Bands are unusually administrative. A four-piece function band has four schedules to coordinate, four sets of expectations about repertoire, four sets of GST circumstances, and four bank accounts to split gig fees into. Most bands keep this in a WhatsApp group, a Google Doc, a Stripe ledger somewhere, and an unspoken understanding that doesn't survive a member change. Crescender's band-collaboration surface is the actual operating system for the band.
Members, roles, and visibility
Each band has named members, each with a primary instrument and any secondary instruments they cover. Members have explicit roles (bandleader, MD, treasurer) which determine who can do what, the treasurer is the only one who can finalise a financial split, the bandleader is the only one who can edit the setlist for a confirmed gig.
Visibility is per-event-class: rehearsal-only members (the sub for one specific gig) can see only the events they're on; full members see everything; the bandleader sees the financials.
Shared events with shared setlists
Every band event (rehearsal, gig, recording session) is shared with the relevant members. The event carries a setlist (built from the band's repertoire library), a venue, fees in and out, the load-in/soundcheck/downbeat times, and any post-event debrief notes.
Setlists are versioned, the bandleader can prepare a draft setlist, the members suggest changes via comments, the bandleader finalises, and the final version locks for performance. Post-gig, the actual played list (with notes on what worked) is captured separately for retrospective purposes.
Financial splits with GST
When a gig fee arrives (via the bandleader's account, typically), the platform computes the agreed split, equal, by-percentage, by-hour, or custom, and produces a payment instruction list. Some members are GST-registered, some aren't; the platform handles each case correctly, producing GST-on-net-share for the registered members.
Tax invoices are auto-generated for members who need them (registered businesses). Payment can be triggered via bank-transfer file or done manually with the platform tracking what's been paid to whom.
Branding and the public-facing band
Each band has a public profile (optional) at a brand-specific URL, band photo, member bios, repertoire highlights, upcoming gig calendar, contact for bookings. The Spotify linking surfaces the band's actual releases. Function bands often direct prospective clients here as their primary booking surface.
Private bands can keep the public profile turned off; the rest of the collaboration surface works the same way regardless.
