Ableton Forum

i'm feeling pretty dark today. does anybody feel that if your going to be successful in the music business, you need to be first picked up/ noticed when your young? Is promoting an older musician not a viable business model? Are people more willing to support something new and fresh by someone who is l9 as opposed to someone is 50? I think i missed my window. I'm 32 and i'm probably doomed.

anyone else feeling dark?

Maybe you have a limited view of what "success in the music business" can be? "Making it" playing/writing pop music isn't the only game in town when it comes to making a living with music. Maybe adjust your sights to something more realistic?

stringtapper wrote:Maybe you have a limited view of what "success in the music business" can be? "Making it" playing/writing pop music isn't the only game in town when it comes to making a living with music. Maybe adjust your sights to something more realistic?

^ This. I'm 45 and can see doing it for the next 25 years, easy.

Without exception, every person I have met doing music full time is doing a combination of things apart from making and releasing their own stuff, kind of a portfolio approach... they have their fingers in 2 or 3 pies all the time, so to speak. Not sure what your situation is, but I'm betting the 'Business model' you hold needs an adjustment to make things a little brighter

Probably the only things that will hold you back as far as age is as you get older there will be less and less people you know who will show up to your gigs out of friendship and you probably don’t have the stamina or free time to go out and support the scene and be seen.

The bigger issue is 3 out of 5 humans are now producing music on some level. That’s something to be more concerned about.

But also if you are older there’s all kinds of love for retro styles right now. And really no amount of emulation can match those who have been doing those styles in their prime. So you shouldn’t feel like your sound is dated or not appreciated.

music composers are wise men, who don't give a damn about success. Music makers are teenagers. Music industry is for teenagers. Music is for us, the elder ones. Music industry is for them, the young cool target. The diference: we use the tools of the industry. Teenagers are used by the industry as tools. I have noticed lately in some "music industry" related forums...

9V wrote:The diference: we use the tools of the industry.

Like the iPad?

no, i mean the musicians tools, not the iphones, ipad etc. Ipad is for angry birds, above all

think of Buena Vista social Club. If you continue to make music locally for 80 years then there might be Ry Cooder coming and you still get famous.

9V wrote:Ipad is for angry birds, above all

Hehe... a local high school has just made the iPad compulsory on their stationary list for an entire grade 9 as the beginning of the phase in for the whole school. There is a full time living to be made for someone from coaching/consultancy in the use of music and video, both to teachers and pupils related to iPads, and by default iPod touch. Yet another example of the endless possibilities to make a living involved in music... as I see it.

There is always room to shine in the spotlights...or street lights.

thanks for the reply's.......i had a bad morning. my situation (just to clarify) is that i'm a drummer who plays 3-6 gigs a week-usually jazz but i play in an r&b band, and do rock stuff occasionally. , i teach some little kids and sometimes do some drumline stuff at a high school. I've really been having alot of fun with making electronic music the past couple years, and am now looking for outlets to express some of that music. It just seems like the younger electronic musicians in town get alot of publicity (some of them are god-awful) and its about this image thing....but i'm ranting again........trying to stay away from the dark side.......
i guess i'm successful to some degree. i mean-i pretty much just play aside from some light bartending, but thats been slowing down as the music has been picking up. but i dont make that much money (i might even be considered poverty. but i'm happy) and just get a little sad when i hear of some 20 year old making 750 bucks djing (not even originals) and i'm getting alot less than that for a 4 hour gig in the heat.. but..here again comes the darkness....

Only you can decide whether it's worth it to you. Making a living as a performer can be a grind, no doubt.

What gjm says is true, diversify. I play gigs on a couple of instruments and voice and I also do music typesetting and arranging work for people who need it. Recording live performances is another job that comes up occasionally. I personally took the music academic route so I'll always have a steady gig that involves music and plenty of potential clients needing some of the aforementioned jobs.

32 years old: you're still young as a musician. You're too old to be a rockstar. 32 y.o. for young female teenagers means "an old man". So forget groupies etc. Music is for 0-100 y.o. Music industry for 13-19.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4VpE-0zitU

9V wrote:Music industry for 13-19.

disagree... the frontman or frontwoman has to be young... the rest of the band doesn't matter.

"i told you not to bring your vendetta from the music industry to KVR"