What Should Be My Next Step?

[Jordan Oates]

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!

 

 

[john]

If you were to put your music career desires into your preferred order, what would that be?

Do you have any music industry experience?

Do you have many/any contacts in the biz?

You mention that you post your vids, which in itself is alright but of small use when outside a planned, concerted campaign... do you do any other music biz activities on or offline?

How determined are you to have a music career if you were to mark it out of 10, with 0 being not determined at all and 10 being fully committed, totally determined?

To proceed, you first need to really know what your primary target, and second and third and fourth, so that you can take decisions in the correct context and to avoid being distracted by shiny object syndrom as opportunities present themselves. It also allows you to really prepare so that you are in a position to take advantage to the fullest of the chances that come your way.

You have to have a good and realistic mind set, completely professional in outlook and behaviour to give yourself the best chance. That means organization, discipline, hard work, research and applying your creativity to your music career and the chances you get.

Your answers will help me narrow down any advice I can offer to something hopefully useful to you.

[Jordan Oates]

If you were to put your music career desires into your preferred order, what would that be?

Do you have any music industry experience?

Do you have many/any contacts in the biz?

You mention that you post your vids, which in itself is alright but of small use when outside a planned, concerted campaign... do you do any other music biz activities on or offline?

How determined are you to have a music career if you were to mark it out of 10, with 0 being not determined at all and 10 being fully committed, totally determined?

To proceed, you first need to really know what your primary target, and second and third and fourth, so that you can take decisions in the correct context and to avoid being distracted by shiny object syndrom as opportunities present themselves. It also allows you to really prepare so that you are in a position to take advantage to the fullest of the chances that come your way.

You have to have a good and realistic mind set, completely professional in outlook and behaviour to give yourself the best chance. That means organization, discipline, hard work, research and applying your creativity to your music career and the chances you get.

Your answers will help me narrow down any advice I can offer to something hopefully useful to you.

 

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).

[Dkaudio]

Personally man, if you can honestly play guitar like Pertucci from Dream Theatre AND sing anywhere around Freedie from Queen, then you should be uploading videos of yourself to YouTube, vimeo, etc.. Not too many people have both those skill sets, and I'm definitely not saying that you don't. You will be found if you habe talent. I believe that. And good luck man!

[Jordan Oates]

Good luck!  The music business has always been rough but may be rougher now than ever.  The competition is overwhelming.  I am in Nashville.  Everybody sings.  Everybody plays.  Everybody writes.

 

Jim

 

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.

[Jordan Oates]

Personally man, if you can honestly play guitar like Pertucci from Dream Theatre AND sing anywhere around Freedie from Queen, then you should be uploading videos of yourself to YouTube, vimeo, etc.. Not too many people have both those skill sets, and I'm definitely not saying that you don't. You will be found if you habe talent. I believe that. And good luck man!

 

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.

[Dkaudio]

Yea man definitely. I'm anxious to hear your original material!

[Jordan Oates]

Yea man definitely. I'm anxious to hear your original material!

 

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...

Edited March 12, 2013 by Jordan Oates

[SethJackson]

Quit planning and start doing. All plans fail when confronted with the enemy.

 

By this, I mean to just get out in front of people and start playing your music. Whether your songs are complete or not, just get out there.

 

If you don't want a full band, check out Sarah Saturday.

http://sarahsaturday.com/

 

She has a mixture of pre-recorded and live instruments she uses to play live. Don't let the lack of band mates prevent you from achieving musical goals!

 

Seeing an audiences reaction to your music is the best way to know if you are doing it right or not.

 

Always be writing new music. Don't make the mistake of coddling your handful of songs, waiting for them to be 'perfect'. They never will be. Record them. Move on. Write something new.

 

If you want to go the YouTube route (which is excellent), check out the band Pomplamoose:

http://www.youtube.com/user/PomplamooseMusic

 

They don't play live, but have successfully used YouTube to sell their music online and get their music licensed in commercials. (They don't even have a good internet connection!)

 

Getting "discovered" shouldn't be your goal. Engaging with people that like your music should be the goal.

 

My opinion. Quit planning and start doing. Don't worry about perfection because it doesn't exist.

[independentmusicpromotions]

Hi Jordan, I think you're falling into a very common psychological trap here, as Seth Jackson pointed out. You could be more talented than Dream Theater or Tool, but no one will know or care until you show that to the world. You can't show it through words; it needs action. Instead of trying to "test the waters" and wonder about what could happen, you need to record your music, and not just demos, because no one wants demos. There's no market for them and no one has time to listen to them. Record your music in high quality. Save up and put your time and effort into it. Then you'll have a product, and a starting point to the journey.

 

It's actually been proven that when we talk about something we plan to do, like get famous, record an album, or anything, really...our brain gets a dose of satisfaction from just expressing it. That's why we go to a psychologist or a priest, spill our guts, and the tension is gone. But this is definitely a terrible thing when it comes to talking about our goals...we talk about them, we release the tension, and then the stage is set for procrastination.

 

I look forward to hearing your work.

[gardengnome26]

Now I'm curious to see what you got, can you post some of your demos in the recording critique section?