Indie bands:  It’s dangerous to go alone!   Your fellow artists can be one of the best musicians’ resources you could ask for! 

Collaborations have a long, long history in music, and they’re rarely a bad idea.  Even back to the medieval days, there would actually be conclaves where troubadours got together to swap songs and learn from each other.  And throughout recorded music, artists collaborations have tended to create amazing once-in-a-lifetime performances.

Even if you aren’t a megastar (yet!) you can get a lot of mileage out of collaborations with your fellow indie artists.

Musicians Resources:  Some Great Reasons To Collaborate

1 – Cross-Promotion

First and foremost, if you team up with another band for an act, that means you’re both getting exposed to an entirely new group of listeners.  If you form a double-header concert, both bands basically get the best of both worlds.

Obviously, not all great tastes will go together like chocolate and bananas. (He says remembering a very poorly-booked show featuring Lacuna Coil and Strapping Young Lad together for no apparent reason.)  But if you’ve got similar fan bases, this is a great proposal for everyone.

2 – Shared Merch Revenues

That same cross-pollination effect works on the show’s merchandise.  This would be a great opportunity to offer a live “on demand” recording or video of the concert.  Fans of all bands involved will be buying it, and that just creates more long-term listeners for everyone.

A fair split of the profits will help all the bands benefit from the arrangement, since you’re likely to move more merch than at any single show alone.

3 – Social Media Fun

Collaborations don’t even have to be extensive.  Just be aware of each other on social media and have positive / fun interactions with each other.  Good-natured bantering or self-promotion is always great fun for the fans, just as long as no one gets upset.  

It’s sort of like pro-wrestlers swapping hyperbolic promos.  No one takes it too seriously.

So, what are your favorite artist collaborations over the years?  Let’s get some examples going!