Members cavemanic Posted October 26, 2003 Members Share Posted October 26, 2003 Being Jaded really is the biggest killer in a musician I think...It doesn't do you any favours at all Mobot made a really good point...you never know what tommorow might bring , but you have to put yourself out there for things to happen I had friends in the states who looked like they were going to signed and wanted me to do guitar tech work for them ..it didn't happen in the end but it still lit a fire under my ass , you need things to keep you going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JoyBasu Posted November 6, 2003 Members Share Posted November 6, 2003 Cavemanic, very well put. I have always used the fire from what may happen to keep me goin and motivated. I also strongly believe the business does NOT revolve around luck. Its completely how well one plays the game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vatican Posted November 21, 2003 Members Share Posted November 21, 2003 Originally posted by BlueStrat I think everyone who straps on a guitar and plays out still has it somewhere in the back of their minds that it could happen, regardless of how long they've been at it. But I'd have to count myself in as being "jaded". Perhaps grown up and more realistic would be a better term, though. After 34 years of doing this, I have learned some things... That was a wonderful article, BlueStrat. Thanks for taking the time to educate us all out here who need to hear from people who have been there. I don't know for what it's worth, but I just want to add some thoiughts. 1) Even the most significant bands of our time may drift into obscurity as the years pass. Musicians on the periphery now may become posthumously famous. 2) Don't be afraid to think way outside of the box. Break convention. Most of all - be yourself. In the end, your music will be judged on its own merits. 3) Charles Ives, one of the most famous composers in the USA, was an insurance salesman by day. 4) Bruckner and Brahms didn't begin their first symphonies until they were older. Music isn't a young person's game if you don't want it to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Taurus Posted November 21, 2003 Members Share Posted November 21, 2003 whoa...the Vatican has spoken. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bullpencoach Posted November 25, 2003 Members Share Posted November 25, 2003 Wallace Stevens, one of America's greatest poets, also had an insirance day job. There is always space in your life to be creative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Acoustifit Posted December 5, 2003 Members Share Posted December 5, 2003 i love aerosmith too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members geddyentwistle Posted December 28, 2003 Members Share Posted December 28, 2003 everything said is pretty good my suggestion, which has already been stated, is plan on the guitar gig NOT making ends meet......get a good job, insurance, benefits, retirement plan and make music your full-time hobby with the intent taking it as far as possible other suggestions include: be honestswallow your pride once in a whilelearn a little bit of everythingnever be late good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Outkaster Posted December 28, 2003 Members Share Posted December 28, 2003 Originally posted by BlueStrat I think everyone who straps on a guitar and plays out still has it somewhere in the back of their minds that it could happen, regardless of how long they've been at it. But I'd have to count myself in as being "jaded". Perhaps grown up and more realistic would be a better term, though. After 34 years of doing this, I have learned some things, in no particular order: 1) If you're getting really, really good on your instrument to impress other people, don't bother. No matter how good you get, the only people who are going to really give a rip are other guitar players, and they'll likely resent you for it. 2) Music may be art, but as soon as you hire yourself out for money, it becomes a business. Many a young musician has struggled needlessly and eventually thrown in the towel because they onlyy know the art of it and try in vain to apply principles of art to the business of it. If you're going to enter the business, learn the business. 3) Just because you have a vision for your music does not mean you can't do other things to help yourself along. You may be totally into original music that sounds like a cross between Puddle of Mudd and Rage Against the Machine, but it wouldn't kill you to learn 4 hours worth of covers or be in a couple of bands to increase your gig opportunities and your knowledge of music. You can make a couple of hundred bucks a night or more doing weddings, conventions, etc, which will go a long way toward financing your vision. Or you could say "screw that!" and work two low-paying jobs, insuring that you have no time to devote to your vision, or get sucked into a higher-paying job with high expectations and low flexibility. And one day you wake up and discover that you're 37 years old or so, and no farther along than you were when you were 20, except now no one wants to hear your songs. 