So i wanna make a living out of recording....
Home > Home Recording Forum > Talkin' Smack > So i wanna make a living out of recording....
Posted on Nov 26, 2003 05:47 pm
AK Redline
Seconds From The End
Member Since: Jun 16, 2003
To get in with a major label... do i need to attend a college or get an after school education? will this help? or instead of a bachelor's degree should i go for an associates? is this the kind of field where college is nessacry to make it as a famous producer?
[ Back to Top ]
Nov 26, 2003 06:59 pm Yeah, I wanna do that too ;)
...Well--I don't really care if I'm famous, though. I just love doing it.
Heck-- All I'd care about is getting enough money to buy more equipment and make my recordings better (Besides supporting myself, that is.)
I think that the best thing is to have experience that you can cite. I'm sure a college degree in the field would help, too, but probably won't do you much good on its own. Who knows-- Everything is changing and the industry is changing with it. You didn't need a degree in music production in the past, but you may now.
AK RedlineSeconds From The EndMember
Since: Jun 16, 2003
Nov 26, 2003 07:13 pm hmmm maybe a year a full sail will give me that edge against any old guy desicions desicions
Nov 26, 2003 07:22 pm Yeah, maybe. I don't know. It sounds like Full Sail is kind of almost too popular. Like, if an employer saw that they would just be like, "Oh.. Another one of these guys..."
...Then again, I have no idea.
I'm looking at just going somewhere local where I'll have really small classes and more oppertunity to get noticed. You know what I mean?
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Nov 26, 2003 11:24 pm Experiance has more to do with it then anything. to make it to porducer status is a long hard road. No school can give yo what years of experiance can. And to tell ya the truth, ya either got it or ya dont. The chool idea is great, but that will only get ya in the door, MAYBE. I dont know to many people that can just walk in the door of a studio and say, here I am Mr. Producer, got any job openings. It just doesnt work that way.
WaltChief Cook and Bottle WasherMember
Since: May 10, 2002
Nov 27, 2003 12:39 am I agree. The whole music business is pretty much based on discovery. You have to be discovered. Even if you where not covered in the first place. Mostly women get discovered that way. The right college will help in two ways. Obviously knowledge, but also networking. Get to know your classmates. If they make it maybe they will remember you. Increases you chance of being discovered.
Frankly, this post is most oppertune for me. I was just thinking how I would hate to work for a major lable as a tech. I just spent four hours mixing and mastering and I am burnt out! Need rest for brain and ears. That would be half a day. To say nothing of the fact that I can work on any part of the process as I feel like it. I can't imagine working eight hours streight on recording one person after another and not having any idea what the finished piece is all about. Take a number, next, feet here, bla, bla... And imagine if it was eight hours of country whining? My dog left me and my wife bit me.....barrrrrrr. We need to retake the dog howel, pinch him a little to the left next time.
I might be able to handle a small studio or maybe a dedicated studio. Maybe.
flame...bringing sexy backMember
Since: Jul 01, 2002
Nov 27, 2003 02:15 am Quote:
dog left me and my wife bit me.....barrrrrrr
roflmao
WaltChief Cook and Bottle WasherMember
Since: May 10, 2002
Nov 27, 2003 11:45 am You got me on that one Flame. I'm workin on it.
Nov 27, 2003 12:17 pm In the major industry, it's not what you know, it's who you know. And then it's luck, that they know you, and like you, enough to mention you to someone who might need your skills.
W.
AK RedlineSeconds From The EndMember
Since: Jun 16, 2003
Nov 27, 2003 10:25 pm agreed... well i do know a major executive from virgin records...hmm
AK RedlineSeconds From The EndMember
Since: Jun 16, 2003
Nov 27, 2003 10:27 pm whoops my bad on the double post
Nov 29, 2003 05:22 pm When i was first starting out in the indestry i acually went and Helped out for nothing volntrey doing any thing a little local studio over time i got a job and starting to engneer albums singles and demos i inteended to go to UNI for a deplomer or degree but im happy with where i am through volntrey stuff
Nov 30, 2003 12:38 am the music industry is what you make of it. i dropped out of high school.... and i am making some decent money... enough not to work a day job. just work hard and make good decisions. BE CONFIDENT. you will not be international in a day man... you have to start local... dig around in the scenes, find where you belong. A lot of people in my area are not to openminded... and they all stress out over their day jobs. if you are young... id say take some risks... im pretty drunk.. but its cool.. because i waited till after the show to start drinking.... at any rate... bonnie raitt.. haha. yea man.. id say. confidence and takings risks builds the unique bridge to your future... you might find you dont like it after all.... you never know. it does suck sometimes... hence my drunkenness nes snes n64. peace
Nov 30, 2003 07:12 am Quote:
i dropped out of high school
Now, there is one of the bigger mistakes one can make. If you want to babble non-sensical gibberish like the above post, go ahead and do that. One is really best off with a decent education as something to fall back on should the need arise.
