If you’re a struggling musician like me, trying to get recognized for your talent, or trying to get accepted in the musicians community, don’t worry about any of that stuff. I realize a lot lately, that I’ve been complaining about trying to get recognized or get accepted for my talent by other musicians, but I got to learn to stop worrying myself. I’m at the point right now, where I make music for myself, and not really to other people. Hey, don’t get me wrong, I like getting new listeners, new fans, and new supporters who actually like my music, but my point is, I’m not worried about whether the reception of my music is going to be good or bad. I gotta stop that.

There are too many musicians out there who take themselves way too seriously. They expect all of their songs to be good, all the time, and they expect everyone to like them. You shouldn’t worry about the kind of reception or feedback you’re going to get with your songs. Just make music for you. As long as you enjoy your own songs, that’s all that should matter, ya know? Whether the reception is positive or negative, it’s all good. There are plenty of other bands out there who have had negative reception with their albums. The feedback is not always going to be positive.

While I would love nothing but positive feedback toward my music, I know it’s never going to happen. I’ll just take what I can get. Make the music, put it out there and see what happens. If the reception is great, I’ll take it and I will be flattered. If the reception is negative, I’ll take it and will be flattered with that too. Any kind of feedback is good. I don’t get defensive with negative critics toward my music like so many musicians out there do. I just let it go and ignore it.

I would like to get more well known as a singer/songwriter and music artist than a blogger, but oh fuckin’ well. There’s nothing I can do about that, but take it for what it is. People believe what they want to believe. If people are going to keep treating you like you’re some amateur or hobbyist kind of musician, keep in mind, that’s all opinionated. You’re just misunderstood. It’s just that the so called, “pro’s” out there want to think they’re much better than you. Yes, there are musicians out there that can play way better than me, but if they want to see you as a hobbyist, don’t listen to ’em. I’ve been accused of being a hobbyist kind of musician and continue to be called that even to this day, but do I give a fuck?

I’ll admit that I’m not a professional/advanced kind of guitarist yet, but I’m working my way up there. I’m learning and practicing.

My point being in this topic, to keep it all short and simple, you should only care about you in the world of music. Don’t worry about other peoples thoughts and opinions ’cause that’s all they are. I’ve been ignored by the local papers, and even local blogs like Crumbs.net, when I try to submit my music for them to plug in ’cause they think I don’t “fit” in the professional level of music, which is bullshit in my opinion. All musicians should be treated equal like I said before, regardless of the level of talent.

I just make music for the love and enjoyment of it. In other words, I make music to please me. I don’t mean to sound selfish, but this is what you must do, if you want to fight back at your nasty critics and win, is to be selfish. Don’t let ’em think they can take your dreams away ’cause that’s all they’re trying to do. They want to see you quit ’cause they don’t like what you do.

Kev

Often, I would see bands in their facebook pages using obscenities or offensive material in their marketing. For example, profanity is pretty popular with local bands these days. I would see a lot of them use the F word a lot. They would also say stuff like, “Come out to this show, bitches”, and all that. You get the idea. I would even see some bands put up dirty jokes as a way to entertain their fans. Some bands would even make offensive photos for their flyers and stuff. Is using obscenities a good idea for your promotional material? Does this always help draw people to your shows or help get you new fans?

It all depends.

Keep in mind that this kind of marketing is not for everybody. If you want more respect and better opportunities with your music, the key to that is to make your marketing and promotional material, family friendly as possible. If you keep using obscenities in your promotion, then you’ll probably be stuck playing over 21 shows and you could get rejected by family friendly events. Sometimes you can turn venues off, and they might refuse to book you by how you put yourself out there.

Some music fans out there may even get the wrong idea about your band. They’ll look at the way your promote yourself and they’ll say something like, “Who the hell are these guys? I don’t want to support these hacks.” I believe that bands & artists that uses obscene stuff in your promotional material, I’m going to think that you’re the type of band who think they’re so cool. It’s gonna make you think you’re better than everyone. I understand that bands do this to entertain their fans but keep in mind, this kind of marketing isn’t for everyone.

If you want a wider audience and more respect, change the way you promote yourself. Bands do this ’cause they believe it’s okay to be themselves and act how they want to in local music, but in a way, you can’t always. It’s about being careful of how you put yourself out there.

Kev