Bandhive

As a band, making decisions can be tough. You want to make the best choice for your music, but sometimes there are multiple acceptable solutions. 

How do you know which option is the best? Is there even such a thing as a "best" solution?

In this episode of Bandhive Podcast, I discuss why most problems have multiple acceptable solutions. While there may be a "best" solution, that's not always the case – and the situation itself will be a major factor in which option to choose.

Listen now to learn more about making effective decisions as a band, and how you can take failure and turn it into a positive experience!

For full show notes, visit https://bandhive.rocks/125

Being on time is incredibly important in the live music world. There’s a good reason behind the saying, “If you’re 15 minutes early, you’re on time. If you’re on time, you’re late. If you’re late, you’re fired.

Unfortunately, being punctual is not always easy. There are a lot of things that can go wrong and cause you to be late. Some things like flat tires happen unexpectedly, which can often be excused… But others, such as work or other events planned and scheduled in advance, are never acceptable excuses.

Listen now to learn why it’s important to always be on time, how to plan ahead properly to avoid being late, and what you can do to put on the best show possible!

What you’ll learn:

• The pros of being early or on time
• The cons of being late
• How to plan ahead and be on time
• A lesson in burning bridges
• Why being unreliable limits your opportunities in the music industry
• How to keep a good reputation

For full show notes, visit https://bandhive.rocks/124

It's hard to get people to care about your music. Even if they follow you on social media, it doesn't mean they're going to buy your music or come to your shows. 

Most bands settle for just having social media followers. But that doesn’t always work…

You need to turn social media followers and casual fans into superfans who will buy your music, come to your shows, and tell their friends about you.

Our guest cohost David Ryan Olson is the founder of Evergreen Records and an expert in converting social media followers into fans of your band.

Listen now to learn more about moving your followers up the hierarchy of leads so they become superfans of your band!

What you’ll learn:

• Why followers are not the same thing as fans
• How to tell if you have an audience that cares
• Why social media isn’t the only road to success
• What marketing means for your band
• How to market your music without being scummy
• Using TikTok to get fans for your band
• How to convert casual fans into superfans
• Why awareness and interest are both important for your band
• How to pick the right platform for your band

For full show notes, visit https://bandhive.rocks/123

Going on tour can be a daunting task. You have to plan the tour, book the shows, and then scrape together your budget to make the tour happen… And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Many DIY bands never go on tour because they don't know where to start. They get overwhelmed by the amount of information available and never tour on a sustainable level.

In this episode, we cover three important tips you need to know before your next tour. Listen now to learn what they are!

What you’ll learn:

• How to mentally prepare yourself for changes on tour
• Why no one likes working with divas
• The importance of a flexible mindset
• How to learn from your experiences on tour
• Why every detail matters on the road
• Making connections while touring
• How to always have a positive attitude
• 2 tools to reduce stress on tour
• Why you need to “offload” tasks to an app
• Where to learn more

For full show notes, visit https://bandhive.rocks/122

You've just released your album or EP and you're feeling pretty good about it. You worked hard on the music, the artwork, and the videos – now it's time to sit back and watch as the world discovers your genius. Right?

WRONG! Just because your music is out there doesn't mean you can sit back and relax. In fact, the hard work has just begun. You have to keep promoting your music after the release so you don’t lose the momentum you’ve spent months building up.

Listen now to learn how to keep that momentum going after your release by building up your content reservoir ahead of time and strategically posting during the release cycle.

What you’ll learn:

• How to create content for your band
• Why posting content as soon as you get it is a bad idea
• How to get your fans to create content for you
• The power of reposting stories you’re tagged in
• Always be creating: why you need to record everything
• How to harness a technique the major labels use
• Never run out of content in your reservoir
• How to promote your band’s album, EP, or single

For full show notes, visit https://bandhive.rocks/121

We've all seen that band who plays well, but is just mind-numbingly boring because they don't move around on stage…

They don't engage with their audience…

Those bands are nothing more than bland robots who can play an instrument. 

