seeing the most untalented person get the furthest cemented my opinion during my advanced diploma haha it sucks but thats the reality
1 Like
what is success anyway?
how many successful producers remained successful in terms of their abilities to pay the bills, when coweed came, and all kinds of entertainment industries became the very 1st thing to sacrifice and the very last thing to care about?
2 Likes
Probably success is being able during coweed times to keep making music and not wonder if you should go working in a supermarket.
4 Likes
Yeah, “industry” lol…
2 Likes
They are obviously good at something. Maybe they are have marketing skills or some other skills not directly related to the music they create.
2 Likes
To ever make any money in the industry I think I’ll have to invest in Spotify or Apple stock.
2 Likes
there are still some people makin money, do they deserve it no, thats my point
“You have to constantly put yourself out there”
“The ones who are successful are working at it 24/7/365”
“The music industry is a constant grind”
Like i said … Consistency ! 
1 Like
…what makes u think, to judge who’s deserving any kind of success and who’s not…?
that’s a pretty decent indicator for bitterness…
so be warned…once u detect signs of bitterness, u better sattle another horse for sure…
4 Likes
Good communicators get the gig. Being good (whatever that means) at something is not enough. One should be good at promoting oneself. And that expands to any domain actually, it’s not just music.
Like a lot of people here I’m a very bad communicator. That doesn’t mean my music is not shitty either 
2 Likes
When I was young in the early 90’s I’d hear techno records on the radio which sounded terrible to me, bad production, boring drum patterns, weak synth sounds and any number of other really quite crap stuff. At the time I was working with another guy on techno tracks, trying to get signed, we’d be astonished how low the bar was for a lot of the records we heard, we both said often that we would not even record such crap, let alone try to release it. Of course there were some excellent tracks too, but it did not seem that either the DJs or the labels had consistency of taste or quality.
I think it proves to me that I wasn’t being biased or bitter, but just noticing that some stuff was shit and some stuff was great. Art mirrors life.
1 Like
the people when finishing a 2 year course on the last day that say… what is a pitch slide?
and you what are you talking about? did you not comprehend anything lol
…and just as a little reminder…
those who gain success at some point can’t hold it for long, if their content lacks of some kind of deeper truth, originality AND quality…
so, who wants to join that cake of one hit wonders and one trick ponys for real…?
aim for solidity, integrity, creativity and quality…not for clicks.
6 Likes
You’d be surprised at how many artists we have that are consistently bringing in over $1k/month in streams and downloads. They are usually the ones who are constantly putting out singles or EPs. They aren’t waiting for 6-12 months to put out an album. They finish a song, they release it. Luck comes in if they are picked up on a playlist (kind of like how DJs would play your track back in the day…) and they will see their earnings go up for a month or two, gain some new fans and then drop once they are off the playlist. But their ‘floor’ is higher than it was before that. So it’s like a step ladder chart.
These artists are reaching out to tastemakers, trying to plug their tracks. They are advertising on Facebook trying to target certain demographics to try and get listeners. They are constantly engaging with their followers on social media.
5 Likes
BINGO!
2 Likes
for 2 years you pretended too know what we were talking about and you are an expert on the radio now… cool haha
One should also decide for himself what it is he/she wants . You want to be on top of the world ? Good for you , that means playing the social media game , making generic music which incorporates the latest gimmickery , take pleasure in being a slave to the entire marketing machine , etc … if on the other hand that is not your cup of tea, good for you too , but that means being happy with less and accepting the fact that people less creative than you are getting further upon the corporate music business ladder . Whatever road you decide to take , it’s all good , there are plenty of opportunities on both sides for those who love what they are doing . Those who are engaging in acts that are not natural to them just to achieve a certain goal , eventually will have to pay the price …
4 Likes
Sounds personal!
3 Likes
Sorry folks. This is the thing. Here’s another angle I’ve seen play out time and time again over the years in numerous genres, eg; someone you assume is a struggling musician that comes in to moderate success and then years later you learn that his or her dad is a senior executive at PIMCO. Some of the “most successful” people in the industry are there because they are backed by daddy’s trust fund. I’m not hating, I’d have done the same thing if I had the means.
Talent is no substitute for social capital, don’t pretend that it is. The likelihood of you making it is extremely slim without a very strong blend of at least two of the following: talent, connections and funding.
There was a thread on twitter this week with a bunch of musicians that many of us here know and love, discussing how shit the industry is. At least one mentioning how income has evaporated and he’s reduced to working in a shop. It’s worth considering something isn’t right when people that play festivals have to start a gofundme to pay for a lifesaving surgery. 
I say pursue your goals and see what happens but be honest with yourself.
2 Likes
no its not. the lack of any talent to the people making money is my concern…
1 Like