I laughed SO hard at the "crash and burn" section. I don't think you've ever really grown as a creative person (in ANY field) until you experience the "I might be a genius" to "I might be mentally disabled" transition. And it tends to happen pretty quickly.
I took 9 years off of my musical journey, and now I'm jumping back in, feeling like I'm on a hobby-mirror of Level 2 moving to Level 3. I'm beginning to realize how little I've learned in my first 6 years of guitar, and how much I've forgotten in the 9 years since. I said to myself 'I've been playing for x years' til it got to 10 and I realized I haven't been playing at all. I always dreaded theory, and gravitated to party tricks, technique practice, and tabs of my favorite songs - but now its time to buckle down, and my Level 2 complex has been making me think "once I learn theory, I can be a jam god", when in reality, Level 3 lurked around the corner and told me how little I actually know.
Friendly Amendment from a 57 year old who is rediscovering musical joy: Stage 8 is where the greater influence of your endeavors (both musical and social) comes back home to you to remind you of your further relevance in the larger cultural context, and where your freedom to experiment is not only highest, but your feedback of "social draw" from your life is immediate and supported in a much more authentic way. It is the actual "Fulcrum of Parasociality" and is the most balanced of your journey thus far - neither self-deluded nor clouded by the delusions of others regarding your notoriety. "You kids get off my lawn!" gets replaced by "Thank you for enjoying my lawn, come back anytime so I can tell you my story about it, and you can tell me YOUR story about it!" :)
Surprised, (not surprised) that Mr. Know it all, did not respond to this amazingly prescient honest and touching comment. Not too mention it gives so much more hope than where video ended, he should take his blinders off but perhaps stage 8 eludes some
@@tatnallkennedy - Thank you for your sentiments, they are appreciated. In Benn's defense it is incredibly difficult for anyone with a substantial number of followers (and the added stress of public exposure of one's possible mistakes) to respond to anything posted in RUclips commentary. I've heard other RUclipsrs say that they hardly ever reply at all because of how psychologically crushing dealing with general public cynicism can be. I feel it myself, and I hardly make any waves at all with my current status in Parasociality. Besides, I'm grateful that he shares a large amount of his knowledge and effort on a public venue such as this. He hardly has been paid well for doing so, meaning it's only "for exposure" that he is posting here, and still at a cost of considerable time to do the editing necessary. If you consider Public Replies added to that already large effort and it's clear why so few do.
If there is something that "the internet" has taught me over the years, is that anything can happen at any given time. Of course, it's pretty improbable that your career will turn around again, and you see a sudden "rise to fame", but it's not impossible... if you are pretty talented, but people simply don't know yet to fully appreciate the scope and depth of what you compose, the rise can still be something in your future. Especially to someone that composes what you compose... ;) I sure hope you keep doing what you do best, and that you can get through life without caring too much about money. Surely, one day people will say "Remember The Flashbulb? That guy was awesome... only now we fully understand the depth of what he did..." :) best of luck to you, Benn
I think that it all depends on what’s your motivation. Do you have a “message” or do you just pound in songs? What is the deeper meaning of your greatness? In the beginning of my music journey someone asked me - If you knew you will never make it - would you do it anyway? And my answer was a big fat YES! I met so many people and experienced so many things that I will be forever grateful. My burnout phases were usually a result of the obsessive part that wants more and more and more. When I am getting to that point, I literally stop everything and change perspective even if it means to go and feed homeless people or sit in the dark and silence for 3 days… Wish everyone all the best on their yellow brick road ✌️☮️
I would love more than anything to do music professionally but with a dad working as a music journalist, I know how difficult it is to go anywhere as a nobody; it's just too scary a jump for me at the moment. Who knows, if my band gets any limelight whatsoever, I might consider it.
Hey Ben - really great, very interesting. I'm assuming this has been your journey. Mine took a slightly different route (via writing) so I can relate to many points although I think I escaped some of the worst ones 😱 Love your videos. Just keep on truckin'
Got a profound piece of advice talking with Martin Atkins about shifting to the music industry full-time: "If you leave your day job, you'll start taking work you never would've before just to make ends meet. Stay until you have absolutely no other choice."
I'll bet $100 that I'm the least competitive musician. There's no way any musician is less competitive than me. I challenge you to prove you're less competitive but I bet I'll win.
Damn. I'm about to turn 25, I have a bachelor's in Music Composition and when you answered the question "what will you do if it doesn't work out?" "I guess I'll just die" is basically what I would answer too...
I hope you gonna do well... For me music was just a hobby... For last 15 years. Few weeks ago I quit my job to finish as much of the projects I have on hold since then. Don't know how will end up. Im thinking about making video log when time comes to do it 😊
I hold a MFA in composition - music is not my job. Making music doesn’t have to be for money or for popularity. I feel like the terms amateur and hobbyist are used in a derogatory way far to often. Just because you make music for you, doesn’t mean you aren’t a musician.
I’m turning 30 next month, and have toured the us multiple times and done things i never imagined, but also still am not supporting myself full time with music. My plan if this shit doesn’t work out is just that lol… here’s hoping 🤞🏼🤞🏼
Realize that everyone who is good & known for what they do were doing it for 10 years before anyone knew who they were. That should tell you what to do with the next decade.
I'd more so call myself a music professional than a professional musician. I'm 56 now and feeling more creative than ever, doing so many interesting projects I'd never imagined and enjoying the benefits of the many years of wonderful experiences. My music career has not gone according to the plan of my teenage self, but my wife and I do make a decent living creating art together (she's a choreographer and visual artist). I wouldn't say I've been through all your 7 stages or in that order, every "music career" is different. I'm just grateful to be having so much fun and feeling so inspired much of the time. My advice? Surround yourself with beautiful artists and collaborators and you can't go wrong. You might not get rich and famous, but you'll be happy! Thanks as always for the great subjects and thoughtful approach.
