Eventually something is going to stick to the wall. No, I haven’t lost my mind. There is a very definite reason for this article. It’s mainly to give hope to those of you who are struggling to get by. The story you’re about to read is true. No names have been changed. My life is an open book.
By now, if you’ve been following this blog for a while, you know that I’m broke. Oh but who isn’t these days. Yeah, I fell on hard times and now I’m digging myself out of a very big black hole.
Anyway, the other day I wrote to a guy who happens to make synth patches. If you recall, I told you that I was thinking of getting into this business. I didn’t know where to begin so I contacted a guy who I had run into online through one of his videos. He seemed like a really cool and upstanding person and also a lot of fun to watch do his little tutorials on creating synth patches.
I figured what the heck. Maybe we could do something together. I’ve got a ton of synths. I’m sure I can make a bank of sounds that he’ll like enough to want to promote with me as a joint venture. So like I said, I wrote to him.
Well, this morning I received a reply in the email. Essentially it said that if my stuff was good enough that we might have something.
So there you have it. The rest is all up to me and my skills. If I’m good enough I might be able to dig myself out of this hole I’m in. But it’s still going to come down to my own skill.
And that’s the way it should be. I’m not looking for favors. I want to earn my keep. And if I don’t cut it then I shouldn’t earn my keep.
This is the part that I’m sure a lot of people aren’t going to like.
See, a lot of people think the world owes them something. My wife, who is a high school teacher, runs into this every single day in her class with kids who want to be passed just for showing up. What they fail to realize is that when they get a job, if they get a job, their boss isn’t going to pay them just for showing up. They’re going to have to do some work.
It seems like the word “work” is indeed a four letter word today, literally and figuratively. Very few people want to do it. Me? I love working. I’m up at 6 AM (sometimes earlier) and sometimes work right up until bed time. For me, work is fun.
And that’s how it should be. You should enjoy what you do. It shouldn’t be a labor but a labor of love. But I’ve gotten way far off the subject of this article…slinging hash at the wall.
I can’t tell you how many things I have tried since my business collapsed. This site was the first of those things. It has been a dismal failure. I’ve sold all of two tracks of music. Most of the stuff just gets pirated.
Then there is my exercise dance beats. Turns out there probably isn’t much of a market for this product and if there is, I haven’t found it yet. That one has been a real big disappointment.
And there have been other things. So far, nothing has worked. But now there seems to be a glimmer of hope. Oh don’t get me wrong. I’m nowhere near home free. I have to show that my sounds are up to snuff. And as this person has told me, it’s not about programming skills. It’s about making sounds that people want to use. If I can do that, I’m probably home free.
Point is, I never gave up. I figured if I threw enough things at the wall, eventually something would stick. And even if this particular venture doesn’t work out, there will be others. I’m always keeping my eye out for things. Which brings us to what you need to do if you want to take advantage of opportunities.
At the top of the list is keeping up with trends. You must keep up with the industry. What kind of music is being created today? What kinds of sounds are they using? Does each genre have it’s own sound set? Do you have the skills to take advantage of the trends? If not, can they be learned quickly? Are you willing to get trained if you have to?
In addition to keeping up with trends you need to constantly look out for opportunities. For example, what I did when I contacted this person. I saw that he was in the business, watched his videos, made a note of his style and what he was doing and then looked to see if any of that was something I could fit into. While nothing is certain, this one has a lot of potential. In fact, it will ALL come down to MY skill as a programmer of sounds.
But I had to be the one to keep my eyes open for the opportunity. Nobody is just going to drop something into your lap. For one thing, nobody knows you from Adam if you’re first starting out. You may be the greatest composer in the world, but if nobody knows you exist, so what? You have to put yourself out there.
I put myself out there every single day. Some days I make a dent and others not much of one. But I never stop. And when I need help or advice, I ask. Don’t be shy. If you’re stuck on something, nobody is going to know unless you tell them. It’s a big world and we’re all just s small part of it.
Yes, if you sling enough hash…eventually something is going to stick.
When it does…take advantage of it.
For The Love Of Music,
Steven “Wags” Wagenheim