4) If I had a dime for every time I was approached by a "record company exec" or an "A&R guy" I could probably replace the siding on my house. Most of them and I mean MOST OF THEM, are more full of {censored} that a nest full of young owls. They like to act like a big shot in front of impressionable musicians to stroke their own egos, and to have everyone fawn all over them. But the reality is that a good many of them are contract talent scouts who work for a commission and who may bring 20 bands in for interviews and not get one of them past the first meeting. Or they're just lying sacks of sauce. Now when I hear that, I ask them 1) who they've signed, 2) what company thery represent, and 3) who I may contact along with a phone number to verify their story. If they don't give it to me straight, and hee haw around, I get away from them as fast as I can. 5) Just because you get signed doesn't mean you're going to go anywhere. I signed with a relatively new company back in the 80s who paid for a record album, as well as for the logo painted on our band truck, and got us a video,etc etc. Of course, being young and dumb and hot to get a record deal, I didn't notice in the small print (and wouldn't have thought to ask anyway) that there was no distribution. Zip. Nada. We had to sell vinyl albums offstage and pay EVERY DIME back to the company until they were paid back, and all without a marketing plan. You wanna know what their idea was? They wanted to sell the records via TV commercials and skip the retailers. Oh great, I can hear the public now- "Oh, look, honey, a record not sold in stores from some band no one has ever heard of-get out the checkbook while I write down the toll-free number!" Needless to say, the record company folded within the following year. 6) Just because you have a hit record doesn't mean you're going to get rich. Just watch the "where are they now" or "one hit wonders" shows on the music channels to see what I mean. 7) Just because your friends and family think that your songs are really really really good doesn't mean they in fact are. 8) Bands who make it and stay on top for awhile all have that "something extra" that is an undefinable quality. Once you meet some of these people and (by some incredible stroke of fortune) get to play with them, you will see that while maybe what they do on record sounds easy enough to duplicate, it's the live show that is what makes them what they are. 9) Get a backup plan. I can't tell you how many musicians (myself included) who, when younger, had everone in the world telling them how wonderful they were and how anyone with a set of ears could tell they were going to be big stars, just stay with it, bla bla bla. That's fine; they aren't the ones sleeping in the car or eating cans of tuna fish. Get a degree in something or at least a trade school for a couple of years. You'd be surprised at how many guys get disillusioned at 30 or so, meet a beautiful woman (who 9 times out of 10 wants her man home helping raise kids) get married, and now want to settle down but realize they can't earn more than 10 bucks an hour working at Guitar Center or hanging drywall, and have no insurance, no retirement...It happens WAY more than you think, though most young players driven by success never want to entertain the possibility that they may not make it. 10) Even if you do everything right-good songs, charismatic stage persona, a good following, etc etc-there's still no guarantee you'll make it. It still comes down to being in the right place at the right time, meeting the right guy who works for the right company who can get your stuff to the right other guy....it's an entirely subjective process, and only takes one rejection in the link to get plopped unceremoniously back to square one. It's something like winning the lottery- you can prepare and increase your odds by buying a thousand tickets, but chance still plays the winning hand in the deal. Sorry this is so long, but I just get tired of seeing so many defeated musicians give up because they had no idea what they were getting themselves into or setting themselves up for. There is a huge area between just getting started and being a superstar that one can live in quite comfortably, and play a hell of a lot of music as well, if one keeps their expectations in the realm of reality. As the old cliche says, "Hey, it's s journey, not a destination". Enjoy the ride while it lasts. (edited for typos, of which there were many) Damn ain't this the truth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members HomeAtLast Posted December 29, 2003 Members Share Posted December 29, 2003 Another point of view. Music is a Business. The guys you see on MTV (Blink, Good Charlette, Avril...) are young business people, that is there job and that is what they get paid to do. Yeah it would be great if music could be completely artistic and free and emotional and enlightening and creative, and it is to alot of people, but