While that is NOT meant as a direct jab at MKF, he does inadvertantly bring up an important point. In many respects the music business is no different from any other business, the most valuable people in the business (at the label, at the studio, on the stage, whatever) are the people that can contibute the most. SOme poeple contribute with money, some poeple with skill some people with general all-around knowledge.
Myself, my current employer has layed off over 30% of the staff in the last year or so. I have not been layed off, it's not because the website is that important, but because I also know many other things that are important, and TOTALLY unrelated to the web, such as client presentation making, basic PC knowledge, video production and much more that it would cost a fortune to outsource...
The same hold true in a studio, if you know more than just "the guitar" it is beneficial, how about the science of electronics (which you can learn in high-school in places) how to build a sound board (and make it LOOK decent), time and project scheduling management...sounds dull, but the more you know the longer you can stick around the more demanding you can be down the road...
flame...bringing sexy backMember
Since: Jul 01, 2002
Nov 30, 2003 07:42 am nes snes n64? what were ya drinking dude? meths?
Nov 30, 2003 09:23 am Also, there is the subject statement of "making decent money". Might I ask, MKF, what do you consider decent money? Just surviving, or being able to put some away or invest it in something that will grow into more.
Myself, and I assume most others don't want to just survive, they want to thrive, which is the reason many, while not HAVING to do have day job, do have day jobs to try and get ahead rather than just keep up. Just keeping up won't cut it inthe long run.
flame...bringing sexy backMember
Since: Jul 01, 2002
Nov 30, 2003 09:26 am true, you can make 'decent money' busking...depends how ya look at it. busking moneys not as decent as 'head of department' type money.
having said that, im on 'make do' wages at the minute - but im very happy with everything at the minute, so the moneys not as important.
Nov 30, 2003 10:56 am Quote:
but im very happy with everything at the minute, so the moneys not as important.
Very true, lets see if you say the same thing 30-40 years from now when people you know are starting to retire...the single biggest fault of people, starting with my generation and continuing on from there is having a very bad habit of only looking at "the now" and not looking ahead and preparing for the future.
flame...bringing sexy backMember
Since: Jul 01, 2002
Nov 30, 2003 11:46 am i kinda like working anyways, luckily...
WaltChief Cook and Bottle WasherMember
Since: May 10, 2002
Nov 30, 2003 11:48 am Wow, this thread went south!
I don't advocate droping out of high school. Both my daughers did that and had to work extreamly hard afterward to get established. In the same breath, music differs somewhat from other industries that are fast becoming inordanately dependant on the "degree". There are cliques however with the music industry where degree "matters". My band director has a Masters and he relates to people who have degrees and places a LOT of value on that. I am not degreed in music and it has taken eight years to be mentioned in public as a soloist. Don't get me wrong, that is not a resentment. Honorable mentions are not important to what I want from my music. By the same token there are cliques where the degree is a dirty word. It really comes down to most people without giving any thought to their motivations want to be surrounded with people like themselves. It's all about conectivity, comfort level, feelings, as well as abilities. Kung Fu has a good point. In some communites, if being part of that community is important to one, you have to buy your way in if that is the economic structure of that community. I most cases, one way or another we have to buy our way in. We sell ourselves and our abilities which others need to preceive prior to being "paid". Of course that too can be a double edged sward. If you get known as that guy who works for free you can suffer from a paradyme that a lot of people carry around which is "you get what you pay for".
Anyway, I'm getting tired of babbling about it. Suffice to say it's tricky getting started.
Nov 30, 2003 03:54 pm Quote:
nes snes n64
Dude, You forgot GCN...
Nov 30, 2003 04:56 pm im not going to tell you exactly how much i make, i feel thats a little unprofessional. lets just say i pay all my bills, take care of all my financial responsibilities and i still have a monthly budget of about three or four thousand to spend depending on how the month went. I dump most of the cash i get back into the business, and i have been saving up capital to start an all ages music venue. I was kicked out of my fathers house about 6 months ago.. and now half a year later im here. who knows where ill be in 6 more months. I was talking to this guy today who just bought CREEP records (Bouncing Souls, Plow United, The BOILS, among other punk pioneers) and we might be making an alliance before the new year. and if we dont... i could care less because i know another oppertunity will pop up. you have to stay positive, be confident, and work correctly. you can work as hard as you want... but if you dont function CORRECTLY in any enviornment you will get no where. all this may not apply to you.. but in my experience... so far this is how ive become successful and will continue to do so.
