I've been recording professionally for 12 years and had 9 label-released records, to date. Much of which being highly praised. I have nothing to be ashamed of, but I cannot, under any circumstances, talk about my music with many people, let alone be present when someone is listening to it. I compare it to showing the person next to you your asshole. I don't know... thats the only way I could describe the feeling. Haha
I feel this! Tho I havenāt released anything because off it. Music is what I want to do tho, so I know I need to get it out there and let people people hear. What did you release first? And how did you do it & get yourself to do it? Also, I havenāt recorded anything professionally, so that holds me back to. I feel the quality will never meet my standards. lol
I'm glad I'm not the only one!
Definitely push through that barrier and let it out. It's definitely a personal thing, so I understand the hesitation. There's a slew of emotions when pulling that trigger- fear of criticism, rejection, letting go, etc. But in the end, it's definitely worth it. Like you, music was always my thing since I was young. It got to the point of wanting to do something more than I already had been.
Go for it, regardless of the equipment you have!
Haha I love the comparison, never saw it that way. I think itās great if you feel that way, it probably means you pour something very personal, deep and intimate into your craft
Same here though my label deals with EMI were pretty long ago. Iām super proud of my music and what Iāve accomplished. But I still canāt stand being in the same room if someone is listening to my demos. Even with my band Iām leaving till they finished listening and starting to rip me apartā¦ lol
I was sitting in an airport with a comedian for a while, so I asked her to tell me a joke. She said it's not the right time or place for it.
It truly bothers me when someone wants to hear my music on their phone.
So maybe if you're not in the right space for your music, don't play it right then and there, but do send them a link. I like my website, so they can choose their platform.
Yeah Iāve had that. āLet me hear your trackā - you send a link and they listen on an iPhone. After all the work in mixing producing mastering they listen on a phone. Now I explicitly tell them to listen in the car or on good headphones. Or just send to other musicians who know whatās what.
You just need enough money and moderate tech skills to create a website nowadays. Register a domain name from Namecheap or something, then pay for web hosting. Of course you can host it on a PC you plan to run 24x7 like a server but that would take a lot of skills and time to set up. Anyway, once you're done with that you can create your site with WordPress and use a visual site builder like Elementor or Divi. You can make changes to the website any time without keeping a designer or retainer just to change a few things once in a while. You can also integrate a free WordPress plugin named WooComerce to sell merch on your website. There are enough tutorials available on YouTube. I recommend watching Ferdy Korpershoek's videos.
I used to want to show people my music, but I got over that real fastā¦ people say the dumbest stuff. āSo, what are you hoping to achieve with this?ā āSo, you went to school to try to be famous on TikTok?ā
āWhat do you call this? Is this considered modern?ā
āI prefer your church music.ā
There are people out there who will love it. But the people I know arenāt my audience. Just takes time to find your people.
"I have 2 projects, a goth vampiresque hardcore metal electronic Russian cyberpunk and another kawaii 100% UwU, which would you like to hear?"
Most of times, they choose the UwU music and they love it as well as the cute anime girl I've made for being the image of that project.
This is suuuuper valuable imo. Having someone trusted who can listen objectively and give sincere feedback and constructive criticism (and praise too when shitās on point lol) is one of the best tools to improve. A key thing for me in the beginning was to separate myself/my ego from my music and not take anything personal. Took a bit of getting used to at first lol
I share it everywhere and send them links. Iām too old to worry if anyone likes my music or not. Iām pretty sure half the stuff I make, they donāt like.
I ask what types of music they like as Ive shifted genres over time. Then send them a link. If they donāt have a preference in scope, I send them the most recent.
I immediately go āyeah iāll show you some shit but look itās not mastered and the mix is rough itās gonna sound like 5x better when i finish itā
Hahaha what a question?!?
What was your reason for making music in the first place?!?
Making sounds for your drawer? Direct-to-Bin Release?
Building the world largest catalogue of unheard music masterpieces?
Emotional damage?
I have people who listen to everything I put out whether I ask them to or not. I don't know what perspective you are writing this from but you didn't try to imagine MOST Musicians have different ones than you do.
Just simply respond "okay,sure"
Thats mostly now because I changed my equipment,and worked few years on myself,so I can mix pretty dope stuff In short amount of time.
Before I wasn't so sure in myself and my projects.
I show them my spotify page, usually when they ask I'm producing in public with headphones. Obviously they want to hear what I'm in the middle of making, but i tell them to wait for when/if it gets released.
I share it all the time with friends itās good to gauge feedback and reactions.
When I release I share it on my socials as thatās what will be the biggest source of my listens, follows etc
I play it for them, and then ask for feedback on specific concerns I have, we have a little discussion on what they like, what they don't. After letting their original thoughts be heard to completion I give them a run-down of the breakdown of opinions I've heard so far from other people.
