How Your Band Can Become A Cash Machine Doing Joint Ventures With Other Bands Without Taking Undue Risks

 ("Don't Be A Musician That Doesn't Work At It Or Else It's Like The Lottery Where You Just Hope To Succeed") Mark Grove.  Also, a little tidbit in this piece on why most people are greedy, and why I don't want you to be as a musician. Most musicians who play regularly are into this life for themselves and can't see the big picture. What they don't realize is that by creating value for other musicians can, and will help them make money for the long term. Don't believe me do you?

You don't have to...

But just bear with me here. Just hear me out on this one guys. If you still don't believe me just ask bands who open for national acts. But you won't do that either, will you?

That's why I'm here to help you.

As well, just take a look in Guitar Player magazine in the articles and the ads. The musicians depicted in these ads make a good living earning nice chunks o' cash that most musicians will never hold in their greedy little hands.

What? you think the big name acts are the greedy ones?

I don't think so. Think about the Powerball lottery that's coming up. It's worth approximately half a billion. That's right. The lottery people that put it together did it to get the old greed glands of everyone who doesn't have a million bucks just salivating like an old man who's getting his face wiped by a good looking 25 year old female.

Doesn't have a chance in hell with her, but he'll play it up anyway cause he's a dirty old pecker. He'll pony up some cash anyway, and so will you.

Are you stupid? Stop thinking like everyone else and the rest of the musicians who won't work and think differently. You can do it lads.

These cash flush musicians started where you are, worked hard continually, and yes, got some breaks along the way.

If you and your band mates work hard and create value for other musicians and do some basic marketing off line, not on line you'll come out ahead. I gave you a golden nugget of a tip in one of my last articles on getting a rabid email fan list by using off line ways to do it.

Most business including getting gigs is done off line guys. Lets face it.

I guess I should start talking about Joint Ventures and working with other bands in off the beaten path ways to eventually start your money sucking siphon. You know the old saying she could suck a golf ball through a garden hose?

Well, the same principle applies to making money. Just don't make it so difficult as that though.

Okay, start talking to local musicians to develop relationships with them. You want ones who are in the same or similar type of music you're in. Why? It makes it easier to deal with. It's not a competition either. Don't start talking business either. Most musicians will be turned off  by such overtures at the get go.

Here's How To Get Results Fast:

Introduce yourself and don't start talking about your band. Ask them questions about their band. Before you talk to them do some investigative work though. Go see their band, look for them on the net and see if there are any articles done on them. Even if there are that tells you in what direction the writers went, so you can go in a different direction.

Chances are most bands don't have any articles on them that are based on their equipment or any real feature profiles on the whole band. Go in that direction.

If you need help with that, just email me.

Now, offer to interview this band and put that on your band website.If they are a known band see if you can have it published locally. Come up with questions that are different period. Equipment questions on the guitars and rigs thay use for their recording and live work.

Look at numerous articles I have on the blog as well for ideas. It could be on song writing, session playing or a profile on a band member.

Okay, here's what else you need to do.

Start talking to your local College radio, print and TV media sources. Like I keep saying they are the greatest sources for cultivating rabid music fans who want original and creative musicians who can entertain as well. And a great way to get free publicity.

Talk to College media regularly and get them interviews. Have press conferences as well. Just soak up all the local music media that can help a band. Now, here's where you start talking business. Took a while didn't it?

It's hard work but worth it.

Ask this band about opening for them. Keep on interviewing them. Audition for them not by doing a cold practice or audition at their rehearsal space. It doesn't give them a good indication of what your band is like. Have them come out to one of your gigs and announce the band that you're helping out, and even have them come on stage with you.

But that might not be the best way to do that. The latter part that is. Jam with them at a local jam session or at your practice. Then when you ask them on stage you're ready.

Keep interviewing them, and even offer to interview them at your gig. Don't put all the focus on your band. If all this band sees after that is what they can get out of it, move on to the next band. Remember our chat about greed?

If this band you're helping loves everything you're doing and asks you to open for them, great!

Now, keep doing media interviews for them and getting them coverage. Don't forget your band as well. Keep opening for them locally once a week, even if you have to play for free for a while for them while your band gets paying gigs. You can even have them open for you.

Think about where this other band might be losing like in CD sales or getting an email list or a lot fans coming to gigs. Keep on doing free publicity for them. But offer to sell their CDs at gigs for them for a cut of at least 15 percent. That's another way to make extra cash for your band. You can even offer to write liner notes for their CDs and review their CDs and gigs.


If you're a good promoter you may want to consider helping getting their band members session work as well and taking 10 percent of the cut. If you do everything I've laid out in the former, these bands would be more than willing to give up a small percentage of their CD sales and session work cash for other band members.

Creating massive value for other bands will help you get money period. If this band has a tough time getting gigs by themselves, offer to be their bookers. For a cut of the action of course. If this band you're helping is making your band extra money but they won't work hard to get to the next level, either say we'll just help you sell CDs and get you bookings, but we won't be your little bitches.

You have to work together. You have to be willing to fail. If you can't then you're screwed and doomed.

