Poll: Depressing news for aspiring musicians...

SsilverR

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Feb 26, 2009
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i never cared about becoming famous .. even if it's just 1 song, i want to create (or help create) something that will help someone out there get through another day
 

MyFiyaBePurged O_o

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Sep 21, 2008
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i really dont believe that. i honestly think there is a niche for every artist. if you find your target audience and exploit the living hell out of it, you may not be famous, but youll still be stacking cash. I am an aspiring singer/songwriter/actor/dancer/graphic designer/producer/composer/visual artist....what can i say...im an artist.
 

Sark

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Jun 21, 2009
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It takes talent and dedication and luck. Fortunatly I have all three so I have no problem here.
 

TheEnglishman

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Jun 13, 2009
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Do you think that as an aspiring writer I don't know that?

You just gotta be sure your very good and hope you get lucky, also back up plans help.
 

vampirekid.13

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May 8, 2009
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antipunt said:
So I was just ruminating on a certain issue and was wondering if there were any musicians/pragmatists out there that felt the same way I did.

Anyone else notice how depressing it is to be an aspiring musician? Let's be frank: most of us, probably -are by definition- aspiring musicians because we think we have something 'special'. Or in other words, we are driven to write music because we want to share our essence with the rest of the world, due to whatever genetic predisposition we may have that drives us to think this way. Maybe we are motivated by our favorite bands, etc.

And then...we realize something...

http://www.allages.com/2008/shows.html

This is a 'show/stage' near my residence. Just look at....-all- those bands out there. All of them who believe they also are 'the best'. Also believing they want to 'share their musical essences'. Also competing...with -you-.

The point is I'm starting to realize that...(correct me if I'm wrong, this is my point here): isn't it statistically improbable to become a successful musician (and much more likely that you'll be one of those homeless guys playing for nickels?). And what I mean is, statistically, if we were to talk about, say, the lottery, most educated folk would instantly disregard any chance of winning the lottery ("higher chance of getting struck by lightning, hah! It's just so unreasonable"). The sad thing is that it seems comparable to musical-success. What's the chance you are to land a label? To become famous? To hit 'awesome-status' like bands like Brand New or Muse?

Escapists, do you not agree? Musical success is, to an individual, as silly and improbable as something like winning the lottery. Of course we'll say encouraging things like "you'll never know unless you try" and "you just got to do all you can and hope for the best", but on a purely-rational and honest/succinct train of thought: aren't we just lying to make people feel better?

'Despite all the rage, I'm still just a rat in a cage'
i disagree, simply because thats where all music artists started.

lets take my favorite band (hollywood undead) they started making music on myspace...one of them made the beat, one recorded the lyrics (which were like parody songs) and after a while their talent shined through and they got a record label, and made it big.

its how it starts every time, but you have to be talented. i mean if 6 kids from LA that run around in masks and yell undead can get a record deal so can you...right?
 

antipunt

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Jan 3, 2009
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Eclectic Dreck said:
antipunt said:
but would not playing on the street with a hat out still be something? i mean you're getting your music out there, people are listening to it.

why should it have to be that you need to have the big record contract and be on the charts to be considered sucessful?
Eh...you know what? Honestly, I just don't want to cope with living in a cardboard box.

And that's living in a cardboard box.
And you can't have a day job?

This isn't a flame by any stretch, but that's basically a flimsy excuse. If you love the art of expressing yourself through music I think you need to find a way. Chances are good you won't make it to the big time as I already pointed out (and seems blindingly obvious to me). Money aside, would you sacrifice entertaining a crowd at a bar and being personally thanked just because it probably won't lead you to riches and fame? If you answer yes, then I have to say, you're playing for all the wrong reasons.
I reflected upon your post, and I guess all I can really say is "thanks for the thoughtfulness". I took it to heart, and I see what you mean. However, let me clarify how I feel about the situation. I'm not doing it for fame nor money. What I'm doing it for is 'meaning'. And though I would indeed love playing in a bar and being personally thanked, there is the issue of 'absurdity'. It's a kind of metaphysical/emotion that I've received when I played music in the past. Getting a gig is hard enough as it is. Most of the 'shows' I've gotten were places where I've played for audiences that were here for the 'free entertainment'. I've had really bad experiences with this; have you ever tried playing music and spreading it? Most of the time people are laughing or talking while you play. It's an absolutely gut wrenching/uncomfortable feeling having your precious music mocked in a public setting, let alone, playing your music singing your heart out for people that don't see/hear the things that you do. Despite what idealists may think, no one there wants you to succeed; they couldn't care less about your music. One word: absurdity. That's what I don't want. I don't want to play in the dark, screaming my lungs out in an empty room. I want those people to thank me afterwards in that bar (that you described). But have you ever tried getting even that modest-situation? It's freaking tough man. Most of the time, you have more people mocking you than thanking you. Nobody wants you to succeed...you have to lure them in. And that's incredibly difficult to do. On the Westwood streets more often I see homeless guys blasting their guitars...outside of -real- show halls (I went to a show with HelloGoodbye once (not necessarily my favorite band...but it was the situation I recalled), and I just keep reflecting over this one desperate old hobo). The hobo fits 'absurdity'. He plays in the dark hoping to get noticed, but he just doesn't have 'it', and looks ridiculous doing it. People make fun of him. In this situation, HelloGoodbye...they weren't absurd. They had fans. A following. They could do music for a living, and not sleep in a cardboard box.

