Stefan Aronsen's "A Survival Guide for Bands" is now available in five parts as free ebooks. They each have a similar design, somewhat like issues of a magazine, with content focused on the needs of diy musicians trying to build careers as performers.
Lots of different band members and business people weigh in with their takes on topics from initial planning to playing live with comments both practical and insightful.
A Survival Guide for Bands can be viewed online or downloaded in PDF form. I wrote about the first two issues in posts that focused on tips from the guide:
- 10 Tips For Emerging Indie Musicians: Planning For Survival & Success
- 7 Branding Tips For Musicians Who Hate Branding
Following are links to each of the five sections with summaries.
5 Part Survival Guide For Bands
1) PLAN
"Do you know what it is you want to accomplish? Does your band know your agenda? It is important that all members of your band know what the goals of the band are."
2) PERSONIFY
"It is ok to fear the man. However you should not fear some of the words "The Man" uses. Ultimately you have two options with your music. Make it a hobby or make it a commercial."
3) PROMOTE
"You can't rely on somebody else to create your buzz for you. It is very respectable to start your own buzz. Ideally fans will catch on and increase the buzz."
4) PLUG-IN
"This survival guide is about plugging-in. It is the 4th P and sometimes the hardest. Don't stress, just do it. Recruit your friends, fans and family. Make an event out of it."
5) PLAY
"If you play shows; play hard. If you are booking shows, book well. If you are a fan, support your band with all your might. There is only one you; make sure you're being the best you at all times."
Each issue has lots of content organized in short sections so browsing is encouraged.
More:
- 10 Tips For Emerging Indie Musicians: Planning For Survival & Success
- 7 Branding Tips For Musicians Who Hate Branding
Hypebot Senior Contributor Clyde Smith (Twitter/App.net) blogs about music crowdfunding at Crowdfunding For Musicians (@CrowdfundingM). To suggest topics for Hypebot, contact: clyde(at)fluxresearch(dot)com.
