Jean-Paul Gaster, drummer of rock band Clutch, jams with students at School of Rock St. Paul, in St. Paul Minnesota. Clutch is on tour with Motorhead. While in Minneapolis, MN for their sold out show at rock club First Ave., Jean-Paul came to School of Rock before their gig to share his knowledge about drumming and being a professional musician with the students. Then he jammed with the School of Rock rock music students.

If you’ve ever posted an ad on craigslist or backpage to find musicians to form a band, you know how disheartening lack of response can be. But maybe it’s your ad that is the problem. Consider these tips when writing a craigslist ad to find other musicians to form a band with.

Bands who know how to market themselves are twice as likely to succeed as those who rely solely on their talent. Take advantage of these marketing tips to make your band well known.

Becoming professional musicians is a job. It’s self employment. It’s no different the guy or gal who starts a car repair business or an accounting firm. You must invest in your start up. One of those investments is getting into clubs to play. Here is a step-by-step plan to help you get the hardest gig to get – your first gig.

Musicians who perform live gigs generally spend little-to-no-time thinking about their stage presence. They practice their music. They tune their instruments. They might even know when in the set they’re going to talk to the audience. More often than not, though, they’ll “wing” what they say. And odds are that where to stand, or which direction to face or how to move around the stage has never been discussed among the band members ahead of time. This is an important missing element that separates the good gig from the great gig.

If you want to be taken seriously as a professional band, you need your own website. MySpace and Facebook are not enough.

Independent musicians can make a full time living from their music if they learn the business side of the music industry. The New Music Seminar provides the information needed to become successful.