JPF Home Page Forums General Messages General Message Forum Why today's country BLOWS!!!!

Hello folks. Sorry, I've been working all day with a new female artist trying TO NOT WRITE THE STUFF YA'LL HATE!!!!

Beechnut,

I know MURDER ON MUSIC ROW, very well. Both writers, Larry Shell and Larry Cordle, are friends of mine and both have told me their versions of that song. It was written in 1998, recorded first by Larry Cordle's bluegrass group "LONESOME STANDARD TIME" and re-recorded by Alan Jackson and George Strait in 2000. Was nominated for a 'CMA Vocal duo of the year" award and was actually just a show song for the 1999 CMA award shows. It was released as a single but only got to number 38 when both record companies, MCA for Strait and Arista for Jackson, decided to "pull the song, to keep from interfering with their artists' upcoming singles. AND BECAUSE THEY WERE RUFFLING TOO MANY FEATHERS."

Why?

Because that song was written to protest the music of...
GARTH BROOKS AND SHANIA TWAIN!

At that time, those artists had huge stage shows, lasers, lights, big sets, smoke, rain on stage, costume changes, video projectors and were a huge light and sound spectacle. THAT IS WHAT THEY WERE COMPLAINING ABOUT AT THAT TIME. They said "IT WAS JUST ROCK AND ROLL DESQUISED AS COUNTRY! She just showed her belly button, and put fiddles on rock songs (She was produced by Foreigner and Def Leopard's producer and her husband, Mutt Lange) and he was just a rock singer pretending he was country."

So if you think this argument is ANYTHING NEW you have NO SENSE OF MUSIC HISTORY. This town was in histerics at that time, because it was just all "Rock and roll guitars and drums, mixed up in your face."

That is what took the country music industry from $255 million dollars a year, to $2.5 BILLION dollars a year and made country a world wide phenomenon!

Now everyone "pines for those good old days of country!"

Give me a break!!!! This argument never ends! They were complaining when my relative, Jimmie Rodgers, did it in 1926 and are still complaining about it now. Some things NEVER CHANGE!

MAB

Totally Subjective like YOU say.

I hate the new Ford Mustangs. I wish they would make them like they did in 65'.

Yeah Ray, it is ALL SUBJECTIVE. That is the POINT. And always has been. Many people just are so SURE their opinion is correct. Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't. But opinions are like another part of the body, everybody has one.

But none of this is MY OPINION. This is from people I have been listening to for decades that sound JUST LIKE THIS ONE. Most of the time I Just ignore it. But when someone mentions something I personally DO KNOW about straight from the source's mouth, "Murder on Music Row' in this case, I will comment on what they told me. It pertains to this discussion.

You can take it for what it is, but it is what it is.
Case closed.

MAB

I'll grant ya that the 65's were cool, but a lot of things were cool then, and the 70's - 80's Mustangs blew...But I once made the 5 hour trip tween Detroit & Chicago in 3 hours in a '97. Middle of the night, headlights off , running lights only. We blew past the speed traps so fast that they never even knew we were there.

If I was gonna go to a road rally today, yeap, I'd rather cruise in a '65...but if I was actually on the highway today trying to get from point A to point B in a hurry? Gimme a 2014.

On the other hand, I could fix my Model T with a hammer and a wrench. Need to be a rocket scientist to even change a spark plug in these new-fangled machines:-(

Midnnite

Whatever makes money. Right now it's the dude bros who likes to party and get hot women.

Well Marc,
I kinda like my new name. Barry but what the hey! Who's counting!
On a more serious note is that if that new female county artist you are working with needs any songs be sure to direct her to my Web Site of which the link is posted in the industry forum under New Web Site. I have decided to write a book and still haven't named the main character. May be it will be Barry! Uh, no it won't be about Country Music!

Mike,

Of course I'm not referring to all that comes out of Nashville. And yes, I shouldn't fault anyone who likes any certain genre. I don't blame the artist/songwriter/musicians OR the fans....IMO the corporate takeover of ALL of our vast resources seems to water down the product. It's happening in all facets of our society. This vitriolic response was more of a response to your partners vitriolic response. Nothing personal to either.

There's no doubt that corporations were waiting on the other side of this vacuum created by creation of the mp3 and streaming music. The fact that rap and country are so popular is no fluke. Perhaps one must live in 5 decades of music before they can see or understand what's unfolding. The business of music has been the same for 70+ yrs for the most part. Now it's changing as are the roles of everyone involved from the artist to the musicians, producers, writers, arrangers.......Now 90% of the money is being paid to 2% of the artists. This corporate boys club is trying like hell to close the doors on the rest.

