The Top 5 Band Management Software Options

WHAT IS BAND MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE?

Tired of using too many band apps to manage your music project? That's why band management software was invented - to put everything under one roof.

But there’s a pretty big problem with most of the “Band and Artist Management Software” options out there: most of them are actually built for booking agents.

If you are an artist or band looking for a central hub for you and your bandmates to communicate through, as well as manage all your clients, finances and set lists, there really aren't many options.

Perhaps you've tried messing around with apps like 17Hats, Google Suite, Planning Center or Monday.com in an attempt to add enough customizations to suit your band management needs. But after hours of fiddling, you just have a messy system that still doesn't do the job AND it costs you money!

So it's high time you stop wasting your time on apps that weren't built for bands and start investing some time in apps that were actually built for live bands and performance ensembles.

Thankfully, you found this article which is going to compare the top 5 options available for you and your band!

TOP FIVE BAND MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE OPTIONS

After nearly two decades of bandleading and endless searching for apps that could help me organize my 9-piece funk band, I've come across a lot of options. Similar to the journey I'm sure you are on, I've used spreadsheets like crazy, Google Drive, Dropbox, Evernote, 17Hats, ForScore, Google Drive, Asana, Todoist and so many more apps that I don't even want to think about it.

As my band got more and more gigs, having solid systems in place and a central location to store things became more and more crucial. And if you're in the same boat, wanting to consolidate all your loose ends into one place where you can efficiently manage everything, then "band management software" is what you need.

So let's take a look at some of the top options and crunch the numbers so you can make an informed decision about which option might be right for your band!

In this comparison study, we've focused on these 5 popular options:

1. Back On Stage - Bandleader Plan
2. Gig Well - Artist Plan
3. Band Helper - Pro Account with 21-100 members
4. Band Pencil - Premium Plan
5. My Gigs - "Large" Plan

WHAT FEATURES SHOULD YOU LOOK FOR IN AN A BAND MANAGEMENT APP

Being efficient means having all your information in ONE place. Therefore, the best software for managing your band and all its moving parts should empower you to:

1. Manage band member schedules, team communication and musician paychecks
2. Handle client contracts, invoices, payments and communication (band-centric CRM)
3. Build set lists and store reference recordings and sheet music

With that in mind, let's dive in...

The Best App for managing band member schedules, team communication and musician paychecks

Your team (band members and crew) are essential for your gigs. They need to stay informed about gig details and changes, set lists and of course, payment details.

We'll talk more about set lists later on, but here are all the...

Band Member Features You Need

1. Book the right musicians for each gig,
2. Communicate ALL gig details to musicians in a timely manner,
3. Make sure everyone completes their assigned tasks on time,
4. Pay everyone on time, and
5. Keep track of who you have paid and who you still owe.

Comparison of Top Band Member Features:

The Best app for handling client contracts, invoices, payments and communication (band-centric CRM)

Your clients are the reason you can call your band a business. In this article, we're talking about the people who hire your band to play at their wedding or event, or possibly venue managers or agents who book you to play shows.

Taking care of your clients properly is a process that involves constant communication, efficient data collection (think questionnaires and surveys), professional documents (like contracts and invoices) and of course easy payment processing.

You may already be using CRM software (Client Relationship Management) to keep track of all your clients and if not, hopefully you've got something similar in place. It's critical to collect client details in a central system where you will be reminded to follow up in a timely manner and keep each relationship moving forward.

But if you are using a CRM currently, you're likely to have realized that it wasn't built for bands and that your specific needs of being a live music business just aren't being met.

Good band management software needs to acknowledge that the client relationship is of utmost importance and offer you tools that will contribute to successful client relationships within your music business.

Good client relationship management tools for bands should include:

1. A way to collect prospective client info (forms, surveys etc)
2. Email serve to allow for tracking communication
3. Questionnaires to gather event details efficiently
4. Contract creation and eSign
5. Invoice creation and online payment options

Let's break down these items a bit further and see which apps from our list can deliver!

Comparison of Top CRM Features:

The Best app for building set lists, storing reference recordings and organizing sheet music

Maybe you've just finished organizing your Dropbox or Google Drive for the 1000th time and are scratching your head thinking, "There has to be a better way to manage my band's music library!"

Band management software is definitely an answer to this situation.

Every band, no matter the genre or size, benefits from having an organized back-end when it comes to song and set list details. No bandleader likes hearing that the new bass player learned the wrong versions for three of tonight's songs when they arrive at the gig!

Keeping track of correct versions, managing countless sheet music parts, lyric sheets, tempos and song details are just the beginning. An up-to-date and easily shareable music library is your band's insurance policy and it needs to be taken seriously.

You wouldn't want to have to bail on a wedding gig a couple days before just because your drummer got sick, would you? Then don't! Be prepared with resources in place that players can access 24/7 - that's what good band management software should facilitate.

It's a huge task to put all these resources together and an equally huge task to manage it all cleanly, in a way that's user friendly and practical for your musicians. So let's look at which band management apps can handle this.

But before we do, let's talk about set lists...

Which band management app has the best set list features?

Imagine a list builder that would allow a bandleader to build a set list once and publish it to all their bandmates instantly. Without needing to download an app or pay for anything, musicians could just click a link and the set list would be displayed in their browser, regardless of device type. But that's not all.

The smart set list would know who is reading it and which instrument they play. As such, it would deliver only bass charts to the bass player and only keyboard charts to the keyboard player and so on. It would indicate which singers are singing which song, which key each song is in and even calculate set lengths automatically. And to top it off, it stores tempo data for each song and can provide a click for your drummer at the tap of a button.

No one's sheet music is blowing around in the wind. No one forgot to print their copy. And no one needs to reorganize their binder because they foolishly put their lyrics in the wrong order.

Too good to be true?

Not anymore.

Back On Stage app has built a set list tool that does just that!

(And you HAVE to check it out!)

But that's not to say there aren't other set list options too. Below, we've got some more contenders in the race to make a great smart setlist app. As you evaluate these options, think about how easy it will be to get your team to adopt a new set list system. If they all need to shell out cash, you're likely to have some push back. If there's a steep learning curve involved, your musicians will be turned off. And if it's too hard for you (the bandleader) to get your songs and data into the system in the first place, are you ever going to maximize the potential?

Essential Qualities for Top Set List Apps:

1. Easy import of song data via spreadsheet (you've probably got lots of songs!)
2. Ability to store important data with each song, like tempo, artist, notes, reference recordings and sheet music
3. Intuitive set list builder
4. "Smart Set List" that displays the correct sheet music and PDF files to the correct musician based on role assignments
5. Easy to learn and free for musicians to use it

Comparison of Top Set List Features:

Conclusion

1st Place: Back On Stage

Back On Stage takes the cake for total number of features and price point. With 30 solid features, you're paying about $0.76/month for each feature. You also get unlimited support through chat, email, phone and video for you and your entire team!

Try Back On Stage today with an easy 30-day Free Trial.

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2nd Place: BandHelper

BandHelper has the most features after Back On Stage. With 13 features and a price of $30/month, you're paying about $2.30/month per feature. It's still a decent bargain, and may work for you if your band is a "just for fun" project, but you'll find it seriously lacking in the CRM and band member areas once you go pro.

3rd Place: All the rest

It was hard to decide on a 3rd place winner here because all of our remaining band management apps have serious gaps in one or more of our categories. Gig Well markets a product that feels "premium" and is likely a joy to use, but is honestly much better suited to booking agents than actual bands. Both My Gigs and Band Pencil might offer a small selection of features and a budget price point, so they might be a good option if you're just starting out.