Nov 30, 2003 04:59 pm but like i said dB... im 20, i dont have kids or a wife or a family that i have to provide for like you do. I think that in any case would come first...also without a family i can take the risks... that i would never EVER take if i had a family. everyones life is different. philly is just a place where there is alot of money floating around in the music biz i guess.
Nov 30, 2003 05:05 pm Hell dude, I take risks everyday with my families future, I opened my own audio and video post-production facility with family money, invest money in the stock market...if ya don't take risks ya don't get rewards...
LokiCone PokerMember
Since: Apr 07, 2002
Nov 30, 2003 05:21 pm I thought about dropping out of highschool, forming a band, and touring all the time, doing whatever crappy job needed to be done that week so i would have enough money for gas.... in all honesty that was very appealing to me, it still is, but I decided that highschool HAD to be done, even if that's all I did with my life I had to get through highschool... so I did. Took me a while and I hated every minute of it, but its' done and I have a diploma. Something to fall back on. Now I was presented witht he chance to live my dfream as a bum rock star again... I had finished high school and could hit the road... but then I realized how nice college would be. I could learn all sorts of things about what I'm into, learn the finer parts of recording, meet people. So yeah, Now i'm a freshman in college...
Point of that story: It's alright to have dreams and stuff, like of being a touring musician, but you have to have your priorities straight. I know that I'll most likley never be a famous musician, so I needed something to fall back on.
Nov 30, 2003 05:39 pm well... loki, one of the only good things about this country is you can be whatever you want. kids like michael jordan go from thinking they suck at basketball in highschool because he got cut from the team every year to... i think you can figure the rest of the story out.
touring. and recording. are 2 different things. i toured the country when i was 17. i wasnt famous. i probably never will be either. that still doesnt determine if im going to be successful in music or not. DONT DISS DROPPING OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL. i dropped out for that tour and i would do it again if i was put back in that situation. i could still go back legally if i wanted to. i said screw it, got my GED and GOT ON WITH LIFE. i just cant learn in a class room..i wasnt going to say this before... but youve brought be to it.... EDUCATION IS FOR PEOPLE WHO NEED IT. that goes along with the confidence kick as well.. plain and simple. if you dont believe me turn on ABC tonight. i dont own a TV.. but im pretty sure Peter Jennings still has a job there??? right? guess what. he dropped out of high school too...and today, in media hes a firmiliar face. not for his education.. but for his confidence TONS of people dropped out of high school. because they can. its AMERICA. you can go from nothing to king of the world if you harness the energy right.
i wish you all the best in college tho. where are you going? have you applied for any interships to studios in the are yet? if i were you id get on that ASAP. thats how alot of people go from the college to real world jump.
LokiCone PokerMember
Since: Apr 07, 2002
Nov 30, 2003 05:57 pm you're right, touring and recording are two different things. I realized I most likely won't be a famous musician recording hit songs in a studio, so whats the next logiccal step? Working with famous musicians recording their hit songs in a studio. As far as your education rant goes, yeah you can get on in liffe with no highschool diploma, you can also get on in life by working four jobs at a fast food chain. education is for those who need it, and we all need it. you're no better than anyone else so get off your high horse elitest podium. I mean obviously you're so much smarter than I, or anyone else who had little to no brainpower and had to finish high school. Dropping out showed just how much superior intellect you had right? Right... you got lucky and it's working for you, good job, but all it is is luck.
Nov 30, 2003 06:14 pm I will dis dropping out of school, it's a terrible mistake to make, you think you're doing alright now cuz at 20 your doing OK, wait a while, you have three paths possible, either you make it as a rock star and do well for yourself, your career goes to hell and you have no education to fall back on so you wind up in dire straits, or you, like petter jennings BUST YOUR BUTT to make it because you started your adult life three steps behind cuz you were an arrogant jerk and assume you're better than high school.
I am not gonna sit here and listen to you and your ignorant promotion of dropping out of school just because at 20 yo think you're doing OK. Hell, you haven't even lived yet.
Nov 30, 2003 06:32 pm What you also may not be aware of, or chosen to ignore, is that Pter Jennings generation is significantly different than yours, the world was a MUCH different place and it was much easier to survive and even do very well without a diploma. Today it is MUCH harder to get any decent "real job" without one.
