Many speak of a concise plan up front. The fundamental principles of any plan involves an objective and the tasks and resources required to achieve that objective. In my day job now as an IT Project Manager (This is my 'proper' job) I kick myself for not even considering the things I now take as read. Planning around people and process for example, how useful would those attributes have been.

Again, these are difficult, analytical and arguably mundane concepts for creative types to grasp but unfortunately they are essential. I'm not suggesting for a minute that you start creating something as esoteric as a Gantt chart but to have a dialogue about where you are headed and what you will need to get there is paramount.

The people part is incredibly important, some of the most successful bands today gave themselves every chance by surrounding themselves with close family and friends to help them. These are people that are going to get you through the inevitable difficult times.

There are plenty of other pieces of advice out there but what if despite everything it just doesn't work out. One of the main reasons this happens is because of personal and personality issues. I could drag drugs into this discussion as well however they are usually a symptom of other underlying issues. With these issues it's a tough call as you tread the fine line between the band, it's plan and the objective and at the same time, supporting and helping your mates.

Everyone's mileage varies in this regard and from personal experience I can tell you it is incredibly difficult to find the middle ground. And how many examples have we heard about where the 'problem' band member has simply been cut loose. 

In many cases an outfit will have at it's core the creative driver. This is the person that writes the songs, has the 'presence' and usually assumes the leadership role.

The other members sometimes have difficulty with this but it is no different than being in any team, it's a question about roles and responsibilities, yes that boring project management crap again.

A lot of bands that don't make it just don't get this stuff sorted out, a few might go so far but inevitably it will kill them sooner rather than later. Look at those that have made it because they got it sorted.

And finally what happens when it does end. In my case we battled on for a while but 'life' has other priorities and in the end two of us got 'proper' jobs as I alluded to before, the other I don't know. We have not seen each other for many years now.

And on that note I will end with another reference from 'The Commitments'. Steven Clifford, the keyboardist and medical student, who's extra useful in some of the venues they play, becomes a doctor in the end but the music has never left him. I can relate to that. I'd love to hear your stories...

Lagrange Audio is a part-time blogger, suburban muso, beta-tester and IT Consultant when time permits. He writes about things other people don't