MusicFreak810 Posted May 31, 2007 Report Share Posted May 31, 2007 And I'm currently trying to write my second 'novel'/'book' (never published, I wrote it as just a way to get a lot of stuff out, and this will be my second attempt at another one) and it's sort of inspired by Paramore. It's really not going to be based off of their story of how they became a band and stuff, but the whole 'young teens start a band and make it big' idea has really struck a nerve of inspiration for me since I'm also in a band and we're all around 14-17 years old. So I was hoping if there's anyone on here who might have an idea on what the music industry is like, how does a band manage to climb to the top and stuff? Is it basically they do some covers, once they've got a good handle on the covers they start writing their own stuff, once they've got a good list of songs of their own do they start playing local venues? Etc etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sofa9053 Posted May 31, 2007 Report Share Posted May 31, 2007 And I'm currently trying to write my second 'novel'/'book' (never published, I wrote it as just a way to get a lot of stuff out, and this will be my second attempt at another one) and it's sort of inspired by Paramore. It's really not going to be based off of their story of how they became a band and stuff, but the whole 'young teens start a band and make it big' idea has really struck a nerve of inspiration for me since I'm also in a band and we're all around 14-17 years old. So I was hoping if there's anyone on here who might have an idea on what the music industry is like, how does a band manage to climb to the top and stuff? Is it basically they do some covers, once they've got a good handle on the covers they start writing their own stuff, once they've got a good list of songs of their own do they start playing local venues? Etc etc. There are a few way that a band can get started in the music industry and a lot depends on the trends that are happening within the music business. Right now, the big trends in the music industry are screamo, pop/punk, R&B, hip hop/rap, or metal although, pop/punk is starting to lose its popularity to screamo music (except for Paramore because they are amazing.) Most bands nowadays try to stay away from doing a lot of covers. It's okay to know some covers but most people are looking for something original to listen to. If someone has amazing lyrical skills (i.e Hayley Williams, Pete Wentz, or Ryan Ross, etc.) they have the chance to use that talent to become huge. If someone can connect with their audience through their lyrics, they are talented and can become HUGE. If a band does only covers, they can potentially not make it anywhere. Next is about playing local venues. Many bands/artists start off playing small open mic nights just to get their music heard. After you get a few people to like your music, you can try to get your band an opening slot for another, bigger, local act. It helps a lot who you know too. If you know someone from another local band, you can get a gig opening for them. From there, you will gain a bigger fan base and can begin playing as one of the main acts at shows around town and eventually get into bigger venues locally (yes there are small venues and larger venues when it comes to local music.) After you play enough locally, you can begin looking for gigs in the states around your region. For example, I live in Denver, Colorado, USA. If I wanted to expand, I would need to start looking at smaller venues in Nebraska, Utah, Arizona, etc. Then, you just keep moving around gaining new fans. Eventually though, you would hope that you are lucky enough to catch the eye of someone important in the music industry. If by some stroke of luck, Clive Davis happens to walk by the venue you are playing and he is completely amazed by you, you have it set. However, that is most likely never going to happen. You might be lucky enough to have someone from a small, local, independent label in the crowd but even that is unlikely. Most of the time, as a band, you should make a press kit. That includes a lot of things but most importantly, it includes a 3-5 song demo (try to keep it as 3 kids ). The band would start sending the demo to all of the independent labels in the state (and maybe in surrounding states.) Hopefully, one of the labels will like what they hear and sign the band to a contract. From there, there is only room for growth for the band. The independent label will begin with marketing for the band. In the music industry, it's all about publicity and marketing. However, all publicity is good publicity (even the Kerrang! disaster.) If there is enough publicity and great marketing, any band can become big. Then, the band/artist will record an album and begin touring like crazy. We all know Paramore does. Eventually, the band will have a national fan base which will turn into an international fan base and the band/artist will be know everywhere. And that students is how a band makes it big (theoretically anyway. You can always just go on American Idol and either make a fool of yourself or win and make an album. ) Okay, now that I just wrote a whole book, thank you for reading the whole thing and now I know that college is working.... Written by Sophia C. a.k.a sofa9053. (I had to give myself credit now that I can't feel my fingers...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusicFreak810 Posted June 1, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2007 thank you so much sophia!! That really helps me a lot for my story. Hehe, now I have so many more ideas as to what I can throw at my characters lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sofa9053 Posted June 1, 2007 Report Share Posted June 1, 2007 No problem. I kind of get carried away sometimes though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusicFreak810 Posted June 1, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2007 No problem. I kind of get carried away sometimes though... haha, don't worry bout it! I need as much info as I can get anyways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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