Establishing Your Band: More on Building Repertoire
I had a friend and reader ask me recently, why is it so important that you build repertoire before building a membership? I thought I had covered this in my original article, but I just wanted to give a few more thoughts on why this is the best strategy. I won’t focus on what it means to the recruits so much, because we covered in-depth how not having material to demonstrate upfront can cause conflicts in taste and style later, and crack a band up again–more work for you.
Assuming that a songwriter wants to form a band to make original music, then first you need the songs. You need to know why this is important. It helps you select the band members. It means you have material ready to go. You don’t have to take months to develop it, or learn how to write together—that can come later. When you have repertoire already written it means it’s a shorter road to performing and earning from playing.
Bands want to play. Bands need to play, and if you have songs, it’s a demonstration of commitment to a career. It says, “We’re gonna make a record.” If you don’t have the songs, then you have nothing that puts a future in front of you. You have nothing that will drive you on.
You also must remember that a building a band isn’t just about you selecting them, but also them selecting you. That means you’ve got to market yourself in a genuine, honest way, and demonstrate that you’re a real human who is worth working with. A repertoire of songs, already written, makes that a hell of a lot easier.
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