We tell you to build an email list, social media yourself to death and spread the word - but there is another way.
Refuse to play the game and don't do any of those things!
Manchester band Wu Lyf are one example of how doing this and creating an air of mystery can work wonders. Read this and then this to see how their reverse publicity worked wonders.
It's worth noting that they did engage the world through a website - of course, it didn't follow any of the 'best practice' methods that I and my ilk advise, but it did give them a focal point for the mystery to unfold.
And then there's the Weeknd - read our piece on them here - who did create all the social media profiles but their twist was to hit it all in one go with some stand out material and moody photos!
But is this 'no publicity' hype anything new?
It usually starts the same way. Some band posts a song to a music sharing site like Bandcamp or SoundClick. One person sends it to two people, who each send it to four, and so on, until it gets picked up by a music blog like Gorilla vs. Bear or Brooklyn Vegan and then aggregated on the Hype Machine. A week later, the band has caught the attention of record labels, tastemakers, and promoters.
But everyone wants to know, who is this act? They won't do interviews, so all anyone has to go on is two MP3s and a low-resolution profile picture where they're too far away from the camera to make out anyone's face. And still, Pitchfork just gave their song the Best New Music designation. They're booked for a South by Southwest showcase. Fifteen days have passed, and the band is now the blogosphere's next big thing—even though the blogosphere couldn't recognize the band on the street.
This is how underground bands come of age in 2011.
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