Giving Up?

You always have to follow your dreams, and don't let anybody else's failure be your guide.

^ +1. I don't, and never have thought about 'the industry'. I just write music.

Hi,
 
I did ... but not in music. Film and theater.
 
Film was too tough for me, and I could not get into USC, even though I had the recomendation from two of their professors, one of which I had at UCSB.
 
Theater I gave up because the folks in local theater were a bunch of washed out old coats hoping to get their 15 minutes of fame and fortune and they did not care for acting or theater or film, or anything else except their very own star appeal.
 
I wish I had the chance to work with the Royal Shakespeare Company or the National Theater, or even The Living Theater, or the one that I wanted to have fun with ... The ETC La Mamma Group ... but of all those folks, I only got a hello and thank you from the Royal Shakespeare Company, and the rest was run by rich bastards that were on free handouts by the feds ... and they were not about to share a penny of it!
 
I had one other moment in music ... that the person in question chickend out on ... Peter Mark, of the Virginia Opera ... he taught a course at UCSB with us three directing majors in theater in it, the thought being that directing in opera would be a nice addon to our studies (I thought it was magnificent! but already knew that directing in Opera was a dead end!), and it was. On the final, we all did story boards for various things as a directing project and I did Tosca's 2nd act ... in FILM ... on a stage ... and it blew him away ... he said I solved all the hard issues that opera has in staging ... and I told him ... let's do it ... we would have to spend some time filming a few things and making sure that we knew how to project them and such ... and I did not miss a beat, from the first sound to the end of the Act 2 of the opera ... and if you don't believe me, you need to look at the score and find that solo violin in the aria, and understand what I did with those solo notes, that would have your audience crying ... (film would have the tear slowed or speeding and followed, until it hit the floor) ... which would add a magic moment to the aria.
 
It was too much for Peter Mark ... and besides he was more interested in making sure that his wife's opera got on stage in Virginia, than a a reimagined and designed opera on stage in a much more modern concept.
 
I learned this concept of using film in theater by seeing the ETC La Mamma do a play called ... "Carmilla" ... which was fabulous ... totally far out and off the wall beautiful and out of this world!
 
But it was the end for me, working with people that had no vision. I have been a writer and review of foreign/art films since ... because at least in there, the freedom, the love and the experiment is alive! Just like the music business, it's mostly dead because the only thing that most folks can do is ... local crap and the cheapest music possible!
 
It's not worth pushing anymore. If I get published and appreciated before I go, thank you and I love you all ... if I don't thank you and I love you all! I  don't want anything else, and to me the only glory needed and wanted is for the art ... not the fame, not the money and not the dream that you will make it famous!  You can't live life hoping that someone else allows you to live your dream ... so I decided to live my own dream ...
 
I've written over 500 film reviews. Over 100 music reviews. Have over 150 poems. Have 7 short sroties. Have 3 novels. And I'm happy with my inner vision and what I write and will never write for someone else, or their "ideas" ... it's all about the inner life of the clown or maniac or magician and his/her visions.
 
Thx. I'm not angry ... or disappointed. Visionaries are few adn far in between, and some of them get poisoned, and some get crucified for their ideas ... so I don't exactly feel left out on the pasture! And if it mattered to you, you would know between the lines, what the spirit inside here is all about! And the tagline is not an idea ... it's the truth that defines your art within you! IF you are interested!

I always liked what Richard James aka "Aphex Twin" once said, which is that he only ever created music for his own pleasure, and that anyone else wanted to listen to it was just a bonus. I could never understand certain artists like Zappa, Fagan etc, who said that once an album was released they never listened to it again. Screw that! If I had made music as good as those two gentlemen I would be blasting it all the time, if only for the boost to my ego!

