I'd rather die than settle for a life as a Rock Star.

i think this song might sum it a little better



shines bright at first then burns out.
listen to the next to last verses.

This topic hits me because I've spent my entire adult life working innthe music business, touring and doing publicity and other stuff for some of the biggest bands in the world, and some of the most unknown indies.

First of all...the song that started this thread...

Nickleback wrote that as an anti-music business anthem. It's actually supposed to be a depressing song about shattered illusions. This industry is a sham. Most of what people think about rock stars and their lives is just an illusion. Most of your day is boredom. Most of your nights are spent exhausted trying to sleep after a show. The days of the wild parties and groupies are long gone for the most part. bands get screwed over by everyone they work with, and practically have to go platinum before they see a dime from sales. I won't get into the ins and outs of contracts and copyrights and all of that...but it sucks. For instance, the band I'm with now, we were VERY close to signing with one of the biggest labels in the world...until we took a good look at our contract. We weren't going to own anything we did, we were being forced to rip off songs on the radio and change them enough to avoid a lawsuit...outside writers were brought in to write what we were to say to people...our own identity was going to stripped out and replaced with a generic rock sound. It's a soulless corporate machine that doesn't give a crap about the art or people. The band I'm working with now decided that they simply couldnt go that route, passed up a guaranteed major label contract, and instead are busting our rear ends to sell a cd and tour without any support at all. By the way, I wouldn't dream of promoting the band on this site, but if anyone was curious about the music I'm involved in, shoot me a private message.

I know some guys who are very, very famous who would trade it all for some happiness and peace. I know other guys that are famous that uses that fame to get every ounce of fun they can out of life. It really depends on who you are and how you handle the workload and lifestyle.

reply to post by LazerTron


Thanks and yeah, sounds similar to stuff I've heard.

It's funny but even then, I'd trade what I have now for the money and then try to go about it my own way once the cash is in place but then it reminds me of an argument I had with a now former friend about principle. Basically he was in a band that catered to the mainstream crap like Kaiser Chiefs, Arctic Monkeys and music that's definitely not my scene and tried to tell me to join a band like that just to get famous and earn the money then go in my metal direction since I love that and write/play it.

I said no and that just cause he loves that music, doesn't mean I should do it and be miserable at a stupid choice. Then the friendship ended when he refused to return the music I was recording at his place over to me even unfinished so I called him a sycophantic douchebag and there we are.

reply to post by curious7


Who said that there is any money in the trendy stuff???

As an indie Metal band, you keep all or most of your sales...and metal fans are traditionally loyal and supportive.
As a trendy band on a major label, you go platinum, keep NONE of the money, then if you leave the system to do your own thing, you wont have that system to help your new project anyway...

The system is crumbling. Radio and major labels are desperately lashing out blindly looking for any cash they can get to save themselves. Why get into the system and sign your life away?? You'll likely just end up hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt.

reply to post by LazerTron


That's exactly why I refused to go the path he suggested.

First of all on principle because that indie pop rock stuff doesn't agree with me and second because I'd rather use money gained by my music and shows and going directly back into my own pocket to do what I feel like creatively rather than have millions and be told what to wear.

In fact, what you said in your post and what I said in this one are some of the very things I argued to my (former) friend to back my view and opinion so I'm glad to see that despite my only experiences being a handful of local things so far that I am indeed right with the backing of someone who's seen and known a lot more than I have.

Again, thanks for another insightful post on the subject.

It isn't easy. We spent a ton of money on our new cd, made sure that the packaging was absolutely gorgeous, and are spending our own cash to travel around the country hoping to play in front of a dozen people.

(By the way, if you're in a band now, let me know who and where...lets set up a show!!!!)

But the thing is, your fate is in your hands, and so is the money. As long as you can get the heck out of your hometown instead of playing Bubbas bar and grill every Friday night, you can cultivate a following in several cities, and have a steady touring area. You do that circuit enough, and metal labels will want a piece of the action.

reply to post by curious7
Bro I hope you make it big, I really do. It's people like you who really work for their goals and want them, and are talented. Not people like Rebecca Black, that deserve to be on the radio. I'm pulling for you.



all the best,
Jacob

That's true and yeah, don't have a band myself right now (trying to get the cash to use a studio or build my own so I don't rely on other people) but once I have my ideas recorded, a band is something to work for. Already had experience being in them but good thing is I have a friend whose metal band I've seen and helped out with all over the region (we're in the UK) so could potentially have some international support possibly, get a community going through ATS since there are other metal musicians on these forums.

Question is, which one of us is gonna be brave enough to ask SkepticOverlord for some cash to fund gigs and distribution of CDs?

Originally posted by XxRagingxPandaxX
reply to post by curious7

 

Bro I hope you make it big, I really do. It's people like you who really work for their goals and want them, and are talented. Not people like Rebecca Black, that deserve to be on the radio. I'm pulling for you.



all the best,
Jacob

Dude, thanks a lot, really appreciate that.

