Getting too old to make it?

[lewzer]

It's possible to make it an any age. Just look at Keith Urban. He came from Australia to Nashville in hopes of making it and he finally did...at around 35-36. Now he's one of the biggest acts going now...

[BlueStrat]

Playing music and attempting to make performing music a career are two different things. And I would never presume to tell anyone that in their attempt to 'make it', they were playing music for the wrong reasons, any more than I'd tell someone who is going to college for anything other than a well-rounded education that they were there for the wrong reasons. Maybe for them, making it is their reason.

[BlueStrat]

 

It's possible to make it an any age. Just look at Keith Urban. He came from Australia to Nashville in hopes of making it and he finally did...at around 35-36. Now he's one of the biggest acts going now...

 

 

Not a good example, I'm afraid. Keith Urban was a star in Australia as a young man and had an award-winning album out by age 29. He was already a known quantity when he arrived in Nashville, not some noob off the farm trying to hit it big.

[RadiationNation]

Not a good example, I'm afraid. Keith Urban was a star in Australia as a young man and had an award-winning album out by age 29. He was already a known quantity when he arrived in Nashville, not some noob off the farm trying to hit it big.

 

Plus he looks like this

 

 

Personally, I think he looks ridiculous (mostly because of the hair), but apparently middle-aged women dig him.

[kurdy]

Well...looks like I've got only one more year.

[WynnD]

Gladys Knight and the Pips were an overnight sensation that had been performing together for 20(?) years prior. She had to be at least 35 when they made it big. (and a knockout looker. But at my age most women are lookers.)

[BlueStrat]

 

Gladys Knight and the Pips were an overnight sensation that had been performing together for 20(?) years prior. She had to be at least 35 when they made it big. (and a knockout looker. But at my age most women are lookers.)

 

 

Nope, not even close.

 

From her bio:

 

 

Gladys Knight was born to Merald Woodlow Knight and Sarah Elizabeth Woods in 1944. She first achieved minor fame by winning Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour TV show contest at the age of 7 in 1952, due to her powerful singing voice. The following year, she, her brother Merald, sister Brenda, and cousins William and Elenor Guest formed a musical group called The Pips. By the end of the decade, the act had begun to tour, and had replaced Brenda Knight and Elenor Guest with Gladys Knight's cousins Edward Patten and Langston George.

Gladys Knight discovered she was pregnant in 1960, and married her boyfriend Jimmy Newman. After a miscarriage, Knight returned to performing with the Pips. In 1961, Bobby Robinson produced the single "Every Beat of My Heart" for the group, which became a #1 R&B and #6 pop hit when released on Vee-Jay Records. In 1962, Langston George left the group, which at that time renamed itself Gladys Knight & the Pips and continued as a quartet.

In 1962, after scoring a second hit, "Letter Full of Tears", Knight became pregnant again, and gave birth to a son, Jimmy, Jr., that year. She retired from the road to raise a family, and The Pips toured on their own. After giving birth to a daughter, Kenya, in 1964, Knight was forced to return to recording and the Pips in order to support her family.

Gladys Knight & the Pips joined the Motown roster in 1966, and, although regarded as a second-string act, scored several hit singles, including "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" (1967), "The Nitty Gritty" (1969),"Friendship Train" (1969), "If I Were Your Woman" (1970), "I Don't Want To Do Wrong" (1971), the Grammy winner "Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye)" (1972), and "Daddy Could Swear (I Declare)" (1973).

_______________________

 

In 1973, she was 29. Her first hit was when she was 17.

[kurdy]

Nope, not even close... ...In 1973, she was 29. Her first hit was when she was 17.

Yep. Face it dude, your time is up.

[Tedster]

Playing music and attempting to make performing music a career are two different things. And I would never presume to tell anyone that in their attempt to 'make it', they were playing music for the wrong reasons, any more than I'd tell someone who is going to college for anything other than a well-rounded education that they were there for the wrong reasons. Maybe for them, making it is their reason.

 

 

You've horribly misconstrued what I was saying.

 

If "making it" is their only reason for playing music...and they'd stop playing altogether if they didn't "make it" within a certain time, then they should look at another field. It just smacks of defeatism to me..."If I don't win the game I'm gonna take my toys and go home".

 

And that says to me that they don't love music very much.

 

I stand behind that 1000%.

 

That's not to say that "making it" in and of itself isn't a noble goal...we all (or most of us, anyway) aspire to "make it" in some fashion. We all dream of being big rock stars. But, most of us have an unquenchable love of music as the foundation that drives those dreams.

 

I saw a program on TV years ago where the RAF was interviewing potential candidates for flight school, to be an RAF fighter pilot. Obviously, a very elite aspiration.

