Should Musicians Join a Tribute Band?

You may have noticed more and more tribute band shows popping up in your neighborhood or at a rock and roll party near you. These days, tribute bands aren’t just for Elvis. There are tribute bands to all kinds of artists, from Frank Sinatra, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, to Taylor Swift, The Strokes, and even Chappel Roan. If you can think of a famous musician or band, there’s probably a tribute band – and possibly dozens of them!

What exactly is a tribute band? Are they just cover bands that focus on one artist? Or are they something else, something more unique and distinct? And with the ever-growing popularity of tribute bands, what kind of opportunities does this present for working and gigging musicians like you? Can you make money as a tribute artist or band playing festivals, clubs, and even corporate gigs?

In this article, we’ll break down what exactly a tribute band is, why they are growing more popular, and how you can get a foothold in this big music business we call tribute bands.

What is a Tribute Band?

Finding tribute bands on stage performance

A tribute band is a musical group specifically dedicated to performing the music of one band or artist. But a tribute band often goes beyond just music. They may pay fuller homage by emulating the wardrobe, speech, mannerisms, stage shows, and everything about your favorite bands or artists.

Tribute bands are completely different from cover bands. While cover bands and tribute bands both play covers rather than original music, cover bands tend to play songs from a wide variety of different artists. Sometimes even from completely different eras or genres. It can be a whole eclectic hodgepodge of sound.

On the other hand, a tribute band focuses on playing covers from one artist or band alone. They try to capture not just the songs or sound of a band but the artist’s entire vibe. From the stage show, clothing, lighting, and stage banter. Sometimes, a tribute band may even focus on an era of an artist, such as early (meh) or late (yay!) Beatles, or folky vs electric Bob Dylan.

Tribute band examples: of some of the most popular tribute bands playing today include Brit Floyd, Cubensis, Bon Giovi, and Bohemian Queen, covering the bands Pink Floyd, Grateful Dead, Bon Jovi, and Queen, respectively.

Why are Tribute Bands Popular Now?

Tribute bands are hot – but why? There are a number of factors at play in popularizing the format more than ever.

For starters, there is a major nostalgia factor. This is especially true when it comes to artists who are no longer alive or no longer perform. Want to experience the thrill of a Frank Sinatra or an Elvis show but were born in the 90s or later? A tribute band is one of your only options because unfortunately the King of Rock and Roll and ol Blue Eyes are no longer with us.

Another reason is accessibility, including affordability. I don’t know if you’ve checked out Taylor Swift tickets recently, but they are... not cheap. What if you could see a talented Taylor Swift tribute artist play her music, sound reasonably like the real thing, at just a fraction of the cost?

According to research from Economics Bulletin, the average tribute band ticket only costs €25 (about $39 in today’s dollars. Now, compare with the average ticket for your famous superstar). Add in the fact that you can probably catch the tribute version at a small, intimate venue without all the hassles of attending a show at a downtown football stadium? Think of the parking and traffic you don’t have to deal with!

A third reason many people enjoy tribute bands now more than ever is that talented musicians in their own right are working as tribute musicians. There are exceptionally talented artists who are getting in on the tribute gig because it’s fun, the music is great, and there’s money to be made.

For example, one of the best singers I know (and good friend) Jamie Craig of Indigo Dreamers has recently founded a Cranberries tribute band called Ode to Cranberries as a new musical project. As someone who has happily paid to hear Jamie play many times, I’m excited for her Cranberries passion project and to see her focus on something new in the tribute band world (I’ve always been a Cranberries fan too).

Finally, seeing a tribute band can be fun, a low hassle, great night out with friends or a community of people that share a common interest. Are you and your bros a bunch of Led Zepp heads? Well, you won’t be seeing the original anytime soon, but why not grab your friends and head out to a night of Led Zeppelin tribute? It can be almost as good as the real thing and sometimes... even better?

Are Tribute Bands Legal?

You may be wondering how all of this is legal. Aren’t tribute bands stealing copyrighted music from the original artists? Is supporting a tribute band ethically problematic? Is someone going to jail here?

The truth is that tribute bands are completely legal if they follow some rules. After all, if this was some huge crime, you probably wouldn’t see so many tribute bands openly advertising their shows everywhere and filling up legitimate venues.

Musicians are allowed to cover other artists’ songs live. This is true for both famous musicians and cover bands. My favorite band, Dave Matthews Band, plays songs by Bob Dylan, Daniel Lanois, and others all the time. It is no different for tribute bands. The venue housing the performance generally has to pay a licensing fee for the rights to feature music that goes to support the original artists. As long as the venue is properly licensed, there’s no issue. You don’t have to fight the law, let alone win.