not to those who generally do finnancially well. Why do you think there are producers? To make music that will sell, to tell Good Charlette to where eye makeup, to tell Avril to where a tie and act pissed off, to tell Jessica Simpson to act dumb. Dont confuse what you see them as (their job) with what they really are. Its like the 1920's when musicians would "write you a song for a 5 cents" Not something you love but you pay the bills and it beats the hell out of desk jobs. Im not saying settle for a Blink cover band but do what it takes to get where you want to be if thats really what you want. Yeah it would be great if everyone loved your "out of the box" music that was inspiring and new and different but they arent, people are dumb, they like what they are spoon fed and they piss their pants and cry when their TV gives them something they didnt expect. So "let them have their Tar-Tar sauce" (Mr. Burns) make people happy and do ok for yourself in the meantime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lorenzo Posted December 30, 2003 Members Share Posted December 30, 2003 Originally posted by BlueStrat 4) If I had a dime for every time I was approached by a "record company exec" or an "A&R guy" I could probably replace the siding on my house. Most of them and I mean MOST OF THEM, are more full of {censored} that a nest full of young owls. They like to act like a big shot in front of impressionable musicians to stroke their own egos, and to have everyone fawn all over them. But the reality is that a good many of them are contract talent scouts who work for a commission and who may bring 20 bands in for interviews and not get one of them past the first meeting. Or they're just lying sacks of sauce. Now when I hear that, I ask them 1) who they've signed, 2) what company thery represent, and 3) who I may contact along with a phone number to verify their story. If they don't give it to me straight, and hee haw around, I get away from them as fast as I can. Truer words have never been spoken. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Odin Posted January 6, 2004 Members Share Posted January 6, 2004 Originally posted by joestanman 2) I have NO desire to be in a bar band.3) I have NO desire to be in a cover band, wedding band, jazz quartet etc... You have almost NO chance of making as much money as a typical pizza delivery boy in music. Play the lottery, the odds are better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Blackwatch Posted January 6, 2004 Members Share Posted January 6, 2004 Jaded??? I used to be jaded and then I got out of music for about 6 years. This last time I got back into playing live I had a different view of the whole thing. Now I play in an all original 3 piece, playing about once a week, with a new CD out and I'm loving it all. I still get frustrated but all I want now is to play and get my music out. I changed my goals and that changed me. I play with really nice people in nice small clubs (75 people) we get asked back almost every time, and I have hope that something bigger will come of this, and that I'm on the right track. I think success depends on perspective..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Outkaster Posted March 24, 2004 Members Share Posted March 24, 2004 Originally posted by Blackwatch I used to be jaded and then I got out of music for about 6 years. This last time I got back into playing live I had a different view of the whole thing. Now I play in an all original 3 piece, playing about once a week, with a new CD out and I'm loving it all. I still get frustrated but all I want now is to play and get my music out. I changed my goals and that changed me. I play with really nice people in nice small clubs (75 people) we get asked back almost every time, and I have hope that something bigger will come of this, and that I'm on the right track. I think success depends on perspective..... Yeah sometimes a break helps to get a fresh perspective and that it becomes a little more fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Emuhumper74 Posted March 24, 2004 Members Share Posted March 24, 2004 I say, as long as you enjoy what you're doing keep doing it. Set goals and strive to reach them but DON'T set your expectations too high. You'll be setting yourself up to be let down. There are too many variables that are out of your control in this business. Get a steady day job that you like that affords you the time to rehearse/perform, get out there and have a lot of fun making music. I've been gigging for about 10 years now but everytime I have a good show there's always that thought in the back of my mind that I'll be doing this for a living someday. I figure I'll stick with it either until I do or I die, whichever comes first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Nighthawkdude Posted March 24, 2004 Members Share Posted March 24, 2004 As far as I'm concerned, any who's "jaded" in this business is simply doing it for the wrong reasons. Being jaded implies unmet expectations. Could it be that your short term goals are just set too high? Since "making it" is really totally out of your control, why not just enjoy what you're doing and let the chips fall where they may. If you aren't happy doing what you are doing, it's not worth doing at all. Food for thought... