Top 5 Reasons Bands Part Ways
It’s well known that the Beatles ended in 1969 when John Lennon announced to his bandmates that he was leaving the group. Just months later, Paul McCartney publicly announced he was leaving The Beatles too and that signalled the end.
There were a myriad reasons behind the split, the band were still reeling after manager Brian Epstein’s death two years earlier and whilst some fans blamed the presence of Yoko Ono, John Lennon refuted any claims that is wife played a part, stating that no woman or girl could split up the band and that they were, “Already drifting apart on their own”. Whilst Ono may not have influenced the split, it may have been that she simply supported John in exploring life and opportunities outside of the group.
1. Different members, different priorities
Sometimes bands break-up or don’t make it due to one simple factor – the human make up of a band. Each member of any group has their own life and priorities, whether that’s families, other creative projects and jobs and other distractions in their personal lives which may prevent them from putting the band first.
If members don’t put the band first, the chances are if often won’t work out.
2. It's all about the money!
It’s a lot more economical now to get your music career off the ground – social media provides a platform to reach millions of potential fans without spending millions, home studio and recording technology has developed and become much more affordable.
But even still, bands can find the money (or lack of it) a massive issue. Whether it’s having to perform at certain low or no paying outlets to raise profile, having to invest in the band before taking any cash out or just the very real situation that the big bucks aren’t always what you read about – money can be a big band passion killer.
3. It's all down to one person
In my short-ish career foray into being both a band member and also a band manager, I can still recall first-hand the sheer frustration at how much was expected of me.
I had a vision and passion, but the more we achieved and developed and more popular we became – the more some members just upped their “ask” – they wanted better riders, quicker ‘ins/outs’ pre and post gigs, they wanted less photo shoots and less rehearsals, yet more cash per gig and it all became an immense strain.
I felt I couldn’t do enough to satisfy the demand and I would be exhausted before even getting on stage on a night. Eventually there was in-fighting and less focus on the dream and the band and it very nearly tore the band, and our friendships, apart.
4. The old favourite: artistic differences
Thinking about the very organic ways in which bands come together, it might not be surprising that there may not be a full strategic plan for which direction they’re headed, especially if they’ve found success in a relatively short space of time.
The tussle of becoming too mainstream or trying to stick to their “roots” without even knowing how to articulate what the brand is. This can often mean that bands spend too much time achieving average whilst pulling in different directions – ultimately failing due to a lack of common goal.
5. The closest relationships can create the final straw
How a band is formed will often play a huge part in how it performs in the long term.
Some are founded on rock solid foundations by friends, loves and family members, others are manufactured and strategically placed together by record labels in an attempt to achieve the perfect mix. None of these formulas is foolproof and even where there are bonds of blood, there is no guarantee of harmony (Oasis is a prime example of that).
The Spice Girls were expertly put together after many auditions and whilst the girls then lived together and created bonds that would last a lifetime – the starting point was business and business only. There were tensions when Geri Halliwell left to pursue a solo career in 1998 but she has rejoined the band on several occasions and they all continue to be friends – Emma Bunton revealed that they met up in 2020 for a secret get-together. Oasis on the other hand still show no hope of reforming, with brothers Liam and Noel still engaging in the occasional Twitter bicker. Die hard fans may still live in hope, but from Noel’s perspective it seems a reunion is still not a Definitely Maybe.
Just like in business teams, bands experience all the same people’s issues and it can be much harder to manage creative egos, especially when relationships are at play and lines are blurred.