Don't hide your music

Many musicians hide their music. They think it’s better to be totally ready when the record label or the audience should hear it. It’s actually pretty wrong.

I don’t know how many times I have got totally produced records, sometimes even printed. Listen to them and yes it was good but needed some changes, since it’s already finished, let it be. Instead it becomes a no instead of ayes to put money and time on their career.

One time I had a band that did a really good EP. Everybody was cheering about it and was waiting for the album to come. The band then hide in a cottage in the woods for over six months and then came up to the office with and album. Well during these six months they had taken a totally new direction and the magic from the EP was totally gone. They just has heard a new American band and they had broken through during the six months they were hidden. The record was just a pale shadow of that American band.

Of course if we had been let in the process we had probably would give them advice. But I guess many musicians think they know their music best. The proof at so many cases is that they are probably the one who knows the least about their music. Rod Stewart thought “Do you think I’m sexy” was nothing for him. Boy George didn’t want to release “Do you really want to hurt me”.

Yes it’s attractive myth to just sit in a dark cellar and create a masterpiece. The share truth is that those masterpieces usually are a team working together.  And no they won’t take off the glory from you as a songwriter. They just want a better product to sell.