I don't believe in the "music is a young mans game" crap anymore. It takes years to build skills and even more importantly musical taste not just to showcase the skills. Especially music producers do their best work at 40+
Fantastic video Benn. I feel like you're elegantly speaking to multiple audiences here, those considering or already on this journey, but this also helps bring some clarity (dare I say closure?) to those of us that maybe followed other paths in life and always wondered, "what if?". Such a profound bit of content man. Please know that you are proving to be every bit as relevant in my middle-aged life as you were back in college when I used to park the car out in some green space somewhere, throw on some Pale Blue Dot, and look to the stars for the meaning of life. Now it's just taken a different, evolved form.
I was never able to break out of the "local musician" part of my "career" and while I've managed to squeeze out a few albums that I'm proud of (and some that I am working on now) It has always been an uphill battle. I'm 39 now and I'm hoping to, at this point, sell enough albums to keep my hobby funded. My job and personal life was always such a hinderance to my studio time and i sometimes regret getting a full time job instead of dedicating myself more fully to music. But here I am. I came so close to submitting something for your contest but I just couldn't find the time to get it finished. I look forward to your future videos and to dropping the link to my album for the discord folks to pick apart in the future!!!
The other day i checked who are the artists I listened to the most on Spotify over a span of more than 5 years. You are 2nd place, that is crazy consistent. and I'm not even 30 years old. You are a big inspiration for many producers of my age.
ngl, 11:10 that advice is SO simple, and it really is, but I really needed to hear it and I'm really grateful I found your channel from Venus Theory. Sir, you have restored the creative juices I thought I had tragically lost with your funny words
This video is going to become required viewing for all of my students who are planning careers in music. Brilliantly executed as is your usual standard!
If you're all in "You're not betting on fate you are wrestling with time." My experience in a nutshell. The truth is that most people make great music, it's whether you have the work ethic and time management skills to do all the things. Most don't.
Those are also the seven stages of being a professional software engineer. A friend of mine's in his 70s. He was in Dr. Hook, which should give you a pretty good idea of when in his life he became irrelevant as a professional musician. For the last 35 years he's been working in a music store, selling guitars, getting paid modestly, and enjoying the security of having employer-provided health insurance. He makes music every day. (He commutes by bus, and sits in the back of the bus playing his guitar into his phone.) Every so often he gigs. He doesn't have the slightest hint of ambition. He's in his 70s, for Christ's sake. I know few people who are as happy with their lives as he is.
I made 3 to 5 hundred per gig (8 pcs band) back throughout the 80's. Now, i make $25 to $50 per gig (5 pcs band) and at times i owe more on my tab and tips. Reality sucks !
I’m a little late to your channel, but i really appreciate the reality check you incur on here so often. Its really great to hear someone successful, yet not famous in the classical sense or even having a charting song, talk about this kind of stuff. Its really valuable for us that are trying to eke out an existence in the difficult music industry of today
Wonderful! Thank you. “The chances of you being the most determined or talented part-time or hobbyist musician becoming successful is extremely slim. The chances of an all-in professional musician becoming successful is inevitable. You’re not betting on fate, you’re just wrestling with time now.”
I know I'm never going to go professional (I'm a few years older than you and I can't get past a 4 bar loop), but I enjoyed this video nonetheless. Honestly, I think many of the same stages apply for my industry (tech). As for the shadow ban, I'm subscribed and your video popped up soon after it as posted. I do believe you're shadow banned though, as I watched a LOT of music production videos before I was finally suggested one of yours. Which is weird to me because you've got one of the best channels of any I subscribe to.
What is that chart at the end? I know what a "hip hop male musician" is. What the fuck is a "hip hop male"? Also it's probably best to not extrapolate your life experiences to other people. The reason why most people record their best albums before the age of 35 is probably that most albums are recorded before that age not because of deteriorating "creative brain centers". If you look at people who do have a steady stream of releases during a long life, especially with hindsight and ignoring fashion as much as possible I don't see any strong correlation between youth and albums "quality".
Hey Benn, just noticed the spot on your eyebrow. I have a blonde spot on my left brow as well. Was yours always there? I was born with spots on my left brow and in he left side of my head hair, also my left eyelashes are blonde while the right eyelashes are brown. Not very often I meet anyone with poliosis
I think I'm in that Crash & Burn stage right now Actually, I'm still not even quite there, in that I've yet to break into the professional music scene, but I respect how skilled everyone is and feel so scared to reach out and try to put myself out there. Lots of self-doubt right out of college lol
Loved this, never took the plunge to pro but I was right on the brink 25 years ago. Still not sure if I dodged a bullet or missed a great opportunity. At 50 I still love making music and love the fact that I can be completely free with experimentation, though that last graph was a kicker🤣
The last graph is just bullshit. Do you know any trap artists over the age of 40? Don't confuse life expectancy with average age of death, especially when the selected groups are highly age related
That was extremely honest and heartfelt. Thank you for being vulnerable and sharing your wisdom. You’ve made a really big impact in the musical world, and I hope that you reflect on your career in a positive way even if there are ups and downs.
Skipped to stage 7 as my main life goal long ago, hurray! A middle aged Italian sculptor told me once after a show, “obscurity isn’t the worst thing in the world.”
