How SMS gets provisioned
When you create a band on BandBrain, you can provision a dedicated SMS long-code number from the Channels page → SMS section. One click — Twilio picks a US area code and assigns the number to your tenant. ~$2/month, charged to BandBrain (not you).
The number is permanent for the life of the tenant.
A2P 10DLC compliance
Every BandBrain SMS goes through a Twilio Messaging Service with an A2P 10DLC campaign. This means:
- Each recipient must opt in before BandBrain sends them proactive messages
- STOP / HELP / START are handled at the carrier edge automatically
- Reply rates and unsubscribe rates are monitored
Who can text the band's number
Only people on the band's roster. Anyone else who texts it gets one reply ("This number is for <band>'s touring team. Ask your tour manager to add you to the roster."), at most once a day, and BandBrain doesn't answer their questions or save their attachments. Their text still shows in your message log so you can see who tried.
Opt-in flow
When you add someone to the roster with a phone number, BandBrain auto-sends them an opt-in SMS:
"Jordan added you to The Northern Lights' BandBrain assistant. Reply YES to get tour info by text, or just text any question. STOP to opt out. Msg&data rates apply."
Until they reply YES (or just text the BandBrain number with a real question), the opt-in state stays "pending" and:
- BandBrain cannot proactively text them (no broadcasts)
- They can still initiate by texting the bot themselves — that counts as opt-in
After they reply YES (or text any non-trivial message):
- Opt-in confirmed
- They show up as "you're opted in" on the Channels page
- They receive broadcasts and can text the bot freely
How the bot replies
SMS replies follow strict format rules to stay scannable on a phone in motion:
- Max ~320 chars (2 SMS segments)
- Plain text, NO markdown
- Lead with the answer
- Use LABEL: value lines with line breaks, not paragraph prose
- Always append a timezone abbreviation to clock times ("1:00 PM EDT")
- End with a short open question ("Anything else?")
Example:
Tonight (6/1) at Amityville Music Hall, 198 Broadway, Amityville NY.
Hotel: Spark by Hilton Bensalem, 3499 Street Rd, Bensalem PA.
Load-in: 1:00 PM EDT.
Anything else?
Voice notes: talk to the brain
Anyone on the roster can send a voice note to the band's number instead of typing. Use it to ask a question, or just to get something into the band's brain: an idea, a change from the venue, feedback after a show.
- Every voice note is saved. BandBrain writes out what was said and keeps it in Knowledge as a voice note, with who sent it and when. The original audio is kept too.
- It's searchable later. Ask "what did Joe say about Denver parking?" and BandBrain finds it.
- Questions get answered like a typed text. Information gets a short confirmation that it was saved.
- Requests get done with the usual checks, like texting the crew (Full Access, preview first).
- If BandBrain can't make out the audio, it says so and asks you to resend or type it. Nothing is quietly dropped.
Keep voice notes short. Very long recordings can be cut down by phone carriers before they reach BandBrain.
Location pins: "what's near me?"
Text BandBrain your location (iPhone: Apple Maps → tap the blue dot → Share → Messages → BandBrain) and ask for food, coffee, a pharmacy or urgent care near you. The pin is used only for your own questions and is deleted after 4 hours. See What's nearby + sharing your location.
STOP / START / HELP
These keywords are intercepted by Twilio's carrier-edge logic — BandBrain doesn't see them as inbound messages.
- STOP: stops all future SMS to that number. The Channels page reflects "opted out".
- START (or UNSTOP): re-enables SMS after a STOP.
- HELP: Twilio sends a standard reply about who's sending and how to opt out.
What if SMS isn't working?
See SMS troubleshooting.