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The Fandom Paradox (18+)

Entry posted by VoiceEx in Rant

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I can`t imagine this entry not offending at least one or two people 😅 so.. if your squeamish around this subject, or if you feel overly attached to your audience and fans, than... please.. do us both a favor: go see a shrink. Find help. Really. Somewhere else though. I... don`t want you to spill your neurosis all over my blog. Cool. Thanks a bunch! 😏

 

So fans are kind of a tricky business. One one hand, your suppose to want to have as many as you can get. But on the other hand, the more fans you have, the further you distance yourself from direct interaction with them. Funny how that works. You see, back when I was younger (and more foolish), I used to have a "vision" of what I believed fame and success would be like. A mental image of sorts. And being the simple person that I am, that fantasy included what I believe most young musicians aspired to:

 

Sitting on buckets of money.

f*cking hot girls every day.

Doing drugs.

Preforming forever.

Living in the Playboy mansion.

 

Talk about a "Paleolithic check list", am I right? granted, those were not the most noble of aspirations. I didn't want to save the planet. Didn't care about world peace. But I felt as if it were an honest vision, you know? and it was mine. And if you ever tell me that you never thought about this sorta stuff, not even once, than id call you liar to your face! 😅 And then I would ask you to get the hell outta my Blog, because I don`t want your sanctimonious ass anywhere near me. f*cking prude 🤮

 

The thing is, the older you get, and the more you learn about the industry itself, the more you really start to grasp the complexity of what fandom actually is, and what that can mean for you. Because when your in the spotlight, not just a person anymore. You become a product. That will mean alot of things. I don`t want to bore intelligent people with a lecture about personal responsibility and accountability. However, i`ll give you a small example of "cool" and "uncool" situations, that a young person might not consider when it comes to interacting with fans.

 

1# scenario: THE COOL SITUATION 👍

You met a young and hot 20 something year old which happens to be a super fan of yours. Lets say its a girl (don`t you f*cking DARE throw pronouns at me!). Now this young lady would like nothing more than to get down on her knees, and... (18+! i said 18+! its in the f*cking title!). Needless to say, you two wanted to have some fun, and the act itself was consensual. Of course. Don`t worry. I`m sure you`ll have plenty more opportunities to use chloroform 😅

 

2# scenario: THE UNCOOL SITUATION 👎

That girl you slept with comes from a broken home, and she has had an unhealthy fascination with you her entire life. She suffers from anxiety, depression, PTST, and her general state of mental well is slowly leading her towards a mental breakdown. After realizing that you two will never be able to be together, she decides to swallow a bucket of pills, and ends up committing suicide. You hear about her on the news.

 

So as you can see, shit can get dark real quick. Obviously none of this would be your fault. But your still human. And if your not shitty person, you probably would feel awful. This is a classic example of not being aware of the entire situation, and consider it as a warning sign and a reminder that the way we interact with fans - DOES - have consequences. Always. Sometimes those consequences are good. Sometimes they are bad. You`ll never really know the full picture, and your going to make mistakes. And I suggest you own those mistakes, before they own you. In a way, you are both the moth, and the flame which consumes it.

 

But you know what? enough with this gloomy dark crap. Lets get back to what`s really important here. ME 😂

 

So y'all don`t really know anything about me. Not sure if you`d like to know, but i`ll tell you anyway! i`ll start by telling you a little about my work, and how I perceive its Fandom. You see, the music I work on (Soundtracks) appeals to very specific demographics. Since I don`t want to bore you with all technical stuff involved, i`ll sum it up by saying that my work mostly appeals to the following:

 

Classical music fans - aka, old people & pompous art students.

Electronic music fans - not the kind that wakes up to Skrillex, the kind that only listens to stuff when they are stuck in traffic.

Movie Soundtrack fans - aka, those people you never borrow music from.

Gamers - lets see YOU add that one to your resume! ha! RIP: integrity? 😅

 

Those are the kind of people that usually listen to my stuff. And Gamers (in specific) are the one`s that consumed the most products and albums I worked on. They... also happen to be the ones that usually pirate my stuff, more than any other group. Talk about a double edged sword, am I right 😅

 

But its cool, you know? I don`t give a shit. Preparation is everything. If someone wants to pirate my stuff, go ahead knock yourself out. Shit. I`ll help you seed your Torrent 👍 hey maybe you wanna upload my shit into your Youtube channel! your Soundcloud? Spotify? cool go do that. I give ZERO f*cks. These sorts of online mischief and shenanigans get accounted for. I see folk all over bitch and moan over this sorta stuff all the time. I`m like: my dudes - RELAX! do NOT turn into Lars Ulrich! this is 2021, baby! being a paranoid technophobe is NOT sexy! and if you run a tight ship, pirates are not going to be your main issue. Don`t worry - there will be plenty of other issues that will occupy your safe space 😏

 

Speaking of which. What a lot of people don`t know about me, is that I don`t really enjoy talking about my music. Kind of ironic, right 😅 I mean... I can answer technical questions, sure. I can explain things and give recommendations. But other than that, I don`t really have much to say to a casual fan. Its like....

