Names

X-Trade · Post by **X-Trade** » Mon May 09, 2011 8:09 am

Maybe a bit of a rant.

Does anyone find it difficult to get a name for their band?

I tend to find that the difficulty of making any decision goes up exponentially with the number of members, so its great when you settle something. But you should always check it.

I thought we had. Our singer has been doing music since before I was born. Well he comes to me saying he's registered .com, .co.uk, and .net domains and got hosting for us. And he's going away for a week. So I go about setting up our new website, set up a facebook page, trying to get people interested when he's away ready for us to 'explode' onto the local music scene.

Just a day later I'm contacted by a signed Australian band telling me that they have copyright registration, myspace, soundcloud, registered company, etc, under the same name and warning us that we should change it.

You can imagine the mixture of surprise and anger that struck me. Especially as I was reading this e-mail at 5 o clock in the morning.

I don't know what to do now. I've checked our second and third choices and they are also taken. We can go back to our original name but I admit that lacked something - it was too long mainly. And my plan of building interest has gone through the window until this is sorted.

ozy · Post by **ozy** » Mon May 09, 2011 8:48 am

Think about the following:

WHAT is a name?

WHY do you need it?

Is it the name of a GROUP ("we are The Frateful Dead", we belong to the Grateful Dead, if I don't like the name I dodn't belong here)?

Is it the name of a project? Specific? With a limited life (We gotta play dates from may to october, we'll play '60s rock covers, we need to appeal to fans, we need to sell dates. I don't care if the name isn't ME, it gotta sell)?

Is it an ARTISTIC project? (ok, I want to make this album. They are 8 maybe 10 songs. I need you people to focus on the project. It's about rock AND symphonietta. So, let's call the album, tentatively, "Dream Cinema" because it's like "Fantasia", one century later... the group name could be... let me guess... "Disney Jordan Brotherhood").

Is the name a celebration of individual egos? Do you have two or three wannabe leaders in the band (We need a new drummer. The name gotta start with P because we have already two billion usold "ELP" t-shirts ready. Ok, call mr Powell and tell him he's on board)?

You need to understand what you are doing, who the people are, and WHY you can't agree.

You are probably not agreeing on the project, or on the leadership.

Usually, the name is chosen:

a) by the leader's girlfriend
b) by the accountant
c) by the producer's girlfriend, who sleeps with the guitar player

Just some idea for you, not a solution I reckon

Post by **mikemolloyuk** » Mon May 09, 2011 8:55 am

I would always google any name idea I had for a band or project just to see what is out there already.

Certainly dont register domains until you have done at least that basic bit of research.

xmlguy · Post by **xmlguy** » Mon May 09, 2011 9:10 am

My suggestion for a band name:

IP and the LocalHosts

Guaranteed website hits.

X-Trade · Post by **X-Trade** » Mon May 09, 2011 9:54 am

mikemolloyuk wrote:I would always google any name idea I had for a band or project just to see what is out there already.

Certainly dont register domains until you have done at least that basic bit of research.

This is kind of the moral of the story. I don't know if he was in a rush or something but we've both done this stuff before and he usually checks these things before we go about setting anything up.
We had a name before and had decided to shorten it so maybe we missed something there because of that.

Not really a band. Well we are a band. We're currently a duo of vocals and synths and we're hoping to get a drummer on board.

xmlguy, that's a neat suggestion

neotechtonics · Post by **neotechtonics** » Mon May 09, 2011 10:09 am

another question to ask yourself: do you want something completely unique so when anyone ever searches for it they find only stuff to do with you/your band? or do you want something that will turn up other unrelated articles? and at the same time you will pop up in unrelated searches (which could lead new people to you)

its far easier finding a name that doesnt exist then finding one that just hasnt been taken by another group/band

ozy · Post by **ozy** » Mon May 09, 2011 10:38 am

X-Trade wrote:Not really a band. Well we are a band. We're currently a duo of vocals

that explains a lot.

Duos always have quarrels about religious issues, even when both members think the same thing

[both members think "I am God"]

Aciphecs · Post by **Aciphecs** » Mon May 09, 2011 1:16 pm

ozy wrote:
X-Trade wrote:Not really a band. Well we are a band. We're currently a duo of vocals
that explains a lot.

Duos always have quarrels about religious issues, even when both members think the same thing

[both members think "I am God"]

This is funny, because I am in a duo and we had no trouble coming up with an original name that sounds religious even though we aren't. My name is Solomon and his is Moses, so we went with Biblical Proportion. People think we are a church group or religious freaks, too funny.

I feel you X-Trade, it's definitely hard to find that name that fits and that no one has used yet. We are currently thinking about switching up names for different projects we do and having a hard time finding\thinking of original names. Good luck man!

billbaker · Post by **billbaker** » Mon May 09, 2011 4:51 pm

Ask and ye shall receive....

http://www.bandnamemaker.com/generator/

Everyone throw three names in a hat. Mix 'em up. Draw one at a time. The first one that doesn't make anyone immediately want to yawn, quit, puke or giggle --- KEEP.

BB