Question 1

What is the single biggest suggestion you would give to someone wanting to get into this career?

Kimmy Terrell · Accepted Answer

For Bandleaders with an existing band, Terrell says, “Get a video. Get your people in place, design a small medley of music (about two minutes or so) and get it recorded. That’s the single [essential] piece. Everybody wants to know, ‘Do you have video?’ It has to look and sound good. Keep calling clients and sending out the videos because it’s a numbers game.”

Question 2

What’s the #1 mistake people make when trying to get into this career?

Kimmy Terrell · Accepted Answer

“As an owner, it’s having too many cooks in the kitchen. It’s about keeping it clean and having certain people making decisions.
“From a [band] member’s perspective, if you’re eager [to join a band] and get yourself in a position to be asked to play with someone, be there on time, be clean, be dressed properly. Get your smile on and be ready to just leave whatever is going on in your life behind at the door. You can pick it up on your way out. 
“You better be ready to perform. You have to have fun. Be on time.
“Be sober. It’s especially difficult in our business, with musicians having the stigma of ‘Oh, musicians are unreliable or hammered all the time.’ 
“A Show Band is known as a clean, corporate group of musicians that are very different than what you see in a rock band or a bar band where people are drinking. My bands don’t drink, only occasionally after a show, if a client offers us something. Sobriety is a big one.”

Question 3

What is one thing I should have asked which I didn’t?

Kimmy Terrell · Accepted Answer

As mentioned earlier, “You can’t have too many cooks in the kitchen. There’s an etiquette that I know my members appreciate. If there are one or two Leaders and somebody comes in and starts discussing event details, everything is put over to the Leader. There’s no communication for the band; they don’t have to worry about that stuff.
“When you start a Show Band, you want to make it your own. You’re hiring the people to create your vision. You don’t want to blur the lines. You’re a Leader — an owner, a manager — that’s your job. When musicians come to work for you, you have a clear line of who’s in charge. 
“To succeed, you have to have those lines, otherwise, you start getting people with too many opinions and it can get too emotional. If you’re providing a good product and have good people, they need to know the conversation [i.e.] if the client comes up, you just refer them over to me and it keeps it super clean. 
“Then you tell everybody what’s expected of them — ‘This is what we’re doing and how we’re doing it’ — and if they want to be on your stage and continue doing it, they do it. It’s really clear. 
“Otherwise, I know some bands that do a whole ownership thing where they each are an owner and they all take part in booking. That can work too, I guess. but I haven’t seen too many bands that succeeded that way because, with six or seven people [in charge], it gets messy.”

Question 4

If you could describe in one word what makes you successful, what would it be?

Kimmy Terrell · Accepted Answer

“Passionate.”

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