Top 5 Things That Kill a Band

May 8, 2007 by Jo Minor 


For each band that goes platinum, thousands of other fail, some of them after trying for years. Being in a band is just as difficult as being in a relationship with another person, and the reasons for failure are similar too.

Here are the top 5 reasons a band dies:

  1. Lack of Leadership - Without a leader to follow, most people will be lost. In a band, a leader is someone who controls the music, style, image, and direction of the band. It’s very crucial for the leader to establish the fact that he / she is the leader of the band, and therefore should be entrusted to make the tough decisions. In my opinion, pure democracy kills a band. Imagine having to consult everyone on every decision; things just don’t get done.
  2. Lack of Commitment - Each member of the band has different levels of commitment, and these levels are changing all the time. When starting a band, make sure that all members have a similar goal in sight, be it selling thousands of CDs or doing regional / worldwide tours, or just to play in local pubs. A lot of people make the mistake of roping in great musicians that lack commitment, and this is often the downfall of a band.
  3. Slow / No Progress - Frustration kills. If you’re the leader of a start-up band, make sure you have short-term goals to define exactly what you band should be doing 2 years from now, 6 months from now and even 4 weeks from now. Get more gigs, send out more demos, write more new songs. If your progress is too slow eventually your band members will move on to other bands, or just quit playing altogether.
  4. Unhealthy Dependency - A lot of famous bands have broken up due to dependency on several key members. Like GNR did without Slash, like RATM did without De La Rocha. There will be “creative drivers” in the band, and this cant be avoided. When they quit / are unable to play, you nigh wish you had started that side project.
  5. Creative Differences - This is the number one excuse most musicians give when they quit, but in reality it’s not more important than any of the other reasons mentioned here. It simply means that people change with time. Although John may have been your Metalhead buddy in college, it doesn’t mean that he will want to play that kind of music in the present or future. This is an unavoidable, unfortunate reason for a break-up.

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Comments

4 Responses to “Top 5 Things That Kill a Band”

  1. Karlo Licudine on May 9th, 2007 11:06 am

    I ran really relate to what you have written. Me and my college mates started a band just a few months ago but it didnt turn out well because of our lack of commitment.

    Also, when we started the band, we were afraid that we wont be noticed because of the fact that only a select few gets a chance to be on the spotlight.

    Sigh. Still, nice article!

    Thanks for your post.

    If you have time, why don’t you drop by my post:
    http://mobileko.blogspot.com/2007/05/snatch-top-5-tips-on-how-to-be.html

    It’s also an entry for the problogger top 5- group writing project. ^^ Goodluck to us all!

  2. Don M on May 9th, 2007 11:11 am

    Great post. I have had some of those happen to me in the past. I love these top 5 posts.

    If you get a chance, check out this article:

    Songwriters, Top 5 Ways to Cure Writer’s Block

  3. Harry L on May 10th, 2007 1:52 pm

    The other one I’ve heard is when the drummer comes to practice and says “Guys, I’ve written a song”

  4. Jo Minor on June 22nd, 2007 12:13 pm

    Hha, thats a funny one Harry.

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