Wedding Band Success: Secrets To A Stellar Performance

How to be a Successful Wedding Band

Being a wedding band is a serious business decision that requires time, investment, and good decision-making. It's not just about the music; it's about creating a memorable experience for the couple and their guests. Here are some tips to help you succeed as a wedding band:

- Pick the right band members: Choose band members with strong musical skills, professionalism, and a good work ethic. The vocalist(s) will be the focal point, so select someone with a great voice, performance skills, and charisma.

- Management and finances: Decide on a management structure. Will you run the band yourself or give everyone a stake? Work out your unique selling points and ensure they are reflected in your promotional material and performance.

- Know your audience: Understand that your job is to entertain and create a celebratory atmosphere. Choose songs that appeal to a wide range of ages and keep your setlist up-to-date with chart-toppers to keep things fresh.

- Invest in promotional material: Word-of-mouth referrals are great, but most clients will book without seeing you live. Invest in high-quality videos, audio, and photos to showcase your band's talent and create a strong brand image.

- Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse: Know your material well. Practice makes perfect, and a flawless performance will ensure a happy couple and guests.

- Have a Plan B: Be prepared for any eventuality. Bring spare equipment, instruments, and even have a backup plan for power outages. Ensure you have Public Liability Insurance and PAT-tested equipment.

- Get yourself out there: Advertise your services in places where potential clients will find you, such as wedding exhibitions, music agencies, and wedding dress shops. Consider joining a live music agency to access more regular gigs and established client relationships.

Choose the right band members

The first step to starting a successful wedding band is to pick the right people. The most important element is your front person/people. The vocalist(s) will be the focal point of your act and demos and usually the main reason a client decides to book. As well as a great voice, they’ll need to be a skilled performer and entertainer – charismatic, committed to the performance and embodying the spirit of the event.

When it comes to musicians, professionalism and attitude are as important as musicianship. Songs can be rehearsed and musicians can improve over time – a lack of organisation and a bad attitude are harder to fix. Choose band members who are in control of their time and don’t have so many commitments that they’re likely to cancel last-minute gigs. Gig opportunities require quick responses so make sure you’re working with people who return phone calls and emails quickly and can manage their diaries.

If you don’t know where to look for band members, Facebook is a great place to start as it has lots of dedicated groups designed for musicians looking for work. You could also try the places where musicians get together – such as music colleges, rehearsal studios or jam nights.

If it takes a while to find the perfect people, don’t get disheartened. All bands evolve over time so go for the best fit and see how things go. You might not get on with your band members 100% of the time, so weigh up what’s important and stay professional.

Management and Finances

As soon as you can, work out a management structure with your colleagues. Do you want a band that you run entirely, and pay musicians to play in, or do you want everyone to have a stake in it and pool their talents? For example, one of you might have a knack for admin, somebody else could drive the van, and someone else deals with clients and agencies. It’s important to be clear on your expectations from the beginning to avoid issues later on.

Building a Brand

Spend some time working out your unique selling points and make sure these come across in your promotional material, website, and, of course, performance. Do you do mashups, or only certain genres? The more niche you are, the harder gigs might be to chase, but you could also charge more for being a specialist. If you have a strong brand, clients are more amenable to you using dep musicians if you need to, because it’s about the overall act and performance, not each individual. If you have a strong brand, it’s easier to show deps what they need to do to fit in straight away and carry the vibe.

A band's image is important and whether you like it or not, you need to play up to your genre. If you're a sophisticated jazz band marketing yourself for cocktail parties and corporate events, dress up in your smartest evening wear. If you're a Mariachi band, don't expect any interest without the Charro suits. If you want to be something completely crazy and different, go for it, but be bold and memorable!

Decide on a management structure

Deciding on a management structure is a key step in setting up a successful wedding band. You can either run the band entirely yourself and pay musicians to play in it, or you can give everyone a stake in the band and pool their talents. For example, one person might be in charge of admin, another could drive the van, and someone else could deal with clients and agencies.

It's important to be clear about your expectations from the beginning to avoid issues later on. For instance, will you be the band leader, or will you take a back seat? Will you be in charge of finances and bookings, or will you join an agency that will handle this for you?

If you decide to be the band leader, you'll need to be well-organised and responsive to calls and emails, as gig opportunities require quick responses. You'll also need to be prepared to handle all the admin and be absolutely sure that you can get back to clients quickly. Joining an agency means they'll take a percentage of your fee, but they'll also advertise your band and negotiate fees.

If you decide to run the band yourself, you'll need to be clear about each person's role and responsibilities. Will everyone have an equal say in decisions, or will one person be the leader? How will you handle disagreements? Will everyone be paid the same, or will certain roles receive a higher fee?

It's also important to consider the level of commitment required from each band member. Can they commit to regular rehearsals? Are they available to perform every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from April to September, and during the Christmas period?

