The best strategies to find like-minded musicians to create and perform music together have not changed much during the last decade. In this post, we will look at all the best modern methods out there to make sure that you are able to reach out and assemble your dream band together.
Before we start, it is important to do a small piece of retrospection at home first. If we are looking for committed and talented musicians to join your project, it is crucial that you are able to prove trustworthiness and advertise your project with conviction and belief in your project. Remember, we can’t expect someone to commit to a project that doesn’t seem waterproof yet.
Now that the self-reflection is out of the way, let’s have a look at all the best proven and researched methods to meet new and committed band members.
Visiting Music Shops
This old-school method just keeps delivering success throughout the years. Here are a few options while you are there:
- Ask the staff members if they know about any people looking to join a band.
- Ask the manager if you can place an ad somewhere visible where your details are available.
- Place some flyers with an eye-catching design and your details at the pay point.
- Mingle with some of the customers that fit your idea of a possible candidate.
All these things can happen within one visit. It’s the one central spot where musicians meet while being sober, and able to network informally.
Bring a Friend on Board
The most important part of playing in a band is also getting along well with one another. And with someone that you are already well acquainted with, makes the job so much easier. There are plenty of famous bands who just started as friends and complete beginners, and they just grew together from there. It’s as easy as getting an instrument and practising regularly. Honestly, that’s also how I also started playing.
By the way, don’t miss the post I wrote about the easiest instrument to learn to start playing in a band now. You might just get the extra inspiration to dial a buddy up and start practising together.
Attend Open Mic Nights
Again we have a couple of things to do here.
A venue full of other musicians is the ideal opportunity for you to mingle and network. Observe the musicians and listen to their performances. Perhaps there’s a chance you might want to connect with one of the artists.
Since you are at the venue, it would be a golden opportunity for you to promote yourself by playing a few songs. This is the quickest way of drawing attention to your talent and building connections, on and off the stage.
Remember, to start a band one does not have to have all of the members at once. Build them up one at a time. Build trust and connection with each member before you decide together to add another. Don’t miss the article I wrote about The Number of People You Need to Start a Band. It might help and guide you a little more in the direction of collecting your members one by one.
Making Yourself Visible Online
The online market has grown and will continue to grow. Even though I still find it most valuable to meet people in person, the online option is a fantastic bridge to bring people together.
Facebook groups
There are groups for all areas and all different types of opportunities. Search for ‘Musicians in Your Area’ and check what you can find there. Be sure to do background checks on people before meeting up in person (I’m sure there’s no pep-talk needed 🙂 ).
Various websites
Feel free to try these websites out:
- bandmix.com – Looks really cool and kosher.
- craigslist.org
- join-a-band.com
- reverbnation.com
Local pages and listings online
This could also be your weekly local newspaper. Place an advert and see what type of reaction comes back to your request.
Social media
This is probably the best place to create an audience for yourself even before you have band members. You will have the chance to create a following and fans and prove yourself as a serious candidate for musicians to want to play and perform with.
The best place to invest in the short video format is definitely TikTok and then Instagram.
Since we are mainly focusing on meeting band members, use these platforms to connect and reach out to people in your area. Comment on people’s videos and try to meet up for trial practices.
The App Vampr
This is an app that’s similar to Tinder, but just for musicians. It’s so easy to use and has a great overview. You basically just put in all your details with a short bio and a short video of your skills if you like, and then you can match with other musicians looking for artists with similar skills and influences.
It looks really exciting. You can put a band together in a short period of time if the members you search for are located close to each other.
It’s also a fantastic networking opportunity. There are also producers and designers on the app looking to support bands and artists.
Play at Your Local Church
This is a great option if you are a church-goer. Churches are very open to new people and like giving opportunities to new musicians. It’s a fabulous spot to build bridges and make connections. Build some contacts and invite them over for trial practices.
Within church communities, you find plenty of like-minded people who are often on the same ability level.
Networking at Concerts
Many bands are very open to collaborating with someone once in a while. Reach out and build a connection. There’s always a possibility.
Once you have your band settled, or you would like to perform solo, don’t miss the article I wrote about landing an opening gig for a successful artist. There’s a bit of guidance and some tips about networking at venues and with artists that might help you to your next step.
There are definitely more ways and methods to find committed band members, but I found that the above-mentioned ways are the most successful, safe and proven ways of making contacts, networking, and gathering the members that you will need.
Let me know below if you had success with any of them or if you have another clever method that could help others.
Keep working, keep grinding! On to the next one…