Sick of the music industry. Jaded? I sure as hell am.

[God]

I'm ranting now.

I'm sick of working in music. I lost the initial enjoyment. I feel more like a hustler and con-man rather than (ha, thought I'd tell you in what division/where I worked.)

It's all about getting paper. And when you get the paper, you just get jaded. True, I consider myself lucky, but I feel kinda soulless.

You hear the next lineup of acts submitted to you. You and your publicist cohort along with said band's manager concoct a marketing scheme at your targeted demo. You think of how the manager you're talking to is an asshole, and you then concoct a scheme to get said manager dropped by the band somehow so the band can sign with your buddy's Firm.

After a couple drinks, or other substance, you kick back-- go online, and see how much money you made/lost in the stock market. Then your assistant (who wants to be in your jaded shoes someday) tells you about your appointment with some band/group - you meet up at the Pig n' Whistle with them and run the same BS you've run on other bands for the last x years.

I think the reason I'm writing this is because I had lunch with a 43 year old exec at a major, and he was dressed like a fucking 15 year old. He had all the flashy "I'm wearing all the fluorescent kickback to the 80's clothes, and he was using all the new buzzwords/slang trying to front and be "hip". " I guess the clincher was he actually SAID "TTYL, man." He didn't say "Later" or "see you, man." He fucking said "TTYL". Like he was verbally fucking texting me or something.

It's like, dude, you can fucking afford an Armani suit - go buy one and act your age a bit. Your wife probably thinks you look like an idiot but she shuts up because you're bringing home the paper she uses to buy a new Gucci bag every week and she drives the same black S500 everyone is driving on the streets.

Am I jaded? What's wrong with me? What happened to me LOVING the music. Sigh. Ignorance is bliss I guess.

Supportive comments appreciated. I should make this post into a fucking diary.

 

[Chrono]

It's all about getting paper. And when you get the paper, you just get jaded. True, I consider myself lucky, but I feel kinda soulless.

The fact that you feel souless while oiling the cold metalic gears of industry means that your conscious still is communicating with you! It is when there is no conscious acknowledgment of losing touch that one becomes truely the walking undead, just like a line of programming coldly preforming the task designed to accomplish a function! The substance and beauty of nature and pure life is something that you might want to enjoy, for this is the antidote to the cold destiny of greed. Much Love to you God,

may beautiful breaths of life oxidate the gane green necrosis which is eating at humanity

paradise is free and being choked out by those lost and killing for warmth, which never comes

 

[Shonsteez]

Sounds to me like your just being real with yourself and are acknowledging the fact that this industry is one fickle dog-eat-dog world. I mean, i would totally relate since I think we all have our own threshold and you can only deal with so much bullshit and plastic personalities before you have to vent and share your frustrations...

 

[classic]

I'm ranting now.

I'm sick of working in music. I lost the initial enjoyment. I feel more like a hustler and con-man rather than (ha, thought I'd tell you in what division/where I worked.)

It's all about getting paper. And when you get the paper, you just get jaded. True, I consider myself lucky, but I feel kinda soulless.

You hear the next lineup of acts submitted to you. You and your publicist cohort along with said band's manager concoct a marketing scheme at your targeted demo. You think of how the manager you're talking to is an asshole, and you then concoct a scheme to get said manager dropped by the band somehow so the band can sign with your buddy's Firm.

After a couple drinks, or other substance, you kick back-- go online, and see how much money you made/lost in the stock market. Then your assistant (who wants to be in your jaded shoes someday) tells you about your appointment with some band/group - you meet up at the Pig n' Whistle with them and run the same BS you've run on other bands for the last x years.

I think the reason I'm writing this is because I had lunch with a 43 year old exec at a major, and he was dressed like a fucking 15 year old. He had all the flashy "I'm wearing all the fluorescent kickback to the 80's clothes, and he was using all the new buzzwords/slang trying to front and be "hip". " I guess the clincher was he actually SAID "TTYL, man." He didn't say "Later" or "see you, man." He fucking said "TTYL". Like he was verbally fucking texting me or something.