The point of a diploma to an employer isn't only that you got good grades, but also shows your willingness to finish things...which for an employer is very important. It shows that when things get tough ya don't just quit, which is the way most high school drop outs are. They convince themselves they don't need it, but in reality it's just that they are not willing to put forth the effort cuz your lazy or just don't care. I know, I went thru the same internal struggle myself in school.
AK RedlineSeconds From The EndMember
Since: Jun 16, 2003
Nov 30, 2003 06:56 pm wow i didnt think this thread would explode into this haha i just want to say the dB youre exactly right and with what you said about a diploma showing the employer that you can finish things. but having a diploma can make give you the edge over some any ol' dude off the street. take it as you like.
Nov 30, 2003 07:00 pm Thanks, AK, also remember it expands beyond GETTING a job, it can also give an edge when it comes to promotions or even lateral moves within an employer. A young kid fresh from dropping out can get a job making decent cash, but if he is still making that same money 20 years later...well...you do the math :-D
WaltChief Cook and Bottle WasherMember
Since: May 10, 2002
Nov 30, 2003 08:05 pm Yup, and don't forget as ISO, GMP and other standards take hold of more and more industries. It COSTS companies a lot of bucks to document and substantiate their employees abilities. Much, much cheaper to hire a degree. The college provides the documentation and subatantiation up front!
Nov 30, 2003 08:35 pm in no way at all am i promoting dropping out. at all. i was saying... i dropped out of school and i make decent money. not "you should drop out of school because youll do better than if you dont drop out of school" did i? now that would be a pretty ignorant statement. HARDLY promotion. and still... an opinion. and i didnt drop out because i was lazy. i dropped out because i was faced with an oppertunity durring school that the school board didnt consider to be "educational". so if you want to talk about ignorance dB??? contact spring ford high school. i mearly said... dont diss dropping out. maybe it offends me... haha. i think your just pissed because... someone is succeding. like the mindset every A&R i come across has. maybe you should apply at a label in.... oh yea thats right... there isnt anything going on in minnesota!... besides their declining football record....(i thought id stab every way i could seemings you keep doing it to me!)
Nov 30, 2003 08:46 pm Dude, you're banned, don't come back, HRC doesn't need/want you.
Congrats, you're only the second person that has been a big enough jerk to get banned. You have been given several warnings to lose your 'tude. Did I ever jab directly at you? No...just disagreed and stated my cases why.
AK RedlineSeconds From The EndMember
Since: Jun 16, 2003
Nov 30, 2003 09:50 pm woah now. end result is stay in school :)
WaltChief Cook and Bottle WasherMember
Since: May 10, 2002
Dec 01, 2003 06:36 am And there you have it folks!
Stay tuned for the next episode of?
And your little dog Toedoe Too!
.
Only Youuuuuu
.
Hostla Vista....Babby!
.
Another one bites the dust
.
Bang bang Maxwell's silver hammer
.
The way you changed my life
.
Communications break down, It's always the same
.
What we have here, is a failure to communicate
.
Frankly darling, I don't
.
Help, Mr. Wizzard!
.
Shazzam! Gol..ol..eee!
.
The answer, my frield is blowing in the wind
.
TheTincanbugsloppy dice, drinks twiceMember
Since: Aug 05, 2003
Dec 01, 2003 08:48 am MKF: "i think your just pissed because... someone is succeding." ... "oh yea thats right... there isnt anything going on in minnesota!... besides their declining football record....(i thought id stab every way i could seemings you keep doing it to me!)"
I can't believe anyone would have the lack of class/intelligence/common decency necessary to post such an idiotic set of statements. Shame on you, sir.
Dec 01, 2003 08:52 am OK, while I laugh at the last few posts, and appreciate the fact there are a couple people that agree with the staff decision to ban (or so it sounds to me anyway) I am going to have to lock this thread since MKF is banned, it seems unfair and kinda rude for me to allow people to take pot-shots at him.
I feel bad if he actually thinks I don't want to see people succeed, personally, there is no bigger thrill for me than seeing people I know doing well...I love to see how much better people get over time, and when success comes for them. Minnesota is a GREAT place for music as well, I love it here...it's sad to see someone take something so personally and start getting defensive and mean. Sadly, that is usually the result of one that lacks confidence but wants to portray a different picture. Honestly MKF, nothing I said was meant as a direct insult at you, just the comments that somehow make it sound as tho it's good to drop out of school. Cuz it's a bad thing to do.
Thread locked, lets move on and go back to being the productive, fun and educational community this has always been.
However, given the topic, which is a great topic, feel free to start another thread on the subject if you wish.