I'm just emphasizing that I'm not superficial. I have thought this out for a long time, and fought my urges to express myself musically. It's like a disease. You want it so bad, but you know in your rational mind that it's impossible. Whether it's because you're not talented enough or because you don't have good connections, for whatever reason, no matter what you do, it's a massive uphill slope if you don't have the 'it' factor. Getting that bar of friendlies...even that is difficult. Nobody cares about you. They all have their hands on that 'next' button, waiting for that next stage gimmick.

Maybe if I was lucky and born in Long Island New York or something and met Jesse Lacey and John Noland at a young age I could have played music with them, fostered talent, and been in a band. It would've been great. But that's not what happened. Instead, I played music awkwardly on my own, built up something that's 'presentable' but completely unspecial and dead. Despite being tortured by an innate genetic predisposition for artistic expression, nothing great comes out. I just keep reproducing the same crap with no means of spreading it to others anyway. I'm a lost voice in a mass of other musicians with more talent than I, who ironically also can't find a means to voice their own 'products'. I'm a single letter on a page of a book. It's how I live, and how I die, despite any laments or rebellion that my spirit delivers. This all really sucks, but whoever said the world was fair. As a Bright Eyes lyric emphasizes:

He says the choices were given
Now you must live them
Or just not live
But do you want that?
I hope that made sense.
 

antipunt

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vampirekid.13 said:
its how it starts every time, but you have to be talented. i mean if 6 kids from LA that run around in masks and yell undead can get a record deal so can you...right?
LOL...oh how I wish...

I would consider my own music 'decent' but -nowhere- near excellent/presentable. On a side note, I would -kill- for a record deal.
 

zen5887

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Jan 31, 2008
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Zen5887's quick tips to making it big in music.

1. Become shit hot.
2. Know people.

These two go hand in hand with one another - If you are the ************ of all bass players in your area but you don't know anyone, how are you going to get pick up? Likewise, if you know all the right people but you don't know your aug4 from your #11 (hah..) then why would anyone ask you for a gig.

Story time: The drum tutor at uni has been on tour with the Ten Tenors twice, this guy is 26 and pretty much went straight out of uni on tour. I eventually asked him how he got that gig and he said "Ah yeah, I met a dude at this jam night and he asked me to play, I was like "..yeah, sweet as" two weeks later I was touring Europe"

My advice to Bass Players out there. We are lucky because we are rare, a good bass player is quite hard to find, that means there will always be work for us. Now this doesn't mean we can settle to be sub par, we have to work really hard. I highly recommend learning your theory, know a bunch of different styles and learn how to improvise (not so much soloing, more making up grooves on the spot, what would you do if the band leader yelled out "Okay guys, keep the ii-V-vi-I but change it to A and make it funky"). Its always good to offer something else, the guy who can do backing vocals will get the gig before the guy who can't. Also, I HIGHLY recommend learning how to read music, at the very least learn how to read a chord chart.

I am in a pretty good spot right now, I am going to uni doing music. All my lectures are in the industry. I am being taught marketing and tour planning by the former manager of Kate-Miller Heidke and I am being taught bass by one of the most in demand bass players of New Zealand (which means he is out of the country a lot..). Also, a lot of my fellow students are amazingly talented, for anyone in Australia who watches sunrise, the singer for my band last semester is in the sunrise choir. I know I won't come out of this with a record deal (that would be nice... but it won't happen) but I will come out being a shit hot bass player and I will have a lot of contacts, which is an amazing start to any music career.
 

zen5887

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antipunt said:
After reading this I am thinking of putting a #3 on my list. Sacrifice. From what I read antipunt, you have a lot to say which is really good, but in order to get people to listen you have to cut back a bit. Get back into doing shows but cut down the number of originals you do, people like hearing covers because they can sing along and stuff. Once you feel the crowd is comfortable (this could take a few songs or a few gigs) throw in an original, introduce it and talk about it a bit, then go back into covers.

As it turns out, its called the music industry for a reason and no matter how hard you try to avoid it, the business side of music will always be there. This isn't always bad, you can totally use it to your advantage.
 

Motiv_

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Jun 2, 2009
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Been learning to play for over 26 years now. Trust me dude[ttes?], worth it when you are done learning. Just the amount of cool stuff you can do with a guitar.
 

antipunt

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zen5887 said:
As it turns out, its called the music industry for a reason and no matter how hard you try to avoid it, the business side of music will always be there. This isn't always bad, you can totally use it to your advantage.
You have a lot of cool ideas, Zen. You sound like a real awesome bass-player as well, wish we could jam (love bassists/drummers).

Meh, I was just kind of ranting. I'm incredibly jealous of musicians that can write music for a living. I write/play all the time, but no one really gives a **** about you unless you're quasi-famous (or simply amazing, but let's face it. I'm 'alright', but millions of people are 'alright')

My dad once said "everyone wants to be at the top, but only a few will feel comfortable there". Ain't that the truth.