I HEAR the difference. I FEEL the difference. Sure there is good music coming out of Nashville and other places. A lot of it. But you are unlikely to hear it unless you search for it because TODAY'S country must meet the CORPORATE criteria of "marketable" music and it's a narrow criteria. And yeah, IMO it is a form of manipulation to sell their product.

The normal evolution of music is now in corporate hands who have added elements of rock, metal, rap, soul, hip hop, even grunge to the "country" mix to keep the dollars rolling. "Natural" evolution of country music is occurring as well but it's being hidden under "Americana" or "folk" or "outlaw country" and are difficult to find but always a pleasure to find them.

Arguably the best "naturally" evolving country album in the past 5 yrs was Sturgil Simpson's, "Meta Modern Sounds in Country Music" which was was relegated to the "Americana" heap, yet aside from a few "modern" touches, it sounds more "country" than anything today's top 10 "country" artists are releasing.

No offense to those that like this crap. But my anger is at the drastic and unprecedented change in the musical landscape that's heading for complete corporate control, where the "HEART" of country music is being held hostage and those not willing to abide by the strict criteria are left to fend for themselves.

Just my opinion. I could be wrong. But I'm not the only one who "feels" something unsettling about this "music." There are millions who feel the same.

Kacey Musgraves is as country as country gets.

Yes, Michael (FKA) Brown:-)

There are still millions out there. And handful by handful, we all keep in touch and do what we do, don't we? Keep those fires burning, because come the revolution when the internet dies(or is revamped), Local music and traditions will still be there.

"Corporate Music" does(often, but not always) blow...But seriously, what else can we expect from Corporations? It's what THEY DO, and have ALWAYS done.

But "they" can't stop anyone from doing what we need to do, which is write, sing and perform whatever we want.

Corporations are about $$$$$...Nothing new there.

Music is about touching someone, and there is nothing, in this internet age, that stops us from continuing to do that...At least for now...

....And when the new "Internet Laws" come into place, there will still be no one to stop us from writing and singing, even if it's on a sidewalk, or in our garage, or in a park...

...Unless, of course, freedom of speech is going to be relegated to our bedrooms, and even THAT might be outlawed.

But seriously, other than a dearth of places to play and make an actual living at, there is no reason on Earth to not to keep on keeping on doing what we're doing...

...in the 90's, there was a band, I believe, called "Rage Against the Machine".

In the '70's, you had Joni Mitchell raging against the same "Star Making Machinery behind the popular song" in "A Free Man in Paris"

Love your heart, but step away from the dead horse:-)


Midnite

And yet, they bleeped out her ":-), :-) :-)" word in the CMA awards show when she sang "Follow Your Arrow".

Perhaps the title of this thread should be "Corporations Blow",

But they can't stop the music, because the music is out there all over the place!

I LOVE me some Kacey!!!!

But I also love me ANY(well, almost any) woman with a guitar and an attitude:-)

Midnite

Perhaps in spite of your good intentions, you are still rather condescending in how you choose to speak.



Still chest thumping, trying to make your argument more believable by telling me how strongly you believe it.


I could make a strong argument how modern Nashville albums, these so called corporate monstrosities--are actually deeper now, on the whole much better than when the single was king and record companies rushed the artist into the studio to record the other nine tunes so they could get the album out there while the single was hot.

When LPs took the shape of little silver disks, there was more space to put stuff. When the Internet and Napster came along, it also forced the hands of these corporate monsters into having to make every song count. If an artist is still to sell their wares, their wares better be pretty good, nowadays. Country albums sucked, on the whole, up until this modern age where every song became crucial to the albums sales.

You are also trying to say this corporate phenomena is something new, Michael, but there's always been about half a dozen major labels conglomerates that account for the bulk of sales in music. Back when I was a buyer for Tower Records, it was Polygram, BMG, WEA, MCA, CBS and I know I'm forgetting one or two others. These majors did their dirtiest work in prior decades of big payola and rushed albums.

So while it may feel to you like today's corporate driven music is not as good as yesterday's (corporate driven music), or today's Indie market, I would argue that it's simply a case of apples and oranges, and I would do it without insulting you in the process.

The best thing..the bravest thing, is to lead by example. You think your artists are better? Promote them somehow, and do it in a way that is not condescending to others, or you will not fare well. Is it not possible to raise something up without tearing something down?

