Battle Of The Band Survival Guide

Be Realistic

Play Like You Mean It

Network

Watch Your Mouth

Bring Merch

Avoid Scams



1 - Be Realistic

So often I see bands who have been together about a month, and they think that they are going to be winning a trip to the netherlands to be the newest black metal gods... even though their parents would have to come along too, since they are all 15. These kids get really bummed, and pissed, when they get knocked out of the competition early on. If they had been realistic, they would have been stoked to have been in it at all. Prizes that are too good to be true, usually are. I mean seriously, people don't just give away a million dollar recording contract, or a trip to a european music festival cause they are jolly good folks. The companies running BoB's are in it to make money. Pure and simple. If the prize exists at all, they are going to award it to someone who will maximise their revenue potential with it. With plenty of nicely polished, and ready bands out there, labels are not interested in diamonds in the rough, they make more off of ones that have already done the work to be ready to be plucked. The sooner you accept, honestly, your potential to advance in a BoB's, the better your entire experience will be. Sure, you are doing some free shows. But you can maximise YOUR earning potential from it by making sure to...



2 - Play Like You Mean It

You are playing in front of a bunch of people, even if it seems no one is there. Fans from other bands, Bar staff... these are people, and you should be doing your best to impress them. If they see you displaying positive musicianship here and now, they will assume you to do so later. The same goes for a shitty attitude, and general asshattery. Do dress nicely/appropriately, get a good nights sleep, be on time, be relaxed. Don't get wasted, cram rehearsals all the night before, and stay up until 6 am. All of this can lead you to taking advantage of...



3 - Network Networking.

It is the key to coming out of a BoB's without feeling like you need to sit in the corner of the shower for a few days. Take some time to talk to the folks who own/run/manage the venue. these are the people you would be getting your foot into the door with to play there without the BoB's. Having a solid contact there, will make it a lot easier to get booked there later. Always keep a couple demo's handy, for this purpose; it is something they can keep on file about you. If the event has a band only section, you can chill with members of other bands. you probably have a lot in common, so while you are practicing your scales and stuff, you can be talking to each other, instead of just your own bandmates. it can be stressfull, but try to think of each other as compatriots, instead of enemies. when you say good luck, mean it. But for fucks sake, make sure at least some memebers of your band, if not all, venture out of the bands only area for more than just refreshments. those other bands brought people with them. those people could be digging your band, and maybe getting out to other shows of yours. get out there and convert them. talk to people, and introduce yourself. keep a cool head. some of the best bands i have seen have culled numerous fans, by using this practice. don't just hit up on the ladies either. dudes have girlfriends, with hot friends too ya know. But at ALL times, make sure you...



4 - Watch your mouth.

Always remember, the wisest advice ever was "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." One of the biggest mistakes I see bands make is when they talk smack. Especially at a BoB's... You tearing down your competition, the production company running the event, or the bar hosting it, only tears you down in the long run. What everyone else is thinking while you are running everyone else into the ground is this, "If everyone here is so shitty, I am betting you fit right in." Most people don't say it, at least not to you. Conversely, when you praise the other bands, and speak highly of their skills, of when you mention how cool the promoters are, or how awesome the venue is, and how you are just happy to be involved. well it speaks highly of you as well. No one likes listening to trash talk, except people who are into gossip, and those are the last people in the world you want hearing you talk trash. I have quit booking bands that I have heard talking trash about other bands, or the venue, because i know they are usually pretty two faced, and will be talking trash about me as soon as my back is turned to them. People are really turned off by this behavior, and it will take a long time to work back out of a trashtalking hole. Trust me, I've seen extremely talented musicians ruin their careers because they couldn't stfu, and talked their way out of too many fans, band relationships, and venue relationships.



5- Bring Merch

to me, this is common sense. TOTAL NOBRAINER. Anyway. Just because you are not being paid for playing, doesn't mean you can't generate some revenue off of the show. T-shirts, hoodies, cd's, and stickers are pretty good staples, and can cover the cost of the gas you spent to get there. When you are flush with the cash, maybe buy some of your fellow bands merch, it generates community. maybe you can even trade with them. You can pick upa merch pack from a lot of merch companies fairly cheap. for $150 you get tons of stickers, and magnets, and stuff like that. t-shirts you can either go through a printer, for around 3-4 bux a pop, or if you have some skill, you can do your own silk screen on them, and drive the cost into the basement. Seriously, having some merch is ALWAYS a good idea. and for the bands who haven't had any proper studio time, check out a gig where you can get a line recording, and play your asses off. nope, it's not polished by any means. go through the masters, and pluck out the best tracks. put those on a cd, and start duplicating. if you, or a friend are a computer geek, this can be quite expedited. pack it with a sticker or two, and you can sell these at shows for 3-5 bux easy. no, not a huge proffit margin, but they go like hotcakes. just try not to sound too lousy on the cd, and make sure your name, and hopefully a logo is somewhere in the pack, along with a track listing. god i hate these disks with no track listings.



6- Avoid Scams

to me, this is another no brainer. As said before, if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Some basic scams are "pay to play", where the promoters basically charge you to play their show. this is always as wrong as it feels. You do not need exposure that badly. Now, if they are clearly giving you something for your money. Instruction, Recording, Advertising, Badass Venues... Those can be worth the money, depending on how much we are talking about. Registration fee's are pretty common with a lot of battles, but not all. never spend more than you can, it is not an investment, do not treat it as such. Any time you are giving people money, get reciepts, and preferably a contract. something in writing stating what you are getting for your money. Not just "advertising" but whether it will be radio ad's, newspring, magazines, or tv. This sort of thing. Make sure you clearly understand what is expected of you, and whether or not you can live up to these expectations. And a big tip. talk to someone else who's worked with the company before, other than their golden child winners, who are contractually obliged to talk about how wonderful the company is. check out some people who made it to the finals, but didn't win. and of course, take everything with a grain of salt.