Cover Band Confidential's Podcast (Music Business, Gigging Tips & Making Money as a Musician)

Bands rarely fall apart because somebody missed a chord.

They fall apart because expectations about money, gigs, rehearsals, song choices, musical standards, commitment, and leadership go unspoken until somebody finally blows up.

This week, we brought in somebody who actually knows what he’s talking about.

Dr. Jesse Erdheim is an industrial-organizational psychologist and wellbeing coach with more than 20 years of experience working with motivation, conflict, burnout, leadership, and change. He also fronts a working classic-rock cover band—so he understands band dysfunction from both sides.

We talk about:
*Why bands are uniquely difficult organizations
*How mismatched expectations turn into resentment
*How to give musical criticism without destroying morale
*What psychological safety actually looks like in a band
*Why emotional regulation matters before a difficult conversation
*What to do when your band culture has already become unhealthy

One of the biggest lessons: sometimes the explosion you think came out of nowhere actually started months earlier when everyone stopped checking whether they were still working toward the same goal. Jesse describes his own experience with a guitarist whose frustration over money and travel finally erupted at a show—and how that changed the way his band communicates with new members.

If you're a band leader, working musician, or anyone currently sitting in a group text wondering “How the hell did we get here?”—this episode is for you.

More from Dr. Jesse Erdheim:
jesseerdheim.com

Upcoming book: A Full Cup: Reflections on Living Well

Jesse also fronts The Backroads, a Durham-area cover band performing around Durham, Chapel Hill, and Hillsborough.

https://www.facebook.com/thebackroadsdurham/
https://www.instagram.com/the.back.roads__/

#CoverBand #BandDrama #WorkingMusician #BandLeader #musicbusiness 

00:00 Podcast kickoff
00:55 Meet Dr Jesse
01:53 From GNR to gigging
03:48 Band leadership style
05:37 Shared vision basics
08:14 Why bands are hard
10:21 Gig meltdown story
12:44 Assumptions and alignment
17:47 Common band problems
23:20 Giving feedback safely
27:16 Trust Bank Accounts
27:44 Giving Notes With Care
28:25 Adaptability Over Control
30:02 Does The Audience Care
31:03 Perfectionism And Perspective
31:58 Are Musicians Different
34:54 Win Win Band Leadership
37:30 Pre Show Regulation Routine
39:38 Time Confetti Planning
42:09 Hard Conversations Toolkit
45:30 Stop Rumination Loops
49:59 Relationships And Wrap Up

A regular gig is only regular until someone decides it isn’t.

This week, Adam and Dan discuss what happens when a dependable venue date or residency suddenly dries up. Did the venue eliminate the gig—or did your band specifically lose it? Should you ask for honest feedback? Lower your price? Try to save the relationship? Or accept that the booking may no longer have been serving the band?

They break down why recurring gigs disappear, how bands become complacent, the danger of depending too heavily on one venue or buyer, and why replacing the economic function of a gig may be smarter than finding an identical replacement.

Also discussed:

* Dan gets back in the room and begins rebuilding his band
* Remembering songs, reconnecting gear, and rebuilding performance stamina
* Adam’s rapidly approaching JamZone solo experiment
* Stringjoy’s Project 139 experimental guitar strings
* ATL LBK’s growing collection of branded promotional gear
* A new five-star review from a Dallas–Fort Worth listener
* Eight years of CBC history, zombie bands, celebrity events, and the proposed conference that Paul Kent wisely stopped

The main takeaway: Be disappointed privately, respond professionally, and build a band that can lose one gig without losing its footing.

#CoverBand #GiggingMusician #BandBooking #WorkingMusician #LiveMusic #CoverBandConfidential

Thank you so much for tuning in!  If you want to help be sure to like, subscribe and share with your friends!  

BANDLEADER RESOURCES: https://www.coverbandconfidential.com/links 

Follow us on Instagram!

