A
house band is a group of musicians, often centrally organized by a band leader, who regularly play an establishment. It is widely used to refer both to the bands who work on entertainment programs on television or radio, and to bands which are the regular performers at a nightclub, especially
jazz and
R&B clubs. The term can also refer to a group that
plays sessions for a specific
recording studio. House bands on television shows usually play only
cover songs instead of originals and they play during times which commercials would be seen by the home viewing audience, therefore only those present in the studio during the show's taping see their full performances.