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Renfield Posted March 24, 2004 Members Share Posted March 24, 2004 I wouldn't consider myself at all jaded, but I did get a great wake up call..... I worked my ass off from age 15 to "make it." By the time I was 24 I was in a major label band touring around doing what major label bands do. Long story short I eventually walked away from the group. It (being signed to a major) was an eye opening experience, one I don't care to repeat again. If you want the full story, buy my book . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Outkaster Posted March 26, 2004 Members Share Posted March 26, 2004 "And one day you wake up and discover that you're 37 years old or so, and no farther along than you were when you were 20, except now no one wants to hear your songs. 9) Get a backup plan. I can't tell you how many musicians (myself included) who, when younger, had everone in the world telling them how wonderful they were and how anyone with a set of ears could tell they were going to be big stars, just stay with it, bla bla bla. That's fine; they aren't the ones sleeping in the car or eating cans of tuna fish. Get a degree in something or at least a trade school for a couple of years. You'd be surprised at how many guys get disillusioned at 30 or so, meet a beautiful woman (who 9 times out of 10 wants her man home helping raise kids) get married, and now want to settle down but realize they can't earn more than 10 bucks an hour working at Guitar Center or hanging drywall, and have no insurance, no retirement...It happens WAY more than you think, though most young players driven by success never want to entertain the possibility that they may not make it.""And one day you wake up and discover that you're 37 years old or so, and no farther along than you were when you were 20, except now no one wants to hear your songs. " I just realized I am going on 37 and had not read this orginal post because the thread is kind of old but it such good points that I brought it back. I know now that I am no better off than I was when I was 20 except I am a real good keyboard player. Other wise all this other {censored} is true. Laid off, hustling on E-bay and gigging will only get me so far........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rai168 Posted April 6, 2004 Members Share Posted April 6, 2004 Hmm - I play mostly underground stuff now but at one point I was being courted by labels and getting major radio airplay. Certainly was an eye opener as the drummer and the singer ditched out last minute. What I can offer is be true to yourself and your craft. Don't play shows cause you want to be some big rockstar - play shows cause you love playing your music. Don't tell people what they want to hear - tell them the way it is. And mostly write for yourself. Not the best path for major label sucess (lol) but one that has led me to happiness w/in the 6 yrs of seriously pursuing national success. On alot of fronts I have made alot of my goals come true including opening a 4000 seat venue for a national tour package, endorsements,association w national bands etc....So I guess it's really in how you define success. Rai //Drawn Against the Stars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators justcrash Posted April 16, 2004 Moderators Share Posted April 16, 2004 Originally posted by BlueStrat I think everyone who straps on a guitar and plays out still has it somewhere in the back of their minds that it could happen, regardless of how long they've been at it. But I'd have to count myself in as being "jaded". Perhaps grown up and more realistic would be a better term, though. After 34 years of doing this, I have learned some things, in no particular order:1) If you're getting really, really good on your instrument to impress other people, don't bother. No matter how good you get, the only people who are going to really give a rip are other guitar players, and they'll likely resent you for it. 2) Music may be art, but as soon as you hire yourself out for money, it becomes a business. Many a young musician has struggled needlessly and eventually thrown in the towel because they onlyy know the art of it and try in vain to apply principles of art to the business of it. If you're going to enter the business, learn the business.3) Just because you have a vision for your music does not mean you can't do other things to help yourself along. You may be totally into original music that sounds like a cross between Puddle of Mudd and Rage Against the Machine, but it wouldn't kill you to learn 4 hours worth of covers or be in a couple of bands to increase your gig opportunities and your knowledge of music. You can make a couple of hundred bucks a night or more doing weddings, conventions, etc, which will go a long way toward financing your vision. Or you could say "screw that!" and work two low-paying jobs, insuring that you have no time to devote to your vision, or get sucked into a higher-paying job with high expectations and low flexibility. And one day you wake up and discover that you're 37 years old or so, and no farther along than you were when you were 20, except now no one wants to hear your songs. 