@coverbandconfidential

@adampatrickjohnson

@danraymusician

If you have any questions please email at:

[email protected]

Consider supporting us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/coverbandconfidential

Or buy us a cup of coffee!

paypal.me/cbconfidential

And for more info check out 

www.coverbandconfidential.com

The perfect band member is an incredible player, always available, completely prepared, easy to work with, affordable, ambitious—but not *too* ambitious—and somehow has nothing else happening in their life.

Unfortunately, that person does not exist.

Every musician brings a combination of talent, reliability, availability, personality, preparation, ambition, and baggage. The real question is not whether someone has flaws. It is whether your band can function with those particular flaws—and whether the problem is actually the musician or the position they have been hired to fill.

This week, we discuss:

• The unavoidable trade-offs involved in hiring musicians
• Why great players are not always the best band members
• Choosing availability and reliability over raw talent
• What an audition can—and cannot—tell you
• The danger of hiring someone based on imagined potential
• Separating personal preferences from actual deal breakers
• Why repeatedly replacing the same position may reveal a structural problem
• How clear expectations, communication, calendars, charts, practice tracks, payment systems, and defined leadership make imperfect lineups work
• Why predictability may be more valuable than perfection

We also get an update on Dan’s attempt to restage his band, consider a potential live band karaoke pivot, fall into Adam’s latest impossible-guitar rabbit hole, explore the very sparkly world of Cream Guitars, and revisit notable CBC episodes from this week in the show’s history.

Try JamZone Premium free for 30 days: https://jamzone.com/l/pro/CBCJZ

What quality comes first when you hire a musician: talent, reliability, availability, preparation, or personality? What have you learned never to compromise on?

Leave a comment or email us at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]).

Cover Band Confidential is the podcast for cover band musicians and band leaders who want to rock more and suck less.

This week is CBC History:
1 year ago Spicy Takes and Sore Fingers (aka Dan's first post-surgery gig) https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/coverbandconfidential/episodes/2025-08-07T17_00_00-07_00
2 years ago 5 creative ways to engage with your audience! (on-stage and off) https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/coverbandconfidential/episodes/2024-08-08T19_00_00-07_00
3 years ago When is it Time to Reevaluate? https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/coverbandconfidential/episodes/2023-08-10T19_00_00-07_00
4 years ago How To Get Started With In-Ear Monitors https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/coverbandconfidential/episodes/2022-08-11T17_58_07-07_00
5 years ago Setlist and Flow (AmberCast Part Deux) https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/coverbandconfidential/episodes/2021-08-12T19_09_44-07_00
6 years ago CBC #114 (Song Selection Revisited) https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/coverbandconfidential/episodes/2020-08-06T19_31_27-07_00
7 years ago CBC #062 (Mike Schulte of The Pork Tornadoes) https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/coverbandconfidential/episodes/2019-08-07T19_26_28-07_00
8 years ago CBC Episode 019 (Coming Clean) https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/coverbandconfidential/episodes/2018-08-10T04_16_16-07_00

#CoverBand #BandLeader #WorkingMusician #GiggingMusician #BandAdvice

00:00 Cold Open and Introductions
00:55 Restaging the Band
02:31 Gear Quest and Cream Guitars
06:40 Jam Zone Promo Housekeeping
07:35 This Week in CBC History
11:23 Perfect Lineup Fantasy
15:09 Defining the Ideal Member
17:41 Tradeoffs and Reality Checks
20:00 Choosing the Right Flaws
21:03 Availability vs Skill
21:44 What the Gig Requires
24:33 Auditions Miss the Truth
26:15 Is the Chair on Fire
30:42 Hiring on Hope
32:55 Preferences vs Dealbreakers
37:43 Predictability and Systems
42:26 Listener Scenario and Wrap

This week, Adam recaps a nearly perfect live band karaoke night, including a packed room, a prospective wedding client who actually showed up, singing with his dad, and a sound engineer powering through a broken foot.

The guys also introduce a new look back at this week in Cover Band Confidential history before abandoning the planned topic entirely to address Fender CEO Bud Cole’s comparison of cover bands to “analog AI.”

It is an analogy that manages to misunderstand cover musicians, generative AI, copyright, royalties, musicianship, and a significant portion of Fender’s own customer base all at once.

