Right. My point basically boils down to this: if you're gonna fail in music, and it's almost guaranteed that you will, you might as well do it on your own and without being under the thumb of a contract.
Just how do you get a record deal
- Thread starter Jude2010
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Right. My point basically boils down to this: if you're gonna fail in music, and it's almost guaranteed that you will, you might as well do it on your own and without being under the thumb of a contract.
true-eurt
Maneater
Try out for American Idol...sound cheesy? Perhaps...but if you make the audition, you've succesfully used a tool available to get you out there.
I don't watch the show myself, but it's all about exposure to showcase what type of marketable product you can be.
Even if you don't win, it can be a win situation for you.
I don't watch the show myself, but it's all about exposure to showcase what type of marketable product you can be.
Even if you don't win, it can be a win situation for you.
VomitHatSteve
Hat STYLE. Not contents.
That all depends on where you set your bar.
With hard work, a willingness to sell-out and play what people want to hear ("Some Skynnard, man!") as opposed what you want to play, and just a little luck; it's eminently feasible to break even as a DIY artist.
If you define success as "play some shows; have some fun; and don't accumulate debt," you can pull it off! If you do get a record deal, though, odds are good you'll be screwed on the "don't accumulate debt" bit from what I hear.
grimtraveller
If only for a moment.....
Was it ever thus ?
I think good fortune has always played a part in success in music, certainly in the recording age. And alot of early powerlessness and compromise.
I guess people still try because when all is said and done, there's a part of us that is occupied by the dreamer. And alot of people want fame and money. Even the punks, hippies, free jazzers and 'artistes' that wanted to hang one on 'the man'.
Money and fame are great revealing levellers.
Sure luck has always been a part of it, but the digital age has made it even worse. The internet and the ease of home-recording has made it simple for literally anyone to "be heard" with no major label backing at all. With a few bucks and computer some kid can record his shit and get it out there for the world to hear. Youtube, facebook, and myspace are literally flooded with every joe blow on the planet posting their shit, and it's easy to get listens. The market is so saturated with crap that it's pointless to even try. Gone are the days sending in a demo tape. There are more "artists" - and I use that term very loosely - than people to listen. Playing gigs isn't even worth it anymore. There are too many bands, not enough venues, and the people that go to bars/clubs don't really care anyway. They listen live like they listen to their ipods - skip, skip, skip. Hitting the pavement and hustling for gigs for 5 bucks a day isn't gonna get you anywhere.....unless you play in some lame cover band. This is easily the worst era ever for any kind of music.
Get an education, keep your day job, and just play for fun because you're a damn fool if you think you're gonna "make it".
Get an education, keep your day job, and just play for fun because you're a damn fool if you think you're gonna "make it".
Unfortunately, I agree almost 100% with EVERYTHING Greg says here.
The music has changed, there is a lot more filler crap out there that you need to wade thru to find the "great' bands. But, the audience has changed as well, I have been at shows where it was unbelievable that an amazing performance was taking place right in front of me.
The crowd was oblivious. I turned to my musician buddies and they were talking about Floyd Rose tremolo's.
In my opinon, bands like The Black Keys, White Stripes, Butch Walker, are making true, honest, pure music....there are countless others but I picked those.....they are not exactly household names....close but not quite. Everybody knows Beiber and Gaga, but bands that are making music they way I grew up listening to bands make music....just aren't that popular anymore.
It's about sex, flash, and the next latest fad more now than ever before....and much less about talent and songwriting than in the past.
Anyone catch Taylor Swifts VMA performance last year....she won an award.....how?
The music has changed, there is a lot more filler crap out there that you need to wade thru to find the "great' bands. But, the audience has changed as well, I have been at shows where it was unbelievable that an amazing performance was taking place right in front of me.
The crowd was oblivious. I turned to my musician buddies and they were talking about Floyd Rose tremolo's.
In my opinon, bands like The Black Keys, White Stripes, Butch Walker, are making true, honest, pure music....there are countless others but I picked those.....they are not exactly household names....close but not quite. Everybody knows Beiber and Gaga, but bands that are making music they way I grew up listening to bands make music....just aren't that popular anymore.
It's about sex, flash, and the next latest fad more now than ever before....and much less about talent and songwriting than in the past.
Anyone catch Taylor Swifts VMA performance last year....she won an award.....how?
Nakatira
That Norwegian Bastard
Making it is farfetched, but there must be some middle ground.
I for one just want to make records, play gigs and meet cool people.
Some record companies can be helpfull in these matters, in my case I chose to go for a small one, instead of being a small band for the dusty shelves in a big corporate one.
I certainly wont get rich from it, though that was never the goal either.
Being on a label seem to make you seem more serious and professional, and getting gigs and selling cd's gets easier.
Also it helps not having to pay production costs anymore
I'm satisfied If I can brake even, but have a shitload of fun while doing so.
I for one just want to make records, play gigs and meet cool people.
Some record companies can be helpfull in these matters, in my case I chose to go for a small one, instead of being a small band for the dusty shelves in a big corporate one.
I certainly wont get rich from it, though that was never the goal either.
Being on a label seem to make you seem more serious and professional, and getting gigs and selling cd's gets easier.
Also it helps not having to pay production costs anymore
I'm satisfied If I can brake even, but have a shitload of fun while doing so.