4) If I had a dime for every time I was approached by a "record company exec" or an "A&R guy" I could probably replace the siding on my house. Most of them and I mean MOST OF THEM, are more full of {censored} that a nest full of young owls. They like to act like a big shot in front of impressionable musicians to stroke their own egos, and to have everyone fawn all over them. But the reality is that a good many of them are contract talent scouts who work for a commission and who may bring 20 bands in for interviews and not get one of them past the first meeting. Or they're just lying sacks of sauce. Now when I hear that, I ask them 1) who they've signed, 2) what company thery represent, and 3) who I may contact along with a phone number to verify their story. If they don't give it to me straight, and hee haw around, I get away from them as fast as I can. 5) Just because you get signed doesn't mean you're going to go anywhere. I signed with a relatively new company back in the 80s who paid for a record album, as well as for the logo painted on our band truck, and got us a video,etc etc. Of course, being young and dumb and hot to get a record deal, I didn't notice in the small print (and wouldn't have thought to ask anyway) that there was no distribution. Zip. Nada. We had to sell vinyl albums offstage and pay EVERY DIME back to the company until they were paid back, and all without a marketing plan. You wanna know what their idea was? They wanted to sell the records via TV commercials and skip the retailers. Oh great, I can hear the public now- "Oh, look, honey, a record not sold in stores from some band no one has ever heard of-get out the checkbook while I write down the toll-free number!" Needless to say, the record company folded within the following year.6) Just because you have a hit record doesn't mean you're going to get rich. Just watch the "where are they now" or "one hit wonders" shows on the music channels to see what I mean. 7) Just because your friends and family think that your songs are really really really good doesn't mean they in fact are.8) Bands who make it and stay on top for awhile all have that "something extra" that is an undefinable quality. Once you meet some of these people and (by some incredible stroke of fortune) get to play with them, you will see that while maybe what they do on record sounds easy enough to duplicate, it's the live show that is what makes them what they are.9) Get a backup plan. I can't tell you how many musicians (myself included) who, when younger, had everone in the world telling them how wonderful they were and how anyone with a set of ears could tell they were going to be big stars, just stay with it, bla bla bla. That's fine; they aren't the ones sleeping in the car or eating cans of tuna fish. Get a degree in something or at least a trade school for a couple of years. You'd be surprised at how many guys get disillusioned at 30 or so, meet a beautiful woman (who 9 times out of 10 wants her man home helping raise kids) get married, and now want to settle down but realize they can't earn more than 10 bucks an hour working at Guitar Center or hanging drywall, and have no insurance, no retirement...It happens WAY more than you think, though most young players driven by success never want to entertain the possibility that they may not make it. 10) Even if you do everything right-good songs, charismatic stage persona, a good following, etc etc-there's still no guarantee you'll make it. It still comes down to being in the right place at the right time, meeting the right guy who works for the right company who can get your stuff to the right other guy....it's an entirely subjective process, and only takes one rejection in the link to get plopped unceremoniously back to square one. It's something like winning the lottery- you can prepare and increase your odds by buying a thousand tickets, but chance still plays the winning hand in the deal. Sorry this is so long, but I just get tired of seeing so many defeated musicians give up because they had no idea what they were getting themselves into or setting themselves up for. There is a huge area between just getting started and being a superstar that one can live in quite comfortably, and play a hell of a lot of music as well, if one keeps their expectations in the realm of reality. As the old cliche says, "Hey, it's s journey, not a destination". Enjoy the ride while it lasts.