Adam and Dan break down why performing an existing song is not remotely the same as generating content from uncredited source material, how working bands help sustain the music economy, and why Fender probably should not diminish the musicians buying its instruments.

Cover bands are not artificial intelligence. We are actual intelligence.

Most of us, anyway.

Episode Links:

-Block Parties, Bombshells, and Bloody Knuckles- 08-01-25

-Music, Politics (and the art of keeping your mouth shut)- 07-25-24

-The Three Things You Need To Succeed- 07-27-23

-Weaponizing The Audience's Nostalgia- 07-28-22

-The Magic Word 07-29-2021

-Nick Niespodziani of Yacht Rock Revue (Vulture Article this week) 07-2020

-061 (Running your Band like a Business)- 07-29-19

-018 (Finding bandmates and building relationships with venues) 07-26-2018

Sweetwater Affilate Link: https://sweetwater.sjv.io/xJE4rk 

 BACTrack Affiliate Link: https://www.bactrack.com/coverbandconfidential  

MaestroDMX (10% off discount link): https://maestrodmx.com/discount/DISCOUNT4CBC?redirect=%2Fproducts%2Fmaestrodmx

Blank Contracts & Riders: https://www.coverbandconfidential.com/store/performance-contracts

Backing Track Resources: https://www.coverbandconfidential.com/store/backing-track-resources

Thank you so much for tuning in!  If you want to help be sure to like, subscribe and share with your friends!  

BANDLEADER RESOURCES: https://www.coverbandconfidential.com/links 

Consider supporting us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/coverbandconfidential

Every working musician eventually has the post-gig drive home where they wonder, “Can I keep doing this?”

But are you actually done with music—or are you exhausted by the schedule, the load-ins, the late nights, the weather cancellations, the band management and everything else surrounding the hour you spend onstage?

This week, Adam and Dan try to separate burnout from genuinely no longer wanting the musician lifestyle. They discuss how resentment toward the logistics can bury your love of performing, why taking a weekend off cannot fix a dysfunctional band, and how your identity as “the music person” can make stepping back feel like failure.

Dan also opens up about his extended break from gigging after foot surgery, the difficulty of rebuilding momentum and the possibility that returning to music may not mean rebuilding the exact same version of his old band.

Also discussed:
* Adam’s epic backstage hang at the Chicago and Styx show
* Adam’s new Behringer Flow 8 solo setup with Jamzone
* Automating live band karaoke with BandLeader and AbleSet
* The “good music, good money, good people” test
* Rediscovering music without trying to monetize it
* When stepping away is healthier—and more professional—than staying
* Dan accepts a six-week challenge to get back into a room and make some noise

The better question may not be, “Should I quit?”

It may be: What exactly am I tired of—and would I still want this if that part changed?

----------------------------------------

Thank you so much for tuning in!  If you want to help be sure to like, subscribe and share with your friends!  

BANDLEADER RESOURCES: https://www.coverbandconfidential.com/links 

Follow us on Instagram!
@coverbandconfidential
@adampatrickjohnson
@danraymusician

If you have any questions please email at:
[email protected]

Consider supporting us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/coverbandconfidential

Or buy us a cup of coffee!
paypal.me/cbconfidential

And for more info check out 
www.coverbandconfidential.com

Adam arrives at this week’s episode suffering from meat sweats and a pair of thoroughly abused shins. Dan is helping his daughter learn bass, Adam’s son has discovered what a $3,500 Dingwall feels like, and Chicago bassist Eric Baines would really like Adam to learn how to sight-read.

Then we get into the considerably less wholesome subject of musicians getting hurt at work.

After Adam took a fall backstage at a July 4th event, we asked the Cover Band Central community for their worst gig-injury stories. Nearly 600 responses revealed everything from cuts and bad backs to electrocution, heat illness, collapsing equipment, crowd violence and musicians attempting to finish sets during medical emergencies.

We sort those stories into the hazards musicians may be able to mitigate themselves and the dangers created by venues, promoters, production companies and unsafe working conditions.

