So the SPAC Battle of the Bands competition is back. I don’t mean to burst anyone’s bubbles but these, “Battle of the Bands” competitions suck. I just need to explain why I think this in detail. If I ever get my own band going sometime, I will NEVER have my band enter silly “Battle of the Bands” competitions. This is something I would never be a part of. It has nothing to do with ego or jealousy, it’s something more serious than that.

Bands in facebook are already entering, and already trying to talk people into voting them if they make it in. Well, of course, band’s will always think they’ll make the top ten.

Here are some reasons on why “Battle of the Band’s” competitions are so wrong. Some may get pissed at me for saying all of this and some may actually agree with me on all of it. I know I’m going to get mixed opinions on this “Battle of the Bands” thing.

• It’s nothing but a popularity contest – All it is, it just shows what bands who is most popular than who. Lame. I don’t think we need to know what band is more popular than the others.
• The voting systems are crap – You have all kinds of people vote for your band as much as possible, and you’re pretty sure you got the most votes, but your band didn’t win anyway. I wouldn’t trust the voting system at all. After all that hard work gone to waste.
• Too many bands on the bill – Some “Battle of the Bands” competitions in the US can have like around 10-15 bands on the show, all for a small price of $15.00.There is something wrong about that picture, think about what that is.
• Too many different genres in one night – “Battle of the Bands” competitions can range from metal to rock to hip hop to country to acoustic acts. Your audiences will be different because of the genre. If nobody is watching you, then your genre is probably not their cup of tea.
• The prizes are crap – All you get out of this battle of the bands thing at SPAC is free studio time for a free EP at some studio you’ve never heard of. What if that studio they had you to work at turns out be a crap studio and your demo turns out to be shitty. Don’t be surprised. The other prizes is record a professional music video and airplay at EQX. Sorry but this is bullshit, in my opinion. All bands are capable enough to record their EP, professional music video and get radio airplay on their own without “Battle of the Bands” competitions. Shouldn’t the Grand Prize be opening for a famous national act or get on a bill for a huge festival instead? Think about it, “Battle of the Bands” staff don’t want to pay all that money, so the studio and the music video won’t turn out as good as you think it will be.
• Judging is usually insignificant – Don’t expect the judging to be brutally “honest” like on American Idol. There won’t be a Simon Cowell in the judging panel. The feedback is usually short and simple, and mostly positive. The feedback is almost always positive, no matter if the band is good or bad just to help hype up the voters. Just a way to help excite the fans of that band.
• Wrong kind of crowd – Most of the crowd at these competitions are usually family members, co-workers, long time friends, and other musicians being there in support of the band. Not “actual fans“. If you’re lucky enough to get actual fans to vote for your band at this competition, then best of luck. Getting actual fans to support your band at these competitions is pretty rare.
• Ridiculous set times to perform songs – Most “Battle of the Bands” competitions only give you 10 – 25 minutes to perform your songs, that’s pretty much it. The SPAC “Battle of the Bands” only give you 10 minutes to play. Bullshit, don’t you think? I think so, yes. If you’re an improvising band who loves to jam, don’t be surprised if they cut your song if you go overtime.
• Jealousy and ego could get in the way with other bands on the show – Don’t be surprised, if you get into a heated argument and get into feuds with other bands at these competitions. It can happen. There might be a little bit of ego clashing for sure.

I’m sure there’s more reasons why, those are just some of them. If I get my own band, I would stay away from these. They may sound exciting, but they are just going to tear you down and you could be upset and sad, if you find out if you didn’t win.

Simply put, you don’t need “Battle of the Band’s” competitions for a good opportunity. You don’t need them to get to the next level with your music. Just keep playing your gigs and making your music, you can get to the next level just by doing that. Huge opportunities will come along the way on it’s own. “Battle of the Bands” is a huge career mistake, in my opinion. Avoid them completely. No offense to anybody. Bands that enter these things are just desperate.

End of rant.

Kev