recklessnick
New member
many musicians in the local scene all disappear after ns. there really isnt much time. there are sacrifices people have to make to stay in the scene.
Is there a local music scene
- Thread starter AverRal
- Start date
snuffleupagus
New member
Lets make a comparison here using an example in the current media industry which has the majority of the share in the market..Look at the TV celebrities, look at the actors here, can they even be comparable to the US ones in terms of fame and fortune? Even our so called A- List actors here who are accessible to the majority of the local media market ( i.e Chinese program shows etc) are not making anything that fantastic except for a few veterans(with endorsement deals of course).
The question is about potential yield power. Singapore imho is too small. This region is fiercely protective of their own local talents (except for maybe Taiwan), and would rather support and develop their own than otherwise. The western market perhaps you say? We will first have to educate them that Singapore is not part of China.
Sorry if I sound too cynical but that's just an opinion. I say , play your guitar or whatever instruments you want because you love to. Let the sharks (corporate bigwigs/ businessmen) monitor and gamble on market forces whilst you just concentrate on your playing. It is still business economics 101 at the end of the day.
The question is about potential yield power. Singapore imho is too small. This region is fiercely protective of their own local talents (except for maybe Taiwan), and would rather support and develop their own than otherwise. The western market perhaps you say? We will first have to educate them that Singapore is not part of China.
Sorry if I sound too cynical but that's just an opinion. I say , play your guitar or whatever instruments you want because you love to. Let the sharks (corporate bigwigs/ businessmen) monitor and gamble on market forces whilst you just concentrate on your playing. It is still business economics 101 at the end of the day.
recklessnick
New member
dont compare yourselves to the music industry in the united states. they have the population and the money. as long people dont 'leave' the scene, the scene forever grow. if you really love music, you would still support local bands when you're 30 or 40 or 50. our local music scene is still pretty new and fresh, lets see in a few more years or decades, if everyone who supports the scene on soft will still be in it.
shinobi
New member
what on earth is the definition of 'scene'? is scene a place? a record label? an events company?
the 'scene' is a collection of individuals. never start blaming the scene for your own shortcomings. how is it possible that there are bands and people in this 'scene' who have been playing professionally on a daily basis for decades?
do we have enough 'talent' that can match, much less exceed these individuals? what do you think it takes to become a successful professional musician, or a recording artist? a band, some entry level of skill, big egos, big dreams and endless support?
so of course there is a scene. and the scene is where passion for music meets outstanding ability
and i'm getting sick of the use of the word 'talents', it's the latest crying shame since the word 'gears'
the 'scene' is a collection of individuals. never start blaming the scene for your own shortcomings. how is it possible that there are bands and people in this 'scene' who have been playing professionally on a daily basis for decades?
do we have enough 'talent' that can match, much less exceed these individuals? what do you think it takes to become a successful professional musician, or a recording artist? a band, some entry level of skill, big egos, big dreams and endless support?
so of course there is a scene. and the scene is where passion for music meets outstanding ability
and i'm getting sick of the use of the word 'talents', it's the latest crying shame since the word 'gears'
recklessnick
New member
^ are you answering your own question in the same post? cos thats really lame. xD lol jk
roninriot
Banned
"Recently i dropped bass guitar because i couldnt find like minded individuals who want to create a new style in music and travel around the world.
Another friend of mine has decided not to pursue his dreams of becoming a professional drummer because of the lack of opportunities available in this country.
There are probably a few thousand more similar cases like this going on in the local music scene, talents dropping out after giving up hope of any signs of advancement in this industry."
It's posts like these that really piss me off.
If you chose to give up on your dreams because, wow, you weren't able to go on international tours, that's too bad for you. If your friend gave up on his dreams because he couldn't get enough love and support, then that's too bad. No big loss to the rest of us.
If you were so quick to give up on your dreams the way you did, chances are you never deserved to live them out in the first place . Dreams are dreams because they are something that people aspire to attain, some for most of their lives. And if dreams were so easily met, then what point would there be to them anyway? They'd just be like condoms - when you need them, use them and then throw them away.
I was in a band called Ronin. And while I will never be the first to testify to actually being a fan of my own band, I'm also really glad we worked as hard as we did. Loved us or hated us, there was no denying we existed and we played and gigged like crazy. During the time we formed, there was even less of a scene as we have now. There was even less media support, even fewer gigs and a smaller number of people interested in local music some 5-6 years ago. Still, that never stopped us from trying as hard as we did. 200 gigs in 2 years, no full-time jobs and nothing but a pocketful of dreams and aspirations to keep us going. And at the end of the day, we made a living out of it through corporate sponsorship and from organizing our own shows, selling our own tickets, doing our own albums and living out our dreams because we believed enough in them to work hard for it.