(edited for typos, of which there were many) Jesus, Bluestrat, you managed to put into words what I was too lazy to type out! lol! Listen to this man, and let me add: If you ARE lucky enough to make any serious money at this, don't be ignorant and buy everyone you know a new car and house. As BS said, one hit wonders are all too common. INVEST your money with a REPUTABLE investment counselor. Not your good friend Bill who "just knows that turtle meat is the country's future" or whatever other crazy assed scheme people come up with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators justcrash Posted April 16, 2004 Moderators Share Posted April 16, 2004 Originally posted by Ministry of FOG It could be a relationship that you truly want to be in (spending time with your girlfriend). Whenever the time comes, you will have to view the decision and see which weighs more in your life, this thing, or your music. I sacrificed my first marriage to the music gods and still didn;t get anything under my pillow. Such is life! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators justcrash Posted April 16, 2004 Moderators Share Posted April 16, 2004 Originally posted by Odin You have almost NO chance of making as much money as a typical pizza delivery boy in music. Play the lottery, the odds are better. Yeah. He's playing music to be famous, it seems. With that attitude, things don't look good for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Outkaster Posted March 1, 2005 Members Share Posted March 1, 2005 Originally posted by BlueStrat I think everyone who straps on a guitar and plays out still has it somewhere in the back of their minds that it could happen, regardless of how long they've been at it. But I'd have to count myself in as being "jaded". Perhaps grown up and more realistic would be a better term, though. After 34 years of doing this, I have learned some things, in no particular order: 1) If you're getting really, really good on your instrument to impress other people, don't bother. No matter how good you get, the only people who are going to really give a rip are other guitar players, and they'll likely resent you for it. 2) Music may be art, but as soon as you hire yourself out for money, it becomes a business. Many a young musician has struggled needlessly and eventually thrown in the towel because they onlyy know the art of it and try in vain to apply principles of art to the business of it. If you're going to enter the business, learn the business. 3) Just because you have a vision for your music does not mean you can't do other things to help yourself along. You may be totally into original music that sounds like a cross between Puddle of Mudd and Rage Against the Machine, but it wouldn't kill you to learn 4 hours worth of covers or be in a couple of bands to increase your gig opportunities and your knowledge of music. You can make a couple of hundred bucks a night or more doing weddings, conventions, etc, which will go a long way toward financing your vision. Or you could say "screw that!" and work two low-paying jobs, insuring that you have no time to devote to your vision, or get sucked into a higher-paying job with high expectations and low flexibility. And one day you wake up and discover that you're 37 years old or so, and no farther along than you were when you were 20, except now no one wants to hear your songs. 4) If I had a dime for every time I was approached by a "record company exec" or an "A&R guy" I could probably replace the siding on my house. Most of them and I mean MOST OF THEM, are more full of {censored} that a nest full of young owls. They like to act like a big shot in front of impressionable musicians to stroke their own egos, and to have everyone fawn all over them. But the reality is that a good many of them are contract talent scouts who work for a commission and who may bring 20 bands in for interviews and not get one of them past the first meeting. Or they're just lying sacks of sauce. Now when I hear that, I ask them 1) who they've signed, 2) what company thery represent, and 3) who I may contact along with a phone number to verify their story. If they don't give it to me straight, and hee haw around, I get away from them as fast as I can. 5) Just because you get signed doesn't mean you're going to go anywhere. I signed with a relatively new company back in the 80s who paid for a record album, as well as for the logo painted on our band truck, and got us a video,etc etc. Of course, being young and dumb and hot to get a record deal, I didn't notice in the small print (and wouldn't have thought to ask anyway) that there was no distribution. Zip. Nada. We had to sell vinyl albums offstage and pay EVERY DIME back to the company until they were paid back, and all without a marketing plan. You wanna know what their idea was? They wanted to sell the records via TV commercials and skip the retailers. Oh great, I can hear the public now- "Oh, look, honey, a record not sold in stores from some band no one has ever heard of-get out the checkbook while I write down the toll-free number!" Needless to say, the record company folded within the following year. 6) Just because you have a hit record doesn't mean you're going to get rich. Just watch the "where are they now" or "one hit wonders" shows on the music channels to see what I mean. 7) Just because