Along the way, we ask why musicians are so willing to prioritize finishing the set over their own health—and why legitimate workplace injuries are so often repackaged as funny gig war stories.

Also discussed:

• The difficulty of explaining skills stored in muscle memory
• Expensive instruments and irresponsible parenting
• Load-in being harder than the actual performance
• The alarming absence of first-aid and safety planning
• Knowing when “the show must go on” has gone too far
• Stage falls, risers and unmarked hazards
• The dreaded electrified microphone
• Outdoor shows with no shade or heat plan
• Security failures and unwanted people onstage
• The role of contracts, insurance and collective bargaining

Resources for working bands: coverbandconfidential.com/links

This week, Adam and Dan recap a Fourth of July gig in Newnan, GA—heat, big municipal-event logistics, a few new/old songs, and lingering monitor gremlins—then pivot into a bigger industry issue: a Bloomberg article arguing a real “fun shortage,” with fewer places to hang out and higher costs, hurting venues and performance opportunities. 

But this isn’t just another “venues are closing and everything is terrible” conversation. The bigger question is whether there are fewer gigs… or just fewer easy gigs.

If bars, clubs, and casual hangout spots are disappearing, bands have to rethink how they create opportunities. That means better marketing, clearer branding, stronger promo assets, faster communication, and finding ways to turn “a gig” into an actual event people want to leave the house for.

We also get into public gigs, private events, DIY scenes, themed shows, and why the bands that can reliably create fun may be the ones that survive the shift.

Topics include:
– Why “extra” spending is usually the first thing to go
– What bands can do instead of waiting on venues and promoters
– Whether the market is worse, different, or just harder to fake your way through

Is having fun actually harder than it used to be?

Are you seeing fewer gigs in your market? 

Or are the opportunities just moving somewhere else?

Let us know: [email protected]

Sweetwater Affilate Link: https://sweetwater.sjv.io/xJE4rk 

 BACTrack Affiliate Link: https://www.bactrack.com/coverbandconfidential  

MaestroDMX (10% off discount link): https://maestrodmx.com/discount/DISCOUNT4CBC?redirect=%2Fproducts%2Fmaestrodmx

Blank Contracts & Riders: https://www.coverbandconfidential.com/store/performance-contracts

Backing Track Resources: https://www.coverbandconfidential.com/store/backing-track-resources

Thank you so much for tuning in!  If you want to help be sure to like, subscribe and share with your friends!  

Linktree: linktr.ee/adampatrickjohnson

                linktr.ee/coverbandconfidential

Follow us on Instagram!

@coverbandconfidential

@adampatrickjohnson

@danraymusician

Consider supporting us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/coverbandconfidential

Or buy us a cup of coffee!

paypal.me/cbconfidential

And for more info check out 

www.coverbandconfidential.com

cover band confidential, cover bands, working musicians, band business, live music venues, fewer gigs, bar gigs, private events, gigging musician, live music business, booking gigs, band marketing, how to get more gigs, music venues closing, live entertainment, event bands, wedding bands, corporate bands, musician podcast, cover band podcast, fun shortage, Bloomberg fun shortage, bands getting gigs, DIY music scene, local music venues

Dan is joined by honorary co-host Mike Schulte for a loose, funny, and surprisingly useful conversation about what happens when cover bands stop getting treated like “just the local guys” and start operating like the professional entertainment businesses they actually are.

Mike shares the long-game story of a hometown festival, a shady gatekeeper, years of being told to play for “exposure,” and the eventual full-circle moment of returning to that same town to play for 10,000 people on a proper stage with proper production.

From there, the conversation turns into a bigger discussion about building a real following: why being good is only the starting line, how fans become regulars, why personality matters as much as polish, and how bands can create moments people actually want to come back for.

Also: kitchen renovation horror stories, hidden house weirdness, horror movies, Mike Flanagan, kids discovering music, and a few current songs that are absolutely destroying in live sets.

This one is about playing the long game, staying human, and remembering that the audience connects with people—not just perfect performances.