Let me emphasize that NONE of that dropped at our feet the way you seem to expect your dreams to materialize. To get what you want out of life, be ready to work for it. Instead of resigning yourself to a lifetime of regrets at never trying harder, why don't you create your own opportunities? Start your own newsletter, or go around the streets promoting a gig you're playing. How about dedicating a few hours a day to promoting your music on MySpace? Or honing your craft through practice. Or seeking out media coverage? MAKE the opportunity happen rather than EXPECT it to fall on your freakin' lap.
Bands like Electrico took 10 years to get to the top of their game. Bands like The Boredphucks aka The Suns sacrificed a huge chunk of their lives to move to Melbourne to pursue their dreams. That's the way it has to be if you want your so-called aspirations to happen.
If we were to all have your mentality and your lack of a backbone, that would be the day that there'd be no bands or musical identity to call our own. Meanwhile, thank goodnes the rest of us actually have the b*lls to try. There are so many great bands like AVA or The Full Pledge Munkees or West Grand Boulevard or Allura etc to be proud of. You're right. You should have given up. Go be a bedroom jammer for all I care. Why should I respect a musician who doesn't even respect or work for his own dreams?
Even then, why do you have to drop an instrument just because you don't get to 'tour the world'? Makes me wonder why you even want to pick it up in the first place? If you really love something, you'll get into it and stick with it regardless.
I'm not sorry for sounding harsh. You deserve it for putting up such a lame post. You really need a virtual slap in the face.
Yours,
Levan
Another friend of mine has decided not to pursue his dreams of becoming a professional drummer because of the lack of opportunities available in this country.
There are probably a few thousand more similar cases like this going on in the local music scene, talents dropping out after giving up hope of any signs of advancement in this industry."
It's posts like these that really piss me off.
If you chose to give up on your dreams because, wow, you weren't able to go on international tours, that's too bad for you. If your friend gave up on his dreams because he couldn't get enough love and support, then that's too bad. No big loss to the rest of us.
If you were so quick to give up on your dreams the way you did, chances are you never deserved to live them out in the first place . Dreams are dreams because they are something that people aspire to attain, some for most of their lives. And if dreams were so easily met, then what point would there be to them anyway? They'd just be like condoms - when you need them, use them and then throw them away.
I was in a band called Ronin. And while I will never be the first to testify to actually being a fan of my own band, I'm also really glad we worked as hard as we did. Loved us or hated us, there was no denying we existed and we played and gigged like crazy. During the time we formed, there was even less of a scene as we have now. There was even less media support, even fewer gigs and a smaller number of people interested in local music some 5-6 years ago. Still, that never stopped us from trying as hard as we did. 200 gigs in 2 years, no full-time jobs and nothing but a pocketful of dreams and aspirations to keep us going. And at the end of the day, we made a living out of it through corporate sponsorship and from organizing our own shows, selling our own tickets, doing our own albums and living out our dreams because we believed enough in them to work hard for it.
Let me emphasize that NONE of that dropped at our feet the way you seem to expect your dreams to materialize. To get what you want out of life, be ready to work for it. Instead of resigning yourself to a lifetime of regrets at never trying harder, why don't you create your own opportunities? Start your own newsletter, or go around the streets promoting a gig you're playing. How about dedicating a few hours a day to promoting your music on MySpace? Or honing your craft through practice. Or seeking out media coverage? MAKE the opportunity happen rather than EXPECT it to fall on your freakin' lap.
Bands like Electrico took 10 years to get to the top of their game. Bands like The Boredphucks aka The Suns sacrificed a huge chunk of their lives to move to Melbourne to pursue their dreams. That's the way it has to be if you want your so-called aspirations to happen.
If we were to all have your mentality and your lack of a backbone, that would be the day that there'd be no bands or musical identity to call our own. Meanwhile, thank goodnes the rest of us actually have the b*lls to try. There are so many great bands like AVA or The Full Pledge Munkees or West Grand Boulevard or Allura etc to be proud of. You're right. You should have given up. Go be a bedroom jammer for all I care. Why should I respect a musician who doesn't even respect or work for his own dreams?
Even then, why do you have to drop an instrument just because you don't get to 'tour the world'? Makes me wonder why you even want to pick it up in the first place? If you really love something, you'll get into it and stick with it regardless.
I'm not sorry for sounding harsh. You deserve it for putting up such a lame post. You really need a virtual slap in the face.
