8 Tips for Strong-Naming Your Band When You Can’t Come Up With Anything
Creating a band name that is unique, memorable, and simple is a tough job, but it is also an essential aspect of a successful band or artist. Learn some tips that can help you be successful at that task.
8 Tips for Strong-Naming Your Band When You Can’t Come Up With Anything
Oops...You are a musician and you really want to create and promote your band but can’t create a band name? Or maybe you have so many ideas and preferences that you can’t choose the golden one? Check out 8 tips below to have a truly powerful and remarkable name for your band.
#1 Be sure it's easy to read, pronounce, and spell
Nobody likes complicated things. Literally no one. A name with an overly strange spelling that no one can read may be defeating the purpose. Could you imagine if your parents gave you a name no one could pronounce correctly? Same here.
For a brand new band today, you might as well not exist if your name can't be easily searched online. Hence, you should remember what a name is intended to do – make you memorable and recognizable.
#2 Reflect the right mood and voice
Your band name should reflect the mood and imagery that fits with your vision, and it should give your intended audience a clear idea of what to expect when they hear your music or see you perform. Only this will help fans immediately visualize what you're all about.
#3 Choose a legally available name
Avoid using common names that are likely being used. Be sure to search the web, independent record shops, and the U.S Patent and Trademark Office website to see if your chosen name is already in use. You don’t want to face some legal issues, such as copyright violation or trademark violation, when you choose someone’s name.
#4 Find out if it's an available domain name
By that being said, domain registration is the process of reserving your band name as a "virtual address," like yourbandname.com – but if someone is already using that domain name, you may be out of luck. Check for availability by using a service like GoDaddy to see if there’s availability.
#5 Reflect on your target fan
You need to understand your target audience and reflect on their psychographic characteristics, i.e., their activities, interests, and opinions. Alt-rockers Green Day named themselves after a slang phrase used by San Francisco kids for smoking pot all day. The name was intended to connect with the rebellious, free-caring attitude of punk rockers.
#6 Consider how it'll fit on your merch
Your name should be short enough or look cool enough when turned into an acronym to fit on merchandise, including T-shirts, hats, and stickers. Let’s conclude: nobody loves long, complicated names that will not be stuck in your memory. Period.
#7 Invent a new word or play off of an existing one
Be creative! You can always invent your name and win people’s hearts. For example, Metallica's name was invented by drummer Lars Ulrich when thinking of names for a friend's metal magazine. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones' name was invented by adjusting the name of the city in which the band was formed (i.e., from Boston to Boss) while saying something about their ska sound (which encompasses horns).
#8 Be careful with using your actual name
Even if you want to use your name, make it unique, hip, and more descriptive. David Bowie (born David "Davy" Jones) adopted "Bowie" – after his favorite hunting knife – to sound edgier and to create more distinction from Davy Jones of the Monkees.
Notwithstanding, if your goal is to make it clear that you're the leader of your band, don't be afraid to say precisely that in your name!
Creating a memorable and outstanding band name is as important as anything else. No matter how much you will promote your music, if your name is not unique, the results may not be satisfactory.