Hell, like I said in the previous post, trying to get stuff recorded, both old and new songs to fit one neatly packaged EP. The hope is that once it's done I can pass it along for free to friends, sell copies online and hell, even post some on ATS for you guys to listen to. Since there's a lot of us on this site who have something in common musically. Really help expose other talented musicians and bands too, even more so than the already posted clips and soundfiles on here.

Not wanting to be selfish and make it all about me, probably a dozen or more people here way more talented than I am, I just think we all should have a shot.

reply to post by curious7
You do all have a shot. I'd be more than willing to listen to anything you post that's your music. Also, you know the ATS live Saturday night live show? Well maybe you could record some songs and ask Semper Fortis about having them played there. Very talented bands like hefervescent that haven't made it big yet play on there all the time. Just an idea.

reply to post by curious7

Do you want to make it for money or just to be heard?
Because either way, it's all about making your music more available (charging for music online is the opposite of that) the internet allows people across the world to hear you as soon as you are up, however it has also flooded the market and killed the idea of the beatles rock legend.

I play in a band. We are good I think, but we are in it just for the music. We are about to release our first full length online for free download. You can hear some of our older stuff here if you would like: www.myspace.com/thetroubleclefs

Wait...so ATS is a GOOD place to promote music?? I've intentionally not promoted my band here for some reason.

As far as distribution...that kind of thing is dirt cheap. Without a proven track record of sales, no distributor will want your cd as far as putting it on endcaps at WalMart. However, as far as making it available for order and making the digital songs available...you can get a company like Tunecore or CD Baby to handle that for a very small fee and you'll be on iTunes, Amazon and everywhere else.

reply to post by LazerTron


Why not? I just tossed out a shameless promotion.
Maybe someone should make an ATS musicians/band thread so members can share.

reply to post by LazerTron
Well it's the biggest conspiracy website online so a lot of people come here, and i'v learned a lot of new bands listening to the ATS Saturday night live show hosted by Semper.

reply to post by LazerTron


Awesome, might check those out. Not sure I'd ever want my stuff on the Wal-Mart shelves because ideally, the best way to go is to have a dedicated if small following compared to the billions who disappear if the next release doesn't live up to their expectations and find the next big thing to listen to instead.

Fairweather fans if you will.

That and the smaller following would pass along their fave music to each other rather than have to pay extortionate prices from a store to do that.

Way ahead of ya....

www.abovetopsecret.com...

If necessary, I could change the wording of the OP or add more but that's all I could think of as a starting point.

What's weird is that my bands music is very much in line with this site...very anti-NWO type songs and such. I just never thought of promoting it.

Again about distribution...CD Baby can get your actual cds available for order at their online store (they keep 4 bucks from every cd sold) and they make it available at iTunes and every other digital download site. The sites then keep their percentage of sales, and sends the rest to CD Baby, who then gets a small cut for their help and you get the rest. It's a one stop place to handle all of your online sales. This is the company I use for my band. I think my TOTAL upfront cost for full distribution (even making my album available to be ordered from a bunch of retail stores) was about 50 bucks.

Tunecore is different in that they dont keeo ANY percentage of your sales, but every year you have to pay them again to keep distributing it. Financially that is cool, but its a little too much of a hassle to me to have to keep up with when I have to pay them again. Also, they dont offer any sort of actual cd mail order sales for those who want to hold it in their hands.

Hunter S Thompson said it best.... "The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side."


another shameless plug for our music....

www.soundclick.com...

We never made it as "rock stars" but we got to drink a lot of free beer and meet a lot of very pretty women with large breasts. And play the music we loved; it's about ART and the process of making it; the journey, not the destination.

Cool thread, been on it all day but keeps getting better. Prompted me to noodle around on a couple of my instruments this pm. Music distribution is different these days and I hadn't really thought about it much before, don't really even listen to much these days. But just to play and get heard is pure stuff, no longer a fashion show anymore, if you leave out the big promotion which is what killed it for me.

I should record myself and put some things together, definite 60's-70's flavor. A little hobby stuff like that and I might accidently make something someone would want to listen to, which would help make it all worthwhile doing. Plenty of time to kill and no aspirations of wanting to be a star. I get a charge out of performing if just for a few people, keeps me young. I think "the business" would make me old. I don't want to do anything more than just what I would consider "fun." I'm retired, don't want to "work."

Thanks for the inspirations, ATS folks, might start a new hobby, again.

i was scared to be a rock star. i wouldn't be alive today.

look at johnny winter. they ate him up.

40yrs ago watching all them dying, (janis, was at her last concert, harvard ) jimi, he was coming to town, morrison,

lowel george, dwyane, berry, personally, i was there, not from fame but the rockstar life.

crappy reason coz there still is gilmore, bowie, stones, tull and lots more that didn't buy into the drugs and stuff.

very cool for them.

g n's r?

winehouse had a very public problem, sad.

still need great lawyers in this world.

not so concrete a post, but i'd rather be rich and invisible than famous.

eta; if i was even as good as these people!