How Do Musicians Break Into the Industry Despite Controversies?

[Pengwuino]

Becoming a famous "musician"

Ok I am starting to wonder how exactly people make it into the music industry. Quite a few "hip hop and pop" artists have been found out to be using voice recordings and god knows how many others just haven't been found out. I can figure ok, so there hot... maybe that's why. But what about the ones who arent hot at all like that one chick... god i can't even remember her name... really white and always has on goth looken socks?

And what about rock bands? I mean come on! Some of these people are making huge jumps into the air and doing 2 full rotations and coming down to the ground all while still playing their music! And in some cases, everyone could have their instrument down or not be playing it and the music is still the exact same! What the crap is going on. Why do people buy into this stuff.

 

[russ_watters]

You're not talking about Avril Levigne, are you? She's a real musician - she writes and plays her own music. Others, though (manufactured, non writing, non playing groups like N'Sync, and most hip-hop), stretch the defnition of "musicians"

 

[Adrian Baker]

Success in the music industry is a somewhat random phenomena. Talented bands often get nowhere, talentless people sometimes excell. You need to be doing the right thing, in the right place, and get seen by the right people. In some cases this takes persistence and hard work, in others it is pure luck.

 

[Pengwuino]

You're not talking about Avril Levigne, are you? She's a real musician - she writes and plays her own music. Others, though (manufactured, non writing, non playing groups like N'Sync, and most hip-hop), stretch the defnition of "musicians"

hey that's cool. Something about her felt like made up bs but that's nice that she does her own stuff.

 

[FredGarvin]

You're not talking about Avril Levigne, are you? She's a real musician -

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh man...Thanks Russ...I needed that laugh. You almost made my coffee shoot out of my nose.

 

[matthyaouw]

If Milli Vanilli fall in the forest, does someone else make a sound?

 

[hypatia]

Its the saleability of the whole package. A friend tells me, that it doesn't matter if there good. They look at the target audience. Their record label won't touch you unless they can foresee profits in the million dollar range.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Its the saleability of the whole package. A friend tells me, that it doesn't matter if there good. They look at the target audience. Their record label won't touch you unless they can foresee profits in the million dollar range.

I think this hits the nail on the head.

 

[brewnog]

You're not talking about Avril Levigne, are you? She's a real musician - she writes and plays her own music. Others, though (manufactured, non writing, non playing groups like N'Sync, and most hip-hop), stretch the defnition of "musicians"

I can never tell when you're taking the piss. I'm almost worried that you're actually being serious here!

Take a look at the songwriting credits for her music on her "Let Go" album. They're all co-written by professional songwriters.

Take a look at the credits for instrument playing, on the same album. She only actually plays guitar on one of the songs.

When she performs live, she just sings. When she's got a guitar round her neck, it isn't plugged in. She's a singer, not a musician. And don't even get me started on Pro Tools...

Don't get me wrong, I happen to find a lot of this popular pap quite entertaining (and Busted's albums are on my list of things to buy, simply because it's entertaining and fun). The quality of songwriting, musicianship, recording and production is extremely good in a lot of these cases. I just don't appreciate it all being attributed to the 'artist'.

And I'm a proper musician.

 

[FredGarvin]

When she performs live, she just sings. When she's got a guitar round her neck, it isn't plugged in. She's a singer, not a musician.

She was on Saturday Night Live not too long ago. I didn't notice it being unplugged, but her guitar was just hanging on her neck. She MAYBE played 2 chords the entire song.

And I'm a proper musician.

What does that mean? You hold your pinkey finger out when you play?

 

[brewnog]

What does that mean? You hold your pinkey finger out when you play?

If anyone can recommend a decent, free place to host some MP3s, I'll show you...!

Alternatively, you can PM me for my Paypal account details, where you can send me £2, and I'll post you a copy of Adam & James - Sexier than Thou. Or you can hang on until late summer, when I will sell you Adam & James - The Joy Of Sexy.

 

[russ_watters]

Take a look at the songwriting credits for her music on her "Let Go" album. They're all co-written by professional songwriters.

