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Early 2000s

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TheKomodo:
I can't say much right now need to get ready for a train but just wanted to say, my stuff on radio isn't mainstream or anything, and it's free download, i'll never be like that ahaha!

skunk3:
My 2 cents:

If you want to make it in the industry as a DJ or producer it basically has to be your life, and/or you have to be INCREDIBLY talented and have a unique style that sets you apart from the rest.

I've DJ'ed since high school and although I never really tried to 'make it' I know a few people who have... some who have made it and some who haven't but wanted to. Making it in DJ'ing completely depends on where you live. It is most competitive in Europe by far because you not only have to be technically skilled, but you need to be the whole package... producer, established label owner or artist, have your own style/taste, constantly keep up on new and older music, and be willing to travel and oftentimes work for free or less than what you deserve. These days you also need to have a squeaky clean social media record too because social justice warriors and internet trolls will tear you apart if they find anything at all. Also, as lame as it is, but being 'sexy' is also a plus.

It also depends on what you consider 'making it.' Do you want to play at local parties? Local clubs? Play at high end clubs? Play at festivals? Personally I think the festival circuit is trash because each DJ has maybe 2 hours to play so they don't take chances and don't have enough time to get really 'out there' and experimental. In the U.S. you're basically gonna be stuck playing local parties/weeklys/monthlys unless you live in a bigger city that actually has a 7-days-a-week sort of night life scene. You will also have to play for free a lot of the time because bar/club owners don't wanna pay anyone shit because for every one DJ who is worth their salt there are twenty other kids who have a laptop and some kind of Serato controller and a hard drive full of pirated MP3's. Also, most venues do not supply any sort of equipment at all aside from sound, and some places can't even supply sound... and if they do most of the time the sound system is garbage. I personally feel that playing a 1-2 hour set is a waste of time unless it's hip-hop. For dance/electronic music I want at LEAST 4 hours to play so I can take people on a journey. So keep in mind that if you are going to travel and DJ a bunch you have to deal with the logistics of transporting all of your stuff, which isn't a problem if you are going to play somewhere that is going to provide equipment but depending on your media of choice it can still be a pain. I prefer to play vinyl but transporting two turntables, a mixer, and a couple of crates of records is a pain in the ass... so sometimes I just bring a laptop and a Pioneer controller, or sometimes I will bring the decks but use control vinyl in conjunction with Serato or Rekordbox. These days I don't go out and play that much anymore because everyone wants to hear 'bass music' EDM these days and don't have the attention span or taste to enjoy actually deep, creative music.

DVS1 recently put out a video interview and he talked about the current state of DJ'ing and the difference between club/rave culture and festival culture and says that they are basically entirely different things and I agree with him. I hate festivals and DJ worship. DJ's need to be up in a booth, out of sight of the dance floor and the hype of an event needs to be based upon the quality of the sound system and location rather than 'so-and-so is gonna spin!'

As far as production goes, a lot of the aforementioned stuff still applies. These days EVERYONE is a 'producer.' There's even a million YouTube tutorials for every conceivable thing so even a total beginner can get up and running in no time. The problem with this glut of producers these days is that very few people are original and have their own sound and style. Everyone else just basically tries to emulate artists they admire, and poorly. Everyone buys sample packs (or pirates them) and everyone uses the same hot/new VST synths and the same presets because most people don't bother learning how to actually program a synthesizer aside from maybe tweaking a couple of parameters. People just focus on the mastering part of it because they want their crappy, cookie-cutter track to sound as 'professional' as possible even though it sucks. There are no interesting melodies and harmonies, no interesting chord changes or inversions, etc. It's just basic loops arranged and stacked. I know I'm sounding negative here but DJ'ing and production are really important to me even though I haven't actually finished a song of my own in several years now due to a lack of passion because of depression. I still buy and eventually sell all kinds of hardware bits of gear to learn them inside and out just because I like learning about the technology and become intimately familiar with the unique sonic characteristics of each thing. (Currently my 'toy of the hour' is the Analogue Solutions Telemark synthesizer.) That said, I am a music junkie and I'm constantly digging, buying vinyl, exploring Spotify, etc... and when it comes to newer independent music I get frustrated because so much of it is total shit. If it's not good enough to see a proper vinyl release on a decent label it's probably not worth my time.

tl;dr -

DJing: To make it you basically just need to put in a bunch of time playing for free and establishing yourself and your style. If you 'keep it real' and play more experimental sets you will likely not be as popular to crowds as other DJ's who play safe music choices, even if you are respected by the real music heads. To make a living DJ'ing you either have to sell out, be lucky, or have connections.