 

Many came in, and when asked why they'd like to be a fighter pilot, replied "Oh, I'm enamored with the glory of being a fighter pilot".

 

These potentials were politely shown the door. Then the interviewer was asked "What reply are you looking for?"

 

Without batting an eye, the interviewer replied "I'm looking for people who say they LOVE to fly, have been enraptured by aviation from a very early age. Those are the people who go on to flight school".

 

People who are *ONLY* interested in music for the purpose of "making it" belong in the former group of potential flight school candidates.

[Rudolf von Hagenwil]

I don't live in the UK or USA, which obviously makes it harder.

 

I think there are fabulous career opportunities in Kazakhstan and the Bernese Oberland alone http://www.berneroberland.ch - but you have to sing in the local dialect, otherwise you don't sell a single CD.

 

.

[BlueStrat]

 

If "making it" is their only reason for playing music...and they'd stop playing altogether if they didn't "make it" within a certain time, then they should look at another field. It just smacks of defeatism to me..."If I don't win the game I'm gonna take my toys and go home".

 

 

Well, that would be wonderful if it were that cut and dried. But there is a huge number of guys out there that both loved playing and had dreams of 'making it', in no small part because other people continuously told them how great they were at a young age, they got offered good gigs and opportunities that a lot of other guys didn't, and they became convinced that they could go the distance. And what happened is that the frustration and pain of coming so close so many times but never quite reaching the goal became too much to bear for them, and it soured them on performing. I know a lot of guys that happened to. Some guys just can't pour their entire heart and soul into something, have it fail, and just say "oh well, there's always Joe's bar where I can go play for fun with my buddies for free beer." I'm not prepared to tell guys who gave up everything precisely because they loved music so much they wanted to devote their entire lives to the pursuit of success in it that they need to just get over it and anyway, they weren't playing for the right reasons.

 

I love playing, and I was one of those guys who gave up everything for some time because I wanted to live, breathe, eat, and sleep music and really believed I was good enough to derive a comfortable living from it. But I have to to tell you, after I finally surrendered to the idea that success in music wasn't going to happen for me, I had to go through a period of mourning, and let the dream die. I took a few years off and only did singles gigs. Now, I'm back to playing with a small band of guys a lot like me, older and wiser and heartbroken by the business of music who aren't trying to be anything. And it's fun again, but it took awhile to get there. Telling someone they're bitter, or wrong in their motives, or whatever after they've laid it down is a bit like telling someone who just lost a wife that they need to get over it and that they'll be dating again in no time if they just change their outlook, and if they were in a marriage expedcting it to last forever, they were in it for the wrong reasons, etc etc. . It ain't always that simple.

[gtrbass]

That sure is the silver lining in the cloud. When you no longer give a {censored} about "making it" the whole thing becomes FUN again.

The one place I won't back down from is talent. I can't bring myself to deal with mediocre players. The good thing I have found is a deep pool of solid players who want to play well even if it means that its just for fun.

[Rudolf von Hagenwil]

Originally posted by Poker ----> sez: We write good music, have fun, make shows, get some fans, some hot chicks... That's what Rock and Roll is all about, not pleasing some stupid f**ker who works for EMI.



R**k n' Roll starts to be fun as soon it is permittet to write it with a "ck, otherwise you may work as well for Google China

.

[fuzzball]

Age is an excuse................................................................................................................................a good one.

[Poker99]

No Doubt became big when Gwen hit 30.

[BlueStrat]

 

No Doubt became big when Gwen hit 30.

 

 

Mmmm....no, she was younger than that, more like 25...

 

_____________________________________________________

Gwen Renée Stefani (born October 3, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, fashion designer and occasional actress. Stefani debuted in 1992 as the frontwoman of the third wave ska band No Doubt, whose 1995 album Tragic Kingdom propelled them to stardom, selling sixteen million copies worldwide. It spawned the singles "Just a Girl", "Spiderwebs", and the airplay number-one "Don't Speak".

____________________________________________________

 

 

Since the album broke in early 1995, and she was born in October 1969, that would make her 25 when they hit big.

[Poker99]

Oupss.

Anyway. Like I care.

[Ides of March]

For what it is worth, the only thing that matters is a fan base. And even if you play in a small bar, the people that like your music will drive you to keep making it. I have 7 songs on my cd, almost finished and I believe for what I use for recording it is pretty good. It isn't perfect but pretty good. I do have a small following of people that request cd's from me and to be honest that is all that matters. The individuals who want to hear it, who ask how they can get a cd of my music. You can always record, write and distribute you music and it doesn't matter how old you are, that is a fact.

