There are a billion reasons your band might break up. Maybe that one member is always drunk, that other member is forever flaking, or your last few shows have been awful and there's no hope for improvement. Any number of things could go wrong. There's one cause of demise, though, that's basically obsolete in modern society: distance.
A lot of things can keep you apart – some of the aforementioned should, really – but the fact that the members of your band all live in different cities is no longer an insurmountable hurdle. Your bassist could move to Tokyo and your rhythm guitarist to Brooklyn, and so long as you've all got internet access, you could comfortably craft your next album as a group while you're still living in the homebase city where you formed. You could even meet your musical soulmate in London, return to wherever you live, and begin the project as a long-distance one.
Really, location is no longer limiting – unless your internet is down, of course. There are ways to improve the efficiency of miles-apart collaboration, though. Read our best practices below on how to create music with your bandmates without being in the same room, and stay tuned for part two in which we'll cover other logistics of being in a long-distance band, such as coordinating tours, planning budgets, and more!
Tons of options here, but Skype and Google Hangouts are easily the most popular. Arranging group chats at important steps in the process of making an album helps you maintain collaboration. If your connection is fast enough, you can even rehearse this way until the next time you're all able to get together in person.
[3 Key Tools for Online Songwriting Collaboration (That You Already Know How to Use)]
While a lot of programs are compatible with each other, it's still best to be on the same page regarding your recording software. (It'll make the next tip that much easier.)
Upload and share files of songs in progress on Dropbox, Google Drive, or another cloud service. Label the files so it's easy for everyone to know what stage each track is at.
The aforementioned tips won't do much good if you're not organized. Just like with a traditional band effort, setting and keeping goals are important to your progress. Everyone has to agree to treat a virtual meetup seriously – the same goes for any deadlines or individual responsibilities expected to be completed before those sessions. Being part of a long-distance band should be afforded the same degree of commitment as it would get if you all lived in the same city.
In some bands, of course, there's an obvious ringleader; if that's the way yours operates, that's fine. Being apart can lead to a lot of solo work, especially if some of the faraway members aren't holding up their end of the deal. When one person unwillingly ends up with the bulk of the work, they'll either get burned out or fed up. Make sure everyone is participating, and that work is evenly delegated.
[Keeping the Flame Alive: Tips and Tools for Long-Distance Songwriting Collaboration]
Jhoni Jackson is an Atlanta-bred music journalist currently based in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where she juggles owning a venue called Club 77, freelance writing and, of course, going to the beach as often as possible.