Mike

I think music reflects the era that we live in. The way this world is so messed up, it is no wonder that the music is the same way. There is so much drugs on the go that I am sure some songs are written, sung and listened to under the influence of drugs and alcohol. A foggy mind will make groggy music sound great.

Yeah, she is pretty special.

I have a lady friend who is a life long fan of Carl Smith. That's about all she plays. Haven't talked to her in a while as she lives out in Utah where she and her late husband is. So if you haven't listened to Carl lately or are unaware of him he was a super country star from the 50's and was there when they released 78's.

Ray,

Do you like ANYONE who is still ALIVE in THIS CENTURY? LOL! Man, are you still sitting around your Victrola hand cranking it up? I picture you sitting there around the candles in your house but we really do have electricity now!

It is fine. We all have our favorites. I really think there is some stuff out there you would like, but keep your old records if you want. That is what they are for. They call them RECORDS for a reason.

MAB

Heck Marc,
My Victrola died some time ago. I am now back to Cylinders! Actually my Crystal Set is having a hard time tuning the radio anymore. However I did hear COUNTRY MUSIC IS HERE TO STAY by Simon Crum the other day. Getting up to date now, the problem, as I see it is on the radio you get one good song and 19 bad ones. And then as one time wasn't enough they repeat the cycle! I can't tell you how many times I have turned the radio on, and heard a few seconds of one of those bad songs, cut it off, turned it on an hour later and heard the same BAD song! And Marc, when you find another CARL SMITH, let me know! What! You mean Carl Smith is dead! Hey, we had a 78 by Carl Smith!

Yeah, those 78's are really good. I met Carl one time. Very quickly,nice fellow. Backstage at the Opry I think. They all run together.

There have always been more forgettable songs than memorable ones because the music business is VERY follow the leader. They see a trend develop that makes money and they all pile on that bandwagon. And there are SO MANY LEVELS you have to go through.

I am currently working with an artist and stepping her up the ladder. You start by taking her around to people (or bringing them to her, which is what is happening) and industry people start slowly checking them out. Then they have to talk to their friends about them.
She will have to write with dozens and dozens of people even though she has some pretty damn good songs right now ( I know, I wrote half of them), then other writers and industry people have to get on board. Other publishers come in pitching songs. Dozens upon dozens of other people start putting in their two cents.

You have MEETINGS TO HAVE OTHER MEETINGS. Everyone has their own opinions and their own dog in the hunt, so you have to obligate all of that. In order to get people involved they have to have their own "skin" in the game. Then about a year after that, you get seen by the BIGGER dogs, AND they have THEIR OWN STUFF in the game, and it starts all over again.

Then, after going through months, and months of changing, adapting, coaching, jumping through hoops, you get into the 'development world" and that all starts over again. THEN, maybe just then if you get to the "release stage" you deal with RADIO and THEY start it all over again.

Get successful and it just attracts more people and their opinions. It is an ACT OF GOD that anything ever gets released in the first place and if it doesn't create a SENSATION, it is dropped for something else that is hot at the moment.

This NEVER ends. Just more people involved. It's why you have to have a mega star like TAYLOR SWIFT to even gain traction in the first place. You also better have a HUGE following BEFORE you get involved in this at all.

Another day in Twang town. Take care. Gotta meeting to have another meeting to find out when the next meeting is going to take place.

Don't you want to get involved in this Ray? You could hitch up your Amish horse and buggy and be making the rounds on Music row.

MAB

Um, Well,
Jumping thru Hoops You say? Didja know they wrote a song about that very subject? It's called IT'S A LONG LONG WAY TO TIPPERARY. I will have my people get in touch with your people and we will take it from there, no?

Yes, I loved that marching song back in World War One! LOL1

M

The gist of what you say here is spot on, Everett. Music and pop culture in general do certainly reflect back on us and who "we are" as a whole.

Holy [naughty word removed] you guys just frickin stop it. Anyone who continues bitching about the state of music, you all suck. You make this place suck with your thread upon thread upon thread of the state of music sucks It's old. You've beaten the horse congratufrickinlations. What changed? Does it make you feel better?

Bunch of frickin eeyores. Get over yourselves.

Hmmm..someone's having a melt down..where's Bugsey when we need him?

