THE NEW BAND & TRIBALISM

Tribe:  A group of people sharing an occupation, interest, or habit.  Such as a "tribe of graduated students."

Not only does that definition fit a band, it could also fit a group of fans.  Bringing them into the tribe is what it is all about.  Are you representing the tribe to the best of your ability?  Consider this about tribalism mentality:

(1) Minimal or no power structure, though there may be specialization.
(2) Everyone working for something bigger than themselves and their personal gains.
(3) No closed doors. 
(4) It’s a coordination of distinct and individual passions.
(5) The tribe is keenly aware of their “why;” often more than their “what” and “how.” (The members of a rock band may not be able to tell you exactly what their goal is, or how to get there. But they all know why they do what they do.)
(6) None of these criteria have to be enforced. In these organizations, it’s just the natural state of things.

Your tribe of fans can have the "why" but will never have the "what" and "how."  And really most bands start up without the "what" and "how."   So you are tired of hearing that you have to have goals.  And you do not have a clue of how to accomplish that goal you never set anyway.  Just get out there and play and see what happens.  Well in some ways that is all you can do, at first.  It is like this: To succeed in business, you have to be in business. Well that was some piece of higher thinking wasn't it?  But, here is how that works.

Most business men do not succeed in what they start out doing.  But the point is they start out doing business.  Say you start ABC Company and you are going to sell green widgets.  Well you get going pretty good but you are struggling.  But while you are in the business of making and selling green widgets you discover that the money is in purple hoops.  You had the infrastructure to make purple hoops all along but had no idea that people wanted them.  So you start making and selling purple hoops.  Everything is going good but you notice that you could be making more money if you made the purple dye for the hoops.  So you make the dye and increase your profits.  Then what do you know, the world beats a path to your business because everyone wants the purple dye you made.  Even more then the hoops.  So you change ground and start making purple dye instead of hoops and before you know it you are in the whole world wants your dyes of all colors business.

So how does this relate to music?  Well, too often as artist we place ourselves in the box we are in.  But, why do we have to worry about that?  Throw the damn box away!  The business man above had no idea he was going to be in the dye business.  As long as we stay in the music business, our true identity will come.  Our true calling in music will come.  I don't know if the world will beat a path to your door or not, but for me the main goal is just staying in the music business.  And the tribe gathers around courage.  And the tribe gathers around loyalty.  And the tribe gathers around honesty.  And the tribe gathers around uniqueness.  And the tribe gathers around.......