Excellent, transparent, and honest words Benn! Much appreciated. I am a musician who has went through many stages as well, as many others my age have. In fact, the most success I had in the music business was with a group based out of Chicago called Blackmaker. Hard rock and southern influenced rock band. We had many albums, mostly self released or on independent labels. The unfortunate demise of our group was getting signed by a Major. An album that never saw the light of day. That was our ceiling, it crashed, and we became disheartened and eventually after legal battles, getting out of contracts, etc. called it a day. With that being said, that experience taught me alot about how to conduct myself in the business world today, and the types of offers and situations to look out for or to embrace. I still take chances of course, haha, but my decisions are a little more focused. I too am a multi-instrumentalist, electronica artist, pop, hiphop, producer, mix and mastering engineer. I am still building my business this many years later. Basically had to start back from the ground floor at the age of 40. I now have a family, and my priorities have changed. I have offers to do some road work, but am much more choosing when I accept. I do most of my work from home, most of my clients are from every city but my own. As the city I live in doesn't foster much of a scene in my field. I just primarily wanted to thank you for your honesty and hard earned wisdom. I always tune in to your videos, as they are very informative. Keep doing you. 👍
Hi Benn, I love this video and I agree with everything you're saying, but after thinking about it, I do think there's one major omission. When you're an older musician, you can restart the cycle of your career if you're willing to pivot or try something different. James Murphy was a failing alt-rocker until he decided to give electroclash a go. Leonard Cohen was at an all-time low when he picked up a cheap keyboard and started writing weird R&B ballads like Hallelujah. Damon Albarn with Gorillaz, Paul Simon with Graceland, Trent Reznor with film scores... It might be my denial speaking, but I feel like you can have a 2nd and 3rd act in your artistic career if you're ready to go through the discomfort of going back to the drawing board and learning new tricks... Thoughts?
I agree. This is what I meant by indifference becoming a gateway to freedom, and why I'm releasing solo jazz piano albums and yapping about things on RUclips after a career in experimental electronic music. 😅
As always, Waaaaaaaaaaaaay deeper and well thought-out than I expected. Dude, you're the king of underselling. I don't know how often I pass on one of your videos because the title sounds so meh, but then when I do watch one of those videos, I immediately after go and watch at least one more
When you showed the photo of Mark is the moment I realized why I even clicked on one of your videos. I lived in Humboldt for 10 years and knew the Mucca band very well. I knew I had met this guy before but I could not remember where for the life of me! Great stuff here, Benn! I remember helping Mark move all the Mucca gear into a new studio and can confirm that Mark did like giving work to musicians!
This video really inspired me to finish my debut album. I've been working on it so long that any attempt at releasing it makes me fear that it will be beneath me in 6 months based on the knowledge and skill I've gained. But this made me realize that this part of my career is one of the best parts and the creative energy flowing through me will overcome any technical shortcomings. Thanks again.
An honest question here. How does anyone living close to a large US city have the money to go full-time without having reached close to full-time income levels with their music yet? $2k in rent don't exactly make things easy.
10 years ago I nearly crashed my car because I was enjoying Undiscovered Colors a bit too much. Now I'm watching this really awesome video, life is good 😎🤙
I'm quitting my day job at the end of the year to go full time, already told my boss, can't go back. This video is good timing but also very scary hehe
I’m subscribed, but I don’t have the notification bell on, and this video ended up on my home screen. That probably means the shadow ban is over. Thank you for reminding me why I chose a normal career as opposed to being a musician. It wasn’t what I expected to get out of this video.
dude, you're ace, like a lot of snarky viewers/producers i started watching this through my own filter of BS and by the end was agreeing with every damn word. nice job!
Thanks for the video. But I think your ambient music at 13:57 is 0.05 decibels TOO LOUD. /s Seriously though, super informative and entertaining video. Subscribed! Edit: And the ending / Stage VII was beautifully put. Thanks
I absolutely loved the ending of this video. I love your content, I think you’re my favorite single musician. You don’t make my favorite music all the time, I like too many different things to say that about anyone, but as a music producer, music educator, and veteran of the music industry, you are somebody I’m happy to be able to learn from. A lot of people like you may never reach out as far and spread what they have as far and then die relatively young and all we have is their music, which isn’t much other than something to enjoy, or something like a bit creative radiation from the past telling us that something was once there. I probably won’t become a professional musician. I’m autistic, so my life expectancy is low enough. Music has been the most important interest of mine throughout my entire life but I’m too poor to start and too averse to change and too bad at adapting that I don’t think that life would suit me. I will still keep it as a hobby, and try my best to stay close to music as I can despite what else I wish to do.
I am a pro and I never dove in. I get paid when I play. However I am a hobbyist. I have had a business all through my musical journey. I found that so many artists have a poor hold on understanding their worth and pursuing the proper path to earning. So I have NEVER taken a “showcase gig”. That is until my life was in a financial position to supplement my band member pay when doing poor paying gigs. I was confronted by to high level musicians (bass and drums) that I hired for residency gig. I was in the process of re-inventing myself into a new genre. From Blues to Country. I was struggling with the new songs and was not playing well. I got an email from the drummer, he was firing me? He was representing the Bass player as well. He was incredibly brutal. Said I wasn’t ready to performing in the public. It hurt so bad. But it was the best thing that ever happened to me.
Awesome video Ben! I think this will give a lot of people clarity. Also I laughed a lot at the graph near the end lol I want to be a career musician because contrary to all the other jobs I've tried so far, it is the one thing I feel I could do indefinitely, that will always keep me invested, thinking forwards and working hard, that will challenge me constantly and encourage me to surpass my limits. Ever since I was young I drew a lot of purpose from music, for so long I dismissed it as a dream and sort of just let it rot in the back of my mind while I did other things... That hurt me more than I could have imagined, I thought it would go away eventually but it was always there it would just sort of linger around me in a taunting manner. Recent events have brought me to a certain realization, that I cannot just let this pass me by. I'm only just starting to learn truly how hard this is going to be, that I currently have almost no idea what I'm doing and how much I still have to learn as well as what it's going to cost me, but that said (and call this ignorance possibly) I really don't care if It ends up costing me everything, because I'll hate myself if I don't put absolutely everything I have into it. And even if down the road I fail and have to go back to the regular work I usually do, I'd probably just save up for a while and then start all over again, repeating that cycle until I finally succeed or my life ends, simply because it won't stop calling to me. I'm not confident enough yet to say I'm a professional musician, far from it. I can't get anything I've made so far to sound how I imagined it (hell, some of it I can't even stop from clipping all over the place lmao) and I am often frustrated and disappointed with the results of the many hours it takes me to write and produce a single piece of music, I also discovered I'm not as good at playing guitar as I previously thought! But in spite of it all, the little time I've spent doing this so far has been more rewarding, educational and invigorating to me than all the other working years of my life combined.
