my honest view to TS and musicians here...
This tossing to and fro of opinions have been very heated I must say. I do feel that you have a right to say what you feel and you will be held responsible for those words. But you should take note that being someone who wants to really make it in the music industry, you showed a lack of self control with your emotions, unprofessional conduct in a forum and an unglamorous attitude toward the Creator of S.O.F.T.com., namely, James. People do remember and it's unwise to let off steam in an uncontrolled manner.
To all who seek to benefit from making great music, the answer is not found until you ask the right questions...
1) Is making music a hobby or a profession for you at this point of time?
- are you a poly student going to school, studying maths/english/physics for X number of hours a day or are you a guitarist taking lessons from 7am to 1pm and practicing for an extra 3 hours after that? There is a vast difference here between the 2.
- know where you stand at this point of time as a student/musician and manage your expectations accordingly.
- if you are doing it for your passion and love for music, then just let it be that way. Play for your school concerts, teachers' day, founder's day, sports day, local estate RC/CC events, charity events, go busking, serenade to your gf, write songs to appreciate your teachers, join the school band, perform in front of your families, join jamming sessions where you only have to buy a drink to play, there are plenty other options out there to explore where money is not involved.
2) Have you paid your dues as a student of your craft? eg. bass, drums, guitars, physics, chemistry, E Maths, History etc...?
- unless you're a prodigy like Marcus Miller, Tony Royster, you would probably have to woodshed till you're about 21-25 till someone would take very good notice of you as a musician. Even then, you would probably be paid very little still. $70-$100?? More if you really work your butt off. $120??
- would you expect a fresh grad to be able to earn what an experienced management executive earns? don't expect organizers/ companies to headhunt you unless you're a scholar from Juliard/ Harvard. When I was 17, I was only in "Primary school" in my knowledge and experience as a drummer. Now I'm in "Secondary School".
- similarly, where do you stand currently?
Know yourself, know your enemy, win 1000 battles. Your enemy is not the organizer, nor the people who want to profit cos making a profit is in everybody's mind in every arena of life, it's just a matter of how they make it and how much. Banks do it, loan sharks do it, even the auntie who sells you fishball noodles do it. So wise up and learn to be smart, but don't let your emotions get the better of you. Pick yourself up, brush off the dust off your body, clean up those wounds and move on with the same drive, enthusiasm, charisma and work your butt off once again. You would be better off brain storming with your band mates rather than shooting others down.
3) Where and how can you acquire funding for an act if you were the organizer?
- put yourself in other people's shoes and see things from their perspective. You might learn a thing or two. I know I have many times.
- as you have realized by now I am sure, money is hard to earn. Count your cents, add them up, then work from there. Expect people to shove and push you along cos you have to add value to their lives before they give you anything in return. I would love to have my cake and eat it most times and it's unrealistic to expect anything if you have not put in something.
- would you pay to see yourself play? If not, then why would you expect others to pay to watch you play?
4) Do you have the means and drive to last the long haul? Eg 10-25 years of your life?
- Be thankful for what you have... SOFT.com, L&L, Esplanade, jamming studios priced reasonably, your precious instruments, buddies in the band who stick by you.
- Be driven but don't become an idealist. Once again, manage your expectations. Work like mad, practice like crazy and hope for the best.
- When I was gigging in NYC while studying there, my band leader did all the work promoting, emailing, advertising the band on the web, paying out of her own pocket for our rehearsal fees, performance fees, making sure everyone liked her, always having a great attitude, not easily disappointed, always appreciating those who have helped her (esp her band mates and her manager), always smiling and making people around her feel comfortable, being likable as a person.
We played to a packed house full of her fans (she obviously did her homework), when the next act came up, everyone left except my band. We were their "fans". LOL! Obviously, they didn't do their homework even though they were really really good musicians. The singer sang back up vocals for an R&B star and had some serious pipes so we're not talking about some amateur croaking to an empty room.
And oh, you know what? I had to lug all my equipment for gigs and auditions. My pedals, cymbals, drums and stuff! I was taking the subway and feeling like I was going on a route march in the city. Here in Singapore, we have it good in the sense that almost everything is provided so be thankful!
Btw, good musicians are a dime in a dozen in NYC, the superstars you see and read about are probably the tip of the top 1% in the music business in the USA.
And yes, they have to make a lot of other people rich too, their managers, band mates, tech crew, bus driver, sound engineer, record company and plenty others who depend on them for a living. Guess how much they make at the end of a 6 month tour that would have to feed all those people PLUS their families? You have to be pulling in some serious money if you want to be a huge star. Why do you think some of them do drugs, alcohol, pot and suffer from depression? It's all work and no play!
So, dream big and work hard but don't give up when it gets really really tough. The tough part, I can guarantee you WILL happen even if you fulfill the first two conditions.
God bless you and may you find your peace to fulfill your dreams.
PS I think you owe James some nice words...
