Ari Herstand

If you're the leader of your band (I imagine you are because you're reading this), you can't force your members to do business duties they really don't want to do. Evaluate everyone's strengths and get them to do the jobs that they enjoy doing. Yes, everyone needs to contribute t...

To me, the most frustrating thing is when my friends' bands, who are incredibly talented, either don't know how the web works, don't care to learn the intricacies or just don't put the time in to understand what's important when interacting and posting on the web. People are lazy...

The idea that you will work at a coffee shop until your band gets their big break and then you're a rock star is laughably false. I wouldn't even mention this if so many young musicians didn't believe this. I know I did.The days of the 'big break' are over. A music career is now...

Don't ever book a show and just expect people will show up. They won't. Additionally, if you book a tour of cities you've never been to and there's no buzz about you in these cities and you aren't playing these shows with established acts from each city, the tour will be a bust....

When I was a freshman in college an uncle of a friend of mine was the caterer for John Mayer's tour. This was around the Heavier Things time so he was touring arenas, but not a superstar celebrity by any means. The uncle hooked me up with two 'meet and greet' passes. I was a...

Right when my name was starting to become known around the University of Minnesota, a Facebook Group popped up entitled 'I Hate Ari Herstand.' With notoriety and marginal fame come the haters. The group happened to be started by a guy who dated a girl I wrote a song about, but mo...

When you're on tour, merch is your #1 income generator. This can't be stressed enough. Believe it. Bands stress over their guarantees and door splits and turnouts. If you want to survive financially with your music you must understand the importance of merch sales and approach it...

I never had a backup plan. The moment you create a backup plan is the moment you accept that failure is an option. Convincing your parents that everything is going to be ok is still probably the most difficult thing a musician has to do - next to finding the right hair product....

You can't expect everyone to come out to every show. Even if your favorite artist played multiple times a month in your city you wouldn't make it out to every show. People need a reason to devote an evening to your band. Being your friend may work for a little while, but a buzzed...

You won't have fans at your earliest shows; you'll have friends supporting you. This is crucial for your early shows. You need to show the clubs that you can get a crowd out. The clubs don't care if the 50 people you bring out all live on your dorm floor or if they're long time f...