Kyron20 2018-02-03 02:29:58

Getting paid for their music is a musician's dream. The sad reality of it, though, is that as a music producer, possibly one of your only shots at your sole source of income being music is becoming famous. It's really a hit or miss if you think about it, but the chances of hitting are very, very slim. On average, music producers make about $40,000-$50,000/year. That's just about enough to live comfortably by your self in some places, but it's definitely not enough for a family.

If you want to make money, a surefire way is to ghost-produce. Now, everyone can make their own decisions, but personally I prefer not to sell my music to others. I get a lot more satisfaction from being able to say 'I made this.' If you're willing to ghost-produce, by all means, go for it.

Don't let other people bring you down because they don't like your music. It takes a lot of effort to make music, and a lot of people don't realize it. Nobody can teach you how to make a song every time. Nobody can teach you how to make a sound you're envisioning. Nobody can teach you how to make something original. In short, nobody can teach you how to make music, aside from the basic theory and structure behind certain genres. Music production is HARD. A lot of people don't understand that. If you want to make music, you have to teach yourself a lot. That involves lots of trial and error, and the majority of attempts will likely fail.

I spend a lot of my time writing music, but only a tiny fraction of what I write gets released. Let's say I spent 1000+ hours on music in 2017. The songs I released took maybe 80 hours total to complete combined. That leaves 920+ hours of material that isn't, and likely won't be released. Most of those hours were put into failures, but that doesn't mean they were for nothing. I definitely learned more from those projects than I did from the ones I finished. What I'm trying to say is don't give up. You have what you need to make great music, you just need to get to that level. The only way to do that is through lots of hard work, trial and error, and experimentation. There are no shortcuts.

I guess you're not really worried about improvement, but more about what others think. That's completely normal. As you start to work out the creases your current music has, people will start to like it more. Sure, people are always going to hate on certain genres. Just don't take what they say personally.

I'll end this here because I've kind of strayed from the point. Just don't give up. Just keep doing what you love and good will come of it.

larrynachos 2018-02-03 21:33:59

1. Make music for you. If you're just after the money you'll never make it.

2. If someone is providing honest feedback and criticism, listen to them. If they're just bullying you, then don't.

3. Following point two, I'm going to be blunt and frank: Your music is nowhere near the level where you could be making money off it. It sounds like the stuff I was making back in 2013, which makes sense because I was 13-14 at the time. Even today, the stuff I make is hardly worth a dollar. Work on improving, and just have fun creating.

4. Branding is important, but make sure it's consistent and realistic. Trying to come off like a professional producer by starting a "personal label" and referring to yourself in the third person just reeks of hubris, and the continuity is broken with the pity party that is this news post. Nobody will sympathize with a struggling musician by throwing money at them. You have to earn everything. That's what I've learned anyways.

5. If you're uploading a track and then refreshing the page every hour to check on the views, you aren't going to gain anything but stress and frusteration. There's no need to create a news post for every track at this rate, more people are going to see the song in the "recently uploaded" section of the audio portal than a news post at this juncture. Start hyping your releases when people are actually looking forward to your next track.

That's all the advice I have right now. If it sounds a little harsh, it's because I just got home from a full 8 hour shift at McDicks. I've been living this cycle for 2-3 years now and my growth is still minuscule. So you can't really expect anything starting out. Again, just have fun with it. And if it's not working out, then do something else. Music is a hobby first and foremost.

-LN

ChronoNomad 2018-02-03 21:51:24

I read it. I care. Everybody in the world has to start at zero, and the only way to improve is to work hard at your craft. If the people in your life don't know how to be supportive, that's on them. That said, the fact remains that you're still learning and growing and trying to find your groove.

Not to point on the obvious, but you're pretty young, and without being some kind of musical genius it's going to take a crap ton of time and effort to get to where you're going. Getting discovered and actually making money with music is not a dream for the faint of heart. It's a grueling, frequently thankless, and often painful ordeal.

But if you want it bad enough, and I mean REALLY WANT IT — well, you'll stick it out. And deal with all the bullshit while continuing to move forward, despite what other people may say. Maybe one day you'll be living the dream. Not tomorrow or next week. Not in a month or even a year. Because life is a journey, and only you can write that soundtrack.

All the best, man. Go get 'em.

Jacob 2018-02-07 15:56:59

Crabs in a bucket, man. It's hard to conceive the success of someone walking through the same mud you're in.
I went through the same shit when I was younger - and I know now that I made the wrong decision by letting them get into my head, because I still have the same dreams. It's held me back a few years.

Keep making the music that you love, and keep studying. Don't worry about the business side so much, yet - it might find you, but success in the field is a long term goal. Doctors in training lose and invest time and money for years before they're ever in a position to profit off of their expertise. Music is no different. Study everything, from composition to production to engineering - give yourself the tools to play multiple roles in the studio or at the venue. Surround yourself with other aspiring artists and lift one another up.

Your closest friends and family will rarely be your biggest fans. Your music is too accessible to them, and it's hard to envision your friend as artist rather than a poseur. You've got to rely on your own love of the music, and on the brief and scattered moments wherein someone tells you that you moved them.

Keep moving, and don't get too down on yourself. It's not worth the energy.

Madnessmaster99 2018-04-22 01:36:12

You posted this twice. And i still don't care. Put your troubles somewhere else that where the entire foccin' world can see them.

Madnessmaster99 2018-04-25 01:47:55

Understandable, have a bad day (cuz that's what you're probably having, reading this).