[Syn Harvest]

plenty of people make it past your age so dont give up hope just keep plugging away and if your lucky enough or know the right people you might make it. The guys from Lamb Of God are all like 35 and everyone in mastodon minus the drumemr who is only like 24 are 30 or older so its never to late imo

[Poker99]

For what it is worth, the only thing that matters is a fan base. And even if you play in a small bar, the people that like your music will drive you to keep making it.

That is so true.

[outtahear]

Take this FWIW...

 

Been a pro amp/guitar tech for 25+ years, D.C./NY during the hardcore/Punk years, then Los Angeles.

Wife's corporate entertainment, now w/Universal Music group.

 

27's old. Just is.

 

Lot of bands/artists mentioned broke 15 years ago, and the industry's changed drastically since then.

 

It's dying. And the fans, and bands {censored}ing killed it.

 

Productions down across all boards, and not looking to get better. Labels are cautious about signing anyone, and it's usually for no money.

 

Bands suck-don't know if it's the web, or "ROCKSTAR!" mills like musicians institute, a generation raised in peace/prosperity,or??

 

Maybe 20 years ago if you wanted to chase the dream, it was {censored}ing a LOT harder-seemed to weed out the weenie factor.

 

I have a client whos' day job is w/an entertainment accountant, and sure as hell, many bands you see on MTV aren't making $$$-for more than a few, if it wasn't for their wives working a good job, they'd be in a {censored} apt. Cribs? Up to their collective asses in debt. One band who made $$ was "Rockschool"-semi-parody band that does 80s' metal. Has regular nights in Hollywood, and Vegas. Members clear 6 figures annually.

 

The days of "CRAPZILLIONAIRE" rockstar days are for the most part, gone. The next decade will see the future of commercial music in the digital age, but doubtful musicians are going to make $$ from selling recorded music.

 

Wife's going back to film, and people I know who've been in the Label trenches for 20+ years, are happy they're retiring before this all collapses.

 

Sadly, lots of the old myths still survive, and it's a cash cow-Angencies, photographers, schools (there's one in L.A. that teaches your young 'un to be the next big thing-AmIdol, or rockstar.( Lame? yes. Booked? Ohyoubetcha.)

Hot Topic, Piercing/Tatoo joints (are Tats alternative/hardassed when everybody and their gran has 'em? Think about it...) Rehearsal spaces....

 

Wanna play music? Play. If you want a decent standard living, look for a lucrative plan A.

[bigdaddydave]

Lot of bands/artists mentioned broke 15 years ago, and the industry's changed drastically since then. It's dying. And the fans, and bands {censored}ing killed it. A .

 

 

Just an observation. It seems that the "younger generation" (God I'm old) raised on music dominated by hip-hop and dance music (ie music usually made by single producers, not bands) seem to think music played by actual human beings is passe or old fashioned. Britney is going to be making her "comeback" at the VMA's soon, and she will almost certainly be lip-synching, but I doubt anyone in the audience will care. I was performing in an opera in April, and during the first rehearsal with the orchestra, one of the stage hands (about 18or so) came out with an astonished look on his face and said, "Wow, that sounds better than a CD!" I know most of the people on this forum aren't interested in playing for the kiddies, but pop music (the kind you play when you make it big) has always been youth oriented-hence 27 being "old." At least before the technology explosion even the kiddie music was played by actual musicians. Are we becoming obsolete?

[kurdy]

Just an observation. It seems that the "younger generation" (God I'm old) raised on music dominated by hip-hop and dance music (ie music usually made by single producers, not bands) seem to think music played by actual human beings is passe or old fashioned. Britney is going to be making her "comeback" at the VMA's soon, and she will almost certainly be lip-synching, but I doubt anyone in the audience will care... ...At least before the technology explosion even the kiddie music was played by actual musicians. Are we becoming obsolete?

 

 

Styles and technology may have changed, but really, music isn't any more tech oriented than it was back in the '80s, when nearly everything was synths and drum machines. Nowadays, you have two sides of the mainstream--hip-hop/rap which is music made almost entirely by machines, and punk-pop/emo-rock which is played by real people (not that it makes the music much better), and that seems to be dominating the charts nowadays. Not sure if people vs. machines is the real issue here.

 

And lets not forget country music. I'll go out on a limb and say the demographic for that genre is split between young people and older adults. But most of the finest musicians in the business are in country music nowadays, and the genre is very mainstream. So no, I don't think "real" musicians are becoming obsolete, at least not anytime soon.

[Baldrick]

About looks: In some cases good looks can be a disadvantage as well. At least whenever I see an ugly chick being fronted as an artist by a label I usually think that she must be really talented and proceed to check her out. Doesn't happen often though.

[Poker99]

But most of the finest musicians in the business are in country music nowadays, and the genre is very mainstream.

 

 

I'd like to hear some of the country music you are talking about. Cause all I see on major TV stations is {censored}