Breaking up is hard to do
Breaking up is hard to do
What to do when the band breaks up
Our statistics show that January is the month where most bands break up. Not sure why this is. Perhaps the crazy of the year before and then the quiet of the break which unravels the underlying comfort baseline of the band relationships? Who knows?
There comes a point where the majority of bands find themselves in a place where they no longer have the same vision, goals or values and the band founder decides to pull the plug or the band members mutually agree to go their separate ways.
Thousands of hours on stage facing hecklers, overzealous security guys, exhausted bar managers, rabid fans, indifferent audiences, creative differences or internal politics can forge a zone of trust, friendship and connection. It’s a pretty unique and special time that you spend together.
And it can get real messy when relationships, business and politics all meet together on stage. This is why we always recommend that you have a band agreement from the beginning, simply to outline how you as a group will manage all the elements of band life together.
However, if you were one of the bands that did NOT set up an agreement, here are some things to consider when the band breaks up.
1. Show Me the Money
Make sure you know how much money is owing to the band. Follow up on all outstanding invoices. Make sure you know how much the band owes to creditors. Set up a budget to ensure that everything is paid – both in and out. Then divide the kitty equally between the band members. Collect all receipts. Balance the band bank account. Make sure your accountant has everything they need to complete your tax. Make sure every band member has a statement of earnings for the last financial year.
Make sure the agent you work with understand that the band has broken up as they only have permission to deal with one person for accounts. If that person does a disappearing act, contact your agent so they can organise access to the remaining band members.
2. Taking care of business
Songwriting credits, royalties, and merch sales are part of your future income. You will need to negotiate an agreement between you for distributions post break up. Can anyone in the band use the name of the band as part of their bio? Eg Dave from BAND A – so that promoters can leverage off the value of the band’s brand. This must be part of your moving forward business agreement. If any of the members perform solo, can they perform co-written original songs owned by the band that is now broken up? How about in a totally different band? How would that work? What are the implications? What happens to songs already recorded and ready for release? The band paid a ton of money for that release. What now? Who owns those unreleased but recorded and produced songs? What about left over merchandise? Or boxes of CDs? What about the gear that the band bought together? PA. Van. Backline. Consider selling it and splitting the proceeds evenly.
By maintaining an open cordial relationship with each other, you may be able to recover some of these sunk costs.
You may need a third party, perhaps a lawyer, to negotiate an agreement on the future access and use of your common property.
However, if the breakup is acrimonious, you may have to simply suck it up, cut your losses and chalk it up to experience.
3. The Band’s Brand
Keep the website, domain names and all social media profiles live. Music lives forever. It will be discovered and rediscovered through your online profiles.
Agree on who owns the domain, website and social profiles. They will be responsible to manage and pay all costs associated.
John F Kennedy once famously said “A rising tide lifts all boats.” You will all move on to other projects. If you can find the grace to value each other for the experience you had together, it will help you to reframe your time in the band as an important part of your collateral. Even though it broke up, there is value in its history, shows, releases and its archive of stories. Whether each member goes solo, starts a new band, joins an existing band or goes freelance, your ability to leverage off the metrics of the band that broke up now forms part of your own musical assets. The networks, suppliers, other musicians you have encountered on your band journey, agents, producers, promoters all form part of your music business resume. And there is a huge value in that.
And next time you set up a band, make sure you set up the agreement FIRST. 😊 Check out this stack New Band Blueprint
Written by Nichola Burton. I work in partnership with Agents, Artist Managers and Event Producers, who juggle a diverse range of relationships in the Musoverse, to curate, manage and measure data in systems, experience, creative and content to support the entire Musoverse operation in my enterprise A Little Pitchy Copyright 2024
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