Very Simple...

Its become very apparent to me...again, that the success of covers bands lies in direct proportion to who they are trying to please.

I understand that a lot of people play in cover bands to play music they want to play and listen to. If a club patron happens to wanna hear a song then all the better. Chances are though, that the band is playing to please themselves and not necessarily their audience. It's what I call a "live jukebox".

It has been painfully proven to me again and again. I'll be playing a cover song that has been worked up...with no regard for what an audience might want to hear. Subsequently, we'll play the song...play it well and be largely ignored and in some cases, I've seen people leave the club...and I wonder if the band has run them off.

I might be putting way too much thought into this, but it has been a recurring theme of many bands that I've played in. Song selections are made based on what the band wants to play. Few songs have been chosen based on what an audience might want to hear.

I also realize that people singing the song can only sing what they can sell and there is a lot of variations in style, ability, pitch, scale, etc that must be taken into consideration.

But the sad truth remains that a band can only be as successful as their ability to please an audience and thus must remain nimble, open minded and respectful that other personal music preferences might not sync with their own.

I think for a cover band to be successful, they have to set aside their own personal preferences and learn to play what people want to hear. Not just people in general, but specifically people who frequent the rooms the band plays.

Radio stations don't necessarily play songs they want to hear... they play songs that have been researched to appeal to their target audience. So, I think it's incumbent on bands to first define their target audience and then research what that audience wants to hear. Once that is known, then song selection becomes easier and even fun.

Until that happens, cover bands will flounder, wondering why they can't get gigs, repeat gigs are get removed from a clubs schedule. No one will tell them that their set list is outdated or unappealing. They'll just be left out in the cold to wonder where all the gigs went.