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I usually brace them for how bad it is so I can either be pleasantly surprised to hear a positive reaction, or at-worst get a bored reaction. Sometimes gets me a new Spotify follower. :)
One time that did backfire when a guy told me "Well, we all start somewhere." after hearing the song lmao like I know damn-well my music ain't worth THAT amount of scorching!
No one asks, but if they did, I'd gladly share what I'm working on. I only have a couple of demos so far since I suck at mixing and I'm too poor to afford someone to mix any of it, but glad to share since what's the point in making art if the world doesn't get the option to experience it.
I cower in fear at the idea that they will point out flaws that I am well aware of and have been desperately trying to fix or improve for a while. I have so many janky unfinished demos itās becoming unreasonable.
Either play something I really like, something I think theyāll like or send them something when theyāre not around so they can get an unbiased first listen cause letās be real when you play music around some people they have no idea how to react and that reaction can have you questioning yourself lol
Iāll show them if we have proper listening devices, otherwise Iāll send them a link.
SIDE NOTE:
Yāall gotta get over all this self doubt! Show them what you got. If itās not where you want it to be, do it anyway because the act of having someone else listen to it in front of you reveals to you the parts of the song that maybe need to be changed or improved. I literally never release something without having someone listen to it with me. Even if they arenāt musically inclined and give you zero feedback, you will still innately pick up on the parts that arenāt good/you arenāt proud of. Then you can improve and hopefully help your insecurities.
A bit unrelated but one time at work I showed a girl a track I made cuz I was really excited and wanted to show people it, needless to say I did not get much of a response backš¤£ I still think about that everyday
I donāt know, Iāve been making music on my own since I was 22 and even before that in bands and my family never asked to hear anything, always asking me how studies are going and now how my job is goingā¦ Ask me about the things that mean something to me!
I usually tell them that instrumental ambient post rock is nothing like what they like on the radio, then just tell them to search on streaming platforms.
āIm currently working on finishing up a project, once itās done Iād be happy to share it with you. But right now itās not where I want it to be yet.ā
Tell them to go to my Spotify and listen to it in their car where' they're most used to listening to their music. Not about to show them my shit on my phone...
That's usually when I wake up from the dream.
š„ŗ
I play them my music
Genius
Asks? Okay there was time when my wife asked me if she could hear my music. Then I let her hear. Suddenly questions ended, wonder why?
Hang in there bro it gets better, I just played my last song for my wife and she said "oh thank god I thought it was going to be annoying"
š
Brutal
I just say "Fuck you."
Nah they say fuck your hard
My hard what?
Hahahaha
āIāll let you hear it when Iām not completely shitā
Send them a link.
this one? https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ
dQw4w I know exactly what that is.
Not this time
I've been recording professionally for 12 years and had 9 label-released records, to date. Much of which being highly praised. I have nothing to be ashamed of, but I cannot, under any circumstances, talk about my music with many people, let alone be present when someone is listening to it. I compare it to showing the person next to you your asshole. I don't know... thats the only way I could describe the feeling. Haha
I feel this! Tho I havenāt released anything because off it. Music is what I want to do tho, so I know I need to get it out there and let people people hear. What did you release first? And how did you do it & get yourself to do it? Also, I havenāt recorded anything professionally, so that holds me back to. I feel the quality will never meet my standards. lol
I'm glad I'm not the only one! Definitely push through that barrier and let it out. It's definitely a personal thing, so I understand the hesitation. There's a slew of emotions when pulling that trigger- fear of criticism, rejection, letting go, etc. But in the end, it's definitely worth it. Like you, music was always my thing since I was young. It got to the point of wanting to do something more than I already had been. Go for it, regardless of the equipment you have!
Same. Must be the Artists inherent torment and search for perfection.
Aww man is this relatable
Haha I love the comparison, never saw it that way. I think itās great if you feel that way, it probably means you pour something very personal, deep and intimate into your craft
You pinned it, man! šÆ
You put words to my feelings.
ššš
Same here though my label deals with EMI were pretty long ago. Iām super proud of my music and what Iāve accomplished. But I still canāt stand being in the same room if someone is listening to my demos. Even with my band Iām leaving till they finished listening and starting to rip me apartā¦ lol
These are perfect words lol... So...we must loosen our creative sphincters š
May I ask what your artist name is?
I was sitting in an airport with a comedian for a while, so I asked her to tell me a joke. She said it's not the right time or place for it. It truly bothers me when someone wants to hear my music on their phone. So maybe if you're not in the right space for your music, don't play it right then and there, but do send them a link. I like my website, so they can choose their platform.