Producing: Making it as a producer is 10x as hard as making it as a DJ because it requires far more talent. My advice would be to not look for sample packs, stems, templates, etc. Just make whatever comes directly from your soul regardless of 'genre' or whatever. Tutorials for basic tips and techniques are fine but just be yourself. Good and interesting songwriting/composition is far more important than mastering polish. Also, it's good to at minimum have a decent mic for recording external sounds and voices because people who work 100% 'in the box' are missing an organic element... so record hand claps, DIY percussion, sounds, your own voice, etc. Read up on how recording sessions used to work before easy and cheap digital multitracking and get really good at playing an instrument. It doesn't matter which one, but you need to be good at at least one. Also, learn to sight read music instead of just randomly clicking scale-quantized notes into a grid on a DAW.

TheKomodo:
To me, "making it big" in music is having your music well known and respected to the fans/artists/people in the genre you make.

I have no interest in becoming a social media obsessed DJ, or playing at gigs/festivals, I realized this a few years ago when I had a chance to pursue this path, it made me feel uncomfortable and awkward, and I realized I have to make music my way or not at all.

I don't believe to be successful is as hard as you make out, it's simple, you have to give/create something that many other people want to experience, if that is something new/unique and exciting, you have a much bigger chance, I soon realized I do not want to make the kind of music that most people enjoy, my music desires an acquired taste, I don't want to spend every waking hour making music because I have other interests and want to make the music I want to make regardless what people think about it, and like skunk says you need a squeaky clean social media page, and I am far too opinionated to be that successful, i'd end up spending every waking hour debating with people lol.

The problem is, what people actually want, in my opinion what people want kinda sucks... Like skunk said, I think being 'sexy' is quite important to being worldwide famous, which is my biggest dislike of the modern music industry, sex appeal, and most music focusing on the latest trends that change day to day, this is of course talking about mainstream music, the kind that makes people extremely rich and famous, it's all about looking good, feeling cool, but to me music is very spiritual, I don't even like lyrics, i'm all about the pure frequencies and sounds, harmony and adventure it takes you on.

Personally I believe if you love performing with every fibre of your being, you WILL find a way to make a career out of it, regardless of what anyone says, it might take a while but if you love if, it's the journey you enjoy, so time doesn't matter.

I will find continue to find success in music in my own way, I had interest from Nu Venture Records who said they enjoy my music, one of my favourite artists Rameses B has worked with them as well as Veela(an amazing, beautiful female vocalist), however they also said my style doesn't suit the style of their label, they would want me to produce stuff that sounds more mainstream/popular, and that didn't appeal to me, but it was amazing to get such positive feedback from people I greatly admire, to me, that is success because it was one of my personal life dreams/goals to be on that level, even though not everyone will agree :)

Y2JID:
Sup var

Ytrojan:

--- Quote from: TheKomodo on March 07, 2019, 06:44 PM ---
--- Quote from: skunk3 on March 07, 2019, 02:43 PM ---I don't give a crap if people play in leagues nor do I care what 'generation' they are from. I don't want to play with noobs, period. It's a waste of time.

--- End quote ---

There are many who share the same view as you, unfortunately that is why there are so many "noobs", and that is why less and less "skilled" players stick around.

Imagine, if education around the world ceased to exist, because teachers & experts around the world saw pupils & students as "noobs" and thought of engaging with and teaching them as a waste of time.

From the perspective of a noob, it is entirely possible that only a few encounters with such an impatient opinion as you have there can put someone off a game completely.

The human race is mostly selfish.

--- End quote ---
Yeah, this is how leagues die. If the WWF had fewer and fewer true superstars and more and more jobbers during the Attitude Era, I would be watching WCW every Monday Night. Not to mention, we should have PewDiePie play this game. The free promotion would help bring the 9-year-old army to this game, and those noobs eventually become pros[size=78%].[/size]

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