Wait whoa, I didnt realize you were the Flashbulb till like 80% thru the vid! Your work is phenomenal and part of the soundtrack of some of my most important years!!
Benn.. Would you ever think about managing... Even from a far.. I feel really stupid for asking this... You just seem like you understand... And you'd have great advice of protection...
I for a moment, I thought you were talking about my story. What a stark coincidence!! Thank u, ma bro. Sadly, I still couldn’t able to reach to my dream
Stage 8: Retire Stage 9: Comeback, you still got it, you'll show them, and you do with mild success as old fans flock back Stage 10: A bridge too far, probably should have quit right after stage 9
Dude, I found your videos recently and love them! Now I find out you're The Flashbulb?! Autumn Insomnia Session absolutely blew my mind when it was released. Amazingly small world!
This video genuinely gave me a lot of insight.. i am in no way a professional musician. So, i do not think this timeline is relevant to me. At my highest peak, I have DJ’d a Thursday night slot for a weekend EDM festival. That was amazing. I had a residency for a year. Now I just want to make songs that make my wife get misty eyed… and I catch her having listened to it by herself, and not just to humor me.
I am a doctor and still being focused on music entirely, of course none of my family supports my decision but I have been noticing this slow growth in the last years and I just don't want to stop.
So even tho I don’t make much money since I’m only making music money and merch and things like that I’m a professional got it ! lol nah I went to two colleges though I crash and burned like every other day but I still think I’m that same genius I produce write rap video I also spent 6 yrs all together in music schools and the industry school … I literally feel the same I literally applied for disability because I had hernia surgery and have bipolar and ptsd plus anxiety but I just keep going because somehow I feel like if god wakes me up he still wants me to work 😂
thank you, just found this video after losing my "day job" due to health issues - I have been struggling with energy levels but have been pouring it into my music and youtube with little success over the past 4 years doing so in my free time/part-time - now I have no other job at the moment I can start to see or feel what you mean about being success being inevitable for the full time as I feel my skills have improved sharply with more hours per day "in it"
On the topic of competition and being "good" or "skilled"... I've tried "double-proofing" my musical career by having two polar opposite projects: * A serious, English-language band that play shows, release physical albums, pay for professional recording/mixing/mastering, etc. * A one-man, studio-only, joke project with deliberately bad (hastily written and recorded, barely mixed) novelty songs...in Swedish. Both projects have roughly the same amount of Spotify streams, despite the former being actively promoted by all four members, playing live, selling merch and catering to an international audience (musically focused with English lyrics), while the latter is something I might show to friends while pre-drinking at someone's place on a weekend. It's interesting how the less musically focused project has lyrics in a language few people in the world understand, yet is just as (if not more) successful. Maybe I should just focus more on writing really dumb music?
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I laughed SO hard at the "crash and burn" section. I don't think you've ever really grown as a creative person (in ANY field) until you experience the "I might be a genius" to "I might be mentally disabled" transition. And it tends to happen pretty quickly.
It happens to me every other day, I'll have a great practice session on my guitar then the next day I forget what hands are.
I took 9 years off of my musical journey, and now I'm jumping back in, feeling like I'm on a hobby-mirror of Level 2 moving to Level 3. I'm beginning to realize how little I've learned in my first 6 years of guitar, and how much I've forgotten in the 9 years since. I said to myself 'I've been playing for x years' til it got to 10 and I realized I haven't been playing at all. I always dreaded theory, and gravitated to party tricks, technique practice, and tabs of my favorite songs - but now its time to buckle down, and my Level 2 complex has been making me think "once I learn theory, I can be a jam god", when in reality, Level 3 lurked around the corner and told me how little I actually know.
or if you keep panning between the 2
I'm pretty sure that's called the Dunning-Krueger effect and I have certainly experienced it. It's quite sobering.
I feel seen ❤
Friendly Amendment from a 57 year old who is rediscovering musical joy: Stage 8 is where the greater influence of your endeavors (both musical and social) comes back home to you to remind you of your further relevance in the larger cultural context, and where your freedom to experiment is not only highest, but your feedback of "social draw" from your life is immediate and supported in a much more authentic way. It is the actual "Fulcrum of Parasociality" and is the most balanced of your journey thus far - neither self-deluded nor clouded by the delusions of others regarding your notoriety.
"You kids get off my lawn!" gets replaced by "Thank you for enjoying my lawn, come back anytime so I can tell you my story about it, and you can tell me YOUR story about it!" :)
Bravo
Thank you for this.
Surprised, (not surprised) that Mr. Know it all, did not respond to this amazingly prescient honest and touching comment. Not too mention it gives so much more hope than where video ended, he should take his blinders off but perhaps stage 8 eludes some
@@tatnallkennedy - Thank you for your sentiments, they are appreciated. In Benn's defense it is incredibly difficult for anyone with a substantial number of followers (and the added stress of public exposure of one's possible mistakes) to respond to anything posted in RUclips commentary. I've heard other RUclipsrs say that they hardly ever reply at all because of how psychologically crushing dealing with general public cynicism can be. I feel it myself, and I hardly make any waves at all with my current status in Parasociality.