I don't feel there's anything wrong with the state of music. I don't need to be on drugs or drunk to find great songs. It's stupid to even think that. I buy between 5-10 new songs per week on iTunes. If you search for good songs you'll find them. If you only wanna find songs you'll dislike you'll find those too. Listen to what you like and ignore the rest. Stop being so bitter.

I buy a lot of new music, too. Most of it tends to be a bit under the radar, though. For instance, my favorite new releases of this year are the new ones from:
The Thons (a local punk band)
Father John Misty (sweeping orchestral pop)
Joe Pisapia (the former leader of k.d. lang's most recent band)
Dr. Cosmo's Tape Lab (whimsical psychedelic pop from Scotland)

How about you Aaron? What kind of music you are buying these days?
I'm genuinely curious. Knowing this will lend a bit of perspective to your arguments. Plus, I just really wanna know.
Maybe there is something that I'll dig; a new discovery for me?

Today I bought a few songs.

Florence + the Machine - Ship To Wreck
Zedd ft Echosmith - Illusion
Chevelle - An Island
Ciara - I bet
Luke Bryan- Kick The Dust Up
The Barenaked Ladies - Duct Tape Heart

The difference between you and me, at least as per this thread goes, is..I read what Everett said and saw the truth behind it which is that "Music and pop culture in general do certainly reflect back on us and who "we are" as a whole." which I would find entertaining if you actually tried to refute.

Whereas you read his post and came away only with something negative.

Our lives bring us to whatever perspectives we have on things.

Everett is a good man who just had his 75th birthday. Try to find the truth in what he said, and let the rest just go, man.

Mike

So you see, it's not that I think that all new music sucks. Our tastes just don't jibe.
And, I bet that some of the other complainers here could find some new music that they liked if they were willing to dig a little.
They're not saying that there is no good music coming out, they just aren't seeing it… it's not part of the mainstream. Whereas, they used to like the mainstream.
And, I gotta say that I agree with them.
But then, as we've already established, it all comes down to what you like.

The irony about Everetts post is there was more drugs and alcohol involved in music in the 60's, 70's & 80's than there is right now.

And you are right Todd.

I should let it go? I'm the one being POSITIVE here. I guess in a negative environment such as this thread, someone who is being positive would come off as being negative. That's how silly this all has become.

Nothing in Everett or your post is positive. It's all negative.

Pop,

Kids are more willing to dig, I've noticed. They generally use the Internet to find stuff they like. There are even Internet "engines" whose sole purpose is to find new music for you. It's really never been easier, but yes, it's true many would rather complain.

My problem is I generally like too much of the new stuff I hear, and so have to be more selective, otherwise I find myself going on tangents that eat up too much time, though they provide me with great pleasure.

My newest discoveries are Ben Howard, he's a British singer songwriter who's like a young Richard Thompson. Just an amazing guitarist who got some innovative techniques, and his singing on top of that is just excellent. Check out the HQ live concerts on youtube, and your mouth will drop and stay open for the duration. His debut album "Every Kingdom" is worth owning.

One of my favorite new bands is "School Is Cool" out of Belguim. They are like a young Elvis Costello with a really good (and cute, btw) violinist who sings as well. Check out "Entropology" by them, it is so good.

Lisa Hannigan is going to be a household name. Right now she is the darling of the critics and is getting cuts on TV and in movies. She's Irish, so can get really fiery in her delivery, but to me sounds a little like Melanie, crossed with the phrasing of Joni Mitchell's. Her album "Passenger" is outstanding. Mostly acoustic stuff.

There's just not enough time to hear all the good new music, especially if you let World Music enter the mix..need several life times..so have had to develop listening strategies..

..and yes..it's a shame that some complain that they cannot find good new music..but maybe they just need a friendly "if you like __ then maybe you'll like __" search engine:

http://www.gnoosic.com/faves.php

Mike

Aaron,

What is negative about saying that music and pop culture generally reflect the society in which we live?

What is negative about saying that we "come to the perspectives that we do, based on the lives we've led?

That's pretty much all I've said. So...you know...if you see negativity in what I have said, that is definitely not helping your argument, which is that you are being "positive" and I, negative, since you are finding negativity where there is none.

I respect Everett, and allow him his opinions, as I do everyone here.

There are ways of not liking someone's opinions without sounding real threatening or disrespectful. There are..you just have to dig a little..

Mike

You know what's disrespectful? Telling someone the music they love is crap or that you have to be on drugs to like it. I put up with it in these threads long enough. You can have your opinions but when someone pushes back don't get all defensive as if you're not doing anything to warrant that reaction.

