who is a great musician, but you also need someone who has a personality that’s suited to the group and is committed. You will be working closely with this person, so you will want to make sure that they are a team player in the music industry. This means being a good communicator, putting the success of the band above individual success, and being a reliable person. It can be stressful and overwhelming when you find yourself in a situation where you need to find a new band member. Where do you start? How are you going to the find the person who is just right? By using social media to recruit musicians who will be a good fit, searching in America’s best music cities, and knowing what to look for in a band member, you’ll be well on your way to finding someone who will make a positive contribution to your band for a long time to come.
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How To Be Thankful You're A Part-Time Musician Posted: 23 May 2019 07:32 PM PDT Complaining is just too easy. Especially when you don’t have what you want. Example: being a part-time musician. Real talk: I write about music for a living and only a small fraction of my income is from music. But I want that to change. I want most of my income to be from music and a small fraction from writing. It’s frustrating that I’m not where I want to be. I get so impatient with it sometimes. See, there I’ve gone and started complaining again. And I assume I’m not alone in this. So I want to share some practices that have helped me be more thankful, appreciative, and excited to be a part-time musician. I think they’ll help you too. Practices To Help You Be More ThankfulHere are some things I do (or try to do) on a regular basis. When I do them, I find myself complaining less and being content more. Write Down Three ThingsEvery morning, I write down three things I’m thankful for in my journal. Then I sit and be grateful for those things. Music is often on the list. Then throughout the day, you can remind yourself of those three things and be thankful all over again. Compare Yourself To YourselfInstead of contrasting myself with another musician I admire, I compare myself to myself from last year, 3 years ago, 5 years ago. I note the things I’m proud I’ve accomplished and the skills I’ve gotten better at. “Jealousy is one of the occupational hazards of being a writer,” says Anne Lamott. You could substitute “writer” for “musician,” “songwriter,” and/or “producer.” How are you better at what you do today than last year? Do Less Social MediaI avoid social media as much as possible. I don’t mean to sound like a “back in my day” type of old person, but I’ve found a lot of benefit from pulling back my social media use. I’m happier, more focused, and there’s less uneccesary stress in my days. I have more brain space to be thankful. Dr. Cal Newport, computer science professor at Georgetown University, has some first-hand experience with this. He says he’s never had a social media profile. And he’s a successful author and speaker.
(I’m not saying delete your accounts. But think about how much more music you could be making if you cut your social media time in half. A lot, right?) Remember Your Day Job Is GoodI remind myself how my day job and passion for music talk to each other. Years ago, I worked at a bank in the call center. And I remember jotting down interesting phrases customers would say that would end up in a song. Even just interacting my co-workers would sometimes give me insights into life that I would write down in my notebook. Also, just having a miserable day job helped me better appreciate the time I had to make music. And today, my day job is writing about music for places like Sonicbids, Bandzoogle, and CD Baby, so I’m mostly writing to other musicians. By doing this, I learn new things during my research for articles. Or I become more familiar with an already familiar topic. Heck, sometimes I even inspire myself by writing about how to stay inspired as a DIY musician. Somehow, your day job is good for your creative time. Even if it’s just the contrast of misery (your day job) and joy (making music). I know I’m thankful for my day job. Be PresentI try to focus only on what/who is in front of me. It’s difficult and I’m not great at it. But I try. You see, we all tell ourselves stories. We say “this and that” are going to happen tomorrow or next week, when really we have no idea. And our past is literally just a collection of fragmented stories we remember and tell ourselves and others. But when I’m able to focus on right now, I find myself not clinging to any ideas of what might happen in the future. I also don’t feel regret or sadness about the past. Okay, this might sound all Zen and hippie to you. And it does a little bit. But, man, when I can do this well, it’s powerful. And as someone who’s doing music on the side, I’m sure you’ve got a bunch of things you want to do. If you’re like me, you have a to-do list so long it causes heart palpatations (not really, but you get the sentiment). But if you can just do today — just do one thing on that to-do list — you’ll find a lot of baby steps will get you where you want to go. What’s the single most important thing you can do today to move yourself forward in your music career? Do that thing. I think you’ll find yourself more thankful. - - - Caleb J. Murphy is a songwriter-producer based in Austin, Tx., and the founder of Musician With A Day Job, a blog that helps part-time musicians succeed. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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