Jordan Oates

haha I'll try to get it done, learning how to master/dither etc is like reading a foreign language to me...., not to mention I would prefer having actual knobs to adjust etc than just a virtual one done with a click of a mouse, but hey, what can ya do...

Thanks man! I really do need to upload A LOT more... but like I said, I still need strategies to get more views etc.... I always felt that even in a subjective field like music, if you're technically sound enough, you can almost guarantee a career of some sort as long as you make the right moves.... I always like to use Steve Vai as an example. I feel with his ability, as long as he played available gigs, inquired about auditions etc he was pretty much guaranteed a career like he has now.

Thanks! As long as I try to the best of my abilities, and do everything I can to "make it", I'll consider it a win, even if the cards don't fall in my favor.

Well.... in terms of musical priorities/preferences, I would have to say that #1 is being able to support myself fully as a touring/performing artist, preferably my own songs/as a member of an actual band. In a much more "broad sense", my main love is performing live..... then, in descending order, my musical goals would be a full-time touring/performing artist singing other people's songs (aka how most of the pop and country industry works), then as a professional cover artist/cruise ship performer etc. I would then say A music career desire would be as a studio musician, and then finally as a vocal or guitar teacher. I have no prior experience in the music industry, all I've done is play a few gigs in a cover band, while also recording 3 different demo tapes with a band (2 of our own material, one of covers). I do not have any conscious contacts in the music industry (by conscious I may unknowingly have a former coworker etc who is involved in music some way, but not anybody i would know to contact or talk to about a career in the industry). Other than posting some soundcloud/facebook/youtube videos/demos/etc, the only other actual "presence" you will find of me is posts on various forums where I may critique/try to help others/discuss with others vocal/guitar technique/ways to practice etc.... In terms of my determination, I hesitate giving myself a 10 (as I'm one of those people who either says a 10 is just an ideal or if someone asks me of my basketball skills, I rate myself in comparison to Michael Jordan etc), but I'll say I am as high as I can go without doing something reaaally drastic (such as I would not drop out of college this very minute, hitchike to LA and immediately go all over town hunting down gigs if the advice was given, but I am totally ok with the level of commitment such as "you will not do anything other than music stuff and schoolwork, sell your TV, cancel your credit cards, you are never taking a day off or watching some leisure TV ever again" kind of level... And though I have listed my preferences above, I assume you may give other advice in terms of lower-level opportunities I should take etc. What I mean is, when I was about a freshman in college/senior in high school, I of course looked at music majors etc, but at the time I had an attitude of "if it wouldn't lead to my first choice above (touring/recording artist playing original songs) I had no interest. The idea of "you may have to find a job as a music teacher or as a guy who sings jingles for the radio station" when you get out of college was horrible to me, though now I would rather do that as I tried to work towards my top goals than something in my major I'm currently in (though thanks to the state of the economy, I may have to take whatever job I can get out of college).

Hello everybody. As I stated in my first post, I am a musician/songwriter who has dreams of making a living in the music industry preferably as a performer. Also, currently I practice my craft, songwrite, and have made some demos of songs I have written. Now I have read the pinned posts, the articles, and a few other posts about marketing, promotion etc. and have found them filled with useful information. However, I feel like my situation/goals etc might be a little different than a lot of the "independent singer/songwriters" found on this site. Rather than try to list what's different, I think it would be easier to just list my musical traits/goals: The music I write is ideally suited for a band, not just singer-songwriter stuff. However, I don't plan on trying to find a band at this moment as I have two months left to graduate, and then my family is moving halfway across the country to Chicago. So more than likely, I won't be able to play any live gigs around my college, unless one of the established bands (which are all cover bands) suddenly need a singer or guitarist, and then I could try out. With that said, my demos are not 100% complete in terms of me meticulously writing every riff etc, as I said I write vocals, lyrics, and chords and then try to come up with a rough composition. This is mainly to save time, as I could be hung up for weeks trying to find a perfect riff instead of writing/recording other songs etc. I also try to have my demos sounding good, but I'm not concerned with having a perfect mastering/recording etc, as I think of these in terms of getting noticed etc instead of finished products. Objectvely, I am a very good singer and guitarist. I know music is subjective, but I mean in terms of technical skill I am very good, such as in terms of guitar playing I can play Dream Theater/shred etc, and singing I have a 4 octave range, can cover songs by Queen, Queensryche, Journey etc. I am only stating this because I know a lot of people on this forum objectively don't have amazing talent (which doesn't matter, as music is subjective), but I feel I could benefit in a kind of auditioning process/if by chance some music industry person was at a karaoke night or even an open mic night, they might not like my music/songwriting but be very impressed by my singing or guitar playing from a technical point of view. I would be ok with being a session musician, touring musician who isn't "in" the band or even if a record label etc wanted to try to turn me into a "pop star" to get my foot in the door of the industry, or if I never progressed to being a touring musician with my own material I could definitely live with that, as I find the "athletic" parts of singing hard songs or playing difficult music is much more enjoyable than a desk job. So I don't know if there are certain labels/avenues I could go that I could use my technical skills to get a leg up. I know there are some things I have started to do such as make youtube videos/facebook/soundcloud etc that one shoould pretty much do on principle, but I'm also looking for other opportunities obviously. Thanks for all of those who read this, and if you have any questions/want clarifications etc, just ask!