I received an e-mail from Skio Music (Canada) this morning ( Thailand, where I live) that the deadline for the recent "Elodie Reverie - Pan Am Remix Competition" had been changed and when I immediately logged in to my account it said I had 35 minutes remaining to submit! It is now closed. It was due to close on April 19th, I'm absolutely devastated as I was up till 1am working on the bassline and pads ( 70% finished). No explanation has been given about the abrupt deadline change. Talk about a bad feeling in the mouth. I have messaged Skio Music for further info but they are sleeping at the moment. I have contacted the artist on her artiste website. If I get no joy I will try on her socials.

I'm not new to the music industry. I qualified as an audio engineer in Sydney Australia in the 1980's. I was an international DJ for 19 years. I was #67 in the DJ Magazine Top 100 in the last quarter of 1999. Where I live, Thailand, those occupations are restricted to locals so I have been doing other things for the last 20 years. I began getting back into music producing nearly 4 years ago.

It's not just the music streaming model that is broken. The lack of respect and warning is staggering and sad......
https://www.reddit.com/r/edmproduct...kio_music_remix_competition_deadline_changed/
Update: I posted this to reddit 12 hours ago (current views 1100) and on the artists fanpage and just now on a gmail a/c. No responses so far, still waiting for an explanation or something from someone.

 

Then you should know that a remix competition is just a way for the original label/producer to get free publicity. Always has been, always will be. You're literally complaining that you lost a losing lottery ticket. If you'd put this complaining energy into making music, you'd be better imho

 

I don't mind buying a losing lottery ticket. It's the having it stolen from me that grates. That's what my lost/wasted time feels like.

 

Two words :
F*ck society !

"Music business" is a capitalist business : you've just been exploited
Like ANY proletarian around the world.

Welcome to the proletarian club !
PS : the only difference between 80's and now is now ... it shows up

 

There's a reason the music business is known for being one of the toughest in the world. What happened to you I doubt will surprise anyone. The question is, are you going to let what happened break you, or are you going to use it to motivate you on to bigger and better things?

 

One should learn from mistakes !
Get out while you can.

 

barfly, tough as it sounds. Reality Check: SKIP, adjust, overcome, turn next. Dont turn yourself into the position of a victim. Its weakening your talent and energy. Thats the only thing that works. Dont focus too strong on contests like that. Dont take it personal, even if many things today might kick your butt even nastier than in the past. Disappointment can be a bitch. Its coming from too high expectation and passionate dedication. Try handle stuff like that more like a crazy ball you throwin into a naughty dirty fucked up game. But have FUN doing so! Dont take it too serious. Often, contests are a waste of time. You might improve some skills, take it like that. 3500 people or so jumping in to a contest within a day. Dont think just because youre experienced and good, that it will make anybody care about your work. Millions of people "making music" today at the same time. That is being called "democratization". Maybe its bullshit. BUT It IS LIKE THAT. We cant change, only adjust to the game. Hard fact: Today, NOBODY cares about your achievements, talent and work. You must MAKE people care. Focus on your joy and passion. And health. Those companies are mostly doing promo for themselves by having too many naive people thinking its about their talent.

Consider using that remix work for another project instead: Get rid of the vocals, adjust the track. Rarely an artist or company related to such a contest will get back to you afterwards...DONT give the impression that YOURE NEEDY by contacting like: heyy heres my reeemix please take it...thats putting you into a weak position. Transform a too personal view into pragmatism. Dont expect respect and money. Only expect yourself following your path. You seem to be an experienced guy with a music life before, so it also might have to do with that. JUST keep a mindset like accepting the todays fact that NOBODY cares about your success of the past and who you are anymore. First, this truth might hit you hard.Then, after awhile...it can set you FREE to really get things going again. Keep in mind, many people are experiencing being disrespected, tricked, not paid. Its the regular. Im not saying its a good thing. You just have to become a pragmatic, shielded turtle in music and arts business. Make clear to yourself what is it you want from making music again: Being respected, being paid, having fans, being loved, having fun? Or being happy? Your life and talent doesnt change because people show you disrespect, ONLY if you LET it be like that!

