It is my wish for this thread that music lovers & musicians can converse about the true motivation behind music. I obviously speak from a personal stand point about my own musical motivations but I hope that my command over words does not incite offense.

Why I make music

I make music because it is in my heart to do so. Of the several thousand people to visit my website, only a few people have figured out what its about & what Im trying to achieve.

A good example would be my friend Alister. He was the first person to get it, he listens to mainly Anarchist Punk music & so I was not expecting him to enjoy my particular brand of Jazzy Funk. After listening to my music, he said, "Well, its not really my kind of music but the vibe I got was that your heart & soul had gone into every last bit of your creation". Thats right, my music may be good, it may be bad (I am not at liberty to decide) but I feel that there are too few artists making music from the heart these days.

Some of the artists I know or listen to, make music to make money or to sell X amount of records &, while still relatively important, I believe that the initial motivation to create music should be because their heart tells them to.

Thats what my 'mission' is about. I want to change the music industry & set an example to other artists. Whether I acheive this is another matter but most of the music lovers I know enjoy music that means something, either to them or the artist. No one wants to hear another manufactured boyband for example & it is my mission to see that, in the future, real musicians playing music from their own heart, get the success they deserve & are lacking.

What does any of this have to do with Prince? Well I feel that this is why Prince is unpopular to the masses recently. There are a few people (all of them present here) who have clearly become sick of what chart music has to offer & have sought out alternative sources for musical enjoyment. If more people do this, the money orientated music industry will die & real music will be popular again.

The state of the music industry angers me greatly. I see talentless people making millions just because they are in a popular band. I look at my Dad, he would like nothing more than to make it big & achieve his musical goals, but hes too old?

In any other industry the most experienced person has the best job & it seems to be becoming the oposite in music.

I guess this thread is a combination of a rant & a request for discussion. If you make music or are a music lover, what is the kind of music you want to hear more of & what do you feel is wrong with the music industry at the moment?

thecloud9mission said:

After listening to your music I think the biggest problem with the music industry right now is that you don't have a contract.

I avoided listening for a long time because I was skeptical, but man I am impressed with your chops.



.
[This message was edited Thu Aug 15 20:10:25 PDT 2002 by lovemachine]

Good post. Over the past year, I have discovered my own songwriting talent and I have been trying to make use of it. I am putting together my own album now. This has perhaps brought me more joy in my life than almost anything else. It's just sheer fun.

I make music that comes from the heart because the music itself is what I come up with, and the lyrics are personal and about my life experiences 99.9% of the time. A genuine artist's music reads like a diary. It should be personal and convey their inner thoughts. However, it is sometimes tough to judge whether someone is "making music from the heart". For example, judging from the lyrics Britney Spears sings, you can tell that the words are at least coming from her, no matter how shallow and youthful they may be. It reflects her. The music itself on the other hand, is most likely not hers to begin with. I think if you are making your own music, then that is truly the reflection of yourself, your heart, and your talents. Britney Spears albums shouldn't be labled Britney Spears- it should be labled by the producers' and songwriters' names. Those are the artists...even though that kind of music doesn't sound like it comes from the heart of some 30 year old producer! It sounds like some guy with the talent and insight to know that this lifeless pop stuff sells, and he is able to create it for the payola.

Anyway, that's my rant. I think the important thing is that people should go into the music business to make music, the money and the girls is secondary. The music itself is what it should be all about.

Thanx man. Thanx for listening dude. But I cant see me getting signed, Im not good enough.


Best of luck to you & your project mate. My best advice is to check out mp3.com, its the best & easiest way to get yourself heard

God bless

Lewis

By the way cloud, I've enjoyed all of your stuff too. You've got a lot of talent, and I think if you just knew the right people then you would be able to make a decent living doing what you do. Best of luck!

I agree with jt and cloud. I'm recording my own album as well and everything I write is based on personal experience. I write the words and the music, and it all comes from the depths of my soul. I sing, play keyboards and a little bit of percussion.

I admire you Lewis, for being able to play so many instruments at such a young age. You've done your homework, that's for sure. I write all of my music on keyboards and synthesizers, so most of my music is midi oriented, with some digital audio thrown in for the vocals and I have a friend who is adding some guitar to a few tracks. I can't wait to have a finished product to show the world.