Finally, don't forget to enjoy yourself! Playing in a wedding band should be fun, so make sure you choose band members who are easy to get along with and who share your passion for music.

Develop a strong brand

Developing a strong brand is essential for the success of your wedding band business. Here are some tips to help you establish a strong brand identity:

• Choose a memorable name: Select a catchy and easy-to-remember name for your wedding band business. Avoid hard-to-spell names and conduct a search to ensure that your chosen name is unique and available for domain registration.
• Create a strong visual identity: Develop a professional and eye-catching logo that reflects the style and personality of your band. Consider hiring a graphic designer to help you create a distinctive visual identity that will make your band stand out.
• Define your unique selling points (USPs): Identify what sets your band apart from others. This could be your musical style, performance energy, or ability to cater to diverse audiences. Clearly communicate your USPs in your marketing materials and live performances.
• Build a solid online presence: Establish a user-friendly and engaging website that showcases your band's personality and services. Utilise social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest to connect with potential clients and showcase your band's talent. Regularly update your online content with photos, videos, and testimonials from satisfied customers.
• Invest in high-quality promotional materials: Create professional promotional videos, audio recordings, and photos that showcase your band's talent and performance style. Ensure your promotional materials are of high quality and accurately represent your band's image and capabilities.
• Develop a strong brand image: Your band's image is crucial for making a lasting impression. Dress appropriately for the genre of music you play and the type of events you perform at. For example, if you're a sophisticated jazz band, consider smart evening wear, while a Mariachi band should don Charro suits.
• Rehearse and refine your performance: Continuously work on improving your live performances by rehearsing regularly. Invest time and resources into perfecting your craft, learning new songs, and enhancing your stage presence. Record and critique your performances to identify areas for improvement.
• Build a reliable team: Surround yourself with talented and reliable band members who share your work ethic and commitment. Choose individuals with strong organisational skills, a positive attitude, and the ability to work well together. Ensure everyone is on the same page regarding expectations, roles, and responsibilities.
• Establish a strong online and offline presence: Utilise both online and offline marketing strategies to reach your target audience. Attend wedding exhibitions, collaborate with music agencies, and leverage social media platforms to showcase your band's talent and connect with potential clients.

Know your audience

Knowing your audience is key to being a successful wedding band. The remit of a function band is to entertain, create a celebratory atmosphere and, in most cases, get people dancing. It's not about indulging your own musical whims.

So give guests the songs they know and love, and keep party song choices up-tempo and uplifting. Weddings are more often than not multi-generational events; you need to appeal to the grandparents without alienating the teenagers. So if you're a rock, pop or soul band playing covers, make sure you play songs from all eras. Keep your set lists up to date with the latest chart-toppers. A varied set won’t just keep partygoers entertained, it’ll save you from performing songs you might grow to hate!

While you need to enjoy what you do, it's important to remember that the purpose of a wedding band is to create a magical experience for the couple and their guests. This means being flexible and adaptable to their needs and wishes.

Before the wedding, share a rough timeline with the group, and note the band’s level of involvement in each part, from the newlywed entrance to family dances. Identify a set time that the band will start performing, as well as any key songs for those important moments. Within that schedule, mark speeches and announcements and outline instructions for the MC.

On the day, be prepared to go with the flow and adapt to any changes or unexpected events. For example, if the couple decides to extend the reception by an hour, be ready to keep the party going!

Lastly, don't forget to enjoy yourself and engage with the audience. Feed off their energy and create a joyful and memorable experience for everyone.

Create high-quality promotional material

Word-of-mouth and referrals are great ways to get bookings, but the majority of people will book a wedding band without ever having seen them play live. This means that the quality of your promotional material is essential.

Video

Video is expensive, but most clients won't book a wedding band without it. Consider the filming location and the backdrop to your video, and the message this sends about your act. Your potential customers need to be able to envision you at their event. If you're not filming live at a gig, try to replicate the atmosphere of an event, even if it's just in the choice of backdrop and lighting. A video in a stale rehearsal room is less persuasive.

Audio and Photos

Get the best promotional audio and photos you can afford. It will pay off in the long run. Make sure you have at least four high-quality, studio demos. A client may also want to hear you live, which is rarely an option for a band that only plays at private events. In this case, some live demos would be good to have.

Get a good studio photo. With hundreds of wedding bands and live entertainment agencies advertising on Google, a good studio photo is vital to make sure you don't slip through the net. Live shots are great for the gallery but will inevitably be glanced over on a page full of polished studio shots. Make sure you get at least one awesome shot of the whole band.

Website

Get yourself a Facebook profile or website. Make sure you have good-quality promotional material and plenty of it. 80% of clients book a wedding band without having seen them first; you'll get more bookings if you can use photos, videos and sound clips to reassure them that they're booking the right people.

Frequently asked questions