Heres some few fun facts about my pro music life. Between 1989 - 2003. Maybe Barfly and others here might take some inspiration, energy or just fun from reading. Im under Covid Quarantine so Im giving it to you haha: Years on stage, red carpets, studios with golden interior and platinum award discs hanging in the lavatory above where you pee; fucked up company stuff and managers, experiencing stars who in private being nice or freaky. Some of them had crazy talent. Others none. One time I had a pro artist visiting my personal studio crib for working with me and a female duet partner on a song. He spilled drugs in my bathroom and had s_x with that person in my studio room without me knowing it. He "couldnt do a song without having sex all the time". I didnt continue that work. I had people bully me, talking my work down, having me work for nothing, being fake behind my back, laugh about me. I been almost up to really great success. I worked on projects for thousands of hours. And alot of that stuff wasnt used in the end! Around 2001: Doing 10 track demo, deadline: two weeks. A successful singer who couldnt sing great. She wanted songs like Destinys Child. I was working my ass off, lyrics, tracks. For a person whom I knew couldnt sing like Beyonce did back then. A&R guy: Track1: Nice. Track 2: Shit. Track 3: Cant you do better music? Track 4: Its ok. In the end: NOT EVEN A THANK YOU. NOTHING. So I decided never doing such again. Another artist took my track, changing it into her own without letting me know. Telling me no, I dont want your track. Other work included cutting original mastertapes of a star with a razor blade by hand (ca. 1991). One mistake, youre done. Never did that before. The studio owner and label boss showed me once. Then he said: Dont fuck that up. You only got one try. I almost peed my pants no joke. Not getting paid at first. Having my name not being put in the credits among known names because I "wasnt successful enough".

Later, I did quit before that business aspects dragging me into more frustration. I got fed up. Had to get out of a contract in courtroom. Cost alot of money. Ive been too young, nice and naive back then. Like a family boy. Had to fight for copyrights and my work. Had to do cleaning jobs again, bakery job, restaurant kitchen. Which are honest and honorable jobs so to say. If you got an asshole type boss liking to treat you like shit in one of those jobs. Then its nasty. Millions of people have to work often being disrespected and underpaid. Being bullied. Of course the transformation going on in media and music is just crazy for good and bad. It was tough for me, having to do daily jobs again, because once you made it up to a certain level by your own hard work and talent in the area of music and artistry,...having to loose or let go makes you become aware of realities. I must admit going back to these daily job experiences - looking back it made me become even more a better artist and musician myself today. Shaping my persona and resiliance on a much wider scale. And after all you realize whos a friend and whos not. Some people of that past time of my life today in their online biography pretend as if I didnt exist. THATS business reality.

Would I come back with a big success,...suddenly those same people remember my name and tell everybody how we were working together and how legendary it was. THATS the reality. Being able to make music and do arts is a gift, a luxury. And hard work. Maybe today people are not aware about that anymore. I worked from the fuckin bottom. I was a white kid with a black mentor who was a DJ for high profile black US RnB producers around 1989-1993. I was living this all being a way of life 24/7. Not a job. I even slept in the studio on the floor or a sofa. I wanted to breathe the smelll of tape machines, consoles, Atari, preamps, compressors. There were no plugins. You had to have expensive keyboards, drum machines, outboard gear, Speakers, sound expanders. All I wanted to do is bring energy to the world and people and create new worlds. Push the boundaries.

Started with 24Four-Cubase Atari, Yamaha 4Track,Tascam/Fostex. Later digital. You had to work hard to get. Studio on a pro level in 1995 you had to invest at least 120.000 dollar. Or know a studio owner. Or rent a studio. No tutorials, you needed to meet people, go to clubs, record stores, concerts, get chart magazines, books. Today, after some structural life adjustments concerning health, family, technology, effective studio concept, Im actively back working out concepts, production, visuals and coaching. Also for a Seoul based company: Hard working thankful young trainees on zoom giggling at me asking thousand questions, taking advices. Making me use that Kakao messenger haha. Next is they gonna perform and do one of my tracks. If the company decides so. Sounds familiar. But funky white kid got wiser now.

Dear pro BARFLY, stop focusing on that contest. Its unimportant to your path in the end. You will come to realize it. Do your thing, man.

To everyone here. Be happy and healthy. Have fun making music. Kimchi or not

 

Last edited: Apr 1, 2022

I think in some of the contests they have great songs and it's good for downloading steams for making a remix (or edit the vocals, make unrecognizable to use in your own songs) but without actually participating.

Just for fun and practice.

The prizes are often lame. If there's a real cash prize I would consider which is not the case in all contests.

 

they are doing people a favor by giving them a chance to work for free.

Isn't that nice of them?