BTW, I started a thread in the Prince.org forum about creating a musicians forum. JDODSON, another talented musician we all know and love, suggested it. So I encourage all who are interested to go over there and post on that thread to vote for this and maybe it will happen! I think it would be great to have a place where musicians who come to this site can share ideas and support each other.
[This message was edited Thu Aug 15 22:04:49 PDT 2002 by VinaBlue]

VinaBlue said:

Best of luck to you too on your album.

But I dont think there are enough musicians here to have a dedicated forum. It would be silly if there were only 6 or so of us. Nice idea though & Im definatly down with it if there are enough musicians there to have a good discussion, lets see how many musicians we got first

thecloud9mission said:

That was beautiful and well-said as usual, Lewis.

Can I b ur manager?

thecloud9mission said:

Ballads. I can't believe the wonderful stuff people were singing in the 50's 60's 70's, and even 80's.

Then, somewhere in the 90's the love song became"I want 2 fuck u all nite...oh,and I love u very much" I think maybe P contributed 2 this direct way of talking but I also think rap was partially responsible. P had a more poetic way of saying things. Basically, good love songs just don't exist anymore, IMO.

Now all we have is Ja Rule love songs. Oh joy.



Consumers. Most consumers r people my age who want 2 totally rebel against what their parents grew up listening 2. If teenagers would lose their egos 4 a second they would c how shitty today's music is compared 2 the old stuff. I'm not saying live in the past, but when present music isn't even progressing, that's not good. At least the old people grew and changed, like Prince. It never got boring and if it did,they knew when 2 quit and they left masterpieces behind and didn't flaw their legacy with "comeback" albums.

That's y I hated it when they used the word "comeback" about TRC. Prince never left.

thecloud9mission said:

Any style. As long as it conveys some sense of purpose and conviction. It shouldn't sound like it's a JOB. If it's a job you may as well punch a real clock and work for the Post Office. Don't take up space in a recording studio for the sake of making a million dollars if your heart isn't in the music, and your life's purpose is attracting groupies. Get away from the mass-produced, cookie cutter PRODUCT that most mainstream performers are making. Make it clear that it's your livelihood. Make it distinctly YOU.


1. Legal Payola. This system makes the rich (major labels) richer, and leaves the poor (indie labels) out in the cold when it comes to potentially getting consistent (in most cases ANY) mainstream airplay on radio. Some major labels started out as independent labels. Had they had to survive by this system there is no way in hell they could have and certainly would not have become the major labels that they are. Payola itself has been around forever, but before it was under the table and not the expected status quo that it is now.

2. Record labels ripping off their artists. This is not new and has been happening since the very beginning of the music industry. Universal is one label that recently had to pay back royalties to their artists because of their f*** up accounting practices. The musicians are the backbones of the music industry, they're the hardest workers and the least appreciated, except for when it comes to their own loyal fans.

3. Little to no artist development. If by your second album you don't accrue enough sales to at least go gold, in many cases you're in danger of being bumped from your label. Major labels don't put enough work into helping their artists develop for the long haul. Think of all the recording artists from 30-40 years ago that never truly broke through to any type of success until several records into their career, they were allowed the leeway to find their way and come into their own. Most of the time it's harder for them to do that nowadays. A 19 year old Prince wouldn't be allowed to make it today at Warner Bros. with the way things are now.

4. Blatant rip-offs. People who sample the ready-made entire musical bedding of an existing song to recite inane lyrics over, and having a huge hit with it. Puffy-style, MC Hammer-style. It's lazy, requires no imagination or ingenuity. I'm not totally against sampling, because it can be creative, and has been done creatively. I just don't like the Karaoke-style of sampling. Any mall rat can do that given the opportunity.

Forgot to add: !!!

Supernova said:

theC
On the money again.Simply SUPER...nova

Hey Lewis, good topic. I dig your music and can feel your emotions coming through it. Hearing other musicians like you and JDodson, and others, inspires me to do as well and even greater.

The music industry is kind of a scary thing right now. Anything goes... but only if THEY (mostly non-musician business types) think it will sell.

I respect Clive Davis. He can pick 'em out. And I even respect the words of Simon on American Idol. They know what it takes to make it in today's music industry.