Check out Mike's podcast! https://confusedbreakfast.com/ 

Sweetwater Affilate Link: https://sweetwater.sjv.io/xJE4rk 

 BACTrack Affiliate Link: https://www.bactrack.com/coverbandconfidential  

MaestroDMX (10% off discount link): https://maestrodmx.com/discount/DISCOUNT4CBC?redirect=%2Fproducts%2Fmaestrodmx

Blank Contracts & Riders: https://www.coverbandconfidential.com/store/performance-contracts

Backing Track Resources: https://www.coverbandconfidential.com/store/backing-track-resources

Thank you so much for tuning in!  If you want to help be sure to like, subscribe and share with your friends!  

If you have any questions please email at:

[email protected]

Consider supporting us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/coverbandconfidential

Or buy us a cup of coffee!

paypal.me/cbconfidential

And for more info check out 

www.coverbandconfidential.com

cover band podcast, cover band tips, working musician podcast, live band advice, band business, how to grow a band following, local band advice, festival gigs, cover band festivals, booking festival gigs, band marketing, live music business, working cover band, professional cover band, band leader advice, music career advice, Mike Schulte, Pork Tornadoes, Cover Band Confidential, live performance tips, fan engagement, how bands build fans, band coaching, music business podcast

#CoverBandConfidential
#CoverBands
#WorkingMusician
#BandLife
#LiveMusic
#MusicBusiness
#GigLife
#BandAdvice
#FestivalGigs
#RockMoreSuckLess

What are the things bands really need to stop doing?

Not the usual Facebook-group purity tests about backing tracks, iPads, shorts, tip jars, or whether Mustang Sally should be illegal. We’re talking about the stuff that actually makes bands harder to hire, harder to enjoy, and harder to take seriously.
This week on Cover Band Confidential, Adam and Dan dig through nearly 1,000 responses to the question: “What’s something bands need to stop doing?” Then they filter the noise through the lens of working musicians who care about gigs, crowds, venues, and professionalism.

We get into why bands should stop undercutting the market, leaving dead air between songs, looking unprepared on stage, dressing like the gig doesn’t matter, trash-talking other bands, noodling between songs, taking long breaks, overplaying, bringing low energy, and being way too loud.
Plus, Adam recaps the first real-world run of the new AbleSet 3 setup for Live Band Karaoke, including custom canvas layouts, charts inside AbleSet, new songs added on the fly, and why the whole system might finally be dialed in.
If you’re in a cover band, tribute band, bar band, wedding band, corporate band, or any working live music situation, this one is a useful gut check.

Topics include:

*Why “exposure gigs” hurt more than they help*How dead air kills momentum*Dressing for the gig you want*Why public band drama is never worth it*Why “turn down” is still good advice

And a bunch more!

Subscribe for more conversations about cover bands, working musicians, band leadership, live performance, and how to rock more and suck less.

#CoverBandConfidential #CoverBand #WorkingMusician #LiveMusic #BandLife #GiggingMusician #CoverBandTips #BandLeader #MusicBusiness #LiveBand

When does a band actually need a manager?

A listener asked a great question: “Why do I need a manager with a small local cover band doing maybe five gigs a year?” And the honest answer is: you probably don’t.

In this episode, we talk through what a manager actually does, when management starts to make sense, and why most local cover bands are better off building systems, improving booking, tightening promo assets, or hiring help for specific tasks before giving someone a percentage of the band’s income.

We also cover the difference between a manager and a booking agent, whether a manager overrides the band founder, what kind of money needs to be coming in before management makes sense, and the real signs that your band has enough momentum, complexity, and opportunity to justify bringing someone in.

If you’re in a cover band, tribute band, wedding band, corporate band, or local working band trying to figure out how to grow without creating a small village of administrative sadness, this one is for you.

Topics covered:

Ableset Discount Link: ableset.com/cbc
All over Band Leader Links: coverbandconfidential.com/links

Subscribe for more practical advice for cover band musicians and band leaders who want to rock more and suck less.

#CoverBand #BandManager #MusicBusiness #WorkingMusician #BandLeader

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