Besides, I'm grateful that he shares a large amount of his knowledge and effort on a public venue such as this. He hardly has been paid well for doing so, meaning it's only "for exposure" that he is posting here, and still at a cost of considerable time to do the editing necessary. If you consider Public Replies added to that already large effort and it's clear why so few do.
I hope to be like you when I'm your age, that sounds very fulfilling
If there is something that "the internet" has taught me over the years, is that anything can happen at any given time. Of course, it's pretty improbable that your career will turn around again, and you see a sudden "rise to fame", but it's not impossible... if you are pretty talented, but people simply don't know yet to fully appreciate the scope and depth of what you compose, the rise can still be something in your future. Especially to someone that composes what you compose... ;) I sure hope you keep doing what you do best, and that you can get through life without caring too much about money. Surely, one day people will say "Remember The Flashbulb? That guy was awesome... only now we fully understand the depth of what he did..." :) best of luck to you, Benn
Such a brilliant and needed piece of wisdom. You are a good human being. I follow you because of that, the music is just an added bonus.
I think that it all depends on what’s your motivation. Do you have a “message” or do you just pound in songs? What is the deeper meaning of your greatness? In the beginning of my music journey someone asked me - If you knew you will never make it - would you do it anyway?
And my answer was a big fat YES!
I met so many people and experienced so many things that I will be forever grateful.
My burnout phases were usually a result of the obsessive part that wants more and more and more.
When I am getting to that point, I literally stop everything and change perspective even if it means to go and feed homeless people or sit in the dark and silence for 3 days…
Wish everyone all the best on their yellow brick road ✌️☮️
I relate so much to this. Thank you for making me laugh out loud many times.
Oh my gosh. This is the best video I’ve seen on RUclips. Thank you Benn!
Thank You for your music and videos!
Thank you. This is an outstanding video with the right balance of humour and content.
wow, fantastic. thank you for posting this
I would love more than anything to do music professionally but with a dad working as a music journalist, I know how difficult it is to go anywhere as a nobody; it's just too scary a jump for me at the moment. Who knows, if my band gets any limelight whatsoever, I might consider it.
Hey Ben - really great, very interesting. I'm assuming this has been your journey. Mine took a slightly different route (via writing) so I can relate to many points although I think I escaped some of the worst ones 😱 Love your videos. Just keep on truckin'
also, imo, you keep making videos on this channel, you're gonna stay relevant forever regardless of your musical popularity
Got a profound piece of advice talking with Martin Atkins about shifting to the music industry full-time: "If you leave your day job, you'll start taking work you never would've before just to make ends meet. Stay until you have absolutely no other choice."
I learned about The Flashbulb in 2010/2011 when my boss gave me a CDR of an album. He was a little younger than me. True story.
So I guess Raja Ram is the exception that confirms the rule.
When he said time to take my dog for a walk I thought he was "politely avoiding" me
I'll skip to part 7 then. Thanks for the tip!
8 notice the anagram of timestamps
Everyones Timeline is different
I'll bet $100 that I'm the least competitive musician. There's no way any musician is less competitive than me. I challenge you to prove you're less competitive but I bet I'll win.
Challenge not accepted
@@StephenOrion ooooo you're good
@@StephenOrion Just checked out your music, it's nice!
@@spadassin5725 Thank you. Releasing a lot more this year after taking time off to learn and grow.
I make music for like 15 years, haven't released single track... Say wut?!
Damn. I'm about to turn 25, I have a bachelor's in Music Composition and when you answered the question "what will you do if it doesn't work out?" "I guess I'll just die" is basically what I would answer too...
I hope you gonna do well... For me music was just a hobby... For last 15 years.
Few weeks ago I quit my job to finish as much of the projects I have on hold since then. Don't know how will end up. Im thinking about making video log when time comes to do it 😊
I hold a MFA in composition - music is not my job.
Making music doesn’t have to be for money or for popularity. I feel like the terms amateur and hobbyist are used in a derogatory way far to often. Just because you make music for you, doesn’t mean you aren’t a musician.
I’m turning 30 next month, and have toured the us multiple times and done things i never imagined, but also still am not supporting myself full time with music. My plan if this shit doesn’t work out is just that lol… here’s hoping 🤞🏼🤞🏼
I'm 50 and the most important thing in making music is do what you want .
Realize that everyone who is good & known for what they do were doing it for 10 years before anyone knew who they were. That should tell you what to do with the next decade.
I'd say a lot of hobbyist musicians just live that Stage VII life from the get.
So true
I'd more so call myself a music professional than a professional musician. I'm 56 now and feeling more creative than ever, doing so many interesting projects I'd never imagined and enjoying the benefits of the many years of wonderful experiences. My music career has not gone according to the plan of my teenage self, but my wife and I do make a decent living creating art together (she's a choreographer and visual artist). I wouldn't say I've been through all your 7 stages or in that order, every "music career" is different. I'm just grateful to be having so much fun and feeling so inspired much of the time. My advice? Surround yourself with beautiful artists and collaborators and you can't go wrong. You might not get rich and famous, but you'll be happy! Thanks as always for the great subjects and thoughtful approach.
Love this 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Bravo.
This really brought me comfort, us younger musicians need more messages like this.
❤❤❤
Can't wait for your reality/existentialism series!
Damn right
I don't believe in the "music is a young mans game" crap anymore. It takes years to build skills and even more importantly musical taste not just to showcase the skills. Especially music producers do their best work at 40+
It definitely seems like it is the reality. How many older musicians are blowing up and become a big deal?
Fantastic video Benn. I feel like you're elegantly speaking to multiple audiences here, those considering or already on this journey, but this also helps bring some clarity (dare I say closure?) to those of us that maybe followed other paths in life and always wondered, "what if?". Such a profound bit of content man. Please know that you are proving to be every bit as relevant in my middle-aged life as you were back in college when I used to park the car out in some green space somewhere, throw on some Pale Blue Dot, and look to the stars for the meaning of life. Now it's just taken a different, evolved form.