It's like, dude, you can fucking afford an Armani suit - go buy one and act your age a bit. Your wife probably thinks you look like an idiot but she shuts up because you're bringing home the paper she uses to buy a new Gucci bag every week and she drives the same black S500 everyone is driving on the streets.

Am I jaded? What's wrong with me? What happened to me LOVING the music. Sigh. Ignorance is bliss I guess.

Supportive comments appreciated. I should make this post into a fucking diary.

the grass is always gonna be greener on the other side...

 

[thedreampolice]

Ttyl ....

 

[slik da relic]

honeslty... i really have no sympathy for u... ur one of those cats in the industry i wanna punch in the jaw... got ur foot in the door and breakin up niggas... decidin niggas' fates... thats wats wrong with LIFE in general, everyone chasin the fukkin money, fukk a relationship, brother/sisterhood, freindship or family... just get me my money... everybody schemin... Hip Hop??? no, MUSIC is fukkin dead... my love for beats n rhymes keeps me here... Illmuzic is Church and ur at Confession... thats all this is... oh yea... eL Oh eL... :GEEK:

da relic

 

[Chrono]

everyone chasin the fukkin money, fukk a relationship, brother/sisterhood, freindship or family... da relic

The music industry isn't so different than any other Industry. The most ruthless and cuthroat are the few remaining champions.. like 1937 gangsterism. You don't see Donald Trump keeping the most respectable people hired.. it's those that can kick and punch their way to the top. Befriend with a welcoming smile, then stab in the back repeatedly till every drip is met! That's the respect of the Industry! It's the nature of the beast.

And I totally disagree with it because it is as hollow as a lie and it's path leads only to destruction.. but so does anger and hate.

in the words of Club Nouvea.. " It's a Cold, Cold World"

 

[God]

Look, I know the music biz is cutthroat and with everyone else is losing their job around me because they can't con as good as me to prove their worth to the boss, I don't give a fuck. They know the game, I knew the game.

It's just that it's the same thing we're marketing - fake "rebellion" to kids that actually believe it. I actually thought it was real. But it ain't shit.

I was told "we need to find an emo band with a hot female singer, then we can get that shit spins."

And I was like "FBR conned Atlantic into a bullshit 360 deal with Paramore, and they haven't even gone platinum."

And fuckhead said "that shit is hot though."

And I was like (I can say this to him) "no, fuckface, making money is hot. Paramore has a dope fucking publicist. That's why you believe the shit you read - when you can't - fuck - WE plant those stories (name). You can't manufacture No Doubt at the snap of a fucking finger."

True, I decide artists' fate. I try to make them marketable and earn income for themselves and for everyone else. Making money sucks, doesn't it? No it doesn't. None of the coke or strippers in the world can really get you out of this kind of slump right now though. It's just like you're going thru the motions for the umpteenth time.

I think I'm just jaded, I need to turn on the music I used to love and kick back a little. Time to put in some Rage Against the Machine and hit the strip.

 

[Chrono]

it sounds like a scam that's falling apart.. best of luck though and I hope you make it out with a sane mind.

it's amazing how much talent is being ignored while people, like your boss, decide the fate of the music scene. The drive for the quickest buck will finish off the music industry as yall know it... while musicans continue to play and the beat goes on unchained

 

[God]

It depends. Do you think what Puffy did with Danity Kane, Day 26, or Shyne is a scam?

Do you think that N'Sync or the Backstreet Boys were a scam?

Do you think Avril Lavigne is a scam?

Do you think that Lil' Mama is scam?

If yes-- how many records did these scams sell?

Remember, the goal is to sell to the lowest common denominator-- not to the hiphophead that is sophisticated enough to differentiate.

Don't worry I'm OK. Had a slight moment of weakness.

