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[JordanTheLoCo]

Well amatuer here well not really amatuer i just dont know how to take the next step with my music. All my friends say i have GREAT material and im not blowing my own horn here i play for anyone who will listen and they dig it so it finally smacked me HMMMM maybe i should look into this....right ?? SO i was wondering after writing all these songs i have what to do. I cant afford studio time. And i really want to go somewhere with this . Maybe play bourban street for mardi gras? Well i already thought of that one except people would just brush me off as another spanger . Well help can travel if worthwhile

[Jack Russell]

It boils down to whether you can sing or not, and not just sing but really do your songs justice. If you can, then either grab a piano or guitar and get out there and do it (or form a band). Bruce Springsteen started by singing on the street alone, or so I've read.

If you can't, then focus your search on finding a singer first. If you can find one that is not a writer, then you have found the gold at the end of the rainbow.

Beware: almost all singers really deep down inside want to be the songwriter. So, you might find a conflict.

Good luck.

[lykwydchykyn]

Unfortunately the world is full of people with great material who are still trying to figure out "where to go from here". At least half of this forum falls into that catagory. Sadly there are no easy answers any more. The questions you should ask yourself are, where do you *want* to take it from here, and how much are you willing to sacrifice and work to get it there?

[mikeh]

As the previous replies indicate, you must first decide what you want to accomplish (have a plan). The world is full of musicians (or people in any profession) that want to be successful and hope there is some quick easy solution.

If you want to perform your material, figure out what local venues are around. Perhaps try some open mic nights, just to see what reaction you get (and see if you can perform in front of paying customer vs. friends). Or find musicians to jam with - perhaps leading to a band that can perform your material.

If you want to succeed as a writer, you do need to get some recorded versions of material (you need a product to sell) and you need to make contact with publishers.

Most musicians who have actually reached certain levels of success have a couple of things in common (beyond talent): A fierce confidence in thier talent, a passion for music that over rides everything else in thier lives, an unending drive (even in the face of rejection), a willingness to sacrifice in other areas of thier lives (give up the comfort of a day gig, avoid long term romance, etc. etc) and the willingness to gig with anyone at anytime (the more people you gig with, the more contacts you have (it's networking at it's most basic)

The people I know who have reached various levels of success also have a plan. They have various interim steps to reach, local than regional success. They market themselves in a professional way and they always conduct themselves as professionals. There are literally hundreds of books, magazine articles and on line sources hat provide insight into the business end of music.
These can be tools to use (if you have all the other attributes I mention above)

There is much more to being a "successful musicain" than writing good material or playing an instrument well - and it is much, much harder to get a foot in the door than it was when I was a young guy - however, I do beleive that talent combined with a solid work ethic, a professional attitude and a plan can result in success (what ever that may mean to any given person).

[Jack Russell]

And here's something else to keep in mind: If you really love music and see yourself as always being a musician, come hell or high water, then don't just expect that success will only be measured in terms of money. It is o.k. to be an amateur. Many amatuer musicians write great music and are happy with doing it.

The music biz has changed over the last 30 years. It used to be that kids in their 20s would form a band, do a gig, get signed to a label, record, do a tour, sell albums, make it to the top ten, get rich, and either blow it all or invest smartly and retire. Nowadays, there are so many people doing it that it has become a sort of "anyone can do it"-"free for all" kind of thing. For example just look at this forum and the fact that it is a "home recording forum". In today's music landscape you have bands recording their own songs in their home studios, setting up their own websites, forming their own publishing indie labels, gigging, and managing their own tours and doing it all in the RED or at least making only meager profit. That is the norm, and I'd be surprised if anyone believes otherwise. I would bet that 95% of the musicians on this forum actually have full-time day jobs. That doesnt' meant that you aren't successful, it just means that you have more than one talent.

Think of it this way. If you get into in the first place because you want to make big bucks, then why not open a shoe store instead? Why not get into any old business and pay attention to supply and demand---provide a service that is lacking in your market? Chances are overwealming in your favor that you'd succeed in the shoe store business rather than in the music biz.