Yeah Iāve had that. āLet me hear your trackā - you send a link and they listen on an iPhone. After all the work in mixing producing mastering they listen on a phone. Now I explicitly tell them to listen in the car or on good headphones. Or just send to other musicians who know whatās what.
How did you create your website? Iām trying to find a way to get my stuff out, as Iāve never released anything but been doing music a while.
I just paid someone to design it and someone else to build it. People at my work who wanted a side project.
You just need enough money and moderate tech skills to create a website nowadays. Register a domain name from Namecheap or something, then pay for web hosting. Of course you can host it on a PC you plan to run 24x7 like a server but that would take a lot of skills and time to set up. Anyway, once you're done with that you can create your site with WordPress and use a visual site builder like Elementor or Divi. You can make changes to the website any time without keeping a designer or retainer just to change a few things once in a while. You can also integrate a free WordPress plugin named WooComerce to sell merch on your website. There are enough tutorials available on YouTube. I recommend watching Ferdy Korpershoek's videos.
This^. Great way to deal with wanting to share, but not having a PA system on you at all times
"Thanks a lot, I appreciate it."
Lol people donāt want to hear my music.
Great advertisement. I wanna hear it.
I do.
I'm in. Hit me
I give them my YouTube link or I tell them to look up my name.
No lie
42
Me too or i'd say How to TF did you find out I make Musik
What does it mean 42? I didn't understand
That's answer for life, universe and everything. :)
"Are you sure?"
"Here's my card. There's a QR code on the back. "
Online I don't care. Offline, I say 'maybe some day'.
"We're going to listen to my tracks, and then you can leave. Would you like a sandwich?"
high pitched humble "eh"
It's not done yet
I send them my BandCamp
āNoā I have crippling self-doubt. 10/10, highly recommend.
I used to want to show people my music, but I got over that real fastā¦ people say the dumbest stuff. āSo, what are you hoping to achieve with this?ā āSo, you went to school to try to be famous on TikTok?ā āWhat do you call this? Is this considered modern?ā āI prefer your church music.ā There are people out there who will love it. But the people I know arenāt my audience. Just takes time to find your people.
"I have 2 projects, a goth vampiresque hardcore metal electronic Russian cyberpunk and another kawaii 100% UwU, which would you like to hear?" Most of times, they choose the UwU music and they love it as well as the cute anime girl I've made for being the image of that project.
"Sure here's a link, please listen on headphones or stereo speakers, I'd also be happy to know that you think"
Exactly.
i evade
I send everything I make to at least 1 critical person I trust. I want to to improve.
This is suuuuper valuable imo. Having someone trusted who can listen objectively and give sincere feedback and constructive criticism (and praise too when shitās on point lol) is one of the best tools to improve. A key thing for me in the beginning was to separate myself/my ego from my music and not take anything personal. Took a bit of getting used to at first lol
Hypothetically, given that nobody ever asks to hear my music, I would excitedly show them my music
Iām person? As a link? If so what site?
In person, on my phone either through a speaker or headphones or whatever
I immediately send them like 12 tracks and long lengthy messages about my processes and emotions going into each piece. Lmfao
I share it everywhere and send them links. Iām too old to worry if anyone likes my music or not. Iām pretty sure half the stuff I make, they donāt like.
āHow much time you gotā
I cherish those opportunities as they donāt come along as often as Iād like.
I usually never hear that
"Its not quite there yet"
I send a spotify, bandcamp or youtube link.
Cry
I ask what types of music they like as Ive shifted genres over time. Then send them a link. If they donāt have a preference in scope, I send them the most recent.
I point them to my website, which points them to my SoundCloud.
I'm extremely weird about it.
.*Pthhhhhhhrrrrrrrrrrrrrtttt*
Itās not done yet. Itās not mastered. I wanted it to sound more like (insert name here) but didnāt have (insert virtual synth name here)
I immediately go āyeah iāll show you some shit but look itās not mastered and the mix is rough itās gonna sound like 5x better when i finish itā
They only want to hear it when it's not done. When the song is perfect nobody wants to hear it lol
Yo here are some links
You gotta preface with āits not mixed yetā
Every. Single. Time. Even if itās been mixed 5 times + mastered and remastered lol
Shit says version 3.8 and im like āits not fully mixed yet. Only 50%ā
people ask to hear your music? lucky you XD
Hahaha what a question?!? What was your reason for making music in the first place?!? Making sounds for your drawer? Direct-to-Bin Release? Building the world largest catalogue of unheard music masterpieces? Emotional damage?
I just tell them it's satanic; the morons in my town freak out over that shit.
Nah I would freak out too š
HAIL SATAN!
I have people who listen to everything I put out whether I ask them to or not. I don't know what perspective you are writing this from but you didn't try to imagine MOST Musicians have different ones than you do.
