Tired of bad band names? Then we have some tips on how to find a good band name that will make you stand out of the multiple bad band names in the music business.

A good band name seems to be a bit of a rarity. It feels like the talent of music is taking up the creative space inside the musicians that would otherwise be put into great band names. So then they end up picking a name that should never have been printed on an LP.

Settling on the band name is one of the first decisions you will take as a new band. And unfortunately, it’s one of the very visual decisions that will stick to your band forever. So, you might just be a bunch of friends getting together to have some fun playing music together. But for the sake of your future fans, please make sure to come up with a great name.

Your name should sound like your music

Are you in doubt of what kind of music to expect from Björk, N.W.A, The KLF, or Motörhead? Not really, because these artist names resonate perfectly with the music you hear from the artist. Your band name is a cognitive tag, the listeners hang your music on. The band name connects your songs, and with the right name, you will guide them towards the sounds and emotions in your music. So, pick the right emotion through the band name.

Be open to changes

You should check out if your name is also working in other languages. You might dream big and want to take your music internationally. Don’t let your super-local band name be an obstacle to this dream. In the end, it’s all of course about the music, but the Danish hit artist MØ probably wished she didn’t use the special, Danish letter Ø in her artist’s name.

Adjust your name to the internet

You might feel it could be cool to call your band Rabbits, Lollipop, or Brains. Well, try to google that and see how many search results you are competing against. We can already point out a good handful of bands called Milk.

Today your fans should be able to search for your band quite easily, so you should find a name that is both unique, easy to spell, and catchy. That can be a difficult task, so you can find your help at a website like Domainify, that will guide you toward the right domain name, that will not go into conflict with other brand names.

Don’t just go with your first idea

A lot of famous artists have changed their name in the final minute, before making it too big. Creed was called Naked Toddler. Black Sabbath was called The Polka Tulk Blues Band. Red Hot Chili Peppers was called Tony Flow and the Miraculously Majestic Masters of Mayhem. Simon and Garfunkel were called Tom and Jerry.

What can we learn from these examples? Don’t just stick to your first idea. You still have the chance to change your name, even though you might have released your first single and built a little bit of a fan base. Then please do your future fans a favor and take a rain check on your name.