The Top 12 Stupid Ways To Get Fired From Your Band
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If you want to become a professional musician...
... avoid these 12 (stupid) things that can cause you to get fired from your band and wreck your music career.
Believe it or not…
Knowing how to avoid mistakes (that can cause you to get fired from your band) is critically important, even if you’re not even in a band yet.
"Why", you ask?
Here is why:
You can go quite far in the music industry simply by avoiding the common mistakes most musicians make.
Plus...
The more you know about what ‘not’ to do in the music industry…
EMAIL TO GET ACCESS
By submitting your info, you agree to send it to Tom Hess Music Corporation who will process and use it according to their privacy policy.
The better you can spot ‘other’ musicians making those mistakes and avoid associating with them – damaging your music industry prospects.
With that out of the way...
Let’s dive into the top 12 stupid ways to get fired from your band:
Stupid Way #1 To Get Fired From Your Band: Show Up Late (Or Not At All) To Band Rehearsals ... Until They Fire You
Showing up late to band rehearsals (or gigs… or any other function your band is a part of) just reeks of lack of professionalism and lack of respect for everyone involved in your band’s organization.
But beyond “lack of respect”...
Showing up late to/being absent from band rehearsals (or gigs) can cost the band a lot of money- both directly and indirectly, in every way from:
- Fewer gigs booked because the band doesn’t rehearse enough for the gig to go smoothly (hurting your band’s reputation)
- Band members’ time wasted waiting around instead of doing productive things to grow the band’s music career (or making money for themselves)
- Your band being seen as flakey and unreliable - leading to fewer money-making opportunities.
Stupid Way #2 To Get Fired From Your Band: Whine About Every Personal Problem You Have ... Until Your Bandmates Get So Sick Of It That They Fire You
If you think this cannot happen as long as you’re a good player - think again.
Your musical skills are just one of many attributes that go into becoming a professional musician.
And good musical skills are certainly not enough to make up for having the personality of Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh, for 2 reasons:
1. In today’s world, it’s not hard to find a musician with good musical skills (even if they don’t live in the same country as the rest of your band).
Because of this, you have to offer more than just great playing and great songwriting to stand out in the music business as you begin your music career.
2. Professional musicians in the music industry are there to do a job - not to be anyone’s psychiatrist.
So, deal with your personal problems outside of your music career work hours - the same exact way you would (hopefully) do if you were working in any other field outside the music industry.
Stupid Way #3 To Get Fired From Your Band: Let The Other Band Members (Or Band Leader) Do All The Work And Then Complain That You Aren’t Paid More ... Until You Are Fired.
Believe it or not: your job in a band doesn't revolve only ‘playing the songs’ (or even: writing the songs). There are a ton of business-related tasks that go into making a band successful that someone always has to do.
If you want another member of your band to do them instead of you – fine. But don’t be surprised when such a person will (rightfully) make (a lot) more money than you.
And if you complain? Don’t be surprised when the day comes when you get fired from your band for not understanding what it means to be a professional musician.
Stupid Way #4 To Get Fired From Your Band: Fool Around With Your Bandmate’s Wife or Girlfriend Until You Get Caught ... And Fired.
I don’t quite know why or how this is so widespread and considered ‘normal’ among many would-be professionals in the music industry…
… or why it takes a music career mentor like me to remind musicians of something their father should’ve taught them when they were kids…
... but here we are.
So, in the spirit of being thorough, let me suggest NOT doing this.
It’s dumb.
And the damage to your music industry reputation and music career relationships is often irreparable.
Stupid Way #5 To Get Fired From Your Band: Behave Arrogantly (Especially When You Cannot Back It Up) ... Until You Get Fired
To be clear, arrogance is not the same as self-confidence.
Self-confidence = being confident in your abilities and rightfully proud of your accomplishments.
Arrogance is an overinflated sense of one’s self-importance. Arrogant musicians often overstate their skills, accomplishments and knowledge to look better in the eyes of others.
Seek to be the former, not the latter.
