Whats more important to you...

instant success or longevity?

Selling records and making money, this is a dream for many musicians all over the globe. And its very rare that a musician can reach these accolades based solely on their integrity, and their unwillingness to compromise to the standards of those who truly don't understand their intentions.

But you can't blame a lot of musicians for wan'ting to make a good healthy living, because its very hard to succeed and live comfortably as a muscian. But still, are you willing to make sacrifices along the way to be all that you can be and more? Are you willing to take the hard road (especially when it seems like everything comes very easy today) instead of falling prey to others, breaking away frm your original structure? Personally, at this point and time what matters most to me is forming a good strong band, with strong musicians, those who are willing to put in the time to reach overall satisfaction. What i'm refering to is longevity, is that something thats important to you, or as a traveling musician, would you be satisfied if all you ever had in your life were a few hits to your name, do you feel that would that be enough for you?

Until I come across the right opportunities, I'll just continue living rather comfortably, and finding ways to increase my optimism. But still although we say to ourselves that we would never conform to the society, and the idea of reaching instant success, well once the green is put in front of our noses its hard to look away. In other words, its something thats easier said than done...

-Joseph


[Edited by Joseph on 05-07-2001 at 12:43 PM]

I don't think that applies solely to musicians. Any profession can encounter an ethical dilema on the road to success. Sometimes there's a fine line between working smart and being shady.

Sad reality is, you need to be aggressive, determined and even sneaky at times, else you won't go too far. I don't lose sleep over that, rather I equate it to natural phenomenom. "If I don't eat them, they'll eat me". That's not very utopian, but's it's not something to be ashamed of either.

my $0.02

I personally want longevity. But if my band hits, I don't think it will be entrirely my choice... it'll be the crowd that picks us up. The Top 40 crowd will drop us like a bad habbit after a few months, other audiences will support us to the bitter end and beyond (the Grateful Dead come to mind). Anyway, I'm just going to make the music I love and let what will be take it's course.

Who cares about selling records, who cares about physical disconfort or anything else, it's about the music! If I can ever reach the level Allan Holdsworth is at...I will die in peace.

-Siren

Anyone who hears my band has no doubt that we're in it for the music... no self respecting program director will ever play stuff like ours.

We make simple rock music, try to make nice listening songs with a rock feel. We enjoy ourselves with them and have lots of fun making them. It's nice to let them heard to the public, and if we are lucky and it's a commercial succes I see what happens. Some people in the band get dollarsigns in their eyes but I stay down to earth.
The difference between commercial or not depends on all the relations you have, it's not allways the best music that is a succes. Getting succesfull is very hard work.
I like to play music and don't like anyone say how I should make or perform it top get "succesfull"

Originally posted by Martin Spaans
The difference between commercial or not depends on all the relations you have, it's not allways the best music that is a success. Getting succesfull is very hard work.
I like to play music and don't like anyone say how I should make or perform it top get "succesfull"

I think that too many people get wrapped up in the idea of what they're supposed to do as a musicain, where they forget to ask themselves what it is that they wan't to do. Its a great idea to be able to write and record music relying on our instincts for the rest of our lives (and get payed for it), but it doesn't always work that way, a lot of the best musicians were forced to give in to the public in order to make a healthy living. But what maters is whether or you lose your integrity in the process, where the music no longer motivates you, where its just the demands of the industry. Of course for every musician whos just starting out, they have to compromise to get to that point where they can gain all of the freedom the world. But what it all comes down to is whether or not they will seize the opportinity once freedom is offered, or if they will just continue traveling down the safe road.

With Nirvana's record In Utero, this is a great example of a band who took the bull by the horns and recorded the music that they felt most comfortable with, instead of recording another catchy dittie that the majority of fans would eat up with a spoon. They ended up recording a mature rock record that best represented their personality, and what they were feeling at the time, I'm not quite sure if most people were ready for it, but its something they will never forget. Sometimes its more important to make history instead of selling millions of records.

Radiohead is another good example from todays rock scene who refuses to conform to whats considered to be acceptable..

-Joseph

Primus too- how many record execs want to take credit for Pork Soda?

Fishbone is a great example of a band forced to play a certain way by the label (infact were told flat out "you're black, you can't play rock"), and eventually broke out and did their thing (Starting with the album Chim Chim's Badass Revenge).

Originally posted by Raskolnikov
I personally want longevity. But if my band hits, I don't think it will be entrirely my choice... it'll be the crowd that picks us up. The Top 40 crowd will drop us like a bad habbit after a few months, other audiences will support us to the bitter end and beyond (the Grateful Dead come to mind). Anyway, I'm just going to make the music I love and let what will be take it's course.

the end was not bitter for the grateful dead. Sad, yes, but not bitter. I heard Jerry died with a smile on his face ( in his sleep).

Originally posted by Incidents Happen


the end was not bitter for the grateful dead. Sad, yes, but not bitter. I heard Jerry died with a smile on his face ( in his sleep).

Jerry, he was a wonderful man. And he truly cared about his music, when it comes to longevity, this guy reinvented the word. I grew up listening to these guys, I even dressed up as Jerry for Halloween. Everyone thought I was just a dirty old man. That was cool!

-Joseph

Ok, once again, I might sound crazy...
I'd like to make a one hit song, and then be able to play the stuff I want thanks to the royalties...
You know the song 'my way', the guy who wrote it is french, and he is making 200000 dollars a years only thanks to this song. No pressure to release what he wants, nobody's hassling him for an autograph, no albums' deadline... Just art.