Scott, Just taking a guess that it's not the "music" part that you're having difficulties with, but rather the business side of things. There are lots of facets to the business side. The business of performing, recording, management, distribution of recorded work, collection of funds, personality conflicts within the band, etc. Without knowing specifics, it's tough to give advice on a particular action to take to get through it. When I was actively pursuing music as a career, I was the band leader. I was the one who booked the gigs, owned the P.A., the truck to haul it in. I hired and fired the musicians, negotiated all the contracts with booking agents, etc. It got to be a grind for me, because it just didn't balance out with the joy of performing. When everything is going good, the other stuff isn't that big a deal and just seems like part of the game, When one or two issues start to snowball into major distractions, it can get to be a huge hassle, and that's when you start to doubt if it's really worth all the crap. Think back to why you started down this road, and try and find the joy. If you can't find the joy of doing the work, it might be time to try a different road. Randy

Rain



Taking pleasure in listening to my own stuff would be kind of like, I don't know, starting to place the drawings you did as a kid all over the walls of your house and stare at them for hours...

I hear ya, but I still find it very strange that they wouldn't want to have the occasional listen at least. I love having a look at childhood drawings every now and then! 

I'll admit, I've had times just playing through my own albums multiple times. A lot of it comes from the need to see what I did bad and what to fix, and them what I did GOOD and how to improve on it and recycle it. 
Additionally, being that I make music in genres that I like to listen to, I definitely listen to my own stuff just for the heck of it.

IIRC, and I'm no longer sure... but I think no less a composer than Johannes Brahms destroyed much of his work as not being "good enough".  One wonders what good things may have been lost as a result.

Personally, I think some of the stuff I've written is absolute junk, and am glad no one has heard it.  OTOH, some of what I've written is of much higher quality, and the responses for the better pieces have been very positive at such times as others have heard them.

As for "the industry" there is no point of my being concerned with it, as what I do write is very far afield from it, and where the commercial industry is, is not where I would care to be on many different levels.  I'd rather write things that have no "economic value" but are true to how I think/feel.

I give up every day but forget by the next morning. Right now I'm focused on vintage guitars and amps. A change is as good as a rest, and winter has knocked me down. 

Come on Spring, and bring some inspiration.

No reason to despair about music. It has been there as long as language, and will always be a source of pleasure if not meaning.

People who ever had hope related to the music industry were always deeply deluded, and only rewarded in the rarest of circumstances.

The bar has always been high, it's just that nowadays the music scene is way, way over-saturated. Thanks to the convenience of the Internet and incredible yet affordability of technology.   

All those freaking music sites:  
{sigh} Most of these music sites are musicians who fan musicians. It's become more of a musicians social hang out.  At best, their music players and other widgets. 

{tip} Want to know where the #1 online music scene is? it's sites such as; YouTube. BUT I recommend you get music video(s) released by a good distributor, get it done professionally. You will get paid per-click/view. The music video can simply be a good quality still image, a lot of well known bands do this.  AND your music video will be distributed to a lot of other sites including popular magazines. Some distributors also provide good affordable kick-start marketing. 

Subjectiveness has always been part of the scene, one critic says its fab the other says it's crab.  A lot of famous 'awesome' bands got negative crits and still do. 

Great songs along with 'real' musicianship skills is what people love to see 'live'.  Also being able to actually 'entertain', to captivate the crowd is what my manager will say. So it's more than just great songs, you have to also 'deliver' (musicianship skills) and 'entertain' (showmanship). Well I don't mean, cartwheels across the stage and flying human cannons but something like that LOL!! 

I had a great run from late 1970 through to mid 1990.  Had two different managers (two different bands) during those years. Since about mid 1980 I also saw the DJ scene emerge and a lot of venues die. But new venues open and other opportunities are available. 

{tip} Like I suggested in my first post, get a professional manager and consider other areas such as, music placement for films, jingles and games. 

Good luck. Wish you great success! 

Wow, I typed up a really killer post (it actually wasn't long for a change but man was it good!) and I check back....it's not even here! I saw it post! Weird....well, I'll try to recollect my thoughts and try again. I'll never be able to top that post. :*(

-Danny