Should There Be Democracy in a Band?
August 22, 2007 by Jo Minor
I believe in democracy. But let not lie to ourselves - democracy has it’s weaknesses.
The same weaknesses can be seen in a band that practices democracy. Everything takes a long time. It takes a long time to decide on a song title. It takes a long time to decide on practice sessions. It takes a long time to decide what songs to play first.
It takes a long time to do anything, period!
Wouldn’t it be better, if one person made all the decisions for the band?
Don’t most of the greatest moments in history, the greatest music ever played, and the greatest albums ever produced come from one person’s genius and choices?
If there needs to be some kind of compromise, let’s call it a “partial democracy”. That way, the band leader makes the important decisions with regards to the direction of the band, but there is still room for other band members to give their suggestions and vote on certain topics.
What’s your opinion? How does it work in YOUR band? Do let me know by submitting a comment below..
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2 Responses to “Should There Be Democracy in a Band?”
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I can agree with that, you need to have someone as a dedicated leader (and maybe that decision is made democratically). Otherwise things just fall apart with in-fighting. The danger though with having one leader is the rest of the members stop having a voice… I recommend having specific taskes / projects each member is delegated, that way they remain committed to the end goal even if they’re not the chosen leader.
-Matt
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Bands do need a someone in the leadership role, but the dictatorship thing has ruined more bands than you can count. If you ask me, the leader needs to guide the band and keep it on track, but the real decisions need to be made democratically.