The World Is Full Of Advice

As anyone with a pulse and a few tunes out there will confirm, there are any number of folks who hold the key to success, if only you'll take their advice and subscribe to their program.
It's very tempting.
Follow these steps to build your fan base, your email newsletter, your visibility, etc.
Now I could be the fly in the ointment and note that, musically, I've never heard of these people. This isn't Paul McCartney or Taylor Swift talking and maybe that's unfair. The music business is laden with those who, for one reason or another, never made it as artists or performers. The sad truth is unless you fall within a very small category in looks and talent, you won't be a mega-selling pop star.
That doesn't mean you can't make money or even have a decent career, but when you hear that the Captain and Tennille, who, trust me, were big in the 70's, are divorcing because they can't afford to pay their healthcare bills without going bankrupt, then you see the problem: can you earn enough to survive old age?
For most, the answer, sadly, is no.
We have regular jobs; sad, but true. ( I was an engineer.)
But that doesn't mean there aren't those who believe you can.
Unfortunately, I have a rather jaundiced view of such things, probably the result of seeing many artists and musicians either seduced by promises or ground down by a machine in a state of constant churn that never produce results.
But wait! Rather than trying to be the next Bieber, why not get into the sync licensing business! Yes, your music can now be heard in movies, TV, games, and commercials! It's the new rage!
It also suffers from the same problems that just getting people to listen to your songs suffers from: lots and lots of music and no so many music supervisors looking for what they want or need. It still boils down to who you know and whether your stuff is both good and appropriate to their specific projects.
I know, I'm a total downer.
I'm an artist, man!
Of course, it's one thing if you're creating background music for the specific purpose of supporting a scene- that's what it is, straight up. If, however, you are creating songs and performances that you want people to listen to as a stand-alone experience, then you have to be wide-eyed about the fact that your song in any sync is there to support the product and the product isn't the song.
Yes, there are those who have had success by having their song picked up for a show or game. Just remember that the song wasn't the main attraction and if you're good with that, then good.
Now some will take umbrage at my negative waves; after all, any notice is good notice they will say and maybe that's true.
Just saying...

Song of the Week:
This week's song is Dance (LA Stew) from the Apologia Album.

This song is my take on the LA scene of the mid-80's and the new hedonism, which may not have been any different from the hedonism of the past. I found it all to be terribly superficial, all flash and bang. Musically, the song came from a drum track I created and then I added the synth, the bass and the guitar. Raves were picking up steam and it's my take on  early Electronica.
You can listen to it here at mrprimitivemusic.com.

©2018 David William Pearce