Establishing Your Band: The Band Agreement
Every band requires a basic agreement that sets the standard for working conditions and practices. The way this document will be written really depends on which governing model you’ve chosen, as discussed in yesterday’s Establishing Your Band post.
Aristocratic - if you’ve used the aristocratic model, the band leader should sit down and knock out a draft, then take it to the band and discuss each element, how it can be improved, and any ideas for additions your band members may have.
Democratic - if you’ve chosen this model, then the planning and writing process should be group-driven; get together and do the draft as a band, with no individual taking the first steps in the process alone.
Anarchistic - if you’ve chosen this model, you obviously won’t be having a band agreement!
If you have a business-savvy or intellectual property law-savvy friend (or band member) you might want to get them in on the process too. Don’t even attempt to start the Band Agreement without a good footing in IP law of your own. That said, don’t even get into the creative industries without knowing that stuff. Go to the WIPO site and get a grip on it all.
Once you’ve decided who is involved in the writing process you can get started. You’ll need to set up a document that follows a structure somewhat similar to the one included in the Band Agreement Outline, with any additions or deletions as necessary, and then filling out that structure to cover, exhaustively, each topic.
Download the Band Agreement Outline as a PDF.
This basic list will get you well and truly started on the way to producing a Band Agreement that will keep the operations of the band civil and provide mechanisms for the removal of a band member who causes too much trouble.
Midnight.Haulkerton (then called Orpheus) actually had a Band Agreement formed after one band member’s consistent poor behavior called for it. You can save yourself plenty of time and trouble (and lost hair) by getting it out of the way in the early stages.
The Establishing Your Band Series
Part One: What Direction Are You Going In?
Part Two: What’s This Band About?
Part Three: What You Need in Band Members
Part Four: Governing Models
Part Five: The Band Agreement
Part Six: Building Repertoire
Part Seven: Recruiting New Members
Part Eight: Learning & Arranging Repertoire
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June 15th, 2007 at 10:45 am
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June 22nd, 2007 at 8:32 pm
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