In his doctoral dissertation, Tobias Malm, PhD in pedagogy, has followed five Swedish bands in the genres pop, punk and metal. Through interviews and observations of the bands' rehearsals, band meetings and private chat threads, he has studied how they organize themselves and what challenges there are when it comes to staying together as a group.

- The main difficulties for bands and band members are that the business can be understood in different ways, says Tobias Malm.

Six identities

He has identified six different identities that band members share: the friend, the colleague, the creator, the entrepreneur, the hobbyist and the professional.

- They all seem to be needed for different parts of the band business, he says.

But his research also shows that band members over time tend to stick to just one of the identities and that it can create problems for cohesion.

- On the one hand, the band finds it difficult to do all the things that are needed, but there can also be conflicts with the definition of "what are we for something", he says.

Hibernation does not have to be a crisis

His dissertation also shows that rock bands' activities alternate between what he calls "sleep mode" and "production mode" and that it is natural with calmer periods.

- It is good for band members to be aware that it does not have to be a super crisis for the band and that they should close down, without the dormant state being a natural consequence of the production phase.

Another piece of advice for rock bands that want to succeed together over time is, according to Tobias Malm, not to be so quick in defining the business.

- Exactly what you do can change over time. To see themselves as a family and let it be a little open exactly what it is you do and are, he says.