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  #31  
Old 04-20-2020, 02:56 PM
Gordon Currie Gordon Currie is offline
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Originally Posted by Winfred View Post
Hi Gordon!

I was wondering why is it you advise that YouTube listeners would not be a musician's target? I was thinking of, since the CoVid19 and no more open mics, of making a video of my original music and trying it out on YouTube to see if people like it. What is it about YouTube listeners you think would not be a good cross section of listeners?

Thanks!
Winfred
I never advised that. YouTube can be a fine way to get your name out there, when combined with a significant marketing effort to draw people's attention.

It can also be a great way to build some needed confidence if you are lacking in that department.

My point was - in answer to the original poster - that putting songs up on YouTube is not a path to a CAREER in songwriting.

Artists, managers, media folks - the people who are gatekeepers for the music industry - do not spend their time on FB/YouTube etc. looking for songs and songwriters. That is what I meant in my original reply. You can have thousands of YT fans, but none of them are BUYING. Meanwhile, the artist who could sing your song is completely unaware of you, and will remain so as long as your strategy involves doing what wannabees do AND avoiding doing what pros do.

I am of the belief that if you want to be a pro, you need to ACT like a pro and do the things a pro would do. Songwriting pros spend decades and many thousands of dollars (and hours) learning and practicing their skills, investing hard-earned cash into their career (instead of their stock portfolios or retirement plans or real estate holdings), and obsessively look for every possible opportunity to get their talent in front of the right people at the right time.
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  #32  
Old 04-20-2020, 03:39 PM
Gordon Currie Gordon Currie is offline
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Originally Posted by Winfred View Post
... Who do you think would be a good folk artist to try? Where do you go to submit? Songwriters will visit various established musician's websites and submit that way? Is recording on a q2n-4k good enough? Is it apropos to submit more than one song at a time to the same artist, or to many artists simultaneously? Thanks very much for your advice!

Top of the Day!
Winfred
Unfortunately, a few million people already had your thought. And they ruined the game for everyone

Because the competition to get songs into artists/publishers hands has been intense for at least 4 decades (since the advent of inexpensive and available recording technology), aspiring songwriters have been flooding the mailboxes (traditional and electronic) of industry folks for so long that there are now established systems to filter you and your songs OUT.

If you sent out 100 unsolicited demos to your favorite 100 artists, it would not be a surprise to see that NONE were ever even looked at by anyone, much less listened to. No one in the music industry considers this a viable path - even though (bizarrely) so many people OUTSIDE the industry believe fervently that THEY can beat the million to one odds.
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1978 Larrivee L-26 cutaway
1988 Larrivee L-28 cutaway
2006 Larrivee L03-R
2009 Larrivee LV03-R
2016 Irvin SJ cutaway
2020 Irvin SJ cutaway (build thread)
K+K, Dazzo, Schatten/ToneDexter


Notable Journey website
Facebook page

Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art. - Leonardo Da Vinci
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  #33  
Old 04-21-2020, 12:08 AM
Winfred Winfred is offline
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Originally Posted by anton View Post
I have always enjoyed this article by banjo player Danny Barnes, on how to make a living in music. Might be worth a read and hearing from someone who has lived it.

https://dannybarnes.com/blog/how-mak...-playing-music

Its been neat reading the replies here from folks. If I could turn back the clock to the beginning of college I might get a music composition degree, it is something I always wanted to study.

I went for the security of a day job and don't regret my current career as a web developer. I feel very fortunate my job has continued uninterrupted during this current pandemic.

If I could choose something else it might be a recording engineer or writing music for films/tv/games. I know of a few folks that have transitioned from being mostly performers to composing. Of course still a super competitive field, I am sure.
Hi Anton!

