#1942399 - 05/15/08 04:52 AM
When its time?
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Strategery
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Registered: 02/24/07
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I'm carrying this thought over from the "Something I noticed" thread.
The subject being: How does a musician know when its time to hang up the DREAM of being a rock star or pro musician? 
I mean hey, I've already been to that crossroads and took the fork in the road a long time ago.
I made no deal with the devil and moved on with my life. 
But still, there are very few that make it big and you surely don't want to discourage them, but how do you know you've got something original or ahead of it's time?
At the same time, we all have those friends or see people that should've hung up their musical hat a long time ago and moved on with their lives.
I'm one of those that hung mine up about 30 years ago.
I hated it, but I was young, getting older and saw the writing on the wall.
That's not to say that I still can't play some music well or that I out right SUCK all together at music.
In fact, I actually do have a pretty good musical ear and a fair amount of talent, I'm simply not a PRO in the true sense of the word. 
I still love music, playing it at home or with local bands in clubs or functions, and I still love the GEAR quest known to most of us as... G.A.S.
So the question is...
How would YOU honestly advise a person, that it's time to hang it up  , or hang in there  ?
Also, how would you know YOURSELF, on which direction you should take?
This subject is for fun of course but I have seen some sad cases out there.
This thread is dedicated to... "The Musical Dream", the muse or the pied piper that leads us all astray in our youth.
Looking forward to your replies.
Randy
 
Edited by Strategery (05/15/08 05:27 AM)
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#1942425 - 05/15/08 06:33 AM
Re: When its time?
[Re: Strategery]
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Picker
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Number one, no one should have "Rock Star" as their goal in life. "Musician" on the other hand, is an acceptable goal, and there is a wide variety of ways to make a living as a musician without being a "Rock Star".
Number two, a musical gifting is not necessarily intended to be the way one makes a living. Sometimes, the ones who aren't out to make a living at music get the most enjoyment from their gifts.
I'd say the time to decide is when you know how hard you are willing to work at it to make even a basic living, and how that will affect those connected to you. If you love playing and writing and performing to the point where you are don't even care that you are working ten times as hard as the guy with a straight job to make less than he does, be a musician. If not,you'd better find something else because you will be incredibly frustrated and disappointed in life otherwise.
Edited by Picker (05/15/08 06:34 AM)
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You're only young once, but you can be immature forever...
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#1942429 - 05/15/08 06:42 AM
Re: When its time?
[Re: Strategery]
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Bill@Welcome Home Studios
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that is awfully hard to decide. I think that, if you have made yourself responsible to others and they rely upon you, then you probably need to be 'practicle'. If you are only responsible to yourself, and you are really playing out, writing what you think to be good music, making valid industry contacts and/or otherwise actively engaged in the process of 'trying to make it' then I don't think that you should ever quit. But if you are just having a pipe dream while your life passes by, then perhaps it is time to join the parade.
I've had forays outside of the industry when I felt that it was time for me to 'grow up and become an adult', but they never stuck. I've even passed on a couple of possibly 'golden oppertunities' when I was in that headspace. Somehow I always sended up coming back and in some fashion or another, I've made my living and my life in the entertainment business. I've played, written, roadied, sang, mixed sound, owned a recording studio, worked industrials, and been in both stage and film crafts unions. So it wasn't all 'playing', but I've never been far from it, and until my recent hand and arm problems I've never stopped writing, singing, playing, or playing with others. So it is really hard for me to tell someone else that they should quit if they haven't 'made it' by the time they are 20, 25, 30, or whatever.
And let us not forget Bullmoose Jackson, who had a second career very late in life (in the 1980s), after being sought out by Pittsburgh's Flashcats who admired his recordings from the 1940s.
Bill
Edited by Bill@Welcome Home Studios (05/15/08 07:01 AM)
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#1942445 - 05/15/08 07:19 AM
Re: When its time?
[Re: Picker]
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miroslav
Cosmic Cowboy
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Number one, no one should have "Rock Star" as their goal in life. "Musician" on the other hand, is an acceptable goal, and there is a wide variety of ways to make a living as a musician without being a "Rock Star".
Number two, a musical gifting is not necessarily intended to be the way one makes a living. Sometimes, the ones who aren't out to make a living at music get the most enjoyment from their gifts.
This whole notion of "hanging it up"...IMO, only becomes and issue if you've put your entire life on hold for the sake of pursuing music as your only interest...
...and then all of a sudden you get to a point where life demands a lot more from you, and you need to do something else, something more in order to survive....
...so then you end up feeling like you are painted into a corner and you have to decide to either give up the music or give up all the other things that are tugging at you.
But there are many ways to keep on truckin’ for as long as you like….keep the dreams alive.
Chances are good that you will NOT get picked up by any record label once you get past your 30s (in most cases) but if that isn’t your primary/only goal, then you can continue writing, recording and playing until the day you die…and there are still quite a few avenues you can take that could lead to some substantial recognition/rewards that don’t including being on stage as the “next big thing”.