I was never able to break out of the "local musician" part of my "career" and while I've managed to squeeze out a few albums that I'm proud of (and some that I am working on now) It has always been an uphill battle. I'm 39 now and I'm hoping to, at this point, sell enough albums to keep my hobby funded. My job and personal life was always such a hinderance to my studio time and i sometimes regret getting a full time job instead of dedicating myself more fully to music. But here I am. I came so close to submitting something for your contest but I just couldn't find the time to get it finished. I look forward to your future videos and to dropping the link to my album for the discord folks to pick apart in the future!!!
The other day i checked who are the artists I listened to the most on Spotify over a span of more than 5 years. You are 2nd place, that is crazy consistent. and I'm not even 30 years old. You are a big inspiration for many producers of my age.
how do you do that? I'd love to see mine.
@@akashnba03 obscurify can show this stuff obscurifymusic.com/login (go to the All time tab when you've linked up to it)
ngl, 11:10 that advice is SO simple, and it really is, but I really needed to hear it and I'm really grateful I found your channel from Venus Theory. Sir, you have restored the creative juices I thought I had tragically lost with your funny words
I earned 28p (about 35c) on spotify last month. I’ve been playing for about 35 years.
This video is going to become required viewing for all of my students who are planning careers in music. Brilliantly executed as is your usual standard!
If you're all in "You're not betting on fate you are wrestling with time." My experience in a nutshell. The truth is that most people make great music, it's whether you have the work ethic and time management skills to do all the things. Most don't.
I'm 47 and for the most part this was spot on. Thanks for the laughter 😁
a very long journey, doing music now for 30 years......
Those are also the seven stages of being a professional software engineer.
A friend of mine's in his 70s. He was in Dr. Hook, which should give you a pretty good idea of when in his life he became irrelevant as a professional musician. For the last 35 years he's been working in a music store, selling guitars, getting paid modestly, and enjoying the security of having employer-provided health insurance. He makes music every day. (He commutes by bus, and sits in the back of the bus playing his guitar into his phone.) Every so often he gigs. He doesn't have the slightest hint of ambition. He's in his 70s, for Christ's sake. I know few people who are as happy with their lives as he is.
You are not just a musician. You have gift for storytelling. Now it’s time to write a book. Subscribed!
This gave me an existential crisis.
Always appreciate your insight and candor, Benn!
I made 3 to 5 hundred per gig (8 pcs band) back throughout the 80's. Now, i make $25 to $50 per gig (5 pcs band) and at times i owe more on my tab and tips. Reality sucks !
There are pretty much the same stages to becoming a pro sound engineer too.
Or composer/music producer
Artists
I’m a little late to your channel, but i really appreciate the reality check you incur on here so often. Its really great to hear someone successful, yet not famous in the classical sense or even having a charting song, talk about this kind of stuff. Its really valuable for us that are trying to eke out an existence in the difficult music industry of today
Uli got you shadow banned.
I'd like to see a video on why Jazz musicians out live all the other genres on that graph. What's the secret sauce?
Wonderful! Thank you.
“The chances of you being the most determined or talented part-time or hobbyist musician becoming successful is extremely slim.
The chances of an all-in professional musician becoming successful is inevitable.
You’re not betting on fate, you’re just wrestling with time now.”
I know I'm never going to go professional (I'm a few years older than you and I can't get past a 4 bar loop), but I enjoyed this video nonetheless. Honestly, I think many of the same stages apply for my industry (tech). As for the shadow ban, I'm subscribed and your video popped up soon after it as posted. I do believe you're shadow banned though, as I watched a LOT of music production videos before I was finally suggested one of yours. Which is weird to me because you've got one of the best channels of any I subscribe to.
When I was around 25 It hit me, I can not go on living on crap pizza and beer :P
What is that chart at the end? I know what a "hip hop male musician" is. What the fuck is a "hip hop male"? Also it's probably best to not extrapolate your life experiences to other people. The reason why most people record their best albums before the age of 35 is probably that most albums are recorded before that age not because of deteriorating "creative brain centers". If you look at people who do have a steady stream of releases during a long life, especially with hindsight and ignoring fashion as much as possible I don't see any strong correlation between youth and albums "quality".
I stopped making music for 20 years, now I'm back. Watch out world! lol
Why is this 26yo giving me wonderful advice? The hell kinda sorcery is this!
Hey Benn, just noticed the spot on your eyebrow. I have a blonde spot on my left brow as well. Was yours always there? I was born with spots on my left brow and in he left side of my head hair, also my left eyelashes are blonde while the right eyelashes are brown. Not very often I meet anyone with poliosis
I think I'm in that Crash & Burn stage right now
Actually, I'm still not even quite there, in that I've yet to break into the professional music scene, but I respect how skilled everyone is and feel so scared to reach out and try to put myself out there. Lots of self-doubt right out of college lol
:watches video:
Brain -Nah man, my next song is going viral and I'll be a huge hit!
Wait did you do the middle o nowhere field rec trip just for the crickets in the death scene??? You're 2 gud 4 dis werld
Loved this, never took the plunge to pro but I was right on the brink 25 years ago. Still not sure if I dodged a bullet or missed a great opportunity. At 50 I still love making music and love the fact that I can be completely free with experimentation, though that last graph was a kicker🤣
The last graph is just bullshit. Do you know any trap artists over the age of 40? Don't confuse life expectancy with average age of death, especially when the selected groups are highly age related
That was extremely honest and heartfelt. Thank you for being vulnerable and sharing your wisdom. You’ve made a really big impact in the musical world, and I hope that you reflect on your career in a positive way even if there are ups and downs.