I mean you agreed with everett when he said music is the way it is because the world is a mess. That's not exactly a positive endorsement of music right now.

Let's find Ray some new music!

http://postimg.org/image/uqycstim7/


...and Ray's new music is...


http://postimg.org/image/iuqe89eod/


Ray, that's not a bad call!
I think you'd like the Punch Brothers; they're a four piece acoustic bluegrass group with a real entertaining mandolin player named Chris Thile.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=braQeLkJUvE

That statement in itself isn't negative but in the context it was in it's a negative. To Everett the world is such a big mess and everyone who is listening to the music that he doesn't like are on drugs and that's the only reason why people like popular music. Alcohol. Drugs. It must be true! You agreed with him.

Tell me how you really feel Michael. Do you feel the same? Do you think we're all getting high and drunk just so we can numb ourselves enough to put up with this "crap" we call music?

and if pop music sucks then are you saying society sucks too? There's another negative. Society has its faults but I think it's nutty to connect that to music in any way.

I did? Even though, what I said in response to him was "The gist of what you say here is (that) Music and pop culture in general do certainly reflect back on us and who "we are" as a whole... ?

Everett is connecting who we are as a culture with the art that our culture reflects back. That is the gist of what he says. All the particulars, all the details are just his particular slant, based on the life he's led, and who he is.

Same for you. You see things the way you do because of who you are and the life you've led.

I was commenting on the gist of what he said, not his particulars. We've all got slants toward life. Biases. I don't let them upset me, it's just the way things are. If everyone was like you, or me , or Everett, the World would be a truly boring place to be.

Mike

Everyone has their own personality and experiences but that has nothing to do with realizing that everyone has different musical tastes and it should be respected. That's just being a decent person. When people continually insult music that people listen to because they don't like it, that's that person being a jerk for no good reason. Maybe I look like the jerk here. I don't care. I will defend music from the jaded and bitter because music is one of the most important things in my life and I love it.

Hi Aaron,



I agree. But where in what Everett says, is he disrespecting your musical tastes?

Everett says the following:

"I think music reflects the era that we live in"

This as I pointed out is the gist of what he's saying. You seemed to agree. This is the root from which springs his further thought. No disrespect yet? Next he says:

"The way this world is so messed up, it is no wonder that the music is the same way."

Basically, Everett has proposed a logical syllogism, with two premises/arguments, and a conclusion, as in

Music reflects (the current state of)the world.
The (current state of the) world is (that it's) messed up.
Therefore, it follows that music (in the current world) is messed up.


And his conclusion does indeed follow from those premises. If we accept the arguments, then the conclusion must follow and it's not even open for discussion. It's logic, and logic is airtight. Now..if we DO have a problem with the conclusion (the logical sum), then the fault lies in at least one of the arguments/premises. If you accept 2 and +3 then you must accept 5 as the sum, is what I am trying to say. So perhaps you disagree and think that the world is NOT messed up, and therefore his conclusion is false. That's perfectly fine. Only do realize that he has in no way dissed your music or anyone's music with his premise that the world is messed up! Okay, so far..perhaps you agree..no dissing of anyone's music, at least so far?

Next he says:

"There is so much drugs on the go that I am sure some songs are written, sung and listened to under the influence of drugs and alcohol"

Let's break that down..

"There's so much drugs on the go"--Everett's opinion, and perhaps debatable, but not a dis of anyone's music.

"..that I am sure some songs are written, sung and listened to under the influence of drugs and alcohol.."

Aaron, do you see that Everett qualifies his statement, there? The word "some" is the most important word. Or perhaps you disagree and think that NO songs have ever been written, sung, or listened to while under the influence of drugs and alcohol?

So Aaron, where then, in anything Everett says, is he dissing anyone's music?



How has he continually done this thing you allege him of doing? I count one post from him? Have I done that? Read every post of mine. I promote all music, at every turn, and really take offense, like you, when somebody tries to tell me that the music I like, or anyone else likes for that matter, is "crap." We just have different ways of expressing ourselves. I directly talk to the person whose ideas I have problems with, and try my best to be respectful. You on the other hand basically threw a tantrum:



You know, I would love to believe you are sincere here:

I will defend music from the jaded and bitter because music is one of the most important things in my life and I love it.


--which sounds like you are on a noble crusade, and all..but it's hard to feel any sincerity in that, you know? And that's because of the way you carry yourself. You don't attempt to have a conversation with Everett, you simply lash out at everybody, telling us all to stop, like this is your personal party and we're messing it up.

