“Sometimes I feel my sound will never get noticed so why not just do pop remixes?”
If this sounds familiar to you, you aren’t alone.
As I see it, here is where you are at. And it’s brutal, so be prepared….
You are filing for creative bankruptcy.
You have let go of the dream of being an “artist” and now are settling to do what it takes to get some attention. This is work that will kill your soul.
Here is the future the creatively bankrupt can look forward to. You will wander off and chase new sounds, techniques, tricks, styles and never master any. You will be a trend follower instead of leading with your own ideas. You will constantly be looking over your shoulder at what the other guy is doing, because you yourself don’t trust your own creative instincts.
This is the dark path that this mindset leads. You are going to need to correct this now, before you become an empty shell, bankrupt of ideas & in total fear of your own thoughts & opinions.
I’ve gone down this path. It’s not pretty.
My goal is to empower people to bring their dream to fruition, not someone else’s. Your voice is every bit as important as the next person, but it’s the one who risks criticism, failure & embarrassment that becomes the happiest & most respected in the long run.
The world doesn’t need a “me too”, it needs you!
So… how to get there?
It’s ok right now to say “this isn’t working”, but you need to make sure that is the truth. Often times we lie to ourselves as a form of protection. It’s time to take the armor off.
1. Do you like your style? This seems like an easy question, but often times we get trapped by liking the attention we get for a piece of work, rather than the work itself. What is it that you like?
2. Did you envision this sound that you’re developing? Are you doing what you originally set out to do, or have to started to follow the path of others instead?
3. Have you accepted that you might need to complete 10-15 songs before you really find your feet? This is a tough pill to swallow, but it’s the truth. Nobody comes fresh out of the gates with a masterpiece. That is as unlikely as it is for a baby to start running before she’s learned to walk or crawl. When you look at it that way, don’t your expectations seem a bit ridiculous? Do the best you can today & know that each time you finish something, you’ll be that much better.
4. Have you really given it your all? Have you don’t the best you can thus far or are you too focused on getting a “quick fix” of attention by taking the path that has already been paved?
When you are starting out, remixing, when done right, can be a great hybrid between you expressing yourself & reflecting a piece of work that you respect.
When you opt to do a remix, it should do 2 things:
1. Allow you to express you through the work of another artist.
2. Build your confidence as a music producer.
If Pop is your style, then by all means, be unapologetically pop! However, if you are looking to that direction just to get some attention, I’d advise against that route.
It’s hard to come back from that & reclaim your unique sound once you go that path. The attention seeking can overtake the art itself & the sad part is that abandoning your own voice won’t likely get you any further.
I didn’t start writing this blog & creating the Producer’s Playground to produce a bunch of “me too’s”. There are plenty of them out there. I want my readers (that means you) to be empowered by their unique voice which is “influenced” by the sounds around them. Not dictated by some popularity contest like a ridiculous game show.
If you find yourself with these (very common) feelings, the solution is not diving into production techniques right away. You first really need to get your mindset in order. It’s your mindset that is failing you now & you need to turn that around. You will need focus, persistence & some self confidence. You will also need to let go of your fear of failing.
Stay curious & vulnerable and never stop moving forward.
With that said, if you are benefiting from these posts, you will absolutely love my 2 bestselling books:
The Mental Game of Music Production
The Process for Electronic Music Producers
You can also Check out the: Ableton Courses & Instruments
If you are looking for personal guidance with your music production or Ableton, you can set up a free chat with me to go over exactly what your best next steps are to create the best music of your life. If it seems like a good fit, we can move forward from there. https://musicsoftwaretraining.com/private-coaching
Happy music making!
Jason