Skipped to stage 7 as my main life goal long ago, hurray! A middle aged Italian sculptor told me once after a show, “obscurity isn’t the worst thing in the world.”
Excellent, transparent, and honest words Benn! Much appreciated. I am a musician who has went through many stages as well, as many others my age have. In fact, the most success I had in the music business was with a group based out of Chicago called Blackmaker. Hard rock and southern influenced rock band. We had many albums, mostly self released or on independent labels. The unfortunate demise of our group was getting signed by a Major. An album that never saw the light of day. That was our ceiling, it crashed, and we became disheartened and eventually after legal battles, getting out of contracts, etc. called it a day. With that being said, that experience taught me alot about how to conduct myself in the business world today, and the types of offers and situations to look out for or to embrace. I still take chances of course, haha, but my decisions are a little more focused. I too am a multi-instrumentalist, electronica artist, pop, hiphop, producer, mix and mastering engineer. I am still building my business this many years later. Basically had to start back from the ground floor at the age of 40. I now have a family, and my priorities have changed. I have offers to do some road work, but am much more choosing when I accept. I do most of my work from home, most of my clients are from every city but my own. As the city I live in doesn't foster much of a scene in my field. I just primarily wanted to thank you for your honesty and hard earned wisdom. I always tune in to your videos, as they are very informative. Keep doing you. 👍
How do you reach an audience in this current "digital" world?
You start a youtube channel, and talk about things that are relevant to you, while somehow, mixing your music in it.
Where are my late-stage sixers at? Can I get a "woop-woop"?
I feel like your stages apply in other industries as well.
I needed this... holy smokes I'm between 3 and 4 right now.
Thank you.
Hi Benn, I love this video and I agree with everything you're saying, but after thinking about it, I do think there's one major omission. When you're an older musician, you can restart the cycle of your career if you're willing to pivot or try something different. James Murphy was a failing alt-rocker until he decided to give electroclash a go. Leonard Cohen was at an all-time low when he picked up a cheap keyboard and started writing weird R&B ballads like Hallelujah. Damon Albarn with Gorillaz, Paul Simon with Graceland, Trent Reznor with film scores... It might be my denial speaking, but I feel like you can have a 2nd and 3rd act in your artistic career if you're ready to go through the discomfort of going back to the drawing board and learning new tricks... Thoughts?
I agree. This is what I meant by indifference becoming a gateway to freedom, and why I'm releasing solo jazz piano albums and yapping about things on RUclips after a career in experimental electronic music. 😅
As always, Waaaaaaaaaaaaay deeper and well thought-out than I expected. Dude, you're the king of underselling. I don't know how often I pass on one of your videos because the title sounds so meh, but then when I do watch one of those videos, I immediately after go and watch at least one more
When you showed the photo of Mark is the moment I realized why I even clicked on one of your videos. I lived in Humboldt for 10 years and knew the Mucca band very well. I knew I had met this guy before but I could not remember where for the life of me! Great stuff here, Benn! I remember helping Mark move all the Mucca gear into a new studio and can confirm that Mark did like giving work to musicians!
Behringer wants its Neutron back
This video really inspired me to finish my debut album. I've been working on it so long that any attempt at releasing it makes me fear that it will be beneath me in 6 months based on the knowledge and skill I've gained. But this made me realize that this part of my career is one of the best parts and the creative energy flowing through me will overcome any technical shortcomings. Thanks again.
An honest question here. How does anyone living close to a large US city have the money to go full-time without having reached close to full-time income levels with their music yet? $2k in rent don't exactly make things easy.
Wait, I live in the south west side of Chicago
Oh man, you couldn't have made a more timely video for me. And I'm not even in my 20s, I'm 35 wondering if it's finally time to do this for real...
10 years ago I nearly crashed my car because I was enjoying Undiscovered Colors a bit too much. Now I'm watching this really awesome video, life is good 😎🤙
Thanks Benn. You truly are one of the best creators of this platform I could find. V.
This is really cool, love to see things like this. Helps me prepare myself for the road ahead
I'm quitting my day job at the end of the year to go full time, already told my boss, can't go back.
This video is good timing but also very scary hehe
Absolutely phenomenal video dude, thanks for being so willing to share your decades of experience with the world.
🚀🚀🔥
I’m subscribed, but I don’t have the notification bell on, and this video ended up on my home screen. That probably means the shadow ban is over.
Thank you for reminding me why I chose a normal career as opposed to being a musician. It wasn’t what I expected to get out of this video.
dude, you're ace, like a lot of snarky viewers/producers i started watching this through my own filter of BS and by the end was agreeing with every damn word. nice job!
Thanks for the video. But I think your ambient music at 13:57 is 0.05 decibels TOO LOUD. /s
Seriously though, super informative and entertaining video. Subscribed!
Edit: And the ending / Stage VII was beautifully put. Thanks
I absolutely loved the ending of this video. I love your content, I think you’re my favorite single musician. You don’t make my favorite music all the time, I like too many different things to say that about anyone, but as a music producer, music educator, and veteran of the music industry, you are somebody I’m happy to be able to learn from. A lot of people like you may never reach out as far and spread what they have as far and then die relatively young and all we have is their music, which isn’t much other than something to enjoy, or something like a bit creative radiation from the past telling us that something was once there. I probably won’t become a professional musician. I’m autistic, so my life expectancy is low enough. Music has been the most important interest of mine throughout my entire life but I’m too poor to start and too averse to change and too bad at adapting that I don’t think that life would suit me. I will still keep it as a hobby, and try my best to stay close to music as I can despite what else I wish to do.
This video is a checkpoint for musicians of all ages. I'll be starting stage I soon :) I hope that all of this is worth it.
