Your band is a business.

I will say it until the end of time. Here is a new thing to keep in mind…

Your band is a brand. 

Everything you do as an artist should reflect your brand. Here are 3 ways you can keep your focus on maintaining your band as a brand:

1 – Start with WHY

Why did you start your band? There is no right or wrong answer, but there should absolutely be an answer. “Because I enjoy music” is okay if this is still a hobby. If it is a career, that is not enough. You need to know WHY you enjoy music.

Is it because you like to form ideas and express yourself? Is it because the thrill of performing feels like no other? Is it because you want to travel and meet new people? The answers can lead you to be a writer with a publishing deal, a performing artist who plays other peoples’ songs or a hired gun playing guitar for various bands.

Think hard about WHY. Once you have the answer, you can figure out WHAT you do.

2 – Make the WHAT match the WHY

When a company like Apple or Nike makes a decision, know that it is well thought out. Everything has to reflect the brand that people know and love. If you have a group of diehard fans who know and love your band for something specific, you most likely want to cater to that.

If you write killer ballads, are you going to have at least one ballad on your new record? Probably. Catering to your fans shouldn’t ever feel like “selling out”, it should be honoring your brand and honoring WHY you do WHAT you do.

If you’re a pop punk band, you most likely won’t be doing your new photoshoot in a dark abandoned warehouse. Stay true to WHY you do it and WHAT you do will always make sense.

3 – Dare to be different.

Companies and brands that do the same old thing, get the same old results. Dare to be different. The Maine is a great example of a band that stays true to their WHY and isn’t afraid to be different. How many bands have you seen do a FREE tour as a thank you to their fans? Exactly.

They were not afraid to be different, and it has only benefitted them over the years. Their fans have noticed that they are genuine about what they do and why they do it.

Next example – who remembers THIS VIDEO? Painfully familiar and unique as it gets. Everyone and their mom watched OK GO strut their stuff for three minutes on those treadmills.

Attention span of a squirrel?

Start with WHY.

Make the WHAT match the WHY.

Dare to be different.

Your band is a business.

Your band is a brand. 

 

Written By David Kleinebreil

Photo by Edu Grande