Bands looking to get to the next level have an impressive array of marketing, social media and promotion tools with which to gain exposure. It rarely occurs to anyone that no matter how much effort you put into it, most marketing messages fail to penetrate people’s psychological buffer systems.
That’s because people aren’t that bothered about anything less than remarkable.
If anyone really cared for honest advice they would spend all their free time on writing songs and doing gigs.
Playing a gig every week for a year is 52 times better than any Facebook campaign. Playing one twice a week makes over a hundred shows a year and even if it’s like going to work only a couple of days a week, it will help make a band a remarkable live act. Being remarkable live is exciting.
A band who writes a song every week will write 52 songs in a year. If they really work at it, they will be able to write 2-3 songs a week. Chances are that in a catalogue of over 100 songs there will be 10 good ones and one or two that are remarkable. Remarkable songs are exciting.
What if rather than sit in front of a computer screen thinking about fan engagement, we all picked up our chosen instrument and engaged with our muse instead?
Heretical? Good.
Sure, promo is fun and important, but, hey… c’mon… surely it’s WAY MORE FUN playing guitar, smokin’, drinkin’ and writin’ tunes. Isn’t it?
It’s also way more important and far far far more likely to bring us success than any marketing strategy ever.
The Manic Shine are doing just that.
Go see them on this tour. They are amazing live.
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Sound advice Mr Leppanen, I really like these blogs. My main concern is that I know I simply don’t write enough, and on bad days I feel like an impostor. Like I just want people to think I’m this guy who can’t put the guitar down, rather than actually being that guy. Must get more disciplined and see ideas through. Check out my latest offering. https://soundcloud.com/flynns-piece/flynns-piece-cant-complain
Discipline. Good word!