Dude I've literally listened this song over 100 times since you posted it here. You are already an artist.

Take the tips mentioned here and be the best you can be.

 

Last edited: Sep 4, 2015

Since there seems to be a bit of a theme here that I need to sell myself, I should mention that I wrote every instrument on that CD, which makes what Sharkbait said about me not fitting in a little ironic. However, I completely respect every bit of constructive criticism given and it's so refreshing given that no one has ever done this since the release of the cd. I suspect I will rerecord this song for the album when I move forward with music and love the idea of extending the chorus by one bar to let the phrase "let me go" have more impact. There are a million things I would change about the recording and mixing too. It was actually the first CD I had ever written so I was a bit caught up in the whirlwind of having a team of accomplished engineers making the decisions and being too intimidated to express my concerns so I'd love another shot at recording "The Hardest Words".

Do you think this song would still be relevant if I reused it for another release or is that genre too far gone?

Sharkbait, would you mind elaborating on networking. It's a fairly general theme and I'd love some suggestions on how to meet the right people. I've met a lot of the wrong people over the years when auditioning band members, that's for sure.

 

IMHO Music is ok. The lead vocal needs a little bit of saturation (use it carefully...).

P.S.
It would be nice getting the acapella version (...I'd like to remix it).

 

Interesting. Which way would you go with it?

 

@ lukeallison

I do not understand your question, sorry (I'm Italian... english language is still hard to evaluate the right way). Could you explain what you mean more clearly, please?

 

Hey Lukeallison, yes, gathering the right people around you is of the utmost importantance. You cannot do everything by yourself physically or emotionally as you will melt like an icecube in the noonday sun. I always admire powerhouse artists that can both create beauty on one hand and play the management game and all it entails simultaniously. Since you do not have the latter chops, or feel that the learning curve either takes away fron your creativity or will take you farther up your timeline, try looking into someone great to do lots of those other things that do not entail actual music creation. You can then take a sigh of relief and keep your focus on the wonderful gifts that you have.
@SharkBait O-reily ... Production costs have come down not because of warez but because people no longer need to record in expensive recording studios with 500,000 grand desks and 25,000 dollar mains, and can instead invest in only the tools that they need. This opens up the recording world for the masses, but too the various cans of worms, (one which is warez, but this is just the tinist of the tiniest cans), ie, saturation of the marketplace, etc, etc.

 

Social media is great, you can definitely blow up that way, but it is hard to stand out these days as every fucktard and their grandma is polluting every social media outlet with an infinite sea of audio sludge. I will begin by saying that you've definitely got talent. The track that you posted exhibited some strong songwriting and execution. I wanted to tell you that first, because a little criticism will follow. First of all, let's start with your band name. It might be deeply meaningful to you, but it's just not instantly eye catching, which is all-important. A great band named accompanied by a really awesome logo can go a long way to making you stand out. I often check out bands just because they have a cool name which compels me to want to know what they sound like. Your band name doesn't actually have to be deeply meaningful as long as it looks/sounds cool. I advise reading a lot of obscure fiction, that always provides me with inspiration. Now let's get into the guts of "blow up" strategy. You need to first build a little ground swell. No one is going to be checking for you if no one knows who the fuck you are. You absolutely need to put a band together and take your music out live. Being part of a scene is very important. You need to be going out all the time and supporting bands that you feel are somewhat like your sound. As you go out and support local bands, you need to be social and talk to people. You need to get to know people in your local scene and make friends with them. As you go to more and more shows and meet lots of people, show them your music. Always carry around a couple of little usb keychains with your album on them (having your logo on those isn't a bad idea). This way, when you meet people that you think would make good potential bandmates, you have something small and easy to carry (and also useful even if they don't like the music) that you can instantly pass off to them and they don't have to search for your music. This also works great with promoters whom you would like to book you. Build your band with like-minded individuals and get a nice, tight set together. Then get your ass out there and play some gigs. Play lots of gigs. Play every gig you possibly can. The more you play live, the better your set will become and the more confident you will be. You must develop a strong stage presence which will draw people to your gigs. It will really help a lot if you're attractive. If you're not particularly attractive, you may want to put someone up front who is. I know that sounds shitty, but that's the way it is. Putting someone good looking up front will automatically make your band more marketable. Plus, good looking people tend to have people of the opposite sex that like to be where they are which equals fans. Making tons of videos is a great way to go. It doesn't matter if they are DIY jobs. Get a GoPro and shoot all kinds of crazy footage of your band or whatever you want. The more random, the better some times. Then just edit all the footage to your songs and post videos non stop. Look at the moron Riff Raff, he became somewhat successful as a rapper and he sucks badly. He just developed an interesting persona and then just put out an unreal volume of material constantly. Most of his videos are laughably awful, but it worked. If you're funny, that can really help. Get crazy on social media, just posting stupid shit all the time and tag your band in it. Get creative. Urban guerrilla propaganda tactics. Post your bands logo all over town by any means necessary. Always keep some t shirts of your band on hand at your gigs. Of course you should try to sell your mercy, but giving a little away here and there isn't a bad idea. If some cute girl is dancing right in front of your band and looks like she's enjoying the music, just give her a shirt. Little things like that can go a long way. Most importantly, don't be a pretentious asshole. Always be approachable, even if it's some sweaty, pimply, chubby weirdo who just wants to high five you and tell you that you kick ass. Take time out to talk to anyone who shows any interest whatsoever in your music and do your best to make them feel appreciated. Ten fans can turn into 100 and if you can get 100 fans, then you can get 1,000,000. Opening up for bigger bands is going to be your first big goal. After you've played several local gigs (make sure that you always have someone take video and get audio from the soundboard if possible so it doesn't sound like shit), then you will have the street cred to approach some bigger promoters who are putting together shows. Opening up for some bigger name bands will really help you get out there. You can always try bribing radio deejays to play your singles too. Bring them a case of beer or a nice bottle of bourbon and 100 bucks and ask them if they'll slip your tune into the late night rotation on your local college station. Get out there and be somebody.

