i need some answer's please.

ok well this is were i stand. i am 17 years old and i am obsessed with music my whole life revolves around it and all i want to do is be a good musician in a well known band and be able to live comfortably financial wise. i know this is the average teenager dream but i really think that i can do it. after high school i was thinking of moving out to california and trying to start my band. that is all i think about and i have already decided to take a year off from school after i graduate to try and find my way and if that deosnt work i will go to college. i am just looking for advice and tips and what i need to do to become succesful. anything you have to say would be greatly appreciated. thanks.

I will give you 1 piece of advice. If you are truely good, you will get noticed. Moving out to Cali will give you more competition. Put a band together where you live, and practice.

hey thanks for the advice. i just talked to my mom and decided to move to austin tx which is about an hour from where i live. seeing as how i live in a small hick town where everybody listens to punk music it is near to impossible to start up a band that would be worthwhile. damn mtv. anyone else have any advice to give and thanks again japetus i really appreciate it.

I suggest that you learn how to package and promote yourself. I'm not sure from your post what kind of music you play. But from my experience their is *lots of good musicians, but the ones that learn how to cultivate and promote their kind of music are the ones that succeed. So once you learn how to do that, then try to associate and get *in with the best musicians in your area. You can't do it yourself. You have to be a pro and associate with other pro's.

Allright there's just one other possibility, and that's where you hang out with a group of people that get along so well and mesh personally and musically that's it's worthwhile to stick it out with them because you will develop together as a group

And don't hang out with losers unless you want to be one. ....Good luck....

Chino,

I would suggest forming a band and honing your skills in a smaller, less competitive market. Going to LA fresh out of high school with no band is likely to get you nowhere besides flipping burgers. My band is playing around Phoenix, and the music scene is not very competitive, yet we are still having problems here and there. It is however, an excellent proving ground. We have learned much from our experience. Just my thoughts...

~Andy

thanks for the advice guys it is really helping me out. i am glad that your not like most of the peopel here trying to discourage me and telling me the odds of "making it" so i thank you for that. yeah and i have decided not to go to la at least not yet first i have to form a band and get some more experience. thanks for all the replys it means a lot to me.

Go to college. It's a great place to meet people and start a band. If things go really well you can always take a break and come back later. Also, what the other guys said is totally true: promotion is everything. Talent is alomst irrelevant. good luck.

Play music because you love music and can't imagine life without it. if you're wanting to play because you want to get noticed and make a decent living, you'd be better off becoming a lawyer or a fireman or anything but a musician. For every guy that makes any real money at it, there are a thousand who don't, and they all think they're good enough, too. As Brian said, talent is almost irrelevant. One of the greatest myths of the music business is "if I get good enough, I'll make it big." It's all baloney, because it's more who you know and where you live and what is selling, what fad just got over with, and how Venus aligns with Mars and whether your mojo bag got any juju left. There's no harm in trying, of course, any more than there's any harm in buying lottery tickets. I just wouldn't stake my future on it, and having a backup plan is a really good idea.

Whatever you do, don't skimp on education.

High school first, music bizz second would be my advice.

Get a band, play for fun, grab experience and meet (musically) interesting people until you've finish school.

Never ever dive into the {censored} without a life jacket ...

Well I don't want to rehash what's been said except to say that you should work hard and keep your eye on the prize, but be realistic. I think Napoleon Bonaparte said it best

Ability is nothing without opportunity.

So you know, you may already know this. Lots and LOTS of talented musicians, artists and writers never make it beyond a certain level which has nothing to do with their talents. Be prepared, if nothing else, for when opportunity comes along. Of course the longer you play and maintain a level of preparedness, the better the chances opportunity will come along. But it might not. And you have to accept that and assume that as a chance you take.

-klik-

Well said. And not every opportunity that comes along means you're on a road to success. I remember having my eyes opened to the harsh reality when I lived in LA, and would see great bands in bars, and 3 weeks later they're on the Tonight Show, and then they're back in the bars the next week.

