Surprise Your Fans Sometimes: Don’t Give Everything Away All The Time

IIn the day of social media promotion, overcasting and sharing everything in the world with everyone the instant it happens, sometimes holding back and being a little prudish can be a great approach as well. Musicians and bands can find an explosive result in holding back on an announcement and lighting the fuse too early.

One of the ideas for musicians that I try to push as a music consultant is to choose certain things that you are excited about and bite your tongue. While it can be great to share the process of somethings, when you surprise your audience, fan base and social media followers with something you have said nothing about and then all of a sudden sudden, it happens, it can have a great result.

So many out there talk so much and a great deal of it does not come to fruition. If you have that big thing that you keep quiet about and then announce like an explosion, it can really help you stand out. It is also a great trait for those who want to find success in music.

The picture above is from a Seattle performing arts school where the kids were told there would be a few musicians to come to perform for them and talk about the music industry. They were pretty surprised when Mike McCready from Pearl Jam and Duff McKagan from Guns N’ Roses and Velvet Revolver, showed up with me on drums. Yeah, most of them had no idea who I was, but that was all good. The drummer and the producers never get love… sniff, sniff.

The point is, we were announced the morning of the event and it had a cool shock value, while at the same time there was no crazy press or an excess of people at the school. It was all for the kids that were there and not about anything more. It was a blast. We did a few songs, talked about the music industry and, afterwards, those kids never had a clue who might be showing up or when. This concept can work for you and your fans.

The same can go for whatever you are pushing in to promotion. As much as preproduction is good for some songs, sometimes just going for that raw take can deliver amazing results. Remember in promotion to occasionally go for that raw take. Don’t tell in advance, keep it on the down low and shut up: the results can be incredible for certain things.

Sometimes, holding back and then announcing something that most would spend weeks or months leading you on and up to can deliver a more exciting, productive and better effect.

Loren Weisman is an accomplished music producer, author and music consultant. He is the author of The Artist’s Guide to Success in the Music Business, a book to help independent artists, musicians, bands, labels and managers achieve self sufficient and sustainable success. For more info on Loren and music consulting services, visit lorenweisman.com/musicconsulting