I laughed aloud like a goose in migration at “I’ll just die”
I am a pro and I never dove in. I get paid when I play. However I am a hobbyist. I have had a business all through my musical journey. I found that so many artists have a poor hold on understanding their worth and pursuing the proper path to earning. So I have NEVER taken a “showcase gig”. That is until my life was in a financial position to supplement my band member pay when doing poor paying gigs. I was confronted by to high level musicians (bass and drums) that I hired for residency gig. I was in the process of re-inventing myself into a new genre. From Blues to Country. I was struggling with the new songs and was not playing well. I got an email from the drummer, he was firing me? He was representing the Bass player as well. He was incredibly brutal. Said I wasn’t ready to performing in the public. It hurt so bad. But it was the best thing that ever happened to me.
Awesome video Ben! I think this will give a lot of people clarity. Also I laughed a lot at the graph near the end lol
I want to be a career musician because contrary to all the other jobs I've tried so far, it is the one thing I feel I could do indefinitely, that will always keep me invested, thinking forwards and working hard, that will challenge me constantly and encourage me to surpass my limits. Ever since I was young I drew a lot of purpose from music, for so long I dismissed it as a dream and sort of just let it rot in the back of my mind while I did other things... That hurt me more than I could have imagined, I thought it would go away eventually but it was always there it would just sort of linger around me in a taunting manner.
Recent events have brought me to a certain realization, that I cannot just let this pass me by. I'm only just starting to learn truly how hard this is going to be, that I currently have almost no idea what I'm doing and how much I still have to learn as well as what it's going to cost me, but that said (and call this ignorance possibly) I really don't care if It ends up costing me everything, because I'll hate myself if I don't put absolutely everything I have into it. And even if down the road I fail and have to go back to the regular work I usually do, I'd probably just save up for a while and then start all over again, repeating that cycle until I finally succeed or my life ends, simply because it won't stop calling to me.
I'm not confident enough yet to say I'm a professional musician, far from it. I can't get anything I've made so far to sound how I imagined it (hell, some of it I can't even stop from clipping all over the place lmao) and I am often frustrated and disappointed with the results of the many hours it takes me to write and produce a single piece of music, I also discovered I'm not as good at playing guitar as I previously thought! But in spite of it all, the little time I've spent doing this so far has been more rewarding, educational and invigorating to me than all the other working years of my life combined.
"I'll just die." 😂😂 so funny. Right on the money.
Wait whoa, I didnt realize you were the Flashbulb till like 80% thru the vid! Your work is phenomenal and part of the soundtrack of some of my most important years!!
Benn..
Would you ever think about managing...
Even from a far..
I feel really stupid for asking this...
You just seem like you understand...
And you'd have great advice of protection...
I for a moment, I thought you were talking about my story. What a stark coincidence!! Thank u, ma bro. Sadly, I still couldn’t able to reach to
my dream
Cool! I teach jazz and R&B keyboard and harmony! I also teach keyboard/harmony for songwriters and producers!
Stage 8: Retire
Stage 9: Comeback, you still got it, you'll show them, and you do with mild success as old fans flock back
Stage 10: A bridge too far, probably should have quit right after stage 9
Dude, I found your videos recently and love them! Now I find out you're The Flashbulb?! Autumn Insomnia Session absolutely blew my mind when it was released. Amazingly small world!
This video genuinely gave me a lot of insight.. i am in no way a professional musician. So, i do not think this timeline is relevant to me. At my highest peak, I have DJ’d a Thursday night slot for a weekend EDM festival. That was amazing. I had a residency for a year.
Now I just want to make songs that make my wife get misty eyed… and I catch her having listened to it by herself, and not just to humor me.
I am a doctor and still being focused on music entirely, of course none of my family supports my decision but I have been noticing this slow growth in the last years and I just don't want to stop.
came for the music advice but stayed for the sopranos joke (and benn's voice uwu) 6k likes to 83k views is a tragedy btw
So even tho I don’t make much money since I’m only making music money and merch and things like that I’m a professional got it ! lol nah I went to two colleges though I crash and burned like every other day but I still think I’m that same genius I produce write rap video I also spent 6 yrs all together in music schools and the industry school … I literally feel the same I literally applied for disability because I had hernia surgery and have bipolar and ptsd plus anxiety but I just keep going because somehow I feel like if god wakes me up he still wants me to work 😂
1. Make music
2. ???????
3. Profit.
Those are the steps. btw step 2 is selling that music.
You realised in 2021 the *Blank stages of *Blank format was played out... but not the *drinking from cup intro??? Wow.
thank you, just found this video after losing my "day job" due to health issues - I have been struggling with energy levels but have been pouring it into my music and youtube with little success over the past 4 years doing so in my free time/part-time - now I have no other job at the moment I can start to see or feel what you mean about being success being inevitable for the full time as I feel my skills have improved sharply with more hours per day "in it"
On the topic of competition and being "good" or "skilled"...
I've tried "double-proofing" my musical career by having two polar opposite projects:
* A serious, English-language band that play shows, release physical albums, pay for professional recording/mixing/mastering, etc.
* A one-man, studio-only, joke project with deliberately bad (hastily written and recorded, barely mixed) novelty songs...in Swedish.
Both projects have roughly the same amount of Spotify streams, despite the former being actively promoted by all four members, playing live, selling merch and catering to an international audience (musically focused with English lyrics), while the latter is something I might show to friends while pre-drinking at someone's place on a weekend.
It's interesting how the less musically focused project has lyrics in a language few people in the world understand, yet is just as (if not more) successful. Maybe I should just focus more on writing really dumb music?
When you have a thirst for wisdom, it’s not personal but you wish the speaker would get to the point! But great video. Thank you. 🙏🏽
9:48 you just described The Rainbow Room in Wicker Park.