StevenJacksonMu
New member
Nice to read it like it is, and this is the way it is.
I agree with Greg that this is easily the worst era in any kind of music.
If you want to make money then do as Greg says, play in some lame cover band, and here in Kingston, Ontario they LOVE Cover bands !
But if you do want to do your own thing, and do something artistic then be prepared to go it alone.
Up Above My Head by StevenJackson on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free
I agree with Greg that this is easily the worst era in any kind of music.
If you want to make money then do as Greg says, play in some lame cover band, and here in Kingston, Ontario they LOVE Cover bands !
But if you do want to do your own thing, and do something artistic then be prepared to go it alone.
Up Above My Head by StevenJackson on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free
Cover/tribute bands are all the rage right now. It's sickening. I don't mind throwing a cover into a set of originals, but damn, there's no way I'm leaving the house to play someone else's songs. Tribute bands are even worse. Led Zeppelin is dead and gone. A bunch of retards playing their songs isn't the same thing.
StevenJacksonMu
New member
Reminds me, someone asked me to join a cover band recently.
It was a case of "Steven if you join, here's the list of songs, we want you to try and sing exactly like each singer...we try and make the songs sound exactly like the originals".
I thought, why ? what's the point ? if you want to hear the originals just play the CDs.
There's no way I was going to put all that time and energy into learning somebody else's songs.
I'd rather just write my own, and if no one wants to hear them, then so be it !
Up Above My Head by StevenJackson on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free
It was a case of "Steven if you join, here's the list of songs, we want you to try and sing exactly like each singer...we try and make the songs sound exactly like the originals".
I thought, why ? what's the point ? if you want to hear the originals just play the CDs.
There's no way I was going to put all that time and energy into learning somebody else's songs.
I'd rather just write my own, and if no one wants to hear them, then so be it !
Up Above My Head by StevenJackson on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free
PDP
There once was a note
A drummer I know shows me these pictures of him drumming wearin a wig and headband to look like John Bonham in a Zepplin tribute band. I'm like (what a retard) funny as hell. There is some good original stuff though, at coffee houses here on Long island.
kidkage
Bored of Canada
I take that back, I just read in Guitar World that the band Kings of Leon was signed in 2003 to RCA before there was any music to their lyrics, and it was only one guy or something... But I don't get it. I can't stand listening to them. Apparently the rest of the world loves them.
Nakatira
That Norwegian Bastard
You should just play and record for the love of it, money and famed would be a side effect!
Sez who?
Suppose you simply want money and fame; are you not allowed to do it by making music?
I believe God gave me the ability to play drums. But I read the Bible every night, and while there's a lot of stuff in there about not fornicating or stealing, I've yet to find the part where one of Moses tablets read, "Thou shalt not play in cover bands".
If somebody can write songs (and I can), that's cool. It's a great gift, and it would be a shame to let it go to waster.
But should we have some sort of "police force" that goes around arresting people who, while they might be exteremely gifted musicans and entertainers, simply were not gifted with the ability to write songs?
You can be successful either by being better than anything else out there, or you can do it by eliminating anything better than yours.
If you don't want to be in a cover band, fine. Stay home and write your miserable little melodies and internet posts about how your "art" isn't appreciated.
Me, I'll go anywhere and play anything at any time. I'll usually make a little money, often get laid a lot, and always have a lot of fun.
I've always said that when I come off stage, you can have the last 12 Playmates of the Month, or a garbage bag full of coke, or whatever waiting for me, and that will still only be the second best thing I've had that night...
Sez who?
Suppose you simply want money and fame; are you not allowed to do it by making music?
I believe God gave me the ability to play drums. But I read the Bible every night, and while there's a lot of stuff in there about not fornicating or stealing, I've yet to find the part where one of Moses tablets read, "Thou shalt not play in cover bands".
If somebody can write songs (and I can), that's cool. It's a great gift, and it would be a shame to let it go to waster.
But should we have some sort of "police force" that goes around arresting people who, while they might be exteremely gifted musicans and entertainers, simply were not gifted with the ability to write songs?
You can be successful either by being better than anything else out there, or you can do it by eliminating anything better than yours.
If you don't want to be in a cover band, fine. Stay home and write your miserable little melodies and internet posts about how your "art" isn't appreciated.
Me, I'll go anywhere and play anything at any time. I'll usually make a little money, often get laid a lot, and always have a lot of fun.
I've always said that when I come off stage, you can have the last 12 Playmates of the Month, or a garbage bag full of coke, or whatever waiting for me, and that will still only be the second best thing I've had that night...
VomitHatSteve
Hat STYLE. Not contents.
I completely disagree that this is the worst time ever for music. Is it a really hard time to make money in music? Yes, indisputably.
But the thing is, great music is still being made, and the Internet has made it easier than ever to find that music. If someone has some really good artistic ideas, the barrier for entry for joe schmoe, educated music consumer to get a copy of it is so low.
Yes, this means there is more crap out there, but that also means that there is more good stuff out there, and more importantly, there is more variety of good music out there. There are more niches.
But the thing is, great music is still being made, and the Internet has made it easier than ever to find that music. If someone has some really good artistic ideas, the barrier for entry for joe schmoe, educated music consumer to get a copy of it is so low.
Yes, this means there is more crap out there, but that also means that there is more good stuff out there, and more importantly, there is more variety of good music out there. There are more niches.