But most bands will want want you're offering. Media help, article writing and interviews, selling their CDs and getting them bookings. Have this other band reciprocate and interview your band members as well.

If you work with a band that sees that through hard work, co-operation and creating value for other bands is working, then you have a winner. Just focus on saturating the local music media who can help you, that being the college media who are savvy and creative. And they can get the right music fans out to your gigs.

Do joint press conferences with bands you help, that way there's a double whammy in a media blitz like that. After you've gotten lots of local media and have played regularly for at least 6 months to a year at the most, start playing regionally. One to 2 hours away from your town at the most.

For the area I live the best places to play 2 hours away are Toronto or Detroit. Start cultivating the media there, and helping other bands while you still work with this other band. You can literally start a small music empire.

If you as a musician are a bit of a contrarian like me and want to help other musicians and your band, you can and will do well in Joint Ventures with other bands. You could even start asking for money for writing media material for other bands. But we'll focus on making money gigging, booking, selling CDs at gigs and getting media coming to your door and creating a music and media empire of your own making.

If you need help with this, just email me. mdgrove@rock.com

Musicians, How To Stop Being Allergic To Success

Most musicians don't realize how money is really made in the music business or in any other business for that matter. Just the way it is. I'm not here to slag or put down anyone. That's not my intention. You need to hear the real goods guys.

By the way, this is a classic picture of Plant kissing Band Manager Peter Grant. Most bands wish they had good relationships with their managers or agents ,but don't. Most of what I say falls on deaf ears but I keep moving in this biz despite the naysayers. Most marginal bands seem to think that making money as a musician is some kind of mystical transaction that only happens to a privileged few. O you seem to think they must be doing something illegal or immoral to get major bookings.

Think what you want but I'll tell you like it is.

Why you Need a Thick Skin As a Musician

If you can't grow a thick skin as a musician or band you are basically going to make peanuts or give up altogether.

Here's a personal story.

 I worked with someone in the music business in 1985 and 86 booking blues bands in Southern Canada and the US Northeast. We were making some decent cash as an agency but nothing spectacular. We still worked regular jobs and worked doing something we loved. One day I went to use some of the agency money from our joint bank account which was at almost 9 grand in january 1986. To my dismay I saw that the account was in overdraft. What!

It seems that my business partner had literally absconded with the agency loot to the US and sought his fortune in the booking agency game in the US. I was pissed off for about a week when I realized that it was useless to try and get the cash back. He was in hiding until all this blew over. He was a bit of a wise guy who always took bold moves.

I was told by many others including relatives to get my cash back. To call the coppers. Why?

He was gone even though I knew I would see him someday even 20 years from then. I still had my own money and a good standing with people in the music business. I did see him but I just ignored him.

But wait...

The 2 blues bands we were handling got wind of all of this and decided to fly the agency coop and move on. Even though it didn't affect their bottom line they thought it did. They had friends tell them to get away from us and any agents and fly solo. They flew solo for a while and ended up quitting the biz. Too bad, they were great blues cats.

They could not develop a thick skin period.


I still had bookings for them lined up, and they were so adamant about going solo it affected their bookings and how much cash they were making. These bands thought I was doing something wrong and illegal regardless of it not affecting them. Figures. You think bands with major agencies worry about everything that happens as some sort of crisis? Hardly. They deal with it and move on. Don't give me any crap about them being better than other musicians and they have nothing to worry about.

They take care of business period.

I just got back to work booking bands and helping them media wise. That's all there is to it guys.


A Grave Warning For You The Musician:

You'll need to become immune to what happens to you and your band or the people who represent you, or become an also ran who gives up at the first sign of trouble.

You're not like that?  Are you?

The only blame a musician and agent should get is an inability to work together, or the inability of an agent to get bookings, or your band to not see that you have to actually work hard at this.

Only money made should ever get a vote in this music life.

Your Girlfriend or wife doesn't get a vote either, even though she thinks she does.

And neither does your Mother-In Law who hates with a passion the fact that her little girl married a musician. No she doesn't get a vote.

And other musicians other than your band don't get a vote either.

And most of all friends of yours who have something negative to say all the time about how you'll never make it, don't get a vote or a say in your life either. Don't let anyone have a say if they aren't involved directly in making cash for your band.

Can You Still grow a Thick Skin?

I really hope so. That way you can live out your dreams as a musician.

There is no better time than right now to start creating a thick skin so hard, that anything that happens in your music career you can deal with like a pro. If you can deal with the BS of the music industry and have a thick skin, then I have the perfect medication for you and your band.

And it's totally free.

Our free report is on how to work with other bands, open for them, create media for them and even book them and sell their CDs for a cut of action! You can even develop profitable cash centers that help your band make money working with indie labels as writers and promoters.

Your band will receive free monthly reports with tips on music business, guitar and gear tips and  receive a Free Musicians Instant Press Kit for 3 months from us here at Canadian Guitar Player. Stay tuned for more on the freebie press kit.

All for free and a lot more.

Just send us your email and name to:mdgrove@rock.com

Or you can click the big fat subscriber button in the right hand corner of our site. Just put your email and name in there.

Much success to all musicians, and I know you can develop that thick skin.

Mark Grove