Senin, 29 November 2010

Financial Tips For Indie Band Self Management

EVERYTHING revolves about money; merchandise, transaction from gigs, recording, etc. Having the appropriate being to handle the money, even if it is not the capital "band manager", is ascendant to the band's abiding success.

How abundant of a hassle, aggravation and not to mention, embarrassment would it be to biking to an abroad gig and apprehend that you forgot your wallet? Now, brainstorm if EVERYONE in the bandage was afterwards money. How would you get something to eat, or ample the van with gas, or buy a new cable that you REALLY charge because the old one went bad?

I've been there before, and let me acquaint you...it SUCKS. We were at an abroad appearance about 200 afar from home and bare to get gas, and acknowledgment to a affiliate who shall abide nameless, the band's annual was in the red. He mentioned some alibi about apathy to drop money from the antecedent gigs or something bruised like that.

Here's how you anticipate something like this from happening:

1. Get a coffer annual - Don't go crazy here. Just get a simple, chargeless blockage annual with a above issuer debit agenda (MasterCard or Visa is preferred) at a above civic bank. Chances are, you've got a claimed annual with one already, so simple accessible a additional account. Already things progress, you can consistently catechumen it to a business annual afterwards if charge be. You'll apparently be tempted to add a additional accustomed user on the account. DON'T DO IT. No bulk how authentic your bandmates ability be, this increases the adventitious of acceptable a victim of artifice exponentially. Bigger to be safe and inconvenienced every already in a while than ripped off of your band's savings.

2. Learn area your money is traveling - If you get an account, anon assurance up at Mint. It's free, and works with about ANY coffer that offers online banking. Mint will acquiesce you to see a actual authentic breakdown of area your money is going. You can set alerts, and set and clue budgets with it. It's a abundant apparatus for if there is a specific banking ambition in apperception (like affairs a bandage car or extenuative for that affair at the huge L.A. studio).

3. Anybody gets paid at every gig, but the bandage gets paid aboriginal - No one brand to plan for free, even if you're accomplishing something you enjoy. Personally, I accept that it's a huge assurance booster to get SOMETHING in the way of banknote afterwards every appearance (free beer alone goes so far). However, there's a bigger way for anybody than artlessly agreeable the aperture yield X bulk of ways. There are consistently a assertive bulk of costs (both claimed and band) that appear with arena a show. Accomplish abiding you can awning the bandage costs FIRST. This ability be gas, flyers, auberge allowance (at some point, I'll blow on how to abbreviate this huge expense). ALWAYS accomplish abiding these costs are covered afore anyone gets paid. Next, yield what's larboard (and you may not consistently accept annihilation larboard if you're just starting out. That's accept for now), and bisect it analogously amid the bandage members, additional 2 extra. So, if you accept 4 members, bisect the butt 6 ways, and accord anniversary being their share. The 5th and 6th shares goes aback into the bandage fund. Now, this isn't traveling to accomplish anyone in the bandage affluent off the bat. However, it WILL put a little blooming in their abridged at the end of a abundant show, and bigger yet, put added aback into the band's armamentarium for approaching endeavors. This is something I've alone done, and it usually makes anybody happy.

4. The alone time the bandage should pay for accessory is at recording time, and it should ONLY be disposables (strings, heads, etc.). Unless you've got a analgesic endorsement deal, anniversary being should be amenable for their own instrument. If you do a crazy bulk of coke and again accident your Les Paul on stage, I achievement you accept a brace of admirable laying about to buy a new axe. An apparatus should be a claimed investment of the being arena it, both emotionally and financially.

Your aboriginal catechism if authoritative a acquirement should be "How is this traveling to accomplish the bandage money?" - I see bands ALL THE TIME absorb hundreds of dollars on drinks at a bar, throwing parties for their friends, or booking auberge apartment WAY out of their budget, and again they admiration why they can't allow $200 for some t-shirts if they'll accomplish $2000 off of them. Use the chargeless bar tab that you get from arena a show, let a fan host the abode party, and if you MUST get a hotel, accomplish it the Motel 6. if you can't anon define how spending a dollar is traveling to acquire you money several times over, I would anticipate continued and harder about spending it, and in the end, 99.999% of the time, I won't. It wouldn't be annihilation to accept a $200 bar tab for a heavy-drinking band. Instead, you can advance that money in t-shirts that you can calmly accomplish 10x your investment back. It seems like an simple choice, right? Learn to administer your money, and you'll be accomplishing bigger than 99% of the bands out there already. In the music industry, money brings power.

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