I have only read the OP.

Well, welcome to the world of artistry. I think 99% of musicians can relate to your feelings somehow. It takes a special sort of person to be an artist, musician, actor etc. And its often a world full of uncertainty and introspective questions but then again its for sensitive people, mostly.

In my eyes you seem to be doing pretty well i must say. Now, if you compare your "values" to "regular people’s" or god forgive to the managerial class and compare yourself with their "success" I think your are mixing different fruits.

Not to turn this into a political discussion but even those who are on a monetary successful level in fields like journalism can value what you live and despise their "successful" environment. Tucker Carlson said it in he’s latest talk with Jimmy Dore that he doesn't want to live his life with his class, he "hates" them. They have nothing to talk about, and they are empty shells, he values instead freedom from corporations and the real talk of working people and working class values, that he said to JD who self-described as a working class person.

Anyhow, what im trying to say is you choose artistry as a way of life that makes you happy as a human being, for "success" there are other choices and other costs, other extremely high costs many times, where you have to sell much of your soul, for some it’s a priority for others it’s less crucial.

Just choose your pill ;)

 

Last edited: Dec 20, 2023

But, essentially, don't wrestle with the 'low chance of success' - thats certainly not the way to be looking at the whole proposition.

 

Very good advises here man.

If it is your need, don't ask why. It is your dream / it is your desire /It is your compulsion / it is your whatever... Who cares why.
Would a wolf ask why is howling the moon?

Just do it, one foot after another. In every aspect of life the sky is the limit, where are you ready to go?
One man created a NGO about public toilets in third world countries, you can check online, he has an extraordinary life, just talking about poo.

And talking about business, there is not so many talent in the world, if your product is unique, there is no competence, be unique, persist, and sucess will follow.

Having time to make music is in my view, a total privilige, so enjoy the road!

Watching this video of The Beatles, and Paul McCartney composing Get Back. There is something magic in this moment, he didn't know the result of the process. Later the fans, gigs, and money, but first step is this, and is unvaluable.

 

There is music and there is the music business, don't confuse them.
The danger is always, you take something you love (music) and make it your job, and wind up hating it.

John Fogarty wrote some great songs with credence clearwater revival (his band) and due to signing a bad deal
wound up having to pay someone else everytime he sang one of his own songs. He quit performing for a long time...

Music is at the present moment ubiquitous and difficult to monetize. Live performance or endorsements or some combination of those two things is how most musical artist make their money. Licensing is something for someone
with an established catalog, not likely for a newcomer.

So ask yourself are you able to perform live, can you entertain people for an hour or two? Do you have the stamina to travel for half to 3/4 of the year just promoting yourself and gigging.

Look at pink floyd, great band, great albums, but much of their success came from touring for years before they had a
hit album. That is what gave them their "chops" to understand live performance and anybody can do a good show when things are going all right, but when things start going sideways, thats when the pros shine.

Its a hard slog, and no guarantees just like most of life, but what are you doing for the next twenty years or so, anyways?

 

Fuck The World!
Live In Your Imagination And Make Music For Yourself!

 

Also whole big label business is fucked up and can potentially destroy you, especially if you sign some shitty deal and end up being slave in debt without any rights to your own music, name and anything.

So start on your own, have fun, connect with people on your own terms and if you see those vultures trying to get near you, than it's a sign you are better off without them, because you are their business investment and obviously there is business worth investing for them.

They can make you a superstar, but you can end up being their slave, without saying about your own music, just supplying what they think you need to supply, rejected about everything you think you should do, forced to do everything they think it's best, from your look to last thing they think it's needed. Because you need to pay back their investment in you.

Think on long run, your fame might fade away quickly, so you need to have backup plan, if you want to go all in. If you become desperate to earn money with music, you will probably do desperate things.

So don't be desperate, don't look at fame or music as something that is going to ensure you easier life, don't depend so much on it, less dependent you are on your music is better for your music and your well being.

You can pretty much do exactly what you are doing right now, while having fans and gig's, while having fun on your own terms. if you aren't happy and having fun, everything will become torture and more you wait, more desperate you will become for something to happen. If you are having fun, it will be just icing on the cake and probably more people will connect with carefree creative artist, than someone who shoehorned himself into something or is obviously desperate with his every move.

So again, put yourself out there, don't be too hard on yourself, have fun with people, stay humble as much as you can, especially while networking, be as professional as you can if you land some job, don't close any doors with your butt.

Also think on long run, help people put out records, collaborate, maybe your calling is to be an engineer or producer, you'll never know if you don't try, maybe in your local area there is demand for someone like you, who can do great studio job for decent buck.

So take it easy, but don't be afraid to take off, I really wish you all the luck in your journey.

 

@tylerv
Thank you for sharing this. Few people have the courage to be honest in this century when creating a post that is speaking from where it is supposed to count.

I have spent forty years in this industry so I do have a slight ability to be able to pass on what I have learned objectively.

