JPF Home Page Forums General Messages General Message Forum So Where Does Your Song Rank On Ourstage?

Bill,

I think you could take another approach and ask why the songs aren't doing that well. I just listened to the 3 track you have posted. The problem is the vocals just aren't as good as the songs that are doing well. I've said here over and over that if you don't have at least an above average vocal, even on a demo, you're making it nearly impossible for anyone to love your work. (that includes publishers, labels, artists you want to work with or fans). Sure.. in a few cases a song might be so amazing that folks will still connect, but it's like starting a 100 yard dash 90 yards behind everyone else.

Before you take offense to this, there's a huge number of great writers out there who aren't great vocalists. And there's also a lot of singers who are limited that have to be very careful what they sing and when. If you're determined to be an artist, I'd suggest finding songs (or writing songs) that fit your vocal abilities more effectively than those 3. (the song in Contemporary is the closest to working, but that song is hardly "soft rock/contemporary" (which I would consider to be artists like Barry Manilow, The Carpenters, Bread etc.) so it's really out of genre). If you're not stuck on being an artist, then look for some folks who can sing the material you want to write better than you can. Worry less about a full demo and more about finding the right voice to present your work alongside a guitar track. That will get you WAY farther along.

Giving up or leaving simply because you aren't getting the approval you seek is a bad idea if you truly seek approval. Instead you need to learn what it is you're not doing right to connect to folks. You also shouldn't take it personally because very few if any of those voting even know who you are, so it's not personal in any way. If, on the other hand, you could care less what others think about your music, then why get annoyed when you don't rank well? Either way, I don't think your response makes a lot of sense. You've always struck me as someone who wants to get better and find ways to reach listeners and make them want more. Why not use this as a tool (of many) to do just that?

Remember.. there are almost no judges who are screening on the basis of whether you can writer a good song. If they are turned off by a vocal, they are never going to listen long enough to make that determination. And that is an honest and real world hurdle that everyone has to get over to find success or an audience for their work. Those that say recording quality, or far more importantly, vocal performance quality, don't mean anything are likely either selling you something or unaware of reality in this very competitive business.

Brian