On our Explore tab, you’ll stumble upon BandLab’s hidden gems – new musicians, communities, genres, and collections. Of our featured collections, shines a playlist titled Long-Distance BandLab Collaborations, showcasing collabs amongst musicians littered in different corners of the world. Take In The Rhythm by The Spring Reverberates for example; a tune of southern jams and a whole lot of heart. The kicker? Their band members are spread out across the US, Germany, and New Zealand. These collabs start as the coming together of individuals complementing each other, and often lead to more – as a band.
Harmonious collaborations between like-minded musicians are a true marvel of what innovation has allowed us to achieve, and starting a band online has never been easier. You’ve got the technology, you’ve got the ideas, now you need the execution. Here are a few pointers to help you go about creating, or joining a band online.
The missing piece
Before you go searching for band members, you’ve got to figure out exactly what you’re missing. That sounds obvious enough, but the mistake often made is bringing in a band member you don’t really need, simply because you’re friends with that person. Say you’re two friends playing together – a guitarist, and a drummer. Whether you’ll need a second guitarist, or a bassist, or even someone on keys, is going to depend on your songs. Find out what roles you need filled for your band, and match the people to those roles – not the other way round!
Pro tip: Listening to your favourite tracks could give you an idea of what instruments you’ll need, and how they could come together to enrich each other. A central document with these will make it all easier for you in the long run!
Finding the musicians
You’ve got a plan, and you know who you need. Good. Now you’ll need to find them. Looking for the right musician can be tricky, so we’ve written a guide here. Once you’ve got the right people, you can create your band on BandLab.
Laying the foundation
Exciting times ahead! You’ve got your band members, possibly even a rad band name, now what? Make sure you’re all on the same page from the start. Practice schedules and methods will prove a little trickier since you’re all online and scattered across different time zones, so getting straight down to business by setting agendas for your Skype calls and sessions will be worthwhile.
You shouldn’t shy away from looking a little further – jot down your goals with the band, short term, and long term. Once you know what you’re all striving for, settle on each member’s role and contribution in getting there. Plotting date markers next to them will help the band members keep track of their contributions as well. Be proactive, not reactive!
The go-to guy
Pretty soon, your phones and emails are going to be buzzing. You’ll have to liaise with the media and artist relations to get your band away from the computers, to the stage. And of the stage, you’ll be contacting many more people to book venues too. You’ll need a point of contact for your band, someone who handles communications, and handles them well! A band member who is a people person and gives attention to detail will be ideal for this role.
Press record
You’re set. It’s now on to the music – this is what you’re really here for. Physically being together to write music or practice won’t be possible all the time, but it shouldn’t stop you from creating.
When you compose a beat or a simple bassline on BandLab, you can share it with your band, and they’ll have full and immediate access to the track. Your bandmates can then open your track in the Mix Editor to add their parts to it and edit each other’s tracks. There’s even a dedicated band chat group to share feedback and ideas.
The world, no longer bound by borders, is yours for the taking – so start playing!
Ready to start a band online? Get started on your collaborative journey and find musicians to make music with here.
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