 

Oh, I'm sorry. I worded that terribly. I'm wondering which genre you would like to remix the song for. Do you have any particular sound in mind?

 

I will do exactly this as soon as I find someone who I trust will guide me in the right direction. I want to have as little to do with the business side as possible.

 

@SharkBait O-reily every time I see you post, you're giving phenomenal and very detailed advice. I'm glad you're here.

 

Chillout or DnB or Dubstep ( = electronic music as I live it) ... don't know exactly. It depends on the way I felt the energy inside the voice and the pathos of lyrics. My stuff on SoundCloud could help you to understand the way I remix.

P.S.
I'm not a pro, of course; I'm still trying to understand my way to mixing.

 

There is some highly valuable information in your post and I am grateful you put the time in writing such a lengthy detailed response but I have got to say that this made me laugh hysterically:

I love a bit of comical cynicism. Hence the huge rant I went on about my MBox.

 

Nice tune really good. I wish you luck and hope you get some help.

 

Luke, here are things I for sure look for when I meet new talent, and keep in mind, what you look for in others, you must be the embodiment of those attributes yourself -- that is really how you attract these kinds of people; genius recognizes genius - genius innovates - businesses needs innovation to sell

1) integrity and maturity: an individual who is empathetic, understands others' points of view, is quick to talk, only after the person listens intently --- this is the mark of an individual who will listen to your vision, give it proper thought and consideration, This person will not drag you down with his or her own baggage because he or she pays attention to the big stuff and the important stuff (sacrifice for the band, knowing which battles to pick, knowing how to behave correctly for each situation (brash and charismatic in front of fans... subdued but explosively charming in front of execs) -- and the most important thing, you can count on them (which is worth its weight in gold in the music industry -- showing up late? drunk? etc? yeah, people may deal with that for now... but if you ever find yourself out of favor -- gtfo)

2) intelligence and experience: there is no better teacher than experience, and no one makes better use of experience than the intelligent individual.. he or she has the experience to sort the bullshit from the real, and the mental faculties to assess situations accurately. look at the individual, what achievements has he or she won? what hellish experiences has he or she been through? How quickly is he or she able to learn something? These individuals are people who will make your product better and they will be able to give you insight on what works and what doesn't work because they have BEEN there .. look for people who have toured frequently, know of pitfalls, and have their own network -- and they USE the NETWORK speak.. what's network speak? Well, do you know what selling season is? do you know what middle-8 bridge is? do you know what loudness standards in broadcasting are? people who have been in an industry are used to being talked to in a certain way and they know that others who are in the biz also talk that certain way.. it vets people quite quickly.. Alex Da Kid spoke about this VERY important topic about how to weed out the pretenders in a few interviews, which you might want to seek out

3) musical ability: there is nothing more frustrating than a musician who does not know how to make his or her instrument sing.. what does making an instrument sing mean? it means being able to communicate with your instrument, given the vary wide and disparate sounds and timbres an instrument is capable of, in a very articulate way that is both natural and effortless. It means that you have more volume settings than quiet, medium, and loud.. if you're a musician, it could mean knowing the scales inside out, knowing which intervals and cadences produces what emotions.. how to use chord substitutions, how to do cool, unique tricks on the chosen instrument (clean as hell trills, guitar harmonics, etc).. if you're a mixing engineer, knowing how to use a compressor release settings to accentuate the rhythm, knowing what pitch corresponds to which frequencies -- hell one of the biggest things one of the biggest producers in my country is known for is being quick as hell on a DAW.. he knows obscure keyboard shortcuts that none of us knows about and its just a joy watching him mix cause he does everything so quickly..

