RUN YOUR BAND LIKE A DICTATORSHIP: Be the leader and make more money! * MUSIC BUSINESS ADVICE 

I was talking to a friend of mine who's band had advanced a step or two up the local/regional ladder toward the "big time". When I asked how he had achieved this exalted stature, he replied "I fired my friends and hired MUSICIANS" ...

I ran a band like this. I put together the set lists, arranged rehearsal, booked the gigs and brought / ran the PA. Our arrangement was I get 50%, the other 50% gets divided up. This worked well because I was the only full time musician. The other guys all had jobs. We did alright - about 2 or 3 bar gigs per month. The rest of my dates I played as a solo (my bread and butter).

A friend of mine met Gary Talent of the E Street Band once. He asked why he had simplified his style so much after Born to Run (really Wild and the Innocent). Talent said, "They don't call him the Boss for nothing." Springsteen was that guy. He took input all the time, of course. But he always made the call, collected the money, and paid the band. (He also paid the band a weekly salary when they weren't playing gigs.)

I've worked for a couple band leaders who did everything themselves. It was good to great! I've also gotten the 'we're a team, all for one and one for all BS. You're expected to be a roadie, a grip and a bus driver but express an opinion and you get dissed.

Have you guys ever sat back and looked at what you are being used for? You are making a bar owner/coke pusher wealthy. I was close friends with the great Yusef Lateef. He wouldn't play where there was Alcohol if he could help it. His music was a spiritual quest. He was blessing humanity. He wasn't spitting out " shake your booty " . It takes real courage to be a leader. I never had it. Of course my parents did everything in their power to try to make sure I would be a nobody like them. My point is if you are talented then you have been given a gift from something greater than yourself. Respect it and respect yourself.

Great stuff. refreshing to hear from an experienced craftsman like you.

anyone who doesn't agree with any of these points has never run a successful band.

Another great video! I have totally gigged out in a band like this! But for the most part, this is the method I use for my Solo stuff. I have the music I have written with all the parts tracked out and notated to chord charts and I just hire who I need and send then all the resources they need to play a successful gig with me! Keep the videos coming!

Awesome video!!! Can you make a video going more in depth of owning a band and running it like a business??

Yep and I liked being a hired musician, too.

Hi Brian. Only just came across your channel today and instantly subscribed. Your videos are great! You sound like someone who does exactly what I do. I run a 3 piece band called Three Card Trick based in Glasgow, Scotland in the same manner you talk about here. The "dictatorship" style (which I totally get the humorous use of) was really the most mutually beneficial option I had when we started doing weddings and other better paid gigs. I sing and play guitar and have a bassist and drummer. None of us had any money at the time to buy proper gear so I took a loan to get a brand new £5k PA rig and £2k on a van and just hoped that we would get busy enough to pay it back. Luckily we did. I organize all the gigs, do all the driving including picking the guys up and dropping them off (luckily we all live in the same city) and I liase with agencies and clients on a daily basis. In return I pay the band a set fee per wedding to literally just play. We split all bar gigs evenly as like you said there's not enough money in them to take an extra cut, but I'm compensated with the extra from bigger shows. I've seen bands TRY to do the even split thing and they rarely last as they develop issues as to who's not pulling their weight with regards to admin, social media, getting bookings etc. Most of the successful covers bands I know do it exactly the way you talk about here. I also write and record my own music which we play live together too. One question I have is, and this isn't pertinent to my band, just general discussions within our own local network of musicians - do you think someone who is a lead singer for 90% of the set AND plays a core instrument has a justification to get paid double for covering two bases? Keep up the great work with the videos. Looking forward to more 👍

I have never performed for less than an equal amount divided among the players. The exception to this is when we have had soloists or horn sections play with us. They get less but do not help with sound system or load-out. We give them an agreed upon amount and sometimes give them tips too. If I was hired as a hired gun for a specified amount, I would do it if it 1-made me happy or 2-made me money. Great subject for discussion.

I almost forgot, I played a "dictator" once, but it was only a costume. It involved a potato (a "tater") & a d...oh, well, nevermind!

Totally agree with everything you shared in this video.

In my neck of the woods, there is almost no such thing as a band with set members. All the musicians I know, will book the gig first, and then hire available musicians. If you need to rehearse first, no one will call you. You only take gigs you know how to do and decline the rest. To stay alive, you book and take as many gigs as you can get and handle.

I am from india and i am a guitarist and i am planing to go to USA for making a band there cause here in India its not as glamorous as it it is in the US so is it good to to go there after 5 years and btw i am an intermediate level guitar player.And i am thinking to make it my career without having q day job so is it good?And i am also gonna study music there

How well does this work??? The final comments of. “I know some people who do this and I did it too”. Not I do this all the time. Tells you how well this actually works. I do know some hired guns who work with bands like this. They make money and that’s all cool. Most of them still yearn for a real band to join so they can contribute to something worthwhile. This is definitely an option. The title is a bit click baity (if that’s a word lol). I think you would be better naming it something like “Get more gigs and better pay with hired guns and be the boss of your band”. Or something like that. Keep up the conversation. 😀😃

For 100 bucks no rehearsal!

Yep

Yep, I've always been the guy who makes everyone else famous. Yet here I am, a gun for hire, and never the deed owner.

It's also a lot the drummer that is the leader.

A good buddy of mine is the original keyboard player in The Dixie Dregs. He quit because Steve Morse wouldn't play one of his tunes. Well we all know the Dregs is about Steve Morse but my friend is a great composer. What's my point? 40 years later Morse had to crawl back and beg Steve Davidowlski to do the Reunion Tour. Stay true to yourself guys!

Thanks for dragging the cat outta the bag on this matter.I have taken heat from these hipsy dipsy bands that believe that I'm being unfair by hiring players & not being "democratic".What I've noticed is while these guys are wasting time to make "group" decisions I've been getting the gigs.I have to say I'm not a flash player but solid & I've noticed persistence & diplomacy trumps talent every time.As far as other player's opinions I could give 2 shits as their reviews are usually tainted with jealousy that I'm working & they're not.Btw my A team plays some of my original music too so it's not a total soulless operation.

The S E? Where exactly are you I played all over FL especially Jax and St. Augustine. Also Atlanta. You're right on. 45 yrs playing pro and basically a Big headache. The only satisfaction was booking and playing my own gigs. I was Always the best player in the band that's why I got hired. Got fed up with playing with assholes in " Sea Level " and I opened a music store in Atlanta. It depends on You! What is music to you? To me if I'm not playing what I wrote with a bunch of great guys who play better than me and I'm not the leader who is respected then fuck it .. I'm not interested. End of story.

Nope! If you want a sober legal aged Pro. level "Dependable Player? You have terms and conditions? So do we/I If you hire me ? You pay me for all the time I use/spend for you just like any other employer. And at a flat pay rate, For hours worked. Not some percentage of the gig payout. A reasonable time/pay to learn a song, And rehearsal hours pay too, Equipment transport for out of town gigs. As well. Time is money Mr. Dictator oops Boss.