New Years resolution for your band?

As we wrap up the year it’s time to look back while we also look forward to what’s to come in 2022

This is just as good a time as any to do some reflecting and figure out what you want to accomplish in the new year and what you’re going to leave behind from 2021.

As musicians, band leaders, and lets be honest, small business owners there are some big questions you need to answer to set yourself up for success.

The first thing I would ask is: what worked this year?

What new strategies or practices did you try that really paid off for you and your career?

For me, it was hiring a dedicated music director for Members Only.

Letting someone with the technical ability, the temperament, and the bandwidth needed to do that job has been a massive win for the band as a whole and for me personally.

It’s vital to build teams with capable people you can rely on if you want to take your projects to the next level.

Luckily Chris was available and I couldn’t be happier.

Another thing to consider is to determine value in what you’re doing.
Now what do I mean by that?

Value can mean a lot of things

Maybe for you it’s how much you make per gig.
is it time to increase how much you charge per show?

Do you need to purchase additional equipment to justify that price increase?

For some bands it may be time to consider  purchasing your own PA.

Maybe you need to invest in better marketing materials or hire a designer to give your branding a boost.

These are all examples of the “it takes money to make money” argument.
 
There are definitely tangible items that may be preventing you from getting the kind of work you aspire to, and the end of a year is a great time to get some capital investments purchased for tax season.

For others, value may mean the kind of gigs you do or don’t do.

Are there venues you aspire to play at?  Ones you’re tired of playing? Maybe aim to foster new working relationships and sunsetting old ones.

Has your living situation changed? Does it feel like next year you should be gigging more?  Gigging less?

As musicians it can be hard to turn down work but I think we can all relate to moments where we said “yes” too many times and our quality of life suffered.

Maybe it’s time to decide to work less for more money, or to only accept a flat number of dates per month for more balance.

No one can make those calls for you and each player’s situation is different, but give some thought about what it should cost to get you out the door for 2022.

A few members of our patreon community mentioned being more present on stage.

Is that something you can relate to?

It can be hard not to check out on longer sets and phone it in, but that connection between the performer and the audience is really where the rubber meets the road as a musician.

Personally, I’m looking to replace myself in my main band so I can focus more on other projects, like this channel, and spending more time with my family.

This year we gained 450 new subscribers on the channel, and got almost 50k views.

My plan is to continue to make content for working musicians like you while also finding the balance to work in the industry I love, but also spend time with my kids instead of traveling every weekend.

What are your resolutions for 2022?  Leave a comment and let us know!
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