4) fearless and able to deal with pressure: how many times have I slammed my fist on my forehead when I see an artist go up and get the crowd all riled up and go out with a great intro, only to looking down at his or her own feet while singing... what the hell? are you really singing to the ground? is that your fan?? or how about that singer who doesn't know what to do with this or her hands so they become these stiff tree like branches as he or she flails away trying to emulate some expression he or she once saw another artist do.. The stage has the ability to put all attention on you.. so you better be very well prepared and believable on stage.. my tip for this -- get a full mirror.. look at yourself perform.. if you look like a fool in the mirror.. that's what people see.. if you see a raging bull in the mirror and you got the confidence to flaunt your stuff and realize even stupid things are cool if YOU do it because the WAY you do it.. then you're on the right mental track... insecurities are fine, and they make you vulnerable and believable... but the audience wants to be taken on a journey with you.. please, please... practice your performance until it is refined as you can make it-- watch other artists.. GET A MIRROR.. practice

5) energy: I resent more than anything individuals who are lazy and who do not put out the energy to get things done.. in this world, art takes energy and effort.. the one most consistent rule is energy and effort produce results.. given that abundantly obvious observation, someone who doesn't take that seriously cannot be trusted to push him or herself when the going gets tough..

also, i recommend anyone who hasn't -- read DegoWaps' post... #28

there is a lot of good rudimentary info on execution and how to really being getting yourself out there, practical beginner advice for bands and one of the most important things to get fans: creating content

except one thing I disagree with... I offer an antithesis to the "attractive" comment... in our experience, "attractiveness" has very little consistency because attractive is subjective as hell... when you're dealing with all top stars, they're all attractive anyway... but the ones who consistently get the recognition are the ones who make fans feel welcome, who connect with them, no matter their attractiveness level..


Really, we are all held mercy of our own country's cultural zeitgeist.. if you can understand that and all the elements that make up a cultural preference, you will look at a product for its congruence with very specific factors, such as origin story, fashion style, type of voice, personality archetype, genre of music, versus more ambiguous factors that are hard to nail down, like 'attractive'..


as a side note...
You want to get rid of "Sarajevo Rose"? a scar on concrete caused by a mortar shell that has then later been filled with resin... that's a story don't you think? creating art from destruction... i don't know the cultural implications of your country, but to me, it sounds absolutely beautiful and meaningful..

 

I don't.

However, I'm from Australia, which is a country that is void of culture and history as it was "colonized" in 1788 and the indigenous heritage is all but forgotten. Australian's just don't get the name and continually mispronounce it.

More to the point, I'm not from Sarajevo and while the band only has a few hundred followers there have been a handful of abusive (some threatening) messages on our facebook page from Bosnians. They feel that I have no right to use that title. I'm not sure how much attention to pay to this as the message I have always taken from the name Sarajevo Rose is strength in the face of adversity, rather than a political or religious alignment. My favourite thing about the name is that it's not stereotypical of a particular genre - especially given that you can usually tell a post-hardcore/ punk/ rock band from a mile away based on their title.

 

Last edited: Sep 8, 2015

I think all gatekeepers should be removed from the world of music, after all they are only using their own tastes and preferences to influence others. Let a piece of music stand or fall by what it is, a piece of art. I bet Monet or Van Goch never had anybody standing over their shoulder giving advice, saying things like make a longer brush stroke here or put a bit more color there.

 

The most talented people I have ever seen or heard were never signed. Many of those were merely street performers, but were FN awesome. If you get a chance, watch "20 feet From Stardom", just to see what these talented people have gone through to stay in the music scene. You have to make yourself available at every chance. In a world where DJ's and karaoke have killed live music, the outlets for live music are shrinking. You have to be vigilant, meet other musicians, and discover what music scenes are available to you. Never give up, but keep exploring different options, cause you never know what might send you into the best direction. Never give up on your dream. I have had my day of performing on stage with famous people in front of huge crowds, yet I know I missed critical opportunities. I still perform because I love it. Love what you do and stick with it. There are too many "artists" now that have been corporate creations. Being you will always shine through, whether on a festival stage, or on the curb. Good Luck in your journey!