I cant decide where to move for my music career

I am trying to decide between 3 cites to move to to form or join a Christian metal band. Let me lay it all out for you as to where i am thus far. There are 3 places that im considering moving to: Austin TX, Dallas TX and Seattle WA. Im doing as much research as i can online about each place and the metal scene in each place. I am responding to craigslist ad's in each city where there are Christian musicians looking for other Christain musicians and im asking them about the secen in each place. Im also asking these musicians that im responding to if there are any Christian metal bands in each city and im asking them if there are a good number of Christain metal musicians in each city.

Thus far this is what i have found out. Austin has a ton of musicians. But they only have 1 Christain metal band that i am aware of. I am also under the impression from what i have found out that there are not that many Christain musicians in Austin. But, i have been told that Austin is a really cool place to live. I have seen that because they do have so many musicians there that they offer programs, like health insurance priced for self employed musicians and other things that help musicians through the city. But, if the musicians that i need are not there then it does not really matter what all they offer for musicians because i will still be out of luck for finding serious people to play with. I am talking with a guy who lives in San Antonio that posted on the Austin board that is looking for a Christain metal band. He has told me that he would be willing to drive to Austin to play with people. This is what he has told me about Austin metal heads "i know there's a lot of metal heads out there...the "christian" aspects deters most of them though...thats really the only cold hard fact i can give you lol" Of coarse this is just one guys opinion. But like i said, i have only heard of one Christain band and this guy that are Christian and into metal/hard rock in Austin thus far.

When it comes to Dallas i have gotten the most hits off of my craigslist ad looking for Christian musicians there. I have talked through email to like 2 to 4 people there that are into Christian metal and hard rock. The city is quite big and from what i can tell the metal scene is good there. But for some reason that i cant shake i just dont want to move to Dallas. I dont know why this is and i cant put my finger on it. But being that the most positive response that i have had to my craigslist ads has been in Dallas im torn because it seems that that has the most for what im looking for at this point. But like i said, i just dont feel great about moving to Dallas for some reason.

Then there is Seattle. Seattle is the place that i know the least about out of the 3. I have responded to ads there looking for Christian musicians and i am talking with a person that just moved there himself. He is finding out about the scene there and i think that he is going to pass along the info to me. This guys has some of the same influences as me and he plays guitar. So if i were to move out there he could be a good contact. But it seems like Seattle may be a cool place to live. But im still finding out info about the city and its scene.

So this is where im at thus far. I have gone back and forth between Austin and Dallas and i have looked at most major cities in the U.S. I also considered Seattle before but kind of put it by the way side when i thought i had decided on moving to Austin. But today i thought about Seattle seriously again.

The thing is this, im a career musician for life. This is what i want to do as my full time career. I want to find the right people and either join up with them if they are already a band and i am into what they are doing. Or i want to form a band with the right people. The goal is to write great songs, record them, start playing local shows where i will be living, and then start to branch out to tour first nationally and then go to touring internationally. For me this is not a hobby or a past time. Being a musician and playing music spreading the message of salvation and Gods love and showing people the world and all its aspects from a Christian point of view through music is a passion that the Lord has given me.

It is vital for me to pick the right place to move because its going to take what i will have financially to get there and to get a place to live and to hold me over until i can get a job to get money coming in (that is if i dont have a job set up in the city i will be moving to before i get there). The plan is to work the job that i can get until i can play music full time for a living (meaning with my Christian metal band and playing in cover bands and doing session work until i can get to where i can make a living solely from playing in my Christian metal band). So picking the right place to move is of the utmost importance to me.

Now, i have at least 1 year, maybe more depending how long it takes me to get the money together, before i will be moving. So i do have some time to figure out where i should move to. This is why im doing research now and finding out as much as i can about the metal scenes in each city and finding out as much as i can about the number of Christian metal bands and musicians in each city. Also, just to say, i am looking for musicians that are at least 18 years old. I honestly prefer musicians that are at least 21, but i am willing to play with people that are as young as 18 if they are serious about their faith in the Lord and are serious about playing music for a living.

So there you have it folks. Please feel free to give any advice or thoughts or info that you may have that you think may help me make the right decision about which of these cities, or any other cities that i should consider or reconsider, i should move to.

I look forward to all of your thoughts!

If it's christians you seek, then start looking in the most obvious place for them. Why not grab a phone and start ringing various churches in the three cities and checking out the scene that way. Ask for contacts who are playing in church bands and what not. Speak to them, get their take on the christian metal scene in their city. Surely someone will be able to give you a few leads.

I don't think asking "2 to 4 people" on Craigs List is enough 'market research' for you to be honest. Dig a little deeper before you decide. No point packing up and moving if you're not likely to meet the kind of people you want to play with.

Pocket-full-of-gold said:

If it's christians you seek, then start looking in the most obvious place for them. Why not grab a phone and start ringing various churches in the three cities and checking out the scene that way. Ask for contacts who are playing in church bands and what not. Speak to them, get their take on the christian metal scene in their city. Surely someone will be able to give you a few leads.

I don't think asking "2 to 4 people" on Craigs List is enough 'market research' for you to be honest. Dig a little deeper before you decide. No point packing up and moving if you're not likely to meet the kind of people you want to play with.

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This is a great idea for sure. Thanks! And i do agree that my asking 2 to 4 people on craigslist is not good market research in and of itself. Thats why i posted this thread

Anybody else have any thoughts? There has to be some of you that live in these cities that may have some info that could help me out.

I have been thinking about Minneapolis/St. Paul. Are any of you from either city? Knowing what I'm looking for do you all think the twin cities would be a good place for me to move?

What other major cities and touring stops for bands in other states are close to the twin cities? I just want to make sure that I don't move myself to a city that is too far from major stops for a tour because when my band tours I don't want to have to drive super far just to reach another place in another state to play a show. This is also my concern with moving to Seattle.

If you're looking for great christian music gigs, I'd stereotypically guess the south. A lot of northern churches like to remain a little traditional, but obviously that doesn't mean they don't exist.

At this point I'm trying to decide between Atlanta and Minneapolis. Atlanta seems to have more major markets in surounding states for bands to play at then Minneapolis.

I have called guitar center in both cities and talked with a guy in each drum dept. I was told that the metal scene in each city is good. I was told by the guy at GC in Atlanta that when bands play at the clubs there that the first $150.00 thats made from the show goes to the sound guy. Then the bands get to devide the rest. Is this a common thing in most cities? Because I have never heard of this.

So now I'm just trying to decide which city to move to. But I am leaning more towards Atlanta.

Are any of you from Atlanta?

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I'd love to help, but I live in Europe and I've never been to the states so far, so my knowledge of where you should move for your musical career is minimal. I wish you plenty of good luck of course.

Bible-belt.....look into it.


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Well at this point Atlanta is the major place that im looking at because the scene is good there and as is i live only 5 hours or so away from there. But i am still open to Seattle as well.