Bandhive

As an up and coming band, you're probably looking for new ways to grow your fanbase and earn some money.

One of the best ways to do this is by playing live shows - and not just a few shows, but lots of them!

The caveat is, it's important to spread them out and avoid saturating any single market by playing too many shows in the same city.

By playing in different cities, you'll have a chance to reach new audiences and grow your fanbase.

Booking shows can be a daunting task, but it doesn't have to be painful.

With the right mindset and approach, you can book more shows and grow your band's audience while having fun and bringing in revenue.

Join us now to learn how you can book shows that will help boost your band to the next level!

What you’ll learn:

• How to book shows for your band
• Choosing the right type of venue to book
• How to find venues to play
• Setting expectations for promoters
• Researching venues to play
• How to get booked more often
• Following up with venues or show promoters
• How your band can play more shows and get invited back!

For full show notes, visit https://bandhive.rocks/165

If you aren’t selling merch, you’re missing out on the largest potential income stream for your band.

Offering merch is the difference between being a hobbyist and making an honest effort to turn your passion into a career.

Over the years, I’ve seen every excuse under the book but to be perfectly blunt, no merch, no business.

Listen now to learn the basics of selling merch for your band so you can start earning money even when the shows don’t pay and the streams are only a trickle!

What you’ll learn:

• Why selling merch benefits your band in multiple ways
• The hazards of not having merch for sale
• How to get merch designed for your band
• How merch quality impacts your sales and long-term success
• Where bands can get merch printed
• Selling merch at your shows
• Marketing your online merch store
• The damage low quality merch does to your brand

For full show notes, visit https://bandhive.rocks/164

One of the biggest mistakes I see artists make, whether they are locals just getting their feet wet or major label acts with decades of experience, is alienating their fanbase.

Simply put, if you drive your fans away, you are actively taking money out of your own pocket.

That’s why it’s incredibly important to nurture long-term relationships with your fans and then keep those relationships alive and well.

If you fail to do that, your career will be dwindling sooner than you think.

Listen now to learn how you can build solid connections, maintain an active fanbase, and avoid the downfall of ruining your music career!

What you’ll learn:

• Growing relationships with your fans to further your career
• A warning about your public presence on the internet
• The difference between a good interaction with fans and a bad interaction with fans
• Making fans feel like they belong
• The cyclical nature of a band’s decline
• Being an infection force of positivity
• Creating memories with your fans
• Protecting yourself and your bandmates
• Making a win/win offer that fans can’t refuse
• Adding value to your fans’ lives

For full show notes, visit https://bandhive.rocks/163

A lot of independent artists struggle to promote their shows not because of lack of effort, but because they don’t know where to start.

That’s why this episode dives into five different ways you can promote your shows without paying for ads!

Listen now to learn how you can bring more people to your shows, get booked at better venues, and reliably grow your band!

What you’ll learn:

• Booking more shows by tracking your band’s history
• Spreading the word about every show you play
• Leveraging one-on-one conversations with fans and friends
• Using oldschool methods to market your band’s shows
• The power of email lists for promoting shows
• Using giveaways and discounts to fill seats
• One big thing everyone is missing on giveaways
• The difference between ticket sales and the drop count

For full show notes, visit https://bandhive.rocks/162

Most bands ignore finance and business practices when they start out, which is fine for a hobbyist… But if you hope to someday “make it” you need to pay attention from day one.

After all, no one wants to end up making big moves and then owing thousands to their tax authority because they didn’t report a small amount of income 5 years ago. Everyone thinks it will never happen to them – until it does.

This week on the podcast, accountant and author Stephen Pell shares his knowledge of finance for bands so you can avoid straying into hazardous territory.

Listen now to learn about business management, debt, taxes, and how to improve your creativity by having a solid financial plan!

For full show notes, visit https://bandhive.rocks/161

Canceling shows is one of the last things any artist wants to do. The bad news is if you’re sick or injured, you might not have any choice.

In this episode, Matt and James dive in to discuss important recommendations for musicians to stay in top physical health at all times.

