just to clarify a few things. i'm not planning on living off of our music. it is a hobby to me, but i would still like to see the music out there and on vinyl. i am much better at other things and those passions are stronger as well, but we have spent a lot of time working on these tracks and most consistently get a good response from our peers.
dude???
advice - step off the feild if you dont want to play the game.
Sorry, I think doing music just as a hobby is probably the best idea if you want to maintain your finances, creativity, and peace of mind.
yeah but its one thing to make it a hobby its another to be sending out demos and soliciting label deals..
i have been learning the importance of selling myself, but for the majority of my life i have stayed quite in the background and let my work speak for itself.
Regardless of what a person gets into, the skill of selling makes the difference in the bottom line. What ever that bottom line may be. I used to stay quite and let my work speak for itself, which in my opinion is not a bad thing hopefully showing that you try and put your best work forward and on merit of quality get recognition. But have since then made an effort to continually educate and market my consumers, making the work easier on them and presenting more of a payoff in their minds. I was talking to my barber one day and he dropped a jewel of knowledge.(by the way, this barber is one of the most stand up dudes I know) He said that in school they told him 5% of people actually come to you for how well you cut their hair the other 95% come to you for how you make them feal. He told me he didn't buy that at first and always tried to make his skills with the fades better, but after many years and employing many barbers at his shop he said that one barber that would line people up all crooked and shit had the longest list of clients, and the joke around the shop was that he could suck your dick through your ear. He ended up firing that motherfucker and now the barbers he gots are straight riders. Plus they are busiest they have ever been after trimmin the excess fat. But regardless point of story is don't forgot to sell the value you present. Don't expect people to come knocking at your door trying to find out about you, they are too caught up in there own life.
Hey Bapt: I know plenty of doods (myself included) that need good people to open shows, that would be willing to pay a modest amount for a couple dates. There is no reason why you couldn't put together a set in Ableton live, with a Midi controller, an Mpc and one turntable. I'm not talking about some kanye shit...! Most indy producers I know (SIgnify, lots of doods on Lex, Bully doods, Blockhead, Jel, Etc.) do way better in Europe. The touring is so much easier cause the drives are so short, and France has a fucking awesome turnout rate at shows! Seriously man, start thinking about a basic live show, cause your music is good.
just to clarify a few things. i'm not planning on living off of our music. it is a hobby to me, but i would still like to see the music out there and on vinyl. i am much better at other things and those passions are stronger as well, but we have spent a lot of time working on these tracks and most consistently get a good response from our peers.
dude???
advice - step off the feild if you dont want to play the game.
Sorry, I think doing music just as a hobby is probably the best idea if you want to maintain your finances, creativity, and peace of mind.
yeah but its one thing to make it a hobby its another to be sending out demos and soliciting label deals..
which is it?
What's wrong with that? Are you mad? Hahahaha. The best hobbies are ones that make you money.
Put Cash and weed in the package with the demo. Someone might actually open it and remember you that way! LOL.
dude that story doesnt make sense.. while the chatty barber was succesful he was ALSO fired for his sloppy skills.
you moral is??
Well he wasn't that succesful if he got fired, plus it wasn't the sloppy skills but the fact that he tried to tell the boss what was what that got his punk ass fired. Also you gotta give it up for my barber cause he wanted more integrity for the work that would come out of his shop and have his name attached to it. Moral is that you gotta be aware that how you make people feel is a big factor in business. The so called chatty barber seemed to be able to relize this with his clients but forgot the whole concept somehow when talking to his boss. Ultimatly my barber relized that he needed to cater to his better clients and make them feel better, hence the more succes the shop has had. So I would say that it is a good thing when you can provide true skill and market yourself succesfully.
just to clarify a few things. i'm not planning on living off of our music. it is a hobby to me, but i would still like to see the music out there and on vinyl. i am much better at other things and those passions are stronger as well, but we have spent a lot of time working on these tracks and most consistently get a good response from our peers.
dude???
advice - step off the feild if you dont want to play the game.
all of my work in the real world is in creative fields. by trade i am an architect, i make a living doing it. i would love to do architecture as a hobby. if i struck it rich i would still practice architecture. because it is one of my passions, its in my blood. but i would like to be able to tell a client to go fuck themselves when they want to change my design. i would like to be even more picky about the clients i pick up and projects i take on.
because i am better at architecture than music, music has become a hobby. to me this means i can work on beats all weekend and not feel pressure to make money doing it. i have hustled for gigs before and didn't really enjoy it. because it is a hobby i haven't really had to hustle to support myself with music. doesn't mean i don't love music. but i love music for music. not for the scene. not for the ladies. not for the platinum. i know what we make is good and i believe it can make it on vinyl, we have enough for an album now and i would like to document where we are now. i know we will probably not get an album right out of the gate. but i think we could get a 7" or maybe an ep out there and see how it does.
respect to all of those who support themselves on their music, but respect is due to all those who support themselves doing whatever it is they love. *i forgot to big up those who are in it just for the love of it.
Hey Bapt: I know plenty of doods (myself included) that need good people to open shows, that would be willing to pay a modest amount for a couple dates. There is no reason why you couldn't put together a set in Ableton live, with a Midi controller, an Mpc and one turntable. I'm not talking about some kanye shit...! Most indy producers I know (SIgnify, lots of doods on Lex, Bully doods, Blockhead, Jel, Etc.) do way better in Europe. The touring is so much easier cause the drives are so short, and France has a fucking awesome turnout rate at shows! Seriously man, start thinking about a basic live show, cause your music is good.
