What a brilliant write up Michael! Thank you so much for including me and Annie. Wonderful write ups on Caleb and Sally too, congratulations to them both for their magnificent work.
In my case, I didn’t “make it” in the mainstream sense, but I started selling hundreds of my albums (physical) worldwide at 34, with a dark, twisted, and ambient music project I thought only I would enjoy. But that was only possible because I’m obsessive. The most logical and expected reaction in this landscape is simply to give up. I spent my twenties watching everyone turn into a broadcaster while the receivers vanished. I think the landscape is starting to shift. Partly. One side of the world will be buried in a slop nightmare of bots and algorithms, the other won’t.
You know what's funny? I look back to when I was 16 years old -- in 1984 -- with my first synth (Juno 106), drum machine (Sequential Circuits) and my fostex 8 track reel, thinking I was going to be a rock star... then slowly with each small branch in my life taking me further and further away from that into a programming world for the past 40 years (ugh), and all I really wanted to do was make music.
Then I start reading this and at first I get totally cynical as soon as I read that what you've learned at 29... so I scoff, and I read a little more.... then I get to Caleb's video. And I watch the whole thing. And I'm realizing that *he* is singing many of the words that I would hope to hear from my own 13 year old -- also named Caleb. As a dad I don't always understand him, even though I try, but it's hard because he... processes things so much differently. And I'm changing my mind about you've learned.
I've searched for Caleb Kroeze's video; is there a way of finding it somewhere else?
I’m 57 and now earn a living from my music and sound catalog. Didn’t get back into music until I was in my early 30s. Didn’t earn any money until the streaming era. I don’t really play an instrument, rarely use a DAW, and have no desire for fame. I don’t do anything on social media. And yet, I exist. I got into my first exclusive sync library earlier this year. I do other licensing. Streaming continues to pay, which may be a shock to some.
Most artists (musicians, writers, visual artists, etc), especially older and “outsider” types, need assistance in getting their work released, and all the back-end administrative things that need to be done, and it’s just not out there. Not much in the way of trustworthy assistance. There’s a lot of vultures out there. Few mentors. And most artists don’t want to listen to sound advice. They just want the cheat codes. There are no cheat codes.
There were a lot of talented artists in the Artist Incubator program. Some of us (ME!) are still working up the courage to step out of the darkness and into the light. I have my first acoustic solo gig in 2 weeks and I'M FREAKING OUT!
And Michael, ask Emi if she still wants the strat...
What a brilliant write up Michael! Thank you so much for including me and Annie. Wonderful write ups on Caleb and Sally too, congratulations to them both for their magnificent work.
In my case, I didn’t “make it” in the mainstream sense, but I started selling hundreds of my albums (physical) worldwide at 34, with a dark, twisted, and ambient music project I thought only I would enjoy. But that was only possible because I’m obsessive. The most logical and expected reaction in this landscape is simply to give up. I spent my twenties watching everyone turn into a broadcaster while the receivers vanished. I think the landscape is starting to shift. Partly. One side of the world will be buried in a slop nightmare of bots and algorithms, the other won’t.
Great advice. Really resonated as I’m working to re-discover myself now.
You know what's funny? I look back to when I was 16 years old -- in 1984 -- with my first synth (Juno 106), drum machine (Sequential Circuits) and my fostex 8 track reel, thinking I was going to be a rock star... then slowly with each small branch in my life taking me further and further away from that into a programming world for the past 40 years (ugh), and all I really wanted to do was make music.
Then I start reading this and at first I get totally cynical as soon as I read that what you've learned at 29... so I scoff, and I read a little more.... then I get to Caleb's video. And I watch the whole thing. And I'm realizing that *he* is singing many of the words that I would hope to hear from my own 13 year old -- also named Caleb. As a dad I don't always understand him, even though I try, but it's hard because he... processes things so much differently. And I'm changing my mind about you've learned.
I've searched for Caleb Kroeze's video; is there a way of finding it somewhere else?
I’m 57 and now earn a living from my music and sound catalog. Didn’t get back into music until I was in my early 30s. Didn’t earn any money until the streaming era. I don’t really play an instrument, rarely use a DAW, and have no desire for fame. I don’t do anything on social media. And yet, I exist. I got into my first exclusive sync library earlier this year. I do other licensing. Streaming continues to pay, which may be a shock to some.
Most artists (musicians, writers, visual artists, etc), especially older and “outsider” types, need assistance in getting their work released, and all the back-end administrative things that need to be done, and it’s just not out there. Not much in the way of trustworthy assistance. There’s a lot of vultures out there. Few mentors. And most artists don’t want to listen to sound advice. They just want the cheat codes. There are no cheat codes.
There were a lot of talented artists in the Artist Incubator program. Some of us (ME!) are still working up the courage to step out of the darkness and into the light. I have my first acoustic solo gig in 2 weeks and I'M FREAKING OUT!
And Michael, ask Emi if she still wants the strat...
Great article man! Thanks! We need more people saying these kind of things