 

Fan: "Question. How do you feel about your latest album"?

 

VX: "Errm... sales were okay I guess. Its a f*cking soundtrack"

 

Fan: "Question. Do you listen to a lot of soundtracks in your free time?"

 

VX: "Not really. Most soundtracks are generic and boring"

 

Fan: "Question. Do you listen to the soundtracks your featured in?"

 

VX: "Yeah sometimes. Though I only listen to specific stuff. You see, I do a lot of recycled garbage because I have to follow directorial instructions. Which means that if i`m asked to make, lets say, a short sequence for a scene of a person standing in the rain, than that`s what i`ll do. But sequences are not complete songs. I mean, some might call em that. Sure. Not me though. I call it crap I was paid to do. Besides. I don`t think I have ever met someone that up and said that they wanna listen to a... sequence. People wanna hear songs. Like, if you wanna list to the rainfall, i`m sure you`ll find one of those horrible ASMR videos. Yuk. Those things are nasty. How the f*ck did that even become a thing?".

 

Fan:"Question. What is your overall message to the audience?"

 

VX: "Yes. Start demanding better soundtracks, and stop sucking on hans zimmer`s dick! Forreal. Help put an end to the 20+ year cycle of predictable garbage and comfy insta-song formulas. Demand quality and demand something fresh and innovative. In other words: Make. My. Job. More. Interesting!"

 

As you can see, i`m not the best person to interview 😅 AND..... that`s the time I had for today. I wrote this shit in between coffee breaks, and while I was doing other stuff. It was like 1 minute here, 1 minute there, etc etc. So please forgive me for running amok all over the place. Well I hope you enjoyed the read! your welcome to show signs of life, and leave comments!

Edited by VoiceEx

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Gamers - lets see YOU add that one to your resume! ha! RIP: integrity? 😅

 

Almost fell off my chair when I read that! 🤣

 

It is pretty ironic when it comes to fandom. More numbers simply means being more careful with the boundaries of your free speech lol brand management as the big ones would call it lol. The more important a celebrity you get, the less important the person and their honest opinions is. I do think it's changing though! I heard the label this community owns is pretty chill that way lmao

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Of course, you could, if it suited you and you had a cunning plan, use all your knowledge, skill and contacts, build a new artist name, an artist with integrity, ;) who doesn’t require directorial input!

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20 hours ago, Mahesh said:

 

Almost fell off my chair when I read that! 🤣

 

It is pretty ironic when it comes to fandom. More numbers simply means being more careful with the boundaries of your free speech lol brand management as the big ones would call it lol. The more important a celebrity you get, the less important the person and their honest opinions is. I do think it's changing though! I heard the label this community owns is pretty chill that way lmao

 

I`m glad you enjoyed the read! 😅 though I never liked the idea of being caught in such an adorned, gilded cage. If I was famous at this point in time, I would probably be miserable. Though to be perfectly honest, I actually don`t know much about the label here. Haven't looked into properly. Though I can imagine they wouldn't want to handle a lunatic such as myself 😅

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12 hours ago, john said:

Of course, you could, if it suited you and you had a cunning plan, use all your knowledge, skill and contacts, build a new artist name, an artist with integrity, ;) who doesn’t require directorial input!

 

Yeah I could. I thought about it many times. But I don`t know if I should. I mean, I already require assistance in dealing with one brand. Starting another one is not impossible, but that`s a lot of additional work. I know that I shit talk soundtrack making and all that, but its not as trivial as I might make it seem in here. I don`t write about the hours of research, the planning, the execution, promotion, asset management, different formulas (etc etc etc etc etc etc etc), nor do I write about the skill requirements. I don`t write about that sorta stuff in here because its not entertaining. But in reality, yes, its a lot of hard work and its not as easy as it sounds. This goes way beyond just being able to compose, It took me years to master this craft.

