Disclaimer up front: Not a political thread, you can debate the relative merits of TikTok and information-gathering of various governments elsewhere. If there are governments collecting information on surf bands...uh....go for it?

All that said, who is on TikTok? GGR resisted for the longest time, but as Forrest Gump says, "Promotion is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."* The Rillas want to make surf enthusiasts aware, but as with any endeavor, make the folks who DO NOT KNOW about it aware and ready/willing to come out to the gigs. It is what it is. If there's any bands on there that want to connect/like/follow, do it to it.

• If you are already paraphrasing Forrest Gump, you're already in trouble. Bananas.

Bango Rilla!

DiPintos, Fenders and Reverb (oh, my!)

The GO-GO Rillas
Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok | Threads: thegogorillas | Spotify

My kid keeps telling me I should get on TikTok, but my employer prohibits its use on company devices, so ... ;)

--
Project: MAYHEM by Hypersonic Secret now available!

That’s a good channel for new audiences. But you should learn how to use it and make proper content, traditional one doesn’t work there.

Waikiki Makaki surf-rock band from Ukraine

https://linktr.ee/waikikimakaki

Lost Diver

https://lostdiver.bandcamp.com
https://soundcloud.com/vitaly-yakushin

fenderfan wrote:

Hi Samurai,
As a surf band guy who is ignorant regarding TikTok, can you discuss what is wrong with the way the Go-Go Rillas have used it? Thanks!

I am not big specialist but will take a look!

Waikiki Makaki surf-rock band from Ukraine

https://linktr.ee/waikikimakaki

Lost Diver

https://lostdiver.bandcamp.com
https://soundcloud.com/vitaly-yakushin

Bango_Rilla wrote:

I don't want to be a presumptuous ape, but I don't think Samurai was offering that GGR was doing something incorrectly. LOL

The apes are doing ok on TikIok-y, for the amount of effort we're putting into it (about the same as other social media outlets)

Exactly! Nice content and quality made. Good live shots. It looks good, maybe more of a funny and provocative videos will be nice, TikTok loves it! But the good point is that you are already funny as you are in these masks and outfits, coool! I also like your music!

Waikiki Makaki surf-rock band from Ukraine

https://linktr.ee/waikikimakaki

Lost Diver

https://lostdiver.bandcamp.com
https://soundcloud.com/vitaly-yakushin

fenderfan wrote:

I see. I thought the comment "But you should learn how to use it and make proper content, traditional one doesn’t work there." was a suggestion that Go-Go Rillas weren't using it properly. Thanks for your follow-up messages.

Oh, no, I just generally meant that it’s working differently from the channels that we used to.

Waikiki Makaki surf-rock band from Ukraine

https://linktr.ee/waikikimakaki

Lost Diver

https://lostdiver.bandcamp.com
https://soundcloud.com/vitaly-yakushin

Last edited: Feb 23, 2023 10:13:19

Samurai wrote:

Exactly! Nice content and quality made. Good live shots. It looks good, maybe more of a funny and provocative videos will be nice, TikTok loves it! But the good point is that you are already funny as you are in these masks and outfits, coool! I also like your music!

Aw thanks very much! It's fun! That's what it's about, right?

Bango Rilla!

DiPintos, Fenders and Reverb (oh, my!)

The GO-GO Rillas
Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok | Threads: thegogorillas | Spotify

Bango_Rilla wrote:

Disclaimer up front: Not a political thread, you can debate the relative merits of TikTok and information-gathering of various governments elsewhere. If there are governments collecting information on surf bands...uh....go for it?

All that said, who is on TikTok? GGR resisted for the longest time, but as Forrest Gump says, "Promotion is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."* The Rillas want to make surf enthusiasts aware, but as with any endeavor, make the folks who DO NOT KNOW about it aware and ready/willing to come out to the gigs. It is what it is. If there's any bands on there that want to connect/like/follow, do it to it.

• If you are already paraphrasing Forrest Gump, you're already in trouble. Bananas.
  

I'm European, so I couldn't give a flying f*** about what some Americans think of TikTok because it's Chinese. You have other problems to take care of than to worry about things like TikTok.

With that out of the way, yes, I am on TikTok, but only for entertainment. My niece explained how that works and ever since I use it for passing the time when waiting for sth or when I am on God's big white telephone.

I wouldn't use it to promote it because I don't know how to do that on TikTok, but I am frequently put in playlists on blogs and similar sites frequented by young people. But if you know how to do that, I'd encourage you to do it. It's a great way to promote your music.

I think that if we ever want our music to be growing and get bigger, a younger audience has to be reached and indeed, things like TikTok are a brilliant way to do so. But also getting your music on blogs, embedded players etc. Anywhere where young people come. If we don't we never will grow as a genre and keep on getting stuck in the prejudice of being "music by old men, for old men".

Having said that, I myself am old, but my music is getting more popular through the means I mentioned before. Example: "Lana Del Rey" is one of my oldest tunes, but a few months ago, some girl that likes to dress up as a Japanese house cat put it in her player and in the meantime it has been played like 1200+ times since then. The first 3 weeks it was on there, it got played more than in the 3 years before that. Sales got also up. Being added to the "addtowant list", which is a blog with recommendations for -indeed- young people, did work quite a miracle for the sales of Impala '59 and De Favorieten Expres!. Heck even my first album is being ordered again after having not sold one single copy since 8 months. Just saying that there are other ways too to reach young people, other than TikTok.

Bottom line: you need to reach youngsters and a good way to do it, is using the new media that are at your disposal. It's ok if you don't know how that all works, I am sure there is a young boy or girl nearby that can help you out on it. Like my niece did with explaining TikTok. Use titles that sound familiar to their ears, cover new popsongs.

Just my two bits. I think that using TikTok is a brilliant way to do this, if you know how it works. But also look into other ways as they might benefit you and the genre as a whole as well. Good luck.

Albums:
_Introducing; Impala '59; An Evening with; Herr Magnatech Bittet Zum Tanz; Europa

Changing label.

https://magnatech.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/magnatechmusic
https://www.magnatech-music.com

Having been on TikTok for a while, it's definitely a different audience (it slants younger, by far, than the other platforms). So far, it's been pretty good for us but nothing that I could concretely say that it got us gigs booked or anything.

Bango Rilla!

DiPintos, Fenders and Reverb (oh, my!)

The GO-GO Rillas
Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok | Threads: thegogorillas | Spotify