> For a lot of people making music should really stay a hobby. They are not very original in their music and lyrics. Or simply not very good. Or very good for a small niche.
I'm not a music buff by a long shot but on one of our first dates my partner and I went to Brighton during the Brighton festival. During a rain shower we heard some live music coming from a pub and went in. We've since followed that band whenever we get a chance.
At first I was full of optimism that they were on the cusp of hitting it big. Their music is as good as anything we hear played on the radio. Live their performance is exceptional.
For reasons I don't fully understand they don't seem to have moved on from where they where when we first encountered them, a small indie band with a niche but loyal following.
I guess my point is that skill isn't the only factor. I suspect a big part of it is luck and connections.
If you only include people who are trying to "make it" (as in you remove musicians in it for the love, not to make a career, or happy to have a niche career), or who are making a career of it, generally you fall into one of three categories:
- good, with terrible marketing/no connections/luck
- not good, with great marketing/great connections/luck
- good, with great marketing/great connections/luck
I know so many and have bought so many records from amazing bands who've never had a lucky break and basically don't understand the internet. Then there's loads of dreadful music and one hit wonders in the charts where someone has been marketed incredibly or they've had some viral luck or whatever - but they fade away pretty quickly.
Then you have those people who consistently write great music, with great marketing and a lucky break. Who have long, rich careers. But like unicorn startups and everything else, this is never going to be everyone.
Most people who have gotten big on the streaming platforms will talk about endless grind - I believe a depth of content sets up a virtuous cycle on platforms like YouTube. Yes you might have an Uncle Roger moment where you go viral and get that massive step up but many other streamers will talk of putting out years of content before getting traction.
Not sure how it works specifically with music because you can't really churn out endless original content. I guess part of the churn can be covers or live performances.
Connections do help tho - getting someone to promote you on their channel always helps but I'm told the online content community are actually extremely supportive and friendly.
Luck and connections are definitely a big part. But do you have any records from that band which you listen to at home? Some bands are just live bands and even if they did great mixing and mastering experience of just listening to them and not watching them live is not that great compared to other things out there. At least that was the experience in my local jazz bar (although lack of professional recording could be the main reason).
I'm not a music buff by a long shot but on one of our first dates my partner and I went to Brighton during the Brighton festival. During a rain shower we heard some live music coming from a pub and went in. We've since followed that band whenever we get a chance.
At first I was full of optimism that they were on the cusp of hitting it big. Their music is as good as anything we hear played on the radio. Live their performance is exceptional.
For reasons I don't fully understand they don't seem to have moved on from where they where when we first encountered them, a small indie band with a niche but loyal following.
I guess my point is that skill isn't the only factor. I suspect a big part of it is luck and connections.