While there is no issue with playing live legally, recording and selling recordings is a different beast. To produce studio recorded covers of the original artist, tribute bands are going to need a special license called a mechanical license. Mechanical licenses provide permission to record and distribute a cover of an original musical work. And this is true whether you are Billy Joel wanting to record a Bob Dylan song, Bob Dylan wanting to record a Billy Joel song, or a Billy Joel tribute band wanting to record either a Billy Joel or a Bob Dylan song (the latter might be weird).

Another area where tribute bands need to be legally careful is when it comes to logos and trademarks. You can’t call yourself the exact name of the original band. A Pearl Jam tribute band can’t call themselves “Pearl Jam.” This would be a clear infringement and very confusing for fans who think they’re about to see the real Eddie Vedder and hear him sing indecipherable lyrics. Nor can a tribute band use Pearl Jam’s actual band logo.

That said, tribute bands use many clever variations of band names to get their point across. For example:

In every instance, these names are easily recognizable to big fans of the original artists. And most casual listeners will get it, too. Some tribute bands might use the name of a famous song as their band name. For example, a Nirvana tribute band might call themselves “Come as You Are” or “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”

When it comes to band costumes and likeness, tribute bands are usually in the clear as long as they aren’t trying to fool people into thinking they are the original artist. Legally, they usually fall under parody, performance, or expressive use, which is legal. However, it can be helpful for tribute acts to include a disclaimer that they are in no way associated with, endorsed by or affiliated with the original artist. CYA remains prudent advice.

How do Tribute Bands Get Gigs?

A tribute band may be emulating Bruce Springsteen or Tina Turner. But they still need to do the work to get themselves booked. That’s where the band’s own hustle comes into play. Luckily, there are several different ways tribute bands can go about doing this.

For starters, word of mouth is still one of the most powerful and reliable marketing strategies when it comes to booking gigs. If you rock, people will talk and spread the word. And that’s not necessarily just your fans, but also venue owners, booking agents, clients, festival promoters, and more.

Your job is to put on an amazing show and impress the heck out of people. Word of mouth will follow. And to supercharge this, you can post testimonials from satisfied clients and fans as well as live show footage on your website and social media channels. Word of mouth can work especially well if you have a local geographic region that you are specific to like the Boston Area or the San Francisco Bay Area.

Another way to get booked is through the use of entertainment booking agents. Booking agents act as an intermediary because they have established relationships with venues, corporate clients, cruise ships, casinos, and anywhere a musician might reasonably play. These days, there are even booking agents who specialize in tribute bands and artists. They can open doors for you that you might not be able to open yourself.

Cold outreach may not be the most fun way to get booked, but it still often works. That means actually reaching out to venues and selling yourself. You can send them links to your website and other materials like your electronic press kit (EPK). You will need to pitch your act as a band that will benefit the venue – because you have a built in fanbase, audiences love your shows, you have great word of mouth, etc.

Finally, digital marketing works! There are different channels and strategies that you can use to promote yourself through digital marketing. For example, you can:

By selecting the most effective of these channels for your audience, you can power your marketing efforts in the digital space to book gigs.

Digital Marketing for Tribute Bands

Digital marketing refers to any kind of online marketing activity. These may include:

There are many different avenues to explore and ways to reach your audience. Some may work better for you than others, and they all have different strengths and weaknesses.

Every single tribute band, and I cannot stress this enough, that is serious about making money should have their own website. Not having a website on the internet is like being a brick-and-mortar store that doesn’t have a building. What are we even doing here?

While social media channels and platforms can come and go and you have no control over changes to those platforms, YOU control your own website and everything that happens on it. Make it the central hub of your internet presence, which your social media channels should help support.

Similarly, you should build your own email list. An email list is another asset that you own yourself, and that cannot be changed or stolen away by algorithms you have no control over. Getting email addresses from people who may be interested in your band is worth its weight in gold, and there are many ways to get them. Sometimes the best way is to simply ask! But you can also offer valuable goodies such as discounts or digital content in exchange for email addresses, which help to turbo charge your acquisition rate.

Video is one of the most important types of digital content that a tribute band can create. It allows people to experience the excitement and energy of the show and the talent of the musicians. Creating engaging videos is key to promoting yourself on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, which are major vehicles today for music promotion. These videos can also be repurposed on your own website.

Paid advertisements can be helpful to promote specific events and gigs. They work fast and get in front of many potential audience members or booking agents quickly. The problem with advertisements is that they are short-term investments. They only last as long as you continue to spend money on them. Once you stop paying, the ads stop running. Of course, this can get expensive quickly. Will you earn enough in ticket sales to make the cost worth it?

Google is one major advertising platform available. However, there is another way to show up on Google and that’s search engine optimization (SEO). SEO is the process of optimizing your digital presence and web content to improve your visibility on organic search engines like Google, Bing, and Duck Duck Go.

While SEO can take a significant investment of time and effort, it’s more like long-term investing rather than the “day trading” strategy of paying for ads. It can save you significant money in the long run and deliver massive compound returns.

Learn more about how musicians can use SEO to build an audience.