Thanks very much for your response! I haven't read the article yet but will today. Is submitting a video to another famous artist the best route in hopes they play your song? Is the q2n-4k good enough for that? I bought the "Scarlet 2i2 3rd Generation" in early January and haven't opened it yet. I changed and suddenly thought I was going to instead record in a studio I found that is real cheap, only the virus suddenly happened and they closed. I also was counting on performing in coffeehouses as a gig to test the waters, only the virus effected that too... thus thinking of YouTube and what might be the gist of Dan Barnes advice... just guessing. Meanwhile the q2n-4k just went up $20 to $220 now and sitting on my decision yet. Some say the Zoom q8n is a better choice. I think it is but that's $450, a lot more. Also, I begin to wonder about how much more complex it is to operate the q8n than the q2n-4k. I see the Zoom q4n that is cheaper then the q8n at $300. Does anyone here know the difference in complexity of use between these models?

Thanks!
Winfred
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  #34  
Old 04-21-2020, 12:45 AM
Winfred Winfred is offline
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Originally Posted by Gordon Currie View Post
I never advised that. YouTube can be a fine way to get your name out there, when combined with a significant marketing effort to draw people's attention.

It can also be a great way to build some needed confidence if you are lacking in that department.

My point was - in answer to the original poster - that putting songs up on YouTube is not a path to a CAREER in songwriting.

Artists, managers, media folks - the people who are gatekeepers for the music industry - do not spend their time on FB/YouTube etc. looking for songs and songwriters. That is what I meant in my original reply. You can have thousands of YT fans, but none of them are BUYING. Meanwhile, the artist who could sing your song is completely unaware of you, and will remain so as long as your strategy involves doing what wannabees do AND avoiding doing what pros do.

I am of the belief that if you want to be a pro, you need to ACT like a pro and do the things a pro would do. Songwriting pros spend decades and many thousands of dollars (and hours) learning and practicing their skills, investing hard-earned cash into their career (instead of their stock portfolios or retirement plans or real estate holdings), and obsessively look for every possible opportunity to get their talent in front of the right people at the right time.
Hi Gordon!

So nice of you to take your precious time to extend your very helpful advice! I played at open mics for 2 yrs. I was surprised people were really liking my original songs. I could give a lot of good signs as examples that another musician said were definitely good signs, but want to be brief. At times I think the good signs actually came from the open mic goers and feel they are more empathetic and want to encourage those who are brave enough to play.
The real test I feel is yet to be. I'm torn between a Zoom q2n-4k, Zoom q4n, and the Zoom q8. Do you or anyone here know about the differences? I'm trying to keep it simple. I did buy a Focusrite Scarlet 2i2 3rd Gen recorder (sound only), but for several months it sits in the original box unopened as it gets depressing thinking about trying to learn ProTools. That's why I didn't get brave and open it, and also finding a very cheap recording studio I started to think of selling it on Craigs List and going the studio route, only with the virus they closed. I can try YouTube with more confidence in at least giving it a try, and knowing that buying a video recorder is an okay thing to do right now, a necessary tool. I don't see that paperclip symbol and maybe I'll try a private message to send one of my songs to you I recorded on my little 2AA battery powered Tascam DR-05 recorder. It sounds muddled, but maybe because of the quality of the low end recorder. You don't have to feel like a critic. Just something I hope I can send, yet maybe this website doesn't have the capacity to do that. I'll go over to the private message route. I understand if you don't have time to listen or feel awkward about giving any advice. "Passenger" has become real known and can hear him in my mind doing it, but that's like I'm learning here a long shot and even people like me they filter out. Have you heard of "Passenger". I like his music and have listened to him a lot of course among many others alive and some not with us like Sandi Denny from England, and two people at open mics came to me, different times and people who didn't know each other at all and said I sound like Nick Drake. So I looked him up and no way do I sound that good! He died in 1974 and I think Sandy Denny in 1969 or so, sad. I really like Eva Cassidy too and she died I think 20 yrs ago. I don't know why 2 told me that so far about Nick Drake. Wow so much great people here and advice! I need to sift through all of this and thank everyone!

Carpe Diem!
Winfred
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