Bandhive

As an up and coming band, you're probably looking for new ways to grow your fanbase and earn some money . One of the best ways to do this is by playing live shows - and not just a few shows, but lots of them! The caveat is, it's important to spread them out and avoid saturating any single market by playing too many shows in the same city. By playing in different cities, you'll have a chance to rea...

If you aren’t selling merch, you’re missing out on the largest potential income stream for your band. Offering merch is the difference between being a hobbyist and making an honest effort to turn your passion into a career. Over the years, I’ve seen every excuse under the book but to be perfectly blunt, no merch, no business. Listen now to learn the basics of selling merch for your band so you can...

One of the biggest mistakes I see artists make, whether they are locals just getting their feet wet or major label acts with decades of experience, is alienating their fanbase . Simply put, if you drive your fans away, you are actively taking money out of your own pocket. That’s why it’s incredibly important to nurture long-term relationships with your fans and then keep those relationships alive...

A lot of independent artists struggle to promote their shows not because of lack of effort, but because they don’t know where to start. That’s why this episode dives into five different ways you can promote your shows without paying for ads! Listen now to learn how you can bring more people to your shows, get booked at better venues, and reliably grow your band! What you’ll learn : Booking more sh...

Most bands ignore finance and business practices when they start out, which is fine for a hobbyist… But if you hope to someday “make it” you need to pay attention from day one . After all, no one wants to end up making big moves and then owing thousands to their tax authority because they didn’t report a small amount of income 5 years ago. Everyone thinks it will never happen to them – until it do...

Canceling shows is one of the last things any artist wants to do. The bad news is if you’re sick or injured, you might not have any choice. In this episode, Matt and James dive in to discuss important recommendations for musicians to stay in top physical health at all times. Listen now to learn how you can improve your health, stay fit, and be ready to jump around on stage for years to come! What...

Mental health for musicians is often ignored until one celebrity or another has a public meltdown. Unfortunately, it's not surprising that mental health issues are a common problem among musicians and artists. This can be due to the pressures of the industry, the lack of stability, and the intense focus on their craft. Mental health issues can also be caused by the lifestyle of being a musician or...

More bands than ever before are using backtracks and in-ear monitors than ever before - partly because the negative stigma about click tracks is fading, and partly because IEM rigs are becoming more affordable. If you’ve ever wondered about getting your band on in-ears rather than clunky old floor wedges, but haven’t quite figured out what you need yet, this episode is for you. Ruston Fettig of th...

Every business needs systems and processes to stay healthy - it’s part of managing your business effectively without wasting time on simple tasks that a trained monkey could do. Bands are no different - by using tools to make your life easier, you’ll be able to spend more time on the things you love, like writing and performing music. In this episode I dive into six categories of tools you can use...

Last month, I saw the most energetic live show I’ve ever seen a band put on in a room that holds fewer than 100 people. That’s when I asked John James Ryan of Keep Flying to come on the Bandhive Podcast - not realizing at the time that he’s also worked with some of the biggest names in the scene. Listen now to hear all the wisdom nuggets John shares about touring in a post-pandemic world, growing...

A ton of artists are already working on their spring and summer 2023 tours. If you want to hit the road, now is the time to start planning! There are two very important steps to take before you start reaching out to venues and promoters… Don’t skip them, or you will regret it later. You could end up broke, on the opposite side of the country, or worse in debt for who knows how much. Listen now to...

So you’ve started implementing the Setlist Sandwich in your live shows… That’s great! But what about keeping your audience engaged leading up to a release? There’s a similar strategy you can use for your singles before dropping an EP or album. I won’t go so far as to call it the Single Release Sandwich , but it’s absolutely worth considering. Listen now to learn what order will get the best bang f...

When you get an opportunity to open a show for a national act, you might start jumping up and down. After all, playing a show with one of your favorite bands is a thrilling experience! If you want to play more big shows, it’s important to not screw this up ! The process starts long before the show, with professional communication and proper rehearsal of every aspect of your show. It doesn’t end wh...

Running any business, including a band, means tons of communication with other people and companies. That’s just part of the deal. You probably like working with people who are pleasant and easy to communicate with, right? That’s how other people feel, too - which means you need to communicate as effectively as you possibly can. Otherwise, you might be labeled as difficult to work with, or if you’...

You’ve probably seen a band play a set and thought, “what on earth are they doing?” Not because the band was bad, but because their set was just a mess. Maybe they started with a bland, boring song. Or perhaps they ended on a low note, with a more melancholy deep cut. No matter what, it’s important to recognize that as an entertainer you are in charge of keeping your audience entertained and engag...

It’s a common question: “how much will it cost to go on tour?” There’s no real answer to this. There are practically infinite factors that go into planning a tour - but the good news is I can share a rough baseline of the costs with you. Join me in breaking down a basic budget for a one-week DIY tour so you can have a better understanding of the investment you’ll need to make to hit the road. List...

When an artist’s tour manager settles a show, they do accounting and collect payment. As a part of the process, they crunch the numbers for that night. If it doesn’t match what the promoter rep has in their own accounting, the promoter and TM work together to find the problem. It’s not typically adversarial - instead it’s two parties who want to verify that everything is accounted for properly. Tr...

Last month a friend of mine came to me with a dilemma: they had been removed from their band for “not doing enough” even though the band leader had constantly reassured my friend that they were doing everything they should be doing. Unfortunately, I see this too often: band leaders have no idea how to properly “lead”, won’t communicate with their bandmates, and eventually end up poisoning the band...

A big part of flight training is learning how to respond to situations you hope will never happen to you. The idea is that when (not if) they do happen, you’re prepared to handle them. Bands can do the same thing , so when disaster strikes you 1. Aren’t scrambling for a solution and 2. Can handle the situation in a calm, collected manner. Why is this important? Well, the less downtime your band ha...

Everyone hates hall fees. Well, almost everyone. Venues seem to love taking money from artists selling their merch at shows. Recently we’ve seen artists openly bashing venues for taking a cut of merch sales, and in some cases those complaints are justified. It’s not as cut and dry as artists make it seem, so this week I’m diving in on what a hall fee is, why venues started charging them, and how y...

Humans are naturally wired to fear being a social outcast - living in groups kept us safe for thousands of years. That fear of rejection is still present for most of us , no matter how well liked we are. If we don’t “make the ask” by reaching out to someone new in the music world, whether it’s to book a show or ask a potential new fan to listen to our music, we miss out on countless opportunities....

“There aren’t any shortcuts in the music business”. Tons of people say that, and in my opinion they are wrong. See, there is a shortcut in the music business. Instead of wasting years grinding away on the road, doing a few key things first will make your career easier. I’m not saying that your career will be handed to you on a silver platter… But it will be just a bit easier for you. Listen now to...

Every band faces the debate at some point: what can we sell at our merch table? Aside from black t-shirts, the options are practically endless. There’s a “standard fare” of sorts that many artists choose, but you can also get creative with the items you offer your fans. Listen now to learn some of the common items you could sell at your merch table, and how you can sell things you’d normally throw...

What’s your morning routine? It’s probably something like this: Open your eyes Roll over and pick up your phone Scroll for a while (too long) until you need to get up or you’ll be late Does that sound right? Cutting out your early morning scroll will set you up for a much better day - and help you more effectively manage your time. That’s just one thing you can do - there are many other ways to ma...

It can be tough deciding which areas to play - you only have so much time to go play shows (whether a one off, a weekend tour, or a week+ tour). How do you choose the best possible markets to play? Aside from good old trial and error, which you’ll definitely use, there are two main methods: analyzing your data and asking the right people. Listen now to learn how you can get the best possible info...