Everett is an elder statesman around here. He's a real human being, just like you. If you disagree with his thoughts, there are more classy ways of dealing with that disagreement?

Mike

Think this is at the heart of the argument:

Everett says the following:
"I think music reflects the era that we live in"

I think this is true, the era we live in is the backdrop of what is written. But you can write with or against the era, and there's a lot of rubbish on the charts that is only "following".

The best stuff, worthwhile listening to, that has a legitimate place in the market, is the stuff that is written against the dominant trends.

Basically writing and performing music is producing and performing culture. Culture is the backbones of the current social order, and when artists doesn't change or try to develop the social order of things, they become irrelevant as artists.

Artists in the sense, the people we think is legit to deliver inputs to shape our social order.

When they just "follow", they just reproduce what is. So, maybe some artists are too content, too preoccupied with impressing, and too little concerned about their real job.

But I don't think this is the case in general, on the contrary, most artists, and maybe ESPECIALLY in country, are concerned with what they put out and the reasons they do it.

Some of the names brought up in this thread certainly are.
But true, the names in the Internet teenage video, maybe not so much. At least not in the particular 6 songs the kid sampled from. But hey do you realize how little of published music those few selections represent. You can't even generalize ro these artists' own catalog, because every artist needs a variety of song in order to be able to perform for different venues, occasions and people.

Some plain folks in these forums aim to supply artists with songs as well, so we should stop whining and start grinding new ones out (note to self)..

You were not even alive back in the 60, so you are assuming that drug were easily available then, alcohol was. Drugs were starting to become available, but mostly the softer ones, not like today. In my younger days I use to drink a bit and while "feeling good" all music sounded good, but when cold sober, not so good. Back in the cold war days, many of the songs written reflected on the state of the world when young people didn't know if they had a future because they expected to be blown up with all the hydrogen bombs available. The hippy generation took on the attitude of lets live for today, tomorrow we may die. The music reflected how they felt.

We got past the cold war without blowing up the world, but we are in another state of confusion with groups like ISIS cutting off people's head just because they don't believe like they do. They are threating to take over the world and if you don't do as they say, off comes your head. So I guess there is a section of the population that just wants to stay high, party all the time, tune out the world, and much of the music I hear is just that, up tempo party music, saying the same things in a few different ways. Yes, some of the music back in my day was crap, but there was a lot of good songs too that said something about life in all aspects. No doubt there is a lot of good music today but for some reason I am not hearing much of it on the radio. Radio is suppose to cater to all ages not just the young. I know the young ones buy most of the music, same as in my day, but older ones will buy music too if they find something they like.

Whazzat?
You tryin' to find me some new music Michael Zaneski? Well, you will be happy to know I'm a prayin' for rain for you'all out there in the Golden, now mostly Brown State. As that old Charlie Walker song LITTLE OLD WINE DRINKER ME goes, I'm praying for rain in California, so the Grapes will grow and they can make more Wine. No kidding Google the song.

Holy Yesterday Batman!,
Just when you think you won't have Lefty, Webb, and Carl to deal with anymore there is a post over on Fox news, The Return of the Studibaker? As Gomer would say Golly!

Good points all MN Bob.

Peace brother!!


Movin on!

Duly noted. Can't help the hurt feelings, though. I speak off the cuff yet don't mean to offend. That's just me, brother. I'm just not one to doll up anything I feel passionate about. You say today's country is "deeper..." I say it's crap (with a few exceptions).

We're too far apart to take it any further.

Good luck.

I'm 44 years old. No kid.
And Ben Howard sounds very cool. I love RT, so I may check him out.

This is a Singer/Songwriter blog. If you are not willing to allot those to post their opinions, you should probably leave. Yes, there will be times when the same subject is posted, the same arguments heard, the same "whining" about the same issues......blah blah blah. Simply avoid it.

That being said, although I have a strong opinion about the state of affairs in the music business, I am also intelligent enough to know there are multiple sides to this issue and a vast array of opinions that arise from a multitude of experiences, tastes and knowledge.

To show I am a good sport, I'd like to post a "counterpoint" article that is related to the original post.

And although I often come across as corrosive in my mannerisms, I do try to look at both sides before I form an opinion. But I don't dance.....and un-apologetically so.