On the other hand, you might have seen a band that's absolutely fantastic live.

A band who blew you away by putting on a true performance, rather than just playing music. A band whose show you talk about a decade later, because it was that good.

Listen now to learn how you can make small, DIY shows, just as energetic and exciting as the best arena shows with a few simple changes to your set!

What you’ll learn:

• How to make a small show just as impressive as an arena show
• Why rehearsals matter for your shows
• From solo acts to full bands: engaging with your audience
• Breakdancing to keep your set fresh
• Crowd interaction and your appeal to potential fans
• Movement on stage: if you look bored, your audience is bored

For full show notes, visit https://bandhive.rocks/120

You've put in the time and effort to write great music, hone your skills, and build a following, but you're still not getting booked for good shows.

You’re probably thinking, “what's going on?”

Chances are, with a few small tweaks to your process, you’ll start getting those dream shows sooner rather than later.

In this week’s episode, I go over five reasons you aren't getting booked, and the solutions to those five problems. Listen now to start booking more shows for your band!

What you’ll learn:

• Why you aren’t getting booked for shows
• Finding the right promoters and venues to work with
• How to avoid playing with flaky bands
• Making sure your fans have a good experience at every venue you play
• Why you should never book the “show of last resort”
• The biggest cause of missing out on the best shows and how to avoid it and how to avoid it

For full show notes, visit https://bandhive.rocks/119

You love making music, but you're not sure if production matters. What kind of an effect does good (or bad) production have on your career?

It takes a lot of effort and money to work with skilled engineers and producers… Deciding whether it’s worth it is ultimately up to you. Your goals as an artist absolutely need to be considered, because what you want from your music directly impacts the product you need to deliver to your fans.

Listen now to learn about the production bell curve and why it’s important for bands seeking mainstream success to invest in proper production for their music!

What you’ll learn:

• When production matters (and when it doesn’t)
• How to get more fans
• Why most people will tell you they don’t care about production
• Keeping your DIY ethos while hiring outsiders for production
• How your genre dictates your production needs
• The difference between “good lofi” vs “bad lofi”

For full show notes, visit https://bandhive.rocks/118

It's tough to be an artist and create an original, unique sound. With the current music scene, it's incredibly easy to just clone whatever is popular and hope that fans will like your music too. 

This might get you some fans in the short term, but in the long run you won’t see the same results as artists who take the time to develop their own unique sound.

By releasing music with an original sound, you can make your music more appealing to an audience that truly belongs to you, rather than ripping off famous acts. You can drop music that is influenced by your favorite artists without directly copying their style.

By doing this, fans of the original artist will appreciate your tribute, while new fans will be drawn in by your fresh take on music.

Listen now to learn more about copying vs. being influenced by, and how you can position yourself to grow your fanbase through original music!

What you’ll learn:

• Why you aren’t gaining fans by emulating popular sounds
• The difference between being inspired by an artist and copying an artist
• Making amazing music on a shoestring budget
• How to get fans to choose your music
• The pattern of major artists: starting with a unique sound, then blending in once they’re established
• Why originality matters, especially for a DIY band

For full show notes, visit https://bandhive.rocks/117

It's hard to keep in touch with your fans via social media. Half the time, the algorithm doesn’t even show your post to your fans… Or when it does, your fans are scrolling through their feed at lightspeed and don’t even notice your post.

Without a way to contact your fans directly, you're at risk of losing them forever. Social media platforms can be shut down (goodbye, Vine) or remove your account without warning. But don’t lose hope: your email list is always yours.

Listen now to learn how to start building your band’s email list and what tools you need to succeed!

What you’ll learn:

• Why email marketing is necessary
• The deathtrap of relying on social media
• Protecting your social media accounts
• Getting real fans from social media
• How to harness the power of email marketing to reach your core fanbase
• Why email marketing isn’t spam if you do it right
• Email marketing is still relevant
• Getting started with email marketing for your band
• Three reasons you need an email list

For full show notes, visit https://bandhive.rocks/116