But to me, music is something different. It's sort of like my autobiography. Each song is another paragraph. I don't write songs to make money. Yeah, it'd be nice if I could tell a story to a million people and help them become better because of it, or in the very least, give them some kind of pleasure in this confusing and often stressful world. But seriously, my music is mainly just a way for me to "let it go"... in much the same way someone might write in their journal every night. I, however, express myself through music. One measure of music says so much more than a sentence could ever say -- the tone, the emotion... it's so much easier to connect with through music than words. It cuts to the soul. At times, uplifts the soul.

I used to think that ANY music was okay as long as someone could enjoy it. I remember when people would talk about Prince using drum machines and various other sampled sounds -- they'd be upset if he hadn't used "real" instruments for every sound in a song. I used to say, "So what?" As long as he's able to get out what's inside of him. Kinda like that movie Amadeus, where Mozart is able to hear the music before he writes it... Samplers, MIDI, and computers makes it so much easier to get out what one's hearing within. Especially if it's something personal that a band just wouldn't understand. Bands are good for jamming, no doubt. Good for getting ideas. But for ideas, thoughts, and experiences that one's been dealing with in one's own mind, it's nice to have a way to get it out without sharing it or making onself immediately vulnerable to others. The song might not see the light of day otherwise.

But now... it's a shame what people have done with computers and music. It doesn't even take a real musican to put a song together. There's a million copyright-free loops one can choose from and merge together. People are making songs with no meaning. I used to say, "So what? As long as someone likes it." But now... it just doesn't seem right. I'm not sure exactly why I feel this way, except that I believe that music is an artform and should always be an artform, but how can music be art when it takes no creativity or ingenuity to write a song anymore? I'm often told that my songs have cool rhythm parts, and "Where did you get that loop?" I don't use loops! I created that by myself. It's tough getting any kind of respect for being musically creative when people think you're not the person who really wrote those notes and created those sounds. It's almost as if you have to give an introduction to each song, "I wrote each and every note, and created the sounds you will hear in the following song..." But should I care? How can people appreciate a song's creation when they don't think it took much creativity to write it... when they think someone else wrote a part or performed a section of it? "Yes, I really DID write that!"

One thing that IS cool about today is that we can ALL share music with the world in a very simple way -- the World Wide Web. We can make our own website where we place our songs for the world to hear. Also, places like MP3.com are great. It's totally cool we can all be heard this way, and I constantly pick out various unknowns to see what other songwriters are doing. It's tons of fun. But what are record companies looking for? They're not looking for good songwriters and true musicans... well, not necessarily. What they are looking for is a package they can sell. And who's buying? Hasn't it always been the teenagers? Crazy thing that most of the "musicians" that the teenagers like are our age, and that it's the media (filled with people older than us) who tell teenagers what they like and/or want.

I don't know. Maybe the few of us should just appreciate that fact that we ARE able to appreciate music for what it's worth. For example, it took me awhile to get into jazz. It was one of the very few types of music that never played in my home when I was a kid, and outside of my mom's record collection, I mostly listened to the radio and watched MTV. These songs were all under 4 minutes long, mostly, and they all had some kind of form: ABAB, usually built around a musical phrase (hook) or two. Jazz is different, but after I started writing my own songs, my appreciation for jazz greatly increased because I could hear each instrument, and understand the emotions behind each instrument... I could appreciate the timbre and tone of each instrument and how it fit in with all the other instruments being played. There is SO much I love about jazz today, and I think it's because my appreciation for music has grown in many ways. Maybe it's the same for most people... much in the same way that we're all on a life's journey and learn along the way, people also learn to appreciate "true music" as they encounter more of it along the way.

I guess what I'm saying is that we're all getting old. And this is a good thing, because we are now able to better appreciate music. The bad side of this is that teenagers mostly decide what music we hear on the radio, and what videos we see on television. (That's where the money is at). They haven't made it to where we are, so from here on out, we will always be made to suffer... unless we turn off the radio, leave it for the immature, and keep each one of us in tune with what's really good -- like you said, music made from the heart (and not made to sell).

By the way, I have a great love for teenagers and don't mean to stereotype them -- but they ARE a prime demographic for music marketers... and perhaps that's why popular music becomes more sexualized, violent, and rebellious each and every year -- same with all forms of media. "We know they'll buy it, so let's sell it. Nothing else matters."

