Issue 7: Booking Live Bands Part 3 - Is This A Real Band? Is This Just Fantasy?

In part 1 of our Booking Live Bands series, we discussed how the bad old days of showing up and not getting the band you expected can still happen today (albeit, less often). In Part 2, we talked about the difference between a set band (a regular group of musicians doing most of the jobs), a pickup band (a group of musicians who may or may not have worked together before being hired for one particular event), and a collective (a group of musicians who maintain a consistent set of standards while changing configurations to meet every clients unique needs). We also talked about why your band may look different from the video due to substitute musicians.

In Part 3, we will tell you how to discern if what you are getting is a set group, a pickup group, or a collective, and how to determine which kind of group is best for you.

So, picture this - you are sitting down with someone from an agency you are considering hiring a band from for your event. They’ve shown you a few videos, and you like what you see, but you are worried about if these bands are real, or if these are generic videos thrown together in a cool way to make them seem like a real band when in fact they are pickup groups.

Well, there are a few things you can check to help you determine this. While none are foolproof, these questions, along with your gut instinct, can help you get a sense of what is likely happening. And, you need to be comfortable - if you don’t know for sure what you are getting, then how will you relax and enjoy your wedding or party?

Does the group exist on the website?

If the agency deals exclusively with set bands, then you can just go to their website and see if the band is listed. If not, that is a huge red flag that they may be a pickup group. If they are brand new, they may not be on the website either, but consequently they might lack vital experience to make your party the best ever.

Does the video look like professional production, or is it a bunch of live videos and photos cobbled together?

If it’s a professional production, that’s a sign it’s probably a set group or collective. However, try to figure out if the production looks older or newer. Bands will re-film their videos every 5-10 years to stay current - if it is looking on the older side, or older than that, you have a right to be concerned. It could still be a set band, but the agency may not care about this band anymore and isn’t booking them often, which is a huge red flag. Or, the band may have existed, but it’s now sold as a pickup group when all their other bands are sold. Agencies won’t spend the money to update pickup band videos as they rarely sell pickup bands anyway, so it’s not worth the investment. As for a “video” of photos and live videos shot from cell phones only, that’s a massive red flag.

When you ask about subs, how does the agency react?

Some agencies will categorically deny subs exist, and only cave if pushed (and limit it to illness only). While that may mean you are still getting a set band, it doesn’t bode well for honesty about other aspects of planning your event. If the person you are speaking to is more honest about the existence of subs and their own policies, you can feel more confident that you are getting a real band.

So you feel confident you’ve got a set band or a collective. But what are each of these types of bands? Well, here’s what to expect when hiring either….

A set band will have set instrumentation they always use, and can add on extra pieces when requested. They also have a standardized setlist for most gigs to ensure consistent quality, and will be happy to learn your formality songs (first dance, parent dances, cake cutting, bouquet toss, etc), as well as some requests for the dancing. The band leader will sometimes need to limit the number of requests at their discretion.

Most requests can be easily accommodated, but if they lack the right singers or instrumentalists to pull off a song, it could make an otherwise awesome band look sub-par. From their point of view, it could affect their ability to book work in the future. Imagine a band doing an amazing job all night long, but then a guest posts a video of them doing a bad job of a song because they really needed a Latin percussionist and Spanish-speaking singer to get it right. That kind of negative PR can hurt bookings for years!

An agency designed as a collective (like CMP) will help you determine the focus of your wedding band’s repertoire for the night, and then book the right band for you from their team. They have a large network of musicians they work with regularly, so you get the advantages of a set band (in that they gel together as a band and give a strong production for a great show), as well as flexibility to ensure the band has the right musicians for your requests. They will be sure to guide you in song selection so that your band can remain in budget (for instance, if your band is going to require 6 singers and 5 horns to pull off the songs you want to hear, they will advise you of that and offer some alternatives in case you don’t want to book that large of a group). They can even change the “standard” instrumentation to ensure the songs sound right. For example, if you want to have a playlist that is mostly 80’s pop, they may book two synth players instead of a trumpet player (the sax would have to remain - you can’t have an 80’s playlist without hearing a sax solo).

Ready to book the wedding band of your dreams? Click here to book a free consultation and secure your event date today!