Take a look at the credits for instrument playing, on the same album. She only actually plays guitar on one of the songs.

Fair enough - I don't remember where I heard it, but I was apparently mistakenly informed.

 

[Moonbear]

With most popular artists, I think if you don't bother calling them a "musician" and instead use the term "performer," you'll have a more accurate idea of their source of success. They put on a good act on stage. Some get there because they are the cute kids that the teen girls can drool over and buy lots of posters and other merchandise in addition to the record sales themselves, others have a totally shocking, bizarre look that appeals to another audience. Most of these performers couldn't sell their act if they just stood still on the stage and played their music, or if their albums were marketed without the stage performances. I'm really craving some new revolution in music. The current stuff is just all too much of the same sound (or limited to just a few different sounds) and it's getting downright boring.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

If Milli Vanilli fall in the forest, does someone else make a sound?

Okay, that made me laugh. Also, is vanilli is the plural of vanilla, or is Milli one person, and Vanilli the other?

Has anyone seen the boy band schools?

I guess that there are too few vocalists who have the stage presence and moves needed to satisfy the media. And in this light, I predict that before long the most famous actors and musicians will be computer generated. Here is my idea. First, it has been shown in several studies that generally, a computer averaged face is more appealing than real faces. This is the reason for the new "Betty Crocker" who is really a composite of five women. You might say that no single real face was good enough. Next, the most popular voices, and even the mannerisms of popular actors like Jimmy Steward are being digitized for animated characters. And just as Disney recognized the appeal of big eyes, floppy ears, and timid voices, it would seem that now the key qualities of the Jimmy Stewards, Robin Williams, Catherine Hepburns, and Farrah Facects of the world can be duplicated time and again. And with each iteration, the public response is carefully gauged and the computer actor's algorithms refined. Then, as this information is coupled with the now nearly lifelike quality of animation, and as this improves to the point where we can't tell what's real, I can imagine computers spewing out formula performers who always meet expectations, and more importantly, that require no salaries.

 

[zoobyshoe]

The progress of computer animation is amazing. But all of it seems to have a tell-tale "metallic" quality that never matches when it is inserted into conventional film. If they ever overcome that no on will ever be able to believe any film with 100% certainty. A completely false US President could be created.

 

[Artman]

You're not talking about Avril Levigne, are you? She's a real musician - she writes and plays her own music. Others, though (manufactured, non writing, non playing groups like N'Sync, and most hip-hop), stretch the defnition of "musicians"

Avril has some talent. Her music actually delves into some deep emotional territory. Her song "Nobody's Home" is a fairly accurate desciption of a person with Borderline Personality Disorder. I don't know if she knew that when she wrote it, but it is none-the-less.

 

[Pengwuino]

With most popular artists, I think if you don't bother calling them a "musician" and instead use the term "performer," you'll have a more accurate idea of their source of success. They put on a good act on stage. Some get there because they are the cute kids that the teen girls can drool over and buy lots of posters and other merchandise in addition to the record sales themselves, others have a totally shocking, bizarre look that appeals to another audience. Most of these performers couldn't sell their act if they just stood still on the stage and played their music, or if their albums were marketed without the stage performances. I'm really craving some new revolution in music. The current stuff is just all too much of the same sound (or limited to just a few different sounds) and it's getting downright boring.

yah but look at half the rock performances you see on Leno and Conan. Bunch of 22 year olds jumpen up and down and spinning. Are you telling me that this is some sort of unique talent lol.

 

[icvotria]

If anyone can recommend a decent, free place to host some MP3s, I'll show you...!

http://launch.dir.groups.yahoo.com/dir/Music Tada! It's not that decent though cos people have to become members to listen to your stuff, but it is free and 1 out of 2 ain't bad. Chop chop then, I want to hear!

 

[brewnog]

http://launch.dir.groups.yahoo.com/dir/Music Tada! It's not that decent though cos people have to become members to listen to your stuff, but it is free and 1 out of 2 ain't bad. Chop chop then, I want to hear!

OK, I'll get cracking.

Edit: No joy ic! There's a 5MB file limit.

I'll let you know when I find something suitable.