Listen now to learn how you can improve your health, stay fit, and be ready to jump around on stage for years to come!

What you’ll learn:

• Why healthy nutrition is incredibly important for musicians
• Eating healthy while on tour
• Scheduling your tour to get enough rest on the road
• Maintaining your health as a musician
• How making many small changes can have a big affect on your life
• Creating a system to improve your lifestyle
• Building habit and routine for a healthy body
• Getting exercise while on tour
• Setting yourself up for success

For full show notes, visit https://bandhive.rocks/160

Mental health for musicians is often ignored until one celebrity or another has a public meltdown.

Unfortunately, it's not surprising that mental health issues are a common problem among musicians and artists.

This can be due to the pressures of the industry, the lack of stability, and the intense focus on their craft.

Mental health issues can also be caused by the lifestyle of being a musician or artist, which can be extremely demanding and isolating.

Over the years, we've lost far too many amazing musicians due to struggles with mental health.

On this episode of the Bandhive Podcast, Matt and I discuss the incredibly important topic of mental health for musicians. Listen now to learn more!

What you’ll learn:

• Mental health and music: why they go hand in hand
• Getting the resources you need for positive mental health
• A case for building good habits in your life
• Learning how to handle feedback and criticism
• Surviving the studio process
• Mental health during band practice
• Discussing your wants and needs as an individual
• Bad habits and mental health for musicians
• Safety on tour to preserve mental health
• Why a healthy body is vital to a healthy mind

For full show notes, visit https://bandhive.rocks/159

More bands than ever before are using backtracks and in-ear monitors than ever before - partly because the negative stigma about click tracks is fading, and partly because IEM rigs are becoming more affordable.

If you’ve ever wondered about getting your band on in-ears rather than clunky old floor wedges, but haven’t quite figured out what you need yet, this episode is for you.

Ruston Fettig of the band NRVS joins me to nerd out about gear and discuss the basics of setting up an in-ear monitoring rack for your band.

Listen now to learn what NRVS has in their rack, and how you can start building your own IEM and playback rig!

What you’ll learn:

• The benefits of using in-ear monitors
• What you need for an in-ear rack
• The budget method of building an IEM system
• Where to use caution when bringing an IEM system to a show
• Why some bands can’t play without backing tracks
• Set up and teardown of your rig at shows
• The cab-less stage setup
• Where to learn more about in-ear monitoring
• The pros and cons of IEMs

For full show notes, visit https://bandhive.rocks/158

Every business needs systems and processes to stay healthy - it’s part of managing your business effectively without wasting time on simple tasks that a trained monkey could do.

Bands are no different - by using tools to make your life easier, you’ll be able to spend more time on the things you love, like writing and performing music.

In this episode I dive into six categories of tools you can use in your band to save time, earn money, and make running your band less of a headache!

What you’ll learn:

• The best tools to save time running your business
• How to stay consistent posting on social media
• Building your main online presence and merch store
• Selling merch online
• How branded communication help your band
• Effective filesharing tools
• How not to use merchandising apps
• The ideal way to stay organized on tour
• Why these tools are incredibly important to your band

For full show notes, visit https://bandhive.rocks/157

Last month, I saw the most energetic live show I’ve ever seen a band put on in a room that holds fewer than 100 people.

That’s when I asked John James Ryan of Keep Flying to come on the Bandhive Podcast - not realizing at the time that he’s also worked with some of the biggest names in the scene.

Listen now to hear all the wisdom nuggets John shares about touring in a post-pandemic world, growing your fanbase, and much, much more!

What you’ll learn:

• Why tours have gotten shorter after the pandemic
• Keeping your bandmates happy by being flexible
• Saving money on your tours by sharing gear
• How to grow a fanbase in markets that are starved for art
• Handling criticism from attendees
• Which demographics to target
• Why playing live is the #1 way to grow your fanbase
• The mental health aspects of playing music
• Why waiting is almost always a mistake

For full show notes, visit https://bandhive.rocks/156