As far as the "whining".........guilty as charged, but this is a site where we blog our opinions, no? So shall it continue, as well as it will for those who "whine about the whiners."


12 Ways to be a Completely Bitter and Miserable Musician

Too many people fail to see the bigger picture of life as a musician and the miserable state of the industry. If you are one of these people and catch yourself feeling in some way cheerful, stop right away and follow this simple 12 step plan to guarantee your return to a completely horrid existence on this miserable rock.

Warning: Contains strong language. If you don’t like that, then you should probably still read on anyway, as it will just give you more reasons to be pissed off.

Without further ado.


1. Whine and complain

In your quest for ongoing professional misery it is imperative that you bitch and moan on a continual basis, especially about things that are out of your control. Unfortunately the world is not fair and the odds are always stacked against you.

But do not fear, there’s an easy way to get it off your chest and that is to simply unload your problems onto other people. Other people are almost always at hand so you should take every opportunity to remind them in intricate detail how life is much worse than they think it is. Then proceed to follow this up with a long list of examples.
Whine and Complain - How to be a completely bitter and miserable musician (Step #1)
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2. Focus on what sucks

There’s a lot of amazing music out there. It’s just a shame nobody realises how shitty it is. The human mind is capable of rationalizing pretty much anything, so why not rationalize that everything sucks? Just joined a new band? They probably suck. Just nailed that Victor Wooten lick? Whoopdy-sodding-doo, it still probably sounds lame and you’ll forget it by next week.

The world really can be a shitty place, if you’ll just let it.
Focus on what sucks - How to be a completely bitter and miserable musician (Step #2)
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3. Argue about absolutely everything

When you successfully focus on how everything sucks then it logically follows that you’re now going to have to spend a comparable amount of time convincing everybody else why that’s the case.

This works particularly well when somebody doesn’t agree with you on YouTube. Be sure not to let them get away with it. Set aside a few hours of your time to bring them up to speed on how stupid their opinion is and why it is wrong.

Additionally, once in a while, and completely unpredictably, pick a fight over something trivial and make unwarranted accusations where possible. This interaction should last ideally for the best part of an evening while ignoring your children and spouse.

Finally, well-intentioned friends and relatives can often be overwhelmed by the scale of your misfortune, sometimes to the extent of agreeing with you. Do not be fooled, this is merely a form of pity and you must remind them immediately to stop being such patronizing dicks.
Argue about absolutely everything - How to be a completely bitter and miserable musician (Step #3)
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4. Compare yourself to other musicians

Another sure fire way to increase your levels of bitterness and self loathing is to compare how shitty you are to your idols. Who cares that they gave up their social lives to practice 8 hours a day for most of their early lives? Obviously, that’s irrelevant. The smug old sods had just been lucky and born with it. The important thing to remember is that the world isn’t fair and your 30 minutes of practising too fast once a fortnight is probably a waste of time because your brain hates you and won’t let you get any better.
Compare yourself to other musicians - How to be a completely bitter and miserable musician (Step…
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5. Blame everything and everybody else

One of the most important steps in the quest for all encompassing despair is to realize how all your failures, shortcomings and problems are actually not your fault but rather that of soulless profiteers and other such unscrupulous bastards.

Think about it, your parents didn’t raise you properly, your teachers didn’t teach you properly, your band doesn’t do their job properly, the sound man can’t mix properly, the engineer can’t stop your drums sounding like cardboard, the government doesn’t support your career properly, your brain doesn’t have all the same neurons and [naughty word removed] that clever people do… What an absolute farce.
Blame everything and everybody else - How to be a completely bitter and miserable musician (Step…
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6. Regularly criticise other musicians

This is very important. It didn’t exactly take you years to develop a good ear for music, you were just naturally blessed with sublime taste and substance. If only everybody else realised it, right? Many new musicians, however, don’t understand why your music is the best.

Often times, you will come across videos of people demonstrating new patterns they’ve learned or new songs they’ve covered or written. When you encounter this, waste no time in pointing out how crappy they are. Feel free to tell them exactly what they’re doing wrong, but do not by any means offer any form of encouragement to these people, they are only going to get crappier and they need to know about it for their own good. Don’t worry, it’s only the internet, they’re not real people with real feelings you damn hippie.

