by Tom Hess
Don't make this mistake when looking for new musicians to join your band:
Only auditioning them and asking them join based on their musical skills.
Make sure that any new band member is a perfect fit for your band by both auditioning them and interviewing them. This gives you insight into their personality, mindset, goals, ambitions and any red flags you may need to know about.
Here are three great questions to ask potential band members to determine if they are right for your band:
This tells you how seriously they take their music career and whether they see your band as a serious priority or just a side hobby. Look for musicians who are able to tell you detailed answers about what they want to achieve and how the band helps them achieve it.
The most serious musicians are prepared to drop everything and tour in order to pursue their musical dreams. Some musicians simply aren’t willing to take a month out of their life to travel on the road. Others simply can’t due to job/money restrictions.
Look for people who are prepared to tour even if it means losing money. These are truly serious musicians who are willing to invest into the future of the band!
Finding musicians with previous music career experience is a good way to separate those who are serious from those who are casual. It also gives you good information on some of the skills they already have (that don't need to be trained).
For example: previous experience with touring = no need to train them on how to perform live.
While taking someone through the audition and interviewing process, make sure also have them spend time hanging out casually with the entire band. This helps everyone determine if the person is a good fit.
Learn many more important choices you need to make while looking for new band members by reading this article about finding the right musicians for your band.
Ready to make it in music? Learn how to build a music career.