 

[afriquedeluxe]

Damn, its good that we get all this info about how mad the industry is, but I guess it dont really hit you till you are there yourself. Like Chrono said, it aint the only industry that's cut throat, there are many others besides the entertainment biz.

Mr G. I have to wonder, are there ever any attempts by the majors at getting something real? Infact, what makes it real? Don't the "real" artists somewhere along the line of getting signed turn into scams too with all the PR and label hype?

This will sound cold, and maybe my opinion will change once am more of an insider, but business is business. McDonalds do it with their shitty unhealthy food that millions eat up and they make billions. Hollywood will use formulas for pointless sequels in the hope of generating repeat success, financially speaking. Coke will sell us tap water saying its mineral water and make ridiculous profits off it.

Once we are in it to make money, to maximize profit as business people put it, music is no different to any other product out there on the shelf. All the techniques used to sell other products such as coke, cars, loans, chocolate etc are applied to it. Bullshit marketing, hype, fake reviews by giving some writer a nice car of whatever, the whole chabung! I know music is personal, but once its product, you can forget personal as much as we can forget the Colonels personal recipe for KFC, just mass produce, market and sell sell sell!

I may have gone a little off topic, but just thinking out loud, once we start the chasing money, there is always a paradigm shift in morals, ethics, whatever you want to call it, something changes.

 

[Sincock]

It depends. Do you think what Puffy did with Danity Kane, Day 26, or Shyne is a scam?

Do you think that N'Sync or the Backstreet Boys were a scam?

Do you think Avril Lavigne is a scam?

Do you think that Lil' Mama is scam?

If yes-- how many records did these scams sell?

Remember, the goal is to sell to the lowest common denominator-- not to the hiphophead that is sophisticated enough to differentiate.

Do you think, maybe, all these scams, (ie crap music with no substance marketed to tyhe lowest common denominator), etc are one of the reasons the music industry is going down the toilet and that you're just one of the few turd stains clinging stubbornly to the bowl?

Just asking.

 

[Chrono]

Do you think Avril Lavigne is a scam?

in reference to the artist's themselves being scam's: I think the scam really comes from the labels choosing to pass up on beautiful talent in a risky genre to sign a group who's genre has made millions as a safe gamble, even if it is saturated (especially if the genre is negative to society). I do not think that the artist's themselves are as much of a scam because they are doing what they love, making music. It is like a huge game of chess and each artist, depending on their popularity, are either pawns, knights, or rooks. In my opinion, artist's and musicians illustrate a beautiful expression of humanity and when only the expressions that are shown are the ones that are attractive to the quickest dollar it becomes a facade, fake, and an illusion.

Don't the "real" artists somewhere along the line of getting signed turn into scams too with all the PR and label hype?

I would guess that once the artist gets a fistful of dollars and inherit the fear of losing it and being broke again they have to make the same decision the labels do.. try what got them there in the first place and do something new and innovative or repeat what had already made them a million. Who know's how many "new and innovative" things they attempted which failed before they finally broke with their million dollar sound/style.

---------

I don't blame anyone or anything though.. alot of this is human nature.. no one wants to be broke and living with mom while they go to school, not having sex in years because their standards are high and they don't have their own place and can't afford a real woman. :no:

Once in a while you will find an artist who sticks by their guns and either fails or achieves according to their ideas. In the end though, good creates good and bad collapses on itself from within.. if you can make it Doing the Right Thing then good for you and if your making it doing bad then be very careful. Either way I do not blame or belittle anyone or their occupation because in the end we are soley responsible for what we have and who we have. I wish everyone the best, truely!

Much Love Fam,
-Chrono T.