On another note, you may also occasionally encounter naive musicians who don’t yet see the industry for the lackluster cacophony of wretchedness and rabid inanity that it is. Sometimes they are even clueless enough to have actual real-life hopes and dreams. Make it your duty to indoctrinate them into your world of sourness and hatred, pronto.
Regularly criticise other musicians - How to be a completely bitter and miserable musician (Step…
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7. Watch more TV

There is no better use of time in your pursuit of misery than to watch more television. As a matter of fact, TV advertisements, celebrity culture and, best of all, the news all serve to deliver an impressive dose of fear, self-loathing and disconnectedness with the outside world.

As an added bonus, all the time that you spend watching TV saves you having to practise at your craft, making you all the shittier and giving you even more to complain about. Score!!
Watch more TV - How to be a completely bitter and miserable musician (Step #7)
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8. Refute that somebody else might know something you don’t

Inevitably, as you go about your day to day despondency, some pompous, self-righteous [naughty word removed]-lord will attempt to prove you wrong at something. In this case, it is important to refute the statement outright, with no consideration for the accuracy or substance of their argument. Retaliate immediately with personal attacks on their character.
Refute that somebody else might know something you don't - How to be a completely bitter and…
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9. Quit when you make a mistake

Thomas Edison said “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” What a nitwit. What does he know about failure? Everybody knows that if you screw up a couple of times you’re not cut out for it.

Stop wasting your time, give up, switch on the TV and let those sweet, sweet feelings of inadequacy wash all over you. Feels good, doesn’t it?
Quit when you make a mistake - How to be a completely bitter and miserable musician (Step #9)
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10. Practise sustained bitterness

Cultivate the feeling that everything is rubbish and pointless and that people are only out to irritate you. Question yourself on a regular basis how such an inherently fascinating person like you wound up in such a completely tedious and unbearable industry ripe with bleeding idiots.
Practise sustained bitterness - How to be a completely bitter and miserable musician (Step #10)
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11. Live in the past

We all remember the good old days, things were much better back then. Unfortunately, however, you were born in the wrong place at the wrong time and so are destined for the remainder of your measly existence to bare the asinine nature of the modern day music industry.

The only solution is to live permanently in the past. Ignore all new media, ideas, education, music and art. There is nothing to be gained by engaging with such newfangled drivel. Recognise what’s gotten worse over time, which let’s face it, is pretty much everything.
Live in the past - How to be a completely bitter and miserable musician (Step #11)
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12. Enter into a continued state of pessimism and anxiety

Goal setting and optimism about the future only leads to inevitable disappointment, so to save time just expect band practice to suck eggs and all new music to be unoriginal and lame.

Steve Jobs said that “the only people who change the world are those who are crazy enough to think they can.” Obviously, whoever this clueless nutter is he never tried doing anything new. Experience shows that venturing outside your comfort zone and trying anything new is stupid and insane.
Enter into a continued state of pessimism and anxiety - How to be a completely bitter and…
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So that’s it! The super simple 12 step formula to guaranteed all encompassing misery as a musician.

Do you know anybody like this? What steps would you add to build further momentum on your journey of bitterness?

-Dave J Mason
http://musoblog.com/12-ways-completely-bitter-miserable-musician/


[EDIT 14/5/2015] For those who took this article a little too seriously, yes it was intended as satire. My only intention here was to make a point hit home with certain pockets of musicians that I am unfortunate enough to encounter on a regular basis, however, I can see how the irony was lost on me at the time. For the record, I don’t think I’m bitter, miserable or twisted but I can see why some would think so after reading this, haha! I do my best to be positive, encouraging and supportive to those involved in the Muso Database network and will continue to do so. If you have any comments (or if anybody else would like to correct my spelling) then please do so below!
-Dave

IF we have another 9/11 type moment ALL the Songs will change. SO it does reflect society. Right NOW people are Partying and drinking and trucking and young guys are on the prowl for young girls and that's what they are writing about. A real good one like DIRT comes along....Taledaga is a cool song BUT Then there are the stupid silly song like Little Red Truck by Miranda. They feel every few songs have to be silly I guess.
I just heard Vanilla Fudge doing You Keep Me Hanging On....and that was really terrific...also just heard Love n Spoonful SUMMER IN THE CITY...great sound to that one.

Are you saying people back 20, 30, 40 years a go weren't drinking and having a good time? They definitely were having a good time back then. I'm only reminded of it every time my dad or grandpa talk about their days. Your post is a bit confusing. Is that what you meant? I don't get what 9/11 has to do with anything. Music didn't change after 9/11.

Oh, but it did for a while,. It seriously did! But THAT's a whole other thread, and shouldn't sidetrack this one.

Midnite