"Making it" is going to take a lot longer than a year between high school and college. But if you think you want to take a year off, go for it - it'll give you some perspective.

Personally, I grew most as a musician when I went to college. You have access to trained professionals in the music department, plus, if you go to a big school, you can jam with tons of other people.

Also, regarding making a living as a musician - I'd advise you to talk to everybody you can to see how that's possible. Most people who live "comfortably" making music don't do it by being in bands - they teach, score music, produce, etc. The more you can do well, the more you may be hired to do. So education and knowledge is key.

By all means, follow your passion!!!!!!! But also take this opportunity to research and learn about the biz. You can make a living in the biz many other ways than just playing in a band. And none of us can tell you how to live your life anyway!

Judging from the initial post, you stated you wanted to be part of a well known band and make your living playing music.

Join the club. My advice to you. Have very clear cut goals and decide what you will compromise and what you will not. I recommend not compromising your musical goals and type of music that you really want to play. It's too easy to join a band and play music that is not exactly what you want to play because you think joining a band (any band) is better than not being in a band.

Get acquainted with the business side of things. Even if you're not going to be the leader you should know enough so that someone doesn't take advantage of you.

Besides honing your chops as a musician and finding other players with similar goals and talent levels the most important thing is to find compatible personalities. If you can't stand being around the person it doesn't matter how great a player they are (unless you're willing to deal with that).

Better you spend 1 year finding the right people than spending a year together with someone who turns out to be non-compatible or worse.

Everything looks bright and rosy in the beginning and you may get lucky. Forming bands and finding people are not so difficult. It's keeping them together and focused on the goal especially when things go bad that is the tough part and is what will make or break the band. (Besides having marketable music, of course!)

Once a band is formed it will usually take a minimum of 2 years of continued solid effort for a band to get to a level where they can submit demos and field offers.

thanks so much for the replys it has given me a lot to think about. i am pretty sure that i can do most of the things mentioned i mean i have good people skills and i am pretty stubborn when it comes to something that i want so if the music isnt what i want it to be i will throw it away. i have you know the vision in my head of what i want to be and how i want to sound but like you said i have to meet the right people and i have been in a few bands with people that i dont like and i t did turn to {censored} so that is why i decided i need out of this town. my back-up plan is to go to college but i have no interest in any degree i cant see myself wearing a suit to work everyday so i guess i have alot to think about and some carefull planning to do. thanks again for all the replys the more i get the more i can learn and mold myself for the future. thanks.

I would say that's not the right attitude. The attitude to make it work would be to just let go of everything else, and focus 100% on the music. MAKE it work, don't go into it by thinking "if it doesn't work".

You have to go into it being willing to still do it at 30 even though you're not famous or rich yet. Who knows, you might just get signed at 31, after 14 years of hard labor. That's actually the story of most of the bands you see on MTV now. Are you willing to put 14 years of your life into it? I hope you are.

i didnt mean for it to sound like i was going to quit music and then go to college. i have been musically involved since i was a kid my dad played guitar and i have always been around it and i am focused on it 100% college will just be a new experience with different opportunities. i am not thinking "if it doesnt work" i will keep trying until i die because it is what i love to do. failure to me is not an option i didnt mean for it to sound like that. thanks for the advice though.

THERE YOU GO! This is what I wanted to hear! I love that kind of attitude.

Seriously, I think you can achieve anything in the world with that attitude. You might not be famous or rich or signed or whatever, but if you want it badly enough and work hard enough, then you'll have your band, put out your CDs, set up your tours, grow an audience, and have a lot of fun making some money. And isn't that the most important?

I wish you the best, and more!

Hi,

Here are a few things you might keep in mind in the next year:

1. Spend as much time as you can with your music. Practice, write, take lessons, jam with friends, listen to albums, see shows, get involved with clubs, magazines, other bands, etc. Fill every hour of everyday with music.