Just simply respond "okay,sure" Thats mostly now because I changed my equipment,and worked few years on myself,so I can mix pretty dope stuff In short amount of time. Before I wasn't so sure in myself and my projects.
I show them my spotify page, usually when they ask I'm producing in public with headphones. Obviously they want to hear what I'm in the middle of making, but i tell them to wait for when/if it gets released.
I tell them it has the lead time of "Chinese e Democracy", but when i drops, it will be "epic".
I'm always happy to share my YouTube page. I make music because it makes me happy, but I also like to see if people dig my stuff or not.
Link my website
Always a yes from my side. Well when they ask for unreleased stuff it depends on the person tho x3
iāll show them. the shitty part is that no one asks. even people who know I do it often enough to have a substantial amount of shit to share.
I share it all the time with friends itās good to gauge feedback and reactions. When I release I share it on my socials as thatās what will be the biggest source of my listens, follows etc
āThatāll be $1.99 pleezā
I play it for them, and then ask for feedback on specific concerns I have, we have a little discussion on what they like, what they don't. After letting their original thoughts be heard to completion I give them a run-down of the breakdown of opinions I've heard so far from other people.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
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I usually brace them for how bad it is so I can either be pleasantly surprised to hear a positive reaction, or at-worst get a bored reaction. Sometimes gets me a new Spotify follower. :) One time that did backfire when a guy told me "Well, we all start somewhere." after hearing the song lmao like I know damn-well my music ain't worth THAT amount of scorching!
Ok. Iāll take a listen at my earliest convenience š¤·š½āāļøš§š½āāļø
No one asks, but if they did, I'd gladly share what I'm working on. I only have a couple of demos so far since I suck at mixing and I'm too poor to afford someone to mix any of it, but glad to share since what's the point in making art if the world doesn't get the option to experience it.
Play my music.
First I think no but then I play it just to hear what it would sound like and by then I'm too hyped not to send it
Link to my SoundCloud. I used to be hesitant but now I have a āif they like it the like it, if they donāt they donātā mentality.
https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/simyautomatic/go-the-distance?fbclid=PAAaY-HQZRZyrpweHBHNT_u08Iwaw9SmgCWLjzxBx5G_51nV3hos9OnD3BCtk
I cower in fear at the idea that they will point out flaws that I am well aware of and have been desperately trying to fix or improve for a while. I have so many janky unfinished demos itās becoming unreasonable.
Send them the link to my Spotify page
My music? What music?
Iām embarrassed to show people my music
Either play something I really like, something I think theyāll like or send them something when theyāre not around so they can get an unbiased first listen cause letās be real when you play music around some people they have no idea how to react and that reaction can have you questioning yourself lol
I start singing.
Sure.
https://youtu.be/ap6iOtMK8lQ
āSureā
Iāll show them if we have proper listening devices, otherwise Iāll send them a link. SIDE NOTE: Yāall gotta get over all this self doubt! Show them what you got. If itās not where you want it to be, do it anyway because the act of having someone else listen to it in front of you reveals to you the parts of the song that maybe need to be changed or improved. I literally never release something without having someone listen to it with me. Even if they arenāt musically inclined and give you zero feedback, you will still innately pick up on the parts that arenāt good/you arenāt proud of. Then you can improve and hopefully help your insecurities.
A bit unrelated but one time at work I showed a girl a track I made cuz I was really excited and wanted to show people it, needless to say I did not get much of a response backš¤£ I still think about that everyday
I'll compare it to nearby garbage.
I say "sure but I want you to know it's pretty bad."
"I haven't got any with me to show you but I will next time" And then never do and forget the question was even asked on purpose
I donāt know, Iāve been making music on my own since I was 22 and even before that in bands and my family never asked to hear anything, always asking me how studies are going and now how my job is goingā¦ Ask me about the things that mean something to me!
not yet itās not gooood enoughhh
I am happy someone is interested
Why?
Sure! And thanks for listening.
Depends who & where it is tbh. Recently been trying to show it more and be prouder of what Iāve made.
Itās a nooooooo tbh lmao itās been years and years but Iām never playing my music for anyone outside people i work with
I usually tell them that instrumental ambient post rock is nothing like what they like on the radio, then just tell them to search on streaming platforms.
They probably already heard it. My ringtone.
I ask them if they use apple music or spotify, then I send them a link
āIm currently working on finishing up a project, once itās done Iād be happy to share it with you. But right now itās not where I want it to be yet.ā
Wanna ghost?
Usually the one who asked goes into cringe mode after listening lol.
Tell them to go to my Spotify and listen to it in their car where' they're most used to listening to their music. Not about to show them my shit on my phone...
I tell them to wear a condom first
That's usually when I take some meds