I play bass, and female guitar players are very rare. I feel outcast at times, but the funk endures through me. God comes through in my music. I think that I deal with the world through my music, as do a lot of folks. Me and Dodson have been called alot of names in our day...hippy, queer, nigger lovers, communists, fascists, devils, honkeys, U name it. I really don't give a shit most of the time, but when I do, I take it out in the music. Dodson does a little bit of both. He gets on his political kicks and tries to change shit, and he is really sincere about it. Problem is that people ain't ready for God, Love, and peace, as we all see from people's posts in here, and even in real life. When leaders like MLK, JFK, RFK, Malcolm, and others try to change things and get some equality and peace, they get shot. I tell Dodson to ease up sometimes, because he is definitely a "radical man". I call myself a New Breed Leader. I am kind of like, as J would say, "the radical middle". But enuff about me, thanks Lewis for bringing the love and I really liked your bass solo. Me and Dodson recorded a song 2gether called "The Bride" last weekend, and it is slammin.


Ciao,
Suzie

I couldn't have said it better, Lewis. I agree with Vina and Who, I really think that we should ask Ben about an org musicians forum. I know there is only, at the most, 20 or 30 org musicians, but if it is a combined artists forum for all artists and thier forms, it could be bigger and include us as well. And about people who call me names, I care when it actually imposes slander upon my character. Then, I carefully, with love, evaluate the situation, and I just pray for people and tell them that I love them. There is no need for hate and disorder. Music is my outlet. God gives me my musical talent, and I relay the message of peace and love...but that don't mean that I can't have fun in it. Just because I have a personal faith in Jesus Christ does not mean that I am a prude, linear, judgemental ass like some so called "Christians". The mainstream view of Christianity is not my view at all, which is why I don't understand why negative org peeps are so quick to judge. Anyhow, you are all friends on this thread up until the time I am posting this, so thank you all for the Love!!!

Peace,
JD

great articles you all.

i was wondering if u wouldn't mind answering me w/ ur honest and full analysis what u think of my opinion/

for me, i write lyrics cuase they come out from somewhere somehow anyway,anyday. sometimes, i hear music in my head and i write lyrics from the music i hear. other times, i just write lyrics that come out automatically. unlike u guys, i don't play insturments. i really just don't feel that. what do u think of something like that?! do u suggest me to learn something or do u feel that i should just stick to learning how to work synth boards that are available in studios?

there are too many insturments to learn and work on. wouldn't producing or co-producing a great alternative?

what do u think of those who just write lyrics and let the entire music-work to their producers?


for me to enjoy someone's work:
1. they should be able to sing! like celine dion or mj. some artists like george michael sound like they aren't singing to me or to an audience but are just playing around with their vocals like in the bathroom,or something.

2.they should have a unique and wonderful sound that many can learn from. i like britney songs( that i only see on trl, i don't have her cds)but i don't learn nothing from her music. i don't play insturments like prince or dance like mj. but i feel i could learn from them and their music if i can pay enough attention.

subyduby said:

I thought you played the tuba suby?

I would work that angle like a mofo if I was you! There's a whole untapped reserve of John Philip Sousa music that's got to be in the public domain.

Add a phat beat to the background and BLAM! instant hit!

Remember me when you make it big, subyduby...

2the9s said:

lol! darling, i told u tons of times i used to play the tuba. how embarassing that was!!! imagine playing that live and with me being 5 ft. and not over 150 pounds, gross!

2the9s said:

theC
John Phillip Sousa is the bomb!!.That's the best make-out music there is.Something about the tuba and the shrill from the flutes.Guaranteed to get a woman HOT!!!

Production is an excellent alternative to playing instruments, Suby. George Clinton only played around with synth and pianos, I think, and look at all the musical ideas he had!!! It would be cool for you to get a band together who would work with you and mold around your concepts, and play what you hear in your mind. I have actually thought about doing this myself, because being a one man band can get lonely sometimes. I have a couple of folks who play on tracks with me every now and then, but for the most part, I do it all myself. But, it would be sooo cool to have a horn section like the JB's and the Horny Horns, or Mike Nelson and Eric Leeds there to just jam on the CD. So, production would be excellent for you.
Maybe you could put together some things for me so that we could get a huge funk orchestra together!!!


Peace,
JD

After years and years of trying to pursue a career in the music business and finally managing to make a stable income out of it I'm currently considering gardening a viable career alternative.
[This message was edited Sat Aug 17 7:52:56 PDT 2002 by Novabreaker]

JDODSON said:

thank you!!

Cause this is what we do.