Here are some things I’ve picked up after a few games of unlocking all the cities and achieving #1 band, album sales, and number of fans status.

Starting out: spend $500 looking for bandmates. Look for good stats, but do NOT hire a substance abuser – he/she will start missing gigs and rehearsals, and you’ll need to spend time at a rehab facility to get back on track. If you don’t find 3 at first, spend another $250 looking.

Buy the car and the cheapest promotion or two. Note that promotions need to be renewed every 30 days.

At first, I just hang out in Montpelier and write songs as a band. I try to write six at a time, but start out with nine or so. Then you’ll need to busk for money and fans. As cities unlock, start playing gigs. You really only need to play 3 songs; I haven’t noticed a difference if you play 5. Try to keep your songs’ green bars from getting too low, and watch your monthly rent (due the 5th).

Also: budget for stress relief. In the early game, most cities only have sandwich shops for entertainment. Bars are the best stress relief for your money. Strip clubs are tricky – if your guys aren’t REALLY stressed out, it can backfire, and make them even more stressed out.

As soon as Dover unlocks at 750 fans, contact the record label (you do not have to travel there to contact). Once they accept, record 3 songs (I generally rehearse twice beforehand), then record a video clip. Fulfill the venue requirements, and keep writing songs and repeating this process.

After a few EPs, you should have enough money to cover expenses with a little left over. Buy two of the best amps and two of the best speakers (total $11,000) to have some stage vigor (amps in front, speakers in back). Then you should concentrate on getting the van ($30,000). Eventually you’ll want to buy all the best stage equipment, instruments (adds to stats), and transportation. Even getting the cheap bus ($60,000) cuts down on travel stress. And keep adding to your promotions.

If you buy drugs for any of your band, there’s a chance he/she could become an abuser.

I always give my band members a raise when requested because it’s a pain when they quit.

Remember that as you unlock record label cities, their requirements for song quality average will go up. Dover starts out at just 5%, Topeka is 50%, and New York is 82%. Note that this has nothing to do with rehearsal/recording quality, just song quality. The best way to up song quality stats is to keep writing songs or practice the songwriting skill.

Once you get some money and have your recording/contacting labels schedule down, start touring more aggressively. If need be, stop over at a town to get refreshments. Otherwise, try to book a gig every other day or so.

Album prices that seem to work: $15 (one song), $17 (two songs), $19 (three songs), $21 (four songs), $23 (five songs), $25 (six songs). I increase these slightly as the song and label quality go up.

As studios unlock, you should rehearse/record at the newest ones, since quality goes up. Here are the studios and labels, as they unlock:

Recording studios

Montpelier
Lynchburg
Nampa
Tallahassee
Little Rock
Minneapolis
Sacramento
Boston
Denver
Indianapolis
Phoenix
Philadelphia

Video clip studios

Waterville
Bismarck
Flagstaff
Salt Lake City
Baton Rouge
Omaha
Charlotte
San Jose
San Antonio
Chicago

Record labels/publishers

Dover (3 songs)
Casper (6 songs)
Santa Fe (2 songs)
Rochester (5 songs)
Topeka (4 songs)
Eugene (1 song)
Louisville (6 songs)
Atlanta (4 songs)
Las Vegas (1 song)
Seattle (6 songs)
Austin (4 songs)
L.A. (1 song)
New York (6 songs)

Hope this helps! I have a lot of fun with this game. Just remember, the key to money and fans is to keep releasing quality albums.