Aspiring musicians who want to start a band can choose from a variety of career paths. As in the case of Pink Floyd or Radiohead, some may compose and perform original material written by the band members themselves. Others may permit a management team to choose songs from outside songwriters. Another option is to cover the songs of well-known bands, hence the term “cover band.”
A cover band’s material is usually chosen from a pool of musical interests and abilities. Individual band members may already have dozens of popular songs in their repertoire, but they must come to an agreement as a group on which songs will be kept on their set list. Cover bands frequently stick to a single musical genre, such as country, blues, classic rock, or Top 40.
Many professional musicians begin their careers as members of a cover band, which allows them to hone their instruments and hone their voices before venturing out on their own or writing original songs. Even members of the legendary British rock band the Beatles spent years performing raw versions of American pop hits in local bars and nightclubs in Germany as part of such a band. As the band’s interest in songwriting grew, they expanded their set lists to include more original material.
Local and regional venues, primarily bars and small nightclubs, are where most cover bands perform. A well-known local cover band may be asked to open for a national act on occasion, but the majority of cover bands operate in relative obscurity. Many local bars hire these bands in the hopes of attracting and retaining customers by ensuring that they will perform a diverse repertoire of songs. A cover band, on the other hand, is not the same as a tribute band. While cover bands may strive to replicate the distinctive elements of the original artists, they are not required to do so note for note.
Working in a cover band can be a rewarding experience for some musicians. They will be able to perform music by their favorite artists, and the work will be consistent once the band has established itself. Others find working for one to be artistically constraining, as the material does not evolve over time and few cover bands make it into the larger musical scene. Individual members either quit the music business or pursue other musical interests, so it’s not uncommon to see a number of personnel changes within a local this type of band.
A wedding band is not to be confused with a cover band. Cover bands are sometimes hired to perform at private events like weddings, but their song lists aren’t always as diverse as those of true wedding bands. They’re more likely to be hired for local festivals, private parties, or fundraisers as entertainment.