Yup Silvertone, why not...
I think about this option since a while, now, but I'm not really feelin it.
Dunno, I saw StGermain a couple of years ago and it was
{{ I saw Kieran Hebden, in Paris with Steve Reid, the show was unbelievable!!!! }}[/b]
Plus if I had to prepare a live set I'd like it to be more broken-beat or house/funk (no disco!!) than strictly hip-hop ya know... and that's not really my kinda ish... dunno (that's growin') humm...yeahh!!!!
Thanks to everyone, this is one of the most enlightening threads I've read... I'm in the same boat as SpaceGhost and everyone's ideas make a lot of sense, especially Silvertone's... I'm also planning to press my own stuff and build my own fanbase. And I know it takes constant hard work, and persistence pays off, etc etc.
I read somewhere once that the lucky ones (few and far between) become overnight sensations, and for everyone else in the music game, give yourself 10 years to become a known and established artist, assuming your shit is tight. If you're in it to win it, and believe in what you are doing, prepare for the long haul. So thanks to all for educating this indie producer.
Kaushik... you are in good company already as far as label connects and whatnot, and the few things Ive heard sound real interesting... Get togther a show man!
if your bio doesn't have anything worthwhile you better get crackin and become worthwhile. good music is NOT enough. be an interesting person, get shot 9 times, go to jail, make tshirts with Snowmen or your phone number, shows, something.
dude???
advice - step off the feild if you dont want to play the game.
word. theres a lot of extremely committed people out there. it will be hard for a casual hobbyist to compete. maybe you want to put shit out there just to say you did it? don't get a label for that - if labels heard you talk like that, that its just a hobby, not that serious.. would you sign that person? just make a mixtape and sell hand to hand and @ shows, on consignment, and get it buzzing. things will happen if you buzz.
get a lawyer
or a good manager (lots of shadiness out there, but good ones can get you far)
send medical grade marijuana or better and I'll listen to it
advice - step off the feild if you dont want to play the game.
dubious you of all people should know that you can get records pressed in the house/downtempo area even if its a hobby... 85% of the music commin out of that style are bedroom producers who stay that way & put out tracks...
for sure... that doesnt mean its a good thing though.
i wouldnt say hobbiests should stop or not put things out but you can at least not tell everybody "oh this isnt really something im taking seriously"
the last thing you should be telling a label is that you're just fucking around with some hobby... that might be the case but keep that info to yourself.
Comments
yeah but its one thing to make it a hobby its another to be sending out demos and soliciting label deals..
which is it?
you moral is??
What's wrong with that? Are you mad? Hahahaha. The best hobbies are ones that make you money.
Best line of the day.
all of my work in the real world is in creative fields. by trade i am an architect, i make a living doing it. i would love to do architecture as a hobby. if i struck it rich i would still practice architecture. because it is one of my passions, its in my blood. but i would like to be able to tell a client to go fuck themselves when they want to change my design. i would like to be even more picky about the clients i pick up and projects i take on.
because i am better at architecture than music, music has become a hobby. to me this means i can work on beats all weekend and not feel pressure to make money doing it. i have hustled for gigs before and didn't really enjoy it. because it is a hobby i haven't really had to hustle to support myself with music. doesn't mean i don't love music. but i love music for music. not for the scene. not for the ladies. not for the platinum. i know what we make is good and i believe it can make it on vinyl, we have enough for an album now and i would like to document where we are now. i know we will probably not get an album right out of the gate. but i think we could get a 7" or maybe an ep out there and see how it does.
respect to all of those who support themselves on their music, but respect is due to all those who support themselves doing whatever it is they love. *i forgot to big up those who are in it just for the love of it.
Yup Silvertone, why not...
I think about this option since a while, now, but I'm not really feelin it.
Dunno, I saw StGermain a couple of years ago and it was
{{ I saw Kieran Hebden, in Paris with Steve Reid, the show was unbelievable!!!! }}[/b]
Plus if I had to prepare a live set I'd like it to be more broken-beat or house/funk (no disco!!) than strictly hip-hop ya know... and that's not really my kinda ish... dunno (that's growin') humm...yeahh!!!!
I'll have to think about that!!!!!!
Paix
I read somewhere once that the lucky ones (few and far between) become overnight sensations, and for everyone else in the music game, give yourself 10 years to become a known and established artist, assuming your shit is tight. If you're in it to win it, and believe in what you are doing, prepare for the long haul. So thanks to all for educating this indie producer.
if your bio doesn't have anything worthwhile you better get crackin and become worthwhile. good music is NOT enough. be an interesting person, get shot 9 times, go to jail, make tshirts with Snowmen or your phone number, shows, something.
word. theres a lot of extremely committed people out there. it will be hard for a casual hobbyist to compete. maybe you want to put shit out there just to say you did it? don't get a label for that - if labels heard you talk like that, that its just a hobby, not that serious.. would you sign that person? just make a mixtape and sell hand to hand and @ shows, on consignment, and get it buzzing. things will happen if you buzz.
get a lawyer
or a good manager (lots of shadiness out there, but good ones can get you far)
send medical grade marijuana or better and I'll listen to it
for sure... that doesnt mean its a good thing though.
i wouldnt say hobbiests should stop or not put things out but you can at least not tell everybody "oh this isnt really something im taking seriously"
the last thing you should be telling a label is that you're just fucking around with some hobby... that might be the case but keep that info to yourself.
its just