<font size='+8'>General Hints</font>
So you've got a fair idea of how to play, but you'd like a few pointers? Let's see what I can do for you.
<font size='+4'>Money, Fans, and your ROCK rating</font>
These are three things you can use to measure your success in this game, and can't get one without the others. A skilled player will find a balance between all three, but which is most important is up to you.
You can't make money without fans to perform for and buy your CDs, you can't get many fans without skilled band members to increase your ROCK rating, and you can't pay skilled band members' wages or keep them happy with high-quality equipment without money, and you can't get many fans without a decent ROCK rating. Favoring one thing is great, but be careful not to favor one thing too heavily.
If you've got lots of money but not many fans, spend your money on promotions. If you've got fans but not much money, try to schedule concerts in cities where you've already got lots of fans for a while. (You'll get bigger venues and better turnouts there.) 
<font size='+4'>Improving Your ROCK Rating</font>
You already know that a better ROCK rating means more fans which means more money, but what's the best way to raise it? The answer is simple: better band members play better music. The more time your band members spend practicing their instrument skills, the better their ratings. The better their ratings, the better the band's ROCK rating.
However, there are a couple things worth mentioning about member ratings. One, that the higher a band member's rating, the faster their ego will grow. A member with a high ego will be harder to keep happy, and will demand better equipment and a higher salary. Two, the better your band's rating the faster your fanbase will grow, which means you can support a better band. This happens more gradually, however, and you should be careful not to raise your ROCK rating much higher than your current fanbase can support. You've got egos to feed.
<font size='+4'>Rock the USA</font>
At most concerts you play, a few people will be from out of town. Impress them and they'll go home and tell their friends in nearby cities about you. Keep doing concerts near a city, and eventually you'll get an opportunity to play a show at that city. Travel there and earn more fans, claiming that city for your rock nation. 
As your list of cities played at grows, so does your potential fanbase. There are only so many people in each city that can become fans, so the more cities you can get to the bigger your potential fanbase. Is your hometown in the game? See if you can work towards it.
<font size='+4'>Managing Member Happiness</font>
Your members' happiness level represents how content they are with their current state. Several things affect happiness. Band members will lose happiness over time if they ask for a new gear but you don't give it to them. They will also become unhappy if they are overworked between concerts.
Check your members' bio screens occasionally to see how they feel. If they are unhappy, tell them to rest for a while, and consider buying them some new equipment. If they become unmanageable, you can Axe Em and hire a replacement, but don't be too hasty about that as it will decrease your band's overall familiarity.
Be warned: if a member's happiness level drops too low they will stop obeying your requests and loaf around. They'll perform poorly at concerts when unhappy, too.
<font size='+4'>Practicing Songs</font>
It's easy to forget sometimes to make sure your band has practiced a song before you trot them out to perform it live on stage. It's an embarrassing thing to have to play a song you don't know in front of tons of people, so you should try to spare your members the agony. If they know their songs well they'll perform them well, which is good for everyone (including your bottom line.)
Before you decide to add a new song to your concert list, check out the 'Song Tab'. Click the name of the song you're interested in and you'll see a popup with detailed stats on the song. Each member's familiarity with that song is listed towards the bottom. The longer the members' song familiarity bars, the better they know that song. It's best not to perform or record a song your band doesn't know well.
If a member doesn't know a song well, nag 'em to practice songs. I'd suggest telling them to 'Practice Unfamiliar Songs', but feel free to pick a different song practicing style for them.