Yours,
Levan
Last edited:
snuffleupagus
New member
I say no matter what, be practical and resonable. Pursue your dreams by all means, but make sure you have a steady and proper education in school first just to have something to fall back on just in case. Study hard first , never sacrifice that no matter what.
EugeneSmasher
New member
My ideology is, if you were really passionate about it, you would persevere and not drop it. If you drop it, it just doesn't matter enough to you anymore.
I had negative views about our music scene once, but even then I decided to join it and see if I could improve it. I've been working on my drumming, guitar and bass skills for this. And when it turns out we DO have a scene, and that it is getting big, all we need is the exposure, and the passion, which sadly lacking in you.
I had negative views about our music scene once, but even then I decided to join it and see if I could improve it. I've been working on my drumming, guitar and bass skills for this. And when it turns out we DO have a scene, and that it is getting big, all we need is the exposure, and the passion, which sadly lacking in you.
AgingYouth
New member
Hey AverRal, hmm... a career in finance is pretty good. My friend, an Investment Banker just got $500k last year. Yeah, if I got that amount, screw the income tax man. I still hoard shitloads of cash.
If I've $500k, I'd prolly get a car... and some nice recording gear. Good lah.
If I've $500k, I'd prolly get a car... and some nice recording gear. Good lah.
recklessnick
New member
+1
if you cant find opportunities, make them yourself. dont expect chances to be served to you on a silver platter, you need to steal them from other people's platters. xD
vx02
New member
if you and your friend picked up bass & drums for the sole purposes of touring around the world, hitting the big time and coming back as national heroes, then i'm really sorry but you guys are the sorta people that i personally would like to filter off.
music is something that does not require a market to be sold on nor a fanbase for it to grow and flourish. sharing it with people is just a bonus. if you think you need people to hear your music, for you to feel what you are doing is worthwhile, then honestly, there is no point in doing it in the first place.
as far as "is there a music scene in singapore?" goes, i'd like to think of it as - yes, there is a scene per se. there are a large number of bands in singapore, many of which play good original music. and many of whom, have toiled and worked their asses off.
music is something that does not require a market to be sold on nor a fanbase for it to grow and flourish. sharing it with people is just a bonus. if you think you need people to hear your music, for you to feel what you are doing is worthwhile, then honestly, there is no point in doing it in the first place.
as far as "is there a music scene in singapore?" goes, i'd like to think of it as - yes, there is a scene per se. there are a large number of bands in singapore, many of which play good original music. and many of whom, have toiled and worked their asses off.
snuffleupagus
New member
Heheh, different people have different dreams what... some dream of fame and some dream for self-fulfillment....
Nothing wrong here leh.
Nothing wrong here leh.
averal, since u said u just quit and everything, then kindly enlighten us, what have YOU done for the scene that we need to support you?
thats one of the reasons we have gigs and we go down to support them in sg. we make friends then, we make connections and we invite them to watch us play. if they think we're good, they'll invite their friends down as well. this strengthens ties within our local band scene and music community.
and that, is the first step to maintaining the scene.
so tell us, have YOU done your part for the scene?
thats one of the reasons we have gigs and we go down to support them in sg. we make friends then, we make connections and we invite them to watch us play. if they think we're good, they'll invite their friends down as well. this strengthens ties within our local band scene and music community.
and that, is the first step to maintaining the scene.
so tell us, have YOU done your part for the scene?
wjl123
New member
I think its not JUST because of the passion or so. Its about surviving too, how many can actually survive playing music until the time it takes for you to become big in the music scene, probably the scene here is still growing and people who are dropping their hopes cannot survive any more longer? Do you think its just you and your dreams? Think deeper life is harsh man, its so materialistic and sadly life is never fair. Even if you work so dam hard for something you might not even get it, so seriously if thats what happens then its very sad man.
However i think the local bands in Singapore are getting more exposure to the people in Singapore now, like recently i saw the article in Straits Times IN section where West Grand Boulevard opened for Switchfoot for the School Invasion Tour, I found it pretty cool man... Seriously hope for Singapore's Music Scene to boom even faster! Maybe local bands would even advertise their albums on national television, now that would be darn cool...
However i think the local bands in Singapore are getting more exposure to the people in Singapore now, like recently i saw the article in Straits Times IN section where West Grand Boulevard opened for Switchfoot for the School Invasion Tour, I found it pretty cool man... Seriously hope for Singapore's Music Scene to boom even faster! Maybe local bands would even advertise their albums on national television, now that would be darn cool...
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