your friends and family think that your songs are really really really good doesn't mean they in fact are. 8) Bands who make it and stay on top for awhile all have that "something extra" that is an undefinable quality. Once you meet some of these people and (by some incredible stroke of fortune) get to play with them, you will see that while maybe what they do on record sounds easy enough to duplicate, it's the live show that is what makes them what they are. 9) Get a backup plan. I can't tell you how many musicians (myself included) who, when younger, had everone in the world telling them how wonderful they were and how anyone with a set of ears could tell they were going to be big stars, just stay with it, bla bla bla. That's fine; they aren't the ones sleeping in the car or eating cans of tuna fish. Get a degree in something or at least a trade school for a couple of years. You'd be surprised at how many guys get disillusioned at 30 or so, meet a beautiful woman (who 9 times out of 10 wants her man home helping raise kids) get married, and now want to settle down but realize they can't earn more than 10 bucks an hour working at Guitar Center or hanging drywall, and have no insurance, no retirement...It happens WAY more than you think, though most young players driven by success never want to entertain the possibility that they may not make it. 10) Even if you do everything right-good songs, charismatic stage persona, a good following, etc etc-there's still no guarantee you'll make it. It still comes down to being in the right place at the right time, meeting the right guy who works for the right company who can get your stuff to the right other guy....it's an entirely subjective process, and only takes one rejection in the link to get plopped unceremoniously back to square one. It's something like winning the lottery- you can prepare and increase your odds by buying a thousand tickets, but chance still plays the winning hand in the deal. Sorry this is so long, but I just get tired of seeing so many defeated musicians give up because they had no idea what they were getting themselves into or setting themselves up for. There is a huge area between just getting started and being a superstar that one can live in quite comfortably, and play a hell of a lot of music as well, if one keeps their expectations in the realm of reality. As the old cliche says, "Hey, it's s journey, not a destination". Enjoy the ride while it lasts. (edited for typos, of which there were many) Not to bring up and old thread but I am 37 now and no longer along then when I was 27. I rememberd this thread and how true it is. The only thing I did not do is burn bridges in music but I should have gotten my 4-year college degree. I have good gear can play real well and I never translated this into my personal life. As musicians I think we do have it in our mind that we can and still will make it. Jobs are hard to find, bands do not last, equipment gets bought and sold, and it becomes this viscious cycle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Blackwatch Posted March 1, 2005 Members Share Posted March 1, 2005 What's funny is I'm less jaded now that when I was 20. I raised my daughter and had a business before I started my true music career and I'm just happy to be doing it right now.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bajazz Posted March 1, 2005 Members Share Posted March 1, 2005 Originally posted by joestanman 2) I have NO desire to be in a bar band. 3) I have NO desire to be in a cover band, wedding band, jazz quartet etc... So, how are you gonna get gigs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rai168 Posted March 2, 2005 Members Share Posted March 2, 2005 I think alot of it depends on the type of music you play. For example the underground metal/hardcore scene it's very easy to come out and play original music. In fact this is the way I've done it for most of my "career". The majority of these shows are all ages and the crowd is much more open minded and there for one thing - the music. Alot of times w 21+ shows/weddings you are background if anything. Background music for socializing, dancing, picking up, which is fine for say a wedding gig or a 21+ gig, but if you want your music heard. etc I've been on both sides of the fence lol oddly enough in reverse. When I was 17 we did alot of covers and very few originals. I basically got burned out on that scene and from my first true orginal band project (where I wrote the core of the music minus lyrics) which was my first lesson in musical jerkoffs haha I then started my next original project at 22 and progressed in the original music scene to present day. I've managed to score endorsements, made contacts, connected w alot of my "heros", opened for multiple nationals (Mudvayne,Seemless, Bad Brains etc) etc and consider myself very fortunate. Both positives and negatives to both sides but it can be done. JME YMMV Rai // www.FarewellRadiance.com Originally posted by Bajazz So, how are you gonna get gigs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.