First, it is perfectly alright to know when you have written something that is good. You have stated how long you've been doing it so you do likely know. The unfortunate part of anything online stated, is that some people may see "My tune is good" the wrong way.
Montaigne said something all too true " A man's accusations of himself are always believed; his praises of self never". Believing in yourself is a gift. Never lose it.

Second, the industry has been frustrating for millions of musicians for nearly 100 years. do not beat yourself up over it. Last century, you had to perform with your band (or solo), and hope you'd be seen by an A&R person out scouting for new artists, or send tapes in hoping they got heard. That was about as hit and miss as it gets. Nowadays, you can put your creations online. Depending on what search engines, what you've paid and too much to list, the last century 'almost' seems more preferable.

Third, garbage music has always existed, and sometimes, it even gets popular. That is not your concern. YOUR MUSIC IS.

Last, we make our own luck. Nobody, and certainly not the world owes anybody a living. You make your own luck and your own path.
You have to try and you have to ask. The perspective and approach you choose determines your attitude. Do not kid yourself, a great attitude is worth as much if not more than the greatest chops in the world. If you choose the optimism path, then here it is. When you go to ask for anything, it is generally because you do not have it. They could say no. If you do not ask, you still do not have it so you've already doomed yourself to a 'no'. HOWEVER - they could say YES! So it is nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Cheers

 

i really appreciate your positivity and outlook man. lots of things i need to hear in ur replies for sure. thank you

 

I wish I could offer up some positive wisdom that would lift your spirits and give you hope tylerv. That's probably what you'd like to hear. Unfortunately its just not in me.

When I was younger I, and most musicians I knew, hoped for many changes in the music industry. More than anything, we wanted autonomy over our work. We were all tired of dictatorial record labels and their mostly buffoonish coked-out A&R people calling all the shots, while having to suck up to them if we wanted to get a break. I turned down literally several recording deals simply because contract terms were so onerous that I felt I wouldn't have been able to live with myself had I signed on the dotted line. Most notable among those "terms" were giving up ownership of music you'd written to get a chance to record that very same music. Back then, the big money was far and away in the music publishing which generally went to the owners (not necessarily the authors) of the songs. Because of that, song rights were the first thing they grabbed from you. That's why it was not uncommon to have well known recording artists who wound up penniless.

Many years gone by, and remarkably, I've seen many of those changes we hoped for back then come to life! But just as remarkably, much of that has served to make the industry even worse than it was back then. The pennies musicians and songwriters get for streaming has been, in my view, a catastrophe. It's a slap in the face for anyone that's worked hard on their music. That musicians weren't able to put together stronger unions to protect recording artists and fight against pennies-for-play has been an epic failing.

Huge advances in recording technology gave musicians some of the autonomy they'd hoped for by allowing people to make record-quality recordings at home instead of having to beg for money, or sign away your rights to get into a top notch recording studio. But that also backfired because once everyone became able to make such proficient recordings inexpensively at home, it yielded a million musicians passing around music they recorded, large numbers of them sounding very much similar or the same. It's hard to find a way to stand out when everyone is passing around fairly high quality recordings made with identical tools. Does it happen now and then? Sure! But when everyone is making these quality recordings you're talking about odds of getting 'discovered' using them similar to winning the U.S. Powerball lottery (243 million to 1). The odds were always stacked against success in the music biz, but I think it's tougher now than ever.

Now with AI related music technology upon us, I can only see things getting even worse. Industry conglomerates who can get rid of costly artists and replace them with machine driven product will gladly do so. Sure, some here will comment on how that machine driven music will have no heart or soul. But those people don't understand that the industry conglomerates couldn't care less about that. Whether its garbage or not, if they can promote it, sell it, make their money, they will be as happy as pigs in sh*t, and they will not care if it was music that did or didn't change the world. Changing the world isn't their goal, it's all about dollar bills.

So, in sum (sorry to have gone on so long but honestly I could have kept going!), I don't really see a very bright future for aspiring musical artists. I'd never blame anyone for loving the opportunity for creativity, to enjoy it for personal pleasure, to impress friends and family. But if I knew back in the day what I know now, I would have chosen a very different path to insure security and happiness. tylerv, if there's other things that you could see yourself finding happiness with, I would surely give them careful consideration. I've heard some of your recordings here; they're good, you have talent, and what I'm saying IS NOT a condemnation of your skills. I'm just relating what I've seen and learned over time. Once you get past the 'likes', the nice comments on forums, the glow of feeling you've created something that is musically positive, you'll still have to deal with the music industry to make it happen and that's anything but a bed of roses. Best of luck to you in whatever direction you choose.

 

Last edited: Dec 20, 2023

Different opinions and voices here.

I just wanna add: Touch all the doors, and if you receive a no, touch another door, and dont persist. I think this is the basic difference between people that has success and people that fails. The ability to go against NO.

If you don't open some doors, you are just limiting yourself.