Shameless Rants: Where Bands Aren't Smart

I just picked up a book sitting around the office called Tour Smart (And Break the Band) by Martin Atkins. I thought it would give an interesting perspective on strategizing a tour - seems like so many bands just hit the road with a few Myspace posts to promote themselves, and that's all they do to build a fanbase or draw a "crowd" (though it frequently doesn't even qualify as such).

The funny thing was that I opened to a random page, and it happened to be one that emphasized the importance of bands creating a formal inter-band agreement. Really practical advice. And something I've read in every book I've picked up on the music biz. EVER. Still so many bands refuse to acknowledge the importance of this simple, and essential, step in treating their hobby as a legitimate business - and hopefully, ultimately, a career.

Case in point: my boyfriend's in a band and he, having read part of one of the many books littering our apartment, suggested that his band establish an agreement between themselves. Smart move - 10 points for my boy! The response he got from the two "ringleaders" of the band (and let me tell you, it is most definitely a circus!) was a brush-off at best. "Don't worry. Everyone will be taken care of." Uh, okay...

I haven't decided if they are
a) gonna screw their bandmates over (my boyfriend included) the first chance they get
b) so naive that they honestly think a silly little thing like money could not possibly come between them
c) just completely ignorant and think they can wait around for a label or manager to come along and take care of their "business" on their behalf.

I'm betting on option "a" myself in this case, but regardless of which, they're gonna have a great episode of Behind the Music in their futures. And it will be just like all the others that they could have learned from but refused to, because these guys are smarter than everyone else. Uh, right...

The thing is, these guys are a common example. I'm not singling them out because they are unique - quite the opposite actually. I'm understanding, the more bands I befriend, that they are quite common in their reluctance to take a professional and practical approach to their music. It's a shame because there are so many bands that have the talent, but not the sense, to make it in this tough industry.