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Jim Carroll

Music, Life and everything else

Band tips

The National contemplate their next move Why (successful) bands have the power

Bands may hold all the cards in the music business in 2013, but it’s the successful ones who can really call the shots

262087 The six ages of a band

From newbies to established acts and buzz bands to heritage acts: the six ages of a band’s career

When bands – and fans – bite back

It’s not just Chris Brown who has had a trying week on Twitter. The contretemps between Garbage singer Shirley Manson and a bunch of fans, including blogger Vanessa Monaghan and singer-songwrter Conor Furlong, has been well documented online already. Monaghan …

Why are you in a band?

This is a question which comes to mind every year after the hectic binge-gigging sessions which go with the rounds of industry showcases in Groningen, Austin and Brighton. While there are many bands who forego these international shindigs for various …

The moral of 2011 for bands, acts and musicians: it takes time

If new bands and acts are to take one lesson from 2011, it’s should be the one about time and patience. I know, it’s a strange moral to take from a year when it seemed, yet again, as if accelerated …

Why bands should leave pester power to toddlers

This tweet from Nialler9 last week probably spoke for many who’ve seen their email in-boxes, Twitter feeds, Facebook pages and blogs invaded daily by bands looking for votes in online competitions. You know the kind: a band have entered some …

When the road can’t go on forever

You may think that nothing beats life in a rock’n’roll band, but those at the coalface would beg to differ. Where outsiders see an escape from the usual routine, insiders will talk about pressure, hassle and stress – and it’s …

The art of management

The most important decision your band will ever make after choosing your name? Selecting your manager. The second most important decision? Deciding if and when you need a manager. Every single week, I come across bands and their managers and, …