Play in any kind of band, for as long as you like, just do it as a part of your life, not as the only thing in your life.
Write music and keep pitching them songs. You don’t even have to set foot on any stage, and you can still make it big if you have just a few good songs that get picked up.
Record music on a pro/semi-pro level by operating a studio (whatever fits in your budget) or if your playing chops are real good, find session work as another outlet…or a little of both.
For those so inclined…you can do some teaching.
And of course…you can also do all of the above in the manner that best fits your lifestyle.
So there’s no need to completeley “hang it up”…..
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miroslav - miroslavmusic.com"Just because it happened to you, it doesn't mean it's important."
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#1942556 - 05/15/08 11:38 AM
Re: When its time?
[Re: miroslav]
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moeblues04
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Somtimes I think if I can get my kids to enjoy playing music as much as I do, then maybe I've accomplished all I really needed to.
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"We're just musician's.....here to thin the thickness of your skin." - Max Webster
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#1942559 - 05/15/08 11:45 AM
Re: When its time?
[Re: moeblues04]
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Zephyr
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The only thing that would be there to "hang up" would be the stupid rock star mentality that a lot of teens get when they think they're hot ****.
Hanging up music for me is just unthinkable, unless I get into a heap of financial trouble, and I had to sell all my equipment. and I mean all
I just love music, the whole idea of "making it" isn't really feasible now-a-days since there are a legion of wannabee guitar heroes all of whom can play the occassional gig and play Eruption at every turn. 
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#1942660 - 05/15/08 02:53 PM
Re: When its time?
[Re: GeoffB]
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Danzilla
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When is it time to give it up? When God says so.
The whole "making it/fame & fortune rock star attitude" is part of why I'm hesitant to do some recording with my band. I don't want to throw money down the toilet, or go into it hoping that it will sell a few thousand copies and someone with pull will hear it and whisk us away to Neverland. I also don't want to end up with boxes of cd's left over that I use as furniture, or enough band logo-ed t-shirts for every day of the week. If it doesn't cost more than the band makes, fine. If a few people like it and buy it, fine. As long as there's a gig lined up, and the band still wants to play, I'm there; until The Big Guy puts the very legible writing on the wall.
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"Am I enough of a freak to be worth paying to see?"- Separated Out (Marillion) My Band's website
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#1942668 - 05/15/08 03:10 PM
Re: When its time?
[Re: GeoffB]
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fantasticsound
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I disagree, Picker. Being a professional musician and being a "rock star" are two different things entirely and both can be laudable goals. I don't know about pop music, but the CMA country music awards differentiate between Best Male Vocalist/Best Female Vocalist and Best Entertainer. Either of the best vocalists of the year aren't necessarily the best entertainer. In fact, it's fairly common for different winners in these categories. There's nothing wrong with being a great entertainer and really, that's what a "rock star" is.
As for how old you have to be to give up the dream... Well, suffice it to say that most new talent on the national and international scenes are young. But there are exceptions.
Again in country music, The Tractors achieved fame when all the members were in their late 40's and 50's. Of course, Steve Ripley had another life as inventor of the short lived Kramer Ripley stereo guitar you may have seen with Eddie Van Halen, among others. (It's the pink swirl guitar from the cover of a late 1980's Guitar World.) Great instrument but he latched on to Kramer just as they were tanking.  The Tractors had a good bit of success for 3 years and faded though.
There are others, but as others have said, there's no reason to give up your dream. Just don't put your entire life into that basket and you'll be happy. If you make it in your 40's, 50's or beyond, cool! Enjoy the ride!
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#1942704 - 05/15/08 04:17 PM
Re: When its time?
[Re: fantasticsound]
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Picker
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I disagree, Picker. Being a professional musician and being a "rock star" are two different things entirely and both can be laudable goals. I don't know about pop music, but the CMA country music awards differentiate between Best Male Vocalist/Best Female Vocalist and Best Entertainer. Either of the best vocalists of the year aren't necessarily the best entertainer. In fact, it's fairly common for different winners in these categories. There's nothing wrong with being a great entertainer and really, that's what a "rock star" is.
If the goal is to be the best entertainer you can possibly be, sure that's a laudable goal. If, on the other hand, the goal is to be wealthy, famous, and up to your neck in chicks, dope, and/or any combination of those two, not so much.
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You're only young once, but you can be immature forever...
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#1942727 - 05/15/08 05:14 PM
Re: When its time?
[Re: Picker]
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miroslav
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Mmmmm....wealth and fame doesn't always have to include chicks-n-dope up to your neck.
And...there's nothing wrong with getting rewarded with some wealth and fame for something you do well, otherwise we might as well just agree to be "starving musicians" indefinitely.
It’s one thing to be driven by and focused on nothing but wealth and fame…and another to expect or hope for some wealth and fame as payment for something you create or do…but your main drive/focus is on the creating…the performing.
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miroslav - miroslavmusic.com"Just because it happened to you, it doesn't mean it's important."
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