 

[slik da relic]

Don't worry I'm OK. Had a slight moment of weakness.

exactly... and thats why i said what i said... i knew it was "momentary"... artists like PE, KRS and others were pushed out bcuz of lack of sex appeal... had nothin to do with music... everyone has ta be pleasin to the eye and that makes up for wack lyrics... even the music has been simplified... anyone of us could be a premier producer given the chance and a star on the trk... yep McDonald's will continue to sell us the food that, just has a taste that no one can match, and make billions, yet, if u ask for an extra honeymustard sauce, theyll fukkin charge u another 33-50 cents extra... for some bullshit in a lil container, that we all know takes pennies to make... now add that to the billions they were makin b4 that... the banks are makin a killin as well... yet charge us for usin another bank's atm... america dont need to rely on nobody for NOTHIN, yet, here we are fightin for oil... i can go on for days on this shit, bcuz it is, and will always be, NEVERENDING!!!

da relic

 

[bigdmakintrax]

I feel what you are saying, thing is, you gotta make money somehow and everyone and everything has a price, and if you are into the music business with morals, ethics and hi standards you gonna fuck yourself out of a lot of dollars and eventually be that guy down in the park or in the subway or metro playing the keys or guitar or sax LOL naw JK, but yeah I feel you, thing is, it's a hard world as you know but there's a lot of people would love to be in your situation, maybe its time to change careers dawg, just give me all of your contacts and put me down with the folks who can cut checks LOL

 

[The Mastermind]

Are you in the music industry to get rich or just make a living and live meaningfully?

If you're in it to get rich, do what you're doing. Have a cycle of guilt trip and recovery and go on and on. Just don't look too closely at what some of that top 40 shit is doing to the kiddies out there or the guilt trips might get too much.

If it's about making a living, take a break and make a new plan. A couple of days under a tree with a note book could give a new direction. Sounds like you know the industry so you could carve out some sort of niche pushing something that means something to you.

Sounds to me like you're torn. Could make a good movie by Oliver Stone (not that I'd watch it), you know the emtpy yuppie looking for meaning vs greed is good conflict.

Can't say I could stomach what you do. But maybe that's why I'm a million miles from the music industry.

 

[Formant024]

You're jaded alright but it would be easier on you if you weren't an asshole lol, no pun god, just from my own experience in entertainment globally and talking to US headz, proposals...i know the likes, thing is, sucker born every minute and if you didnt scheme your way over their "establishment"* then someone else would and the band would still feel good when they sign, same old, any bizz.

 

[skidflow]

It depends. Do you think what Puffy did with Danity Kane, Day 26, or Shyne is a scam?

Do you think that N'Sync or the Backstreet Boys were a scam?

Do you think Avril Lavigne is a scam?

Do you think that Lil' Mama is scam?

If yes-- how many records did these scams sell?

Remember, the goal is to sell to the lowest common denominator-- not to the hiphophead that is sophisticated enough to differentiate.

Don't worry I'm OK. Had a slight moment of weakness.

Damn near every artist I hear on mainstream radio is a scam. Thats the reason albums dont sell like they used to. Thats why I do shit the way I wanna do it. I'll make a beat and sell that mu fucka 4 times if I gotta. I aint trinna give a label shit right now. I've accepted the fact that the business is dead...not the music. So I aint even gonna fuck with big businesses unless they puttin 6 figures in my hand or better. I'm the artist...no income is generated unless I'm working...I'M THE ARTIST! I CREATE THE PRODUCT...WITHOUT A PRODUCT WE DONT EAT...SO RESPECT MY SHIT!

 

[Chrono]

regardless of everythig though it is nice that the control of music is being put back into the hand of the artist. it might catalyze a musical renaissance to expload from artists over the age of 25 who have something to say from the experience of life.. it also means that the artist's income across the board will drop.. instead of having 10 artists making millions your have thousands only making thousands and tours will be big again! Where genres will begin to merge into an orgy of creativity and inspirational juices spatter on everyone, soaking all in a new beautiful and glorious raw Musicical AGE!! haha now where's my patulli

 

[Haze47]

god,

all you need to do is kick back

spark a fatty






and listen to my new ambient, glitch, electronica album (with a fucking nice hint of breakcore!!!)


hah