JPF Home Page Forums General Messages Industry Message Forum Hiring Musicians 101

Hey Z,

Marc and Larry have it pretty well covered.

Some things folks forget when they are hiring musicians:

Happy musicians play better.

Well fed musicians play better.

Musicians who have had a good night's sleep play better.

A great musician might not be a good driver. A good driver who can help carry gear is worth more than a friend to help with the artist's makeup.

The musician might not love your dog...don't bring it on the trip.

Well paid musicians play better.

After a nine hour drive, a hot shower and a good night' sleep is better than a sound check and a show.

Yes, the bandleader should get paid more.

The great majority of musicians want nothing more than to play your music better than it has ever sounded. But, they're really not that into your career unless they are getting a percentage, so don't always be asking them to do extras or freebies.

Don't play political games with the band, high school is over.

Don't hit on the musicians or their spouses. On the other hand, don't hire musicians or musicians with spouses that hit on you.

Don't bring your kids on the gig unless you want the musicians to teach them to cuss and play poker.

If you say the "R" word, rehearsal, don't be surprised if the musician says the "M" word...money.

If you're paying low wages, but riding in the stateroom in your Prevost bus, expect grumbling. You might find it hard to keep a band.

In the studio, don't forget coffee and food.

Be realistic. Some things can't be done on a low budget demo. Learn what can and can't.

If you have a sound you want, bring an example. I saw a songwriter waste hundreds of dollars because she wanted the song to sound like a George Strait song, but didn't know which one it was. After listening to three George Strait cd's, she wtill didn't know.

Don't let too many cooks spoil the broth. There should be one producer and one bandleader, they could even be the same person, but no more. I've seen two musicians argue for a half hour over the name of a chord. On one session, I was hired by a friend (sometimes that's a mistake LOL), to be the producer, then was told that another guy was going to also produce. My friend and I had spent a day getting the tempos down with a metronome. At the session, the other producer thought one song was too slow. We tried the song at different tempos and after a good long time ended up, I kid you not, in the original tempo we had already set.

Be realistic about your abilities and needs. If you're a singer, do you really need to play the guitar on the cd? I don't know how many cds of Bob Dylan's were sold because of his guitar playing, I doubt many, however, at least he's a decent rhythm player. Are you? If you don't know whether you are or not, ask me, but be forewarned, I'll tell you.

Loyalty and respect is not automatic, it is reciprocal, it comes with a price. Want a loyal band that respects you? Be loyal to them and respect them.

All the Best,
Mike