Experiment: Band Management: Blog 1
This is me. John from the Holy Crap Records Podcast. We’re right and they’re wrong. Underground music is in a great place. When I say “underground” I mean it in its broadest definition of artists creating their art with a secondary regard to the market. Blues. Punk. Surf. Indie. Garage. Be true to yourself. Make your art! And now let’s be real – underground music is always a scrapper’s place. By definition it is new – and no one knows if new will sell. There is a music industry and the industry is always about the money.
There have only been a handful of moments in modern music history when major labels went actively searching for new music from the underground: the CBGBs scene with bands like The Ramones, Blondie, Talking Heads getting picked up, London in 1978 when The Clash, Sex Pistols, The Damned got picked, Seattle in the 90s. You get the idea. Big money is not actively trying to find you. Basically, it makes more economic sense to continue to market and sell an act that already has a following.
But underground music is for scrappers and we are in a great place. The underground scene is clearly creating the best music of an era. I could name drop 25 bands that are mind-blowingly great, better than anything on a major label. I could probably name drop 50 bands without trying too hard. I am half of the Holy Crap Records Podcast. So I know. We play the top five best underground songs each week. We listen to about 50+ unsigned (usually) bands a week. All the bands we play recommend other bands. We’re on our 50th show. So I know.
So this is an experiment. I believe great bands and great artists can make a career out of creating music. I talk with bands deep in the underground and those breaking out of the underground. I know some things. I believe in a formula. So I am now managing a band. I will not disclose their name because I don’t want this music magazine/podcast to influence the experiment. “Band A” will be – at a minimum – a legendary underground band in a year, playing at festivals and on an indie label, at least a 100 people at a show.
This is how I’m going to do it: basically I’m gonna try a bunch of shit and do more of the stuff that works and less of the stuff that doesn’t work, and I’m going to document it all. I’m gonna talk with a bunch of bands that are finding success about how they did it, and talk with a bunch of labels, management, publicity companies, music magazines as interviews for “Holy Crap Records Podcast” and use that info to make “Band A” massive. Also, I’m going to buy a bunch of likes on facebook and probably pay for some coverage in the press.
Hypothesis 1: the formula
Have a unique voice and be a nice person.
That’s it. Also listen to good music (Velvet Underground and Lucinda Williams) + find four friends + write your own songs + go to see other bands in the local underground scene ALL the time + practice 3 times a week + play a bunch of shows at friends’ parties or a back porch or in the rear of a restaurant + figure out which clubs have a new band evening + book a show + invite your favorite bands from the scene + be nice + hustle more shows… And this goes on and on… Get FB likes… Put up posters… For fucks sake put up posters… Don’t be lazy… Record a good EP. Put it on bandcamp. Play all the time, everywhere. Then there’s shit like – should you hire a publicity company? When you send your music to college radio stations can you call them up and bother them? But I believe, fundamentally, it comes down to have a unique voice and be a nice person. “Band A” – fuck yeah – they’re awesome. You gotta hear this shit….
