A Question about Musical Success

o0o · Post by **o0o** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 4:41 pm

assuming that you have it on good authority that your music is good, in other words with in your peers you are celebrated and with in your genre you
can tell that your skills are at a competitive level, what steps should you take.

I have a friend, his music is grooved based and very enjoyable from a musical and lyrical viewpoint. he has no myspace, no facebook, and no website. He is actualy quite computer savvy but hates cellphones beepers email and anything like that, also he's very doubting about trying things on the internet, so what should he do?
all of our friends think his songs are great but can someone really make a living from the internet.

Bokonon · Post by **Bokonon** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 4:44 pm

Do lots of gigs, get good at performing live, get paid for doing it.

An internet presence can only ever supplement something as a marketing process, it can't be the be all and end all, the money in music is currently to be made in live performance - recorded music is less reliable and less investment is being made.

laird · Post by **laird** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 4:44 pm

No. Even Radiohead said their recent internet success would not have been possible without prior label backing, and loads of prior hard work playing gigs.

Your friend should play shows if he/she wants monetary success!

or just do what he/she enjoys doing.

evernaut · Post by **evernaut** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 5:28 pm

o0o wrote:assuming that you have it on good authority that your music is good, in other words with in your peers you are celebrated

Assuming your 'peers' are not just your mates, but people who can be unbiased in their call...

nepotist · Post by **nepotist** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 5:33 pm

I wonder how much money someone like Burial makes..probably sells quite a few records but doesn't tour, no merch, no website even.

jeskola · Post by **jeskola** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 5:39 pm

nepotist wrote:I wonder how much money someone like Burial makes..probably sells quite a few records but doesn't tour, no merch, no website even.

Probably a small fortune. I've heard his tracks all over UK terrestrial TV. I'm sure even in an advert.

Moody · Post by **Moody** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 5:41 pm

Find someone or some party to manage things. S/He can focuss on production and how to perform live while everybody else does the paper work for a web presence / marketing and booking gigs.

Precision · Post by **Precision** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 8:09 pm

Quite an interesting article about revenue from music in the Dec 2007 issue of Sound on Sound:

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/dec07/a ... shflow.htm

Not a free download (but probably will be soon).

Dominik · Post by **Dominik** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 8:28 pm

Precision wrote:Quite an interesting article about revenue from music in the Dec 2007 issue of Sound on Sound:

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/dec07/a ... shflow.htm

Not a free download (but probably will be soon).

it must be as secret how to have success?
would you mind to tell what is in the article?

or i just have to follow an awful cocaine mafia cheap ibiza sound concept to have success?

who knows.
it's a fairy tale and all the time it's the same like fucking instead of MAKING MUSIC.

Precision · Post by **Precision** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 8:46 pm

Sure, I've got that issue of SoS to hand

It just describes, in detail, where artist revenues come from these days. So, basically it estimates how much you'd make from album sales, etc.

It's that kind of thing: it talks about performance royalties, how much you might make from ringtones, etc. It doesn't say anything about how to be a success, but I thought it might be an interesting read given the OP's question.

Radio play (100,000 plays) would earn an estimated $100,00 compared to $91,000 from one million album sales for an uncontrolled artist, in the scenario the article describes.

Dominik · Post by **Dominik** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 8:51 pm

thanks.

dj superflat · Post by **dj superflat** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 8:57 pm

inconsistent statements follow:

good music rarely goes unrecognized in some fashion.

however, most of success is not about being good -- lots of folk are pretty good -- but also committing completely to what you are doing. there are many exceptions, but most folk who "make it" do so by working really hard at not just the music, but also the marketing, whether playing live, on internet, etc.

you don't get handed anything for just good music, particularly if you don't seem like someone likely to provide lots of help in selling it (the days of the dweeb songwriter in some office churning out hits for a variety of performers are pretty much gone).

by contrast, pretty bad music can go really, really far if the musicians/performers are totally committed to getting somewhere.

forge · Post by **forge** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 11:32 pm

Precision wrote:Quite an interesting article about revenue from music in the Dec 2007 issue of Sound on Sound:

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/dec07/a ... shflow.htm

Not a free download (but probably will be soon).

how long does it take for SOS to make them free usually

I was just going to pay the 99p but I have to sign up with BToneclick etc - not even sure if that's available if you're outside the UK

Tarekith · Post by **Tarekith** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 11:38 pm

6 months I believe.

Bokonon · Post by **Bokonon** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 12:02 am

This is an interesting article along the same lines:

http://www.wired.com/entertainment/musi ... 1/ff_byrne

A Question about Musical Success

A Question about Musical Success

Re: A Question about Musical Success