Mark Weber
Too often a band puts out a new album, plays the same venues in their local scene, and is forgotten until they repeat the cycle in two years. There isn’t much that beats the excitement of a new record release. So 6 months after the album drops, how can you continue to be exciting? Now that the usual fans are starting to skip some shows, how do you get them back in the door? Why not repeat what got people excited in the first place?
Obviously you can’t expect to go back into the recording studio and record another full length (or even an EP of all new material), so what am I suggesting? Why not just make a short-run EP that is special for shows or merchandise deals?
There’s no need to reinvent the wheel here, just do something with what you already have. Was there a song that didn’t make the cut? This is the perfect time to get some use out of it. Don’t forget about old demos, instrumentals or acoustic versions of songs. Go crazy and make a fast punk version of your ballad! You can even get people involved with a Facebook poll, and let that determine which songs get new versions.
It really doesn’t matter too much what you decide to do, just pick 2 or 3 songs and get something new out there for your fans. It doesn’t even have to be the best sound quality. The point is just to offer a little something extra for fans, to remind them that you’re still out there kicking ass. This brings me to an important point about making this for the fans.
Don’t charge a bunch of money for this! I’d argue that you might not want to charge anything for the mini-EP, but I know that might seem counterproductive. This new EP is the perfect incentive to get your fans in the door and out to shows, after they’ve already seen you more times than they can count. Everyone who comes to a particular show gets a copy for free? Buy a shirt and get a copy of the EP?
Go ahead and make these special and limited to a certain batch of shows or to a tour. Don’t even bother making artwork or putting them in nice cases if you don’t want to; but, if you are going to spare the expense of artwork, do something else to make it personal for fans. Why not write funny stories about things that have happened to the band during practice or while on the road? Maybe even have one of the better artists in the band draw some quick pictures for it.
I know I talked a lot about how this can help the band that often plays the same areas, but bands that are touring can easily make this mini-EP work for them as well. Make it a special tour EP! That even gives you great artwork to use as well. Got a tour poster or promo-photos that are used to advertise your tour? Great, it’s now your album artwork!
For smaller bands, the album cycle feels incredibly long. Without a huge touring budget, you need to do something to give fans a reason to see you multiple times, because you’ll most likely be playing the same areas many times. A tour EP/mini-EP or whatever you want to name it is a simple way to add something to your merchandise table and get fans back in the doors. It reminds everybody that you are still active and can give fans a look into a different side of the band. Take this idea and make it fit your band. Better yet make it fit your fans! After all, this is something special for them.
Mark Weber
@theemarkweber
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Since 2011, independent artist Mark Weber has been focusing his musical efforts on a solo career, infusing the sounds of Emery, Balance & Composure, and Manchester Orchestra, to create his own unique brand of alternative rock. Having played in alternative and pop-punk bands all across the suburbs of Chicago, Weber wanted to have full control over the song writing process. He didn’t want to just be a guitarist, singer, or bassist anymore; he wanted to do it all. With this new chapter, it was time to fully utilize his talents and tell the stories of growing up, failing to achieve your goals, and being scared of what’s to come. Weber released his first EP, Parallel Lines, in 2012 and will be releasing the follow-up, Crashing: In Color, on July 15th 2014.