Stupid Way #6 To Get Fired From Your Band: Be Drunk On Stage, At Rehearsals Or On The Tour Bus ... Until You Get Fired
This may surprise a lot of musicians who are new to the music business, but…
Life in the music industry (and life on the road as a touring musician) is not necessarily filled with alcohol and drugs.
Your path as a performing professional musician (and life on tour) can be whatever you decide it to be.
It can be all about business (and about growing your music career further)... or it can be one big party.
So, be smart and make good choices with the long-term prospects of growing your music business career in mind.
Stupid Way #7 To Get Fired From Your Band: Develop A Drug Habit ... And Keep It Going Until You’re Fired
Similar to being drunk on stage or fooling around with your bandmates’ girlfriends or wives…
… this music career mistake ought to be on the “too-obvious-to-even-need-mentioning” list… but here it is.
On top of the obvious health risks, nobody in the music industry (who has any brains at all) will want to work with a drug addict.
There is way too much money and reputation capital at stake for them to turn a blind eye to such a massive risk factor.
And besides… life in the music industry is way more fun when you’re conscious enough to experience (and remember) it without being blacked-out drunk or drugged out of your mind.
Stupid Way #8 To Get Fired From Your Band: Allow Your Ego To Get Out Of Control ... Until You’re Fired
Some examples of this include…
- Wanting to appear successful rather than being successful…
- Making music career decisions based on status vs. sound music business success principles.
- Not asking for help (such as refusing to get music career mentoring), thinking “I should be able to figure out how to make it in the music industry on my own”
- Not taking criticism (feedback) well.
- Struggling to accept another band members’ (musical or business) idea could be better than theirs
Any of those are signs of one’s ego getting too big to a level that can wreck their potential to become a successful professional musician.
Stupid Way #9 To Get Fired From Your Band: Put The Band At Risk Of Potential Legal Problems ...Until You Get Fired
Many of the items on this list so far can easily put your band at risk of potential legal problems (e.g. imagine someone’s reckless behavior when they are drunk or high on drugs).
And no amount of musical or songwriting talent can make up for putting the band under that much (unnecessary) risk.
Stupid Way #10 To Get Fired From Your Band: Fan The Flames Of Inner Band Drama, Politics And Other B.S... Until You’re Fired.
This is often another symptom of an out-of-control ego getting in the way of productive actions to build your music career.
And it’s another reason why, when you’re auditioning musicians for your band, it’s so important to examine their personality and go beyond looking at their musical skills.
Hint: this is exactly what record companies do when they are deciding to offer you a record deal (or not):
Stupid Way #11 To Get Fired From Your Band: Keep Saying Things Behind The Backs Of Your Bandmates, Your Manager, Record Label, Booking Agent Or Promoter That You Wouldn’t Say To Their Face ... Until You Get Fired
Imagine you are the one about whom someone in your band is spreading rumors, lies, or simply sharing information you don’t want made public...
Would you want to keep such a person in your band - much less help that person in any way to further their career in the music business?
No?
Well, now you know why doing this is a very simple way to get fired from your band and wreck your music career prospects.
Stupid Way #12 To Get Fired From Your Band: Be An All-Around Crappy Person ... Until You Get Fired.
How can you tell if you’re around an “all-around crappy person”?
A few telltale signs include:
Being lazy, being mentally unstable, unable to work under pressure (e.g. meet tight deadlines), struggling to deal with conflicting personalities, being rude to the people around you and being pessimistic about virtually everything.
Seems like a very simple list of personality traits to avoid, no?
And it is… except it’s also an easy list of red flags to ‘miss’ when you’re either putting a band together, or auditioning for a band you want to be a part of.
Being likeable, dependable and having a stable personality ‘in addition to’ being a good musician and knowing how the music business works can help you tremendously with reaching your music career goals.
Now that you know how (not to) get fired from your band, the next step is to learn how to stand out in the music industry (even if nobody knows who you are), so you can live your dream of doing cool things in the music business. I show you how in my free eGuide: How To (Easily) Stand Out From All Other Musicians Even If You’re Just Starting Out & Nobody Knows Who You Are. Download it today and discover the secrets to becoming a professional musician most people will never know.
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