I’m bringing out the cheerleader section on this one because I think all of us get a little down in the dumps about our music from time to time, especially when things aren’t going so well. Hopefully, this little article will give you that little spark to keep going through the hard times. And trust me, there will be plenty of hard times. It is after all the music business.
Let me start off by saying that I have had more than my share of frustration. In over 35 years of being involved in this business, I can count my successes on way less than one hand. So what keeps me going? Well, I’m going to list a few things that do just that plus offer some advice to you to keep you going through the hard times if none of my personal inspirations apply to you.
First off, I’ve tried just about everything else I can think of to earn a living online. And while I was very successful for a good number of years, the well has run dry and I am in the process of starting over from scratch. Given that reality, I figured why not music? It’s no better or worse than anything else I could come up with to make some cash. While this may, on the surface, seem kind of mercenary, we all do have to eat you know. But I couldn’t do this if I didn’t have at least some love for it and at least s modicum of talent. I mean you can’t get blood from a stone.
But that in itself is certainly not enough to keep me going at this business, one that I’ve been banging my head against for over 35 years. There has to be more or eventually, just like with my old business of selling information products, you give up out of frustration. There is more. Music is a very competitive field. So it’s a challenge. It’s one of those professions where you can say that if you’ve made it you’ve really made it. I mean anybody can become a CEO of a company if they just work there long enough. But to make it as a successful musician or songwriter, wow, that’s something special. So the challenge keeps me going.
As exciting as a challenge is, however, eventually you can still reach a point where you realize you’re beating your head against a stone wall and just give up. Well, that’s where what is normally one of my worst traits comes in. I’m stubborn as all hell. If you tell me the sky is blue, I’ll tell you it’s green just for spite. It’s why it takes a lot for me to quit at anything. It’s why I’ve been at the music business for over 35 years and why, now, after all this time, I am probably diving myself into it harder than ever. I’m even going back to school to get yet another certification. Yes, I am determined, more than ever, to succeed in some way in this business, even if it’s writing custom royalty free music scores for people. I don’t need a Grammy to be happy.
Finally, and maybe this is the most important thing of all, music has been my life for as long as I can remember. I made my first vocal recording at age 3. I started playing the piano at age 5. I wrote my first song at age 20. I had my first song contract at age 33. There isn’t a day that goes by where I’m not at least thinking of music even if I haven’t written or played anything that day. I’m always planning something in regard to my music. And I never go too long before I actually do something with my music. Otherwise, I’d go crazy. In over 35 years I’ve written thousands of songs. Yeah, a lot of them are crap, but every once in a while, I tap into something special. Those are the times that make it all worth while.
In short, my deep love for music keeps me going.
But what about you? What if you don’t have that deep love for music but for whatever reason you need to keep working at it? Maybe it’s your job but it’s not your ideal job, like when my mom had to accept a job as an itinerant pianist in the Newark school system just to pay the bills. This was a woman who could have been a professional concert pianist or opera singer if she had just managed her life a little better. But we all make mistakes.
Okay, so what i this is something that you have to do? How do you muster up enough inspiration to keep going?
Well, look at things this way. Of all the things you COULD be doing in the world to make a living, is music really so bad? I don’t know about you but if I could get ANY kind of “job” in the music business, even if it didn’t pay that much, I would take it. I would do anything to give myself a chance to reach my higher goals. Very often in life you have to start at the bottom to even have a chance to make it to the top.
But what if music is not something you’re not making a living at? What if it’s something that you’ve been trying to get somewhere with for years and just haven’t gotten anywhere and you’re getting frustrated and you just don’t know if you can go on anymore. Then what do you do?
That’s when I personally fall back on my last line of defense, something that I didn’t mention up top because I wanted to save it for last. Why? Because this one is the deal breaker. It’s the two little words that keep all of us from giving up.
What if?
That’s right What if you gave up and the NEXT DAY you got that letter from a publisher that you’ve been waiting for or you finally got into that rock band you always wanted to be a part of, or whatever?
What if?
I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to live with what ifs. I don’t want to wonder what would have happened had I not given up.
So at age 56, I’m still going at it. I have no intention of ever giving up. I’ll either make it or die trying. But I can’t live with what ifs.
Can you?
For The Love Of Music,
Steven “Wags” Wagenheim