 

Though even if I was able to find time to work on another brand, and be willing to subject myself to everything that comes with that, the music I make for myself is something I consider to be rather personal. I never really felt comfortable letting people hear the songs I make for myself. Its not that I think my songs are "bad". I think their good. I love em. But... I don`t have that feeling in me, you know? that feeling of wanting to share, be in the public eye, seeking approval, seeking acknowledgement, wanting to engage fans, hearing praise, getting excited from seeing other people admire my work. I don`t have that feeling in me. I don`t think I ever really did. Quite a paradox on itself. I`m also married btw, and I have a lot of responsibilities. On an average day, I already feel like I gotta be in 10 places at once.

 

If you were me, would you start a brand if you felt this way? the music I make for myself is not something I made for money. That`s what the soundtrack projects are for. Do I love making soundtracks? not always. But it has its moments, and I use half the money I make from that to work on my own stuff. That was the "condition" I got when I told my wife I want to make music again. Thats the only reason I even got into soundtracks. I know that sounds odd, but I already had a good job, and there was no "logical reason" for me to make music. There still isn't. I just make it because I love it, and I get tons of shit at when I make music for fun.

 

So.. starting a new brand, ontop of making soundtracks, ontop of having a job, I really don`t know if id want too.

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You can still build an audience for your own material. Others will enjoy it. Compartmentalising around different brands is hard work, but it is a clean solution.

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28 minutes ago, john said:

You can still build an audience for your own material. Others will enjoy it. Compartmentalising around different brands is hard work, but it is a clean solution.

 

Though if I don`t feel anything from sharing my music, than wouldn't it all be for nothing? think about it. All that time, all that energy spent, all the planning, plus having to throw some money at the things I don`t have time to manage myself. That`s like building an audience, just for the sake of building one. Making another brand just because I can, and no other reason? Is that any way for a person to step into a production?

 

Believe me, I understand how unusual my words are. And I know you mean well. But, think about it, if I started working on a new brand, at this point in time, I will get stuck with having three jobs. One of which, is my actual career. I`m always pressed on time, as it is. Which is why I legit don`t know if this would be a good idea.

 

Think about it, John. If i`m not in it for money or fame, than what`s in it for me? why would I go out of my way just make a brand for something I consider to be extremely personal, to the point where it makes me feel uncomfortable when someone else listens to it?

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3 hours ago, john said:

I get it. I’m not trying to persuade you :) that’s why I said “if it suited you” ;)

 

Oh I know 😅 but your not the only person in this blog. I`m trying to help people to get to know me better. I don`t even have Facebook. Even that alone is strange by modern standards. You could even say that I might be one of the strangest people in her. And I want every single person to understand that I think that an artist should only get into branding their own material, if that decision is really the right choice for them. Some people think its simple: that they can just make music, shove it somewhere, throw some money into promotion, and that`s it. They think that their job is over. Insta-fame overnight. That`s not how it works.

 

I want people to understand that even if they have absolute best manager in the world, even if they have buckets of money to their name, and even if they have a brilliant strategy, things can still go wrong. There is no such thing as a "safe album" and there are no 100% bullet proof plans. Being a full time musician is not something a person should approach lightly. Just because you can do something, doesn't always mean that you should.

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9 hours ago, VoiceEx said:

 

Oh I know 😅 but your not the only person in this blog. I`m trying to help people to get to know me better. I don`t even have Facebook. Even that alone is strange by modern standards. You could even say that I might be one of the strangest people in her. And I want every single person to understand that I think that an artist should only get into branding their own material, if that decision is really the right choice for them. Some people think its simple: that they can just make music, shove it somewhere, throw some money into promotion, and that`s it. They think that their job is over. Insta-fame overnight. That`s not how it works.

 

I want people to understand that even if they have absolute best manager in the world, even if they have buckets of money to their name, and even if they have a brilliant strategy, things can still go wrong. There is no such thing as a "safe album" and there are no 100% bullet proof plans. Being a full time musician is not something a person should approach lightly. Just because you can do something, doesn't always mean that you should.


Cool cool, just didn’t want you to feel remotely pushed. I try to keep encouragement to helping people to achieve stated goals and discouragement for paths that lead away from stated goals or where a path is likely to be highly damaging to the person or their attainment of stated goals. I completely get explanations for wider audiences… I also don’t want them getting the wrong idea about my comments lol I’ll zip it for now :)

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On 8/31/2021 at 7:00 AM, john said:


Cool cool, just didn’t want you to feel remotely pushed. I try to keep encouragement to helping people to achieve stated goals and discouragement for paths that lead away from stated goals or where a path is likely to be highly damaging to the person or their attainment of stated goals. I completely get explanations for wider audiences… I also don’t want them getting the wrong idea about my comments lol I’ll zip it for now :)

 

Don`t worry about it! making people feel uncomfortable and pushing anxiety inducing content is my territory 😅

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