2. Choose your bandmates because they are good people and have a similar vision of how to succeed in music.

3. Write music you enjoy playing. Learn to play it flawlessly.

4. Ask the opinions of others and consider their viewpoint.

5. Play locally as much as you can. Then hit the road.

6. Earn as much money as you can to spend on gear, lessons, advertising, promo, tours, etc. Don't be the type of guy who thinks he has a million dollar idea and no money to make it happen.

7. Don't get comfortable. Share a studio apartment with your bandmates so you can spend more money on the band. That type of thing.

8. Always make a big deal out of your music. Send press releases and demos to college radio and magazines. Forget the mainstream and learn about the underground.

Good luck.

Ken

thanks 6am that means alot to me. kenm thanks for the advice i have already thought about most of the things you mentioned now i just need to get on the ball and make it happen. thanks guys it means a lot to me that you area helping me out trying to do what i love. i will make it one way or the other and you all have inspired me even more. thanks.

The best experience I can think of to prepare you for a career in music is to go to as many open-mic nights and jam-nights as possible. You'll get to experience some " worst possible scenarios" in an environment where it won't hurt your career. It's the most valuable learning experience I can think of. You'll get used to being in front of an audience, it's an excellent way to hone your chops, too- because you'll be thrown into a variety of different musical situatuions- some good, some bad, but all educational.

It'll give you a taste of what you're in for, and you could meet some good people too.

thanks for the advice but seeing as how my town doesnt have any open mic nights or jam nights i will have to wait until i move to a bigger city. thanks for the advice though and i will definently look into it. thanks.

hey chino. I'm basically in the same position. I can't live without music and also hope to make it big. I'm 17 too, and in my last year of high school. I formed a band about a year and a half ago. We have had many local shows, and try to promote ourselves as much as possible. We have a pretty good local following, and are starting to get noticed, even though I live in a town of only 9000 or so. So my advice to give is almost like everyone else's. Start a band now. Start writing some songs. Try to open for as many bands as possible. Even though you live in a small town, now is the time to start getting involved in the music scene. Of course, moving to a bigger city will help quite a bit. Just stick with it. You will eventually get somewhere as long as you don't quit.

Not meant as a criticism, but why does every 17 year old kid with a guitar set out ot be a rock star? It's as if there are only two kinds of people in music, those who have "made it" and those who have failed. Perhaps it would be better just to put together the best band you can and write the best songs you can and bite it off in smaller chunks. I had a friend who was a distance runner in high school and college and he won most of the races he was in, not by visualizing a 7 mile course, but by picking out a spot about 100 yards ahead and focusing on that. When he got there, he'd pick out another spot up ahead and run to it, and so on, until the 7 miles had passed before he knew it. The task of "making it" is daunting and is overwhelming when one realizes he has a better chance of getting hit by lightning. Why not focus on small goals and let them amount to larger ones, thereby increasing your chance of having fun and minimizing your frustration? After all, isn't rock and roll, or any entertainment medium for that matter, supposed to be fun before anything else? Not every painter who picks up a brush sets out to be the next Picasso or Rembrandt. Has our worship of pop stars become so intense that anything short of a platinum record and a world tour is a failure in music?

making it is the ultimate goal. what i meant was making it by my standards not necesarily being extrememly well known and famous but being able to make a comfortabe living out of it because if you cant do what you want to do in life then why do anything. the sky is the limit and i believe that you can do anything you want to do. i didnt pick up a guitar to be famous i started because i liked it and it let me put my emotions somewhere its an outlet for everything that happens in my life and if i can do that for a living then {censored} yeah thats my dream and if i become rich and famous then it will make it even better. thanks again everyone who posted i appreciate your responses. thanks.

I first picked up a guitar because I've always wanted to learn how to play it. I never picked it up thinking that I would become famous. Now that I am in a band (have been for a year and a half) and have many good sized shows, it has crossed my mind. We, as a band, are all thinking of taking it to the next level. Why not? We have a good local following. We have many original songs. We're about to record our first cd. I don't see a reason why we shouldn't pursue our dreams. I don't give a damn what the odds are of making it big. And if we don't, so what? That's just part of the whole experience. At least I can walk away knowing that it's been an interesting and exciting one at that.