Band Ranking System

I had spoken in an earlier blog about a band ranking system I had developed just to entertain myself but I'll share it with you anyway. This is all in regards to rock bands and doesn't apply to the full-time lounge acts and jazz or pop acts that play resorts and the like. Also, having a sound engineer or "roadie" doesn't necessarily apply to the single acts or duos who are real successful. There can be little shades of "tweeners" and you might let me know if you agree with me or can add to this. Here it is:

Pros - “professionals” in the aspect that the band or musician plays at least two gigs a week and as many as 3 or 4. They can tour the region and playing accounts for most of the members’ incomes. They have a sound person and a van or a truck and a marketing person to help sell CDs and T-shirts. They get top pay and are just short of breaking big.

Class A - These are the top-tier bands that play Chicago and the surrounding area and carry sound engineers and have a van or truck, real classy web sites and play most every Friday and Saturday. They may derive some of their incomes from playing out but have regular day jobs and/or teach in music stores or privately. They have great followings and warrant some good pay.

Class B - These are the better-than-average week end warriors that have a show and know what it takes to get to be a Class A status but choose not to take that step, mainly because that step usually does not include 401Ks or pensions and health insurance and long-term disability plans. In other words, they have a great day job and stepping up musically isn’t worth the drastic change in benefits packages. They’re still great players and entertainers. They have a good following which includes people they don’t even know.

Class C - These are the bands that are still trying to pull a show together, are average players, and may or may not change personnel regularly. They can be real entertaining but they tend to depend on friends and people they know to come to their gigs. They also tend to play some of the more out-of-the-way places and smaller venues.

Class D - These are the bands that are just plain average to not-so-good. Their performances can be great one night and devoid of customers the next night. They absolutely depend on their friends to come to gigs, usually don’t have sound crews and have no idea as to what a mailing list is. They play for little money and change personnel like they change their socks.

Class F - These are the bands or musicians that really talk the talk but are totally unable to walk the walk. This can be weird level as these bands rarely get out into public but dress like full-blown rock stars and are always talking about the CD they will be putting out. They can be of any age bracket but tend to be younger and much more Bohemian. Most of the players have not played for more than a year and are only a month or so away from playing Smoke On The Water. These are also the guys that will actually come up to you when you’re on-stage in the middle of a solo and ask you if they could jam on a song or two or maybe sing a song. As we know, real musicians NEVER ask another musician if they can sit in on a song in that musician’s gig … but that can be the subject of another whole blog.