Looking for honest opinions on my band's potential.

nbakid2000 · 10-12-2012, 12:58 AM

You pretty much have to make a choice - focus on college or your band. It's one or the other, if you want to be famous. You can do college, but then you need to work to pay off student loans. Bye bye band.

If you focus on the band and fail, then it's a toss-up as to whether you can go back to college in time for a degree to get hired somewhere.

Right now the band I (was) managing has completely stalled because 2 of the band members (3 piece outfit) think college is more fun than a band and are putting no effort into writing songs or practicing instruments. They won't get famous or well known any time soon unless they focus completely on the band. It's a job and you have to make it a lifestyle.

They insist they can start the band after college - I'd like to know how they think their new employers are going to let them off for weeks at a time to tour and build a following. The government will want their money back from all those loans too.

So, you might get big after college, but realistically not. If you want to get big, skip college. If you want a steady guaranteed income with no fame, go to college.

As a friend of mine always says, "it just depend on what you like."

Trollheart · 10-12-2012, 05:54 AM

Yeah, I appreciate this is your opinion but you're framing it wrong in my view. See my amendments in bold. No offence, but I think these have to be mentioned otherwise we're looking at absolutes, which we in no way are, and the whole tone is then slanted towards a very clear choice with two clear outcomes, whereas there are really only two choices with ONE very clear and defined outcome.
TH

Quote:

Originally Posted by nbakid2000

You pretty much have to make a choice - focus on college or your band. It's one or the other, if you want to be famous. You can do college, but then you need to work to pay off student loans. Bye bye band.

If you focus on the band and fail, then it's a toss-up as to whether you can go back to college in time for a degree to get hired somewhere.

Right now the band I (was) managing has completely stalled because 2 of the band members (3 piece outfit) think college is more fun than a band and are putting no effort into writing songs or practicing instruments. They won't perhaps, if they're lucky and circumstances go their way getfamous or well known any time soon unless they focus completely on the band. It's a job and you have to make it a lifestyle.

They insist they can start the band after college - I'd like to know how they think their new employers are going to let them off for weeks at a time to tour and build a following. The government will want their money back from all those loans too.

So, you might get big after college, but realistically not. Nor might you get big BEFORE college: it's in no way guaranteed. If you want to try to get big, skip college. If you want a steady guaranteed income with no fame, go to college.

As a friend of mine always says, "it just depend on what you like."

See what I did there was lay out more clearly the likely outcome. If he goes to college, then he'll (if he actually works at it and doesn't treat it as a big holiday) get his degree(s) and maybe get a decent job (or maybe not of course, but he'll at least have the qualifications and a much better chance of landing somethng halfway good). But if he stays with the band idea, he may be lucky, but more than likely, statistically speaking, he will probably just gig around for several years before either getting his lucky break or giving it up, or else maybe remain playing low-key, small gigs that will barely pay for food and rent.

I'm sorry, but someone (admittedly impressionable and not really that versed in the ways of the world) could read your advice and think the choices are A) go to college or B) stick with the band and get famous. That's not the case at all. You may as well say to someone your choice are A) go to college or B) write a novel and get famous. Nothing is guaranteed. Taking option (B) opens you up to a much more uncertain future. It COULD turn out, in hindsight, to be the right move, but at this moment I believe it's way too big a risk to take considering how tenuous the possibility of reward is.

nbakid2000 · 10-12-2012, 08:40 AM

Fair enough. That was just my opinion. Of course going to college doesn't mean you won't have success as a band as an absolute and vice versa.

In fact there's no reason you can't do both but one or the other is going to have to take priority regardless.

Writing a novel I think is a bad example, as that is not even in the realm of time and work and money as building a band is (IMO).

Like I said, it just depends on what you like. Every situation varies. I just gave an example of what I personally saw happening in my own band. Your experience may be different.

nbakid2000 · 10-12-2012, 08:54 AM

I should also mention that while not in college, the members enjoy going on vacations instead of working on material so there is that factor as well.

Trollheart · 10-12-2012, 11:49 AM

Yeah I know writing a novel is a bad example: I realised that once I had posted. But the same idea holds true. If you told someone "if you don't go to college but instead write a book you'll be famous and rich", the campuses would be empty. Similarly, if everyone who could play or sing thought that just putting a band together would get them fame and riches, look at those tumbleweed blow across the campuses!

Just trying to inject a note of caution and boring reality for those more impulsive individuals who might take your advice too literally... this is what comes of being old, y'see...

The Batlord · 10-12-2012, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Plankton

A very good friend of mine was the singer for a successful band, he'd wanted to be famous his whole life (had the ego to go with it too), and while I was in the service, he was out touring with Suicidal Tendancies.

*gasp*

Quote:

Originally Posted by Plankton

No, the singer for Zoetrope, which toured WITH Suicidal back in the late 80's. Sorry for the confusion, I should have worded it more clearly.

*sigh*

Plankton · 10-15-2012, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Batlord

*gasp*

*sigh*

Yeah that was sneaky wernt it. Totally unintentional.

Or was it?

smolanski · 10-15-2012, 11:07 AM

Hello over there, I didn't understand something about the community policy. so maybe someone here can
help me, I'm recording my music at the studio. Is it ok to publish it here or not?

Plankton · 10-15-2012, 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smolanski

Hello over there, I didn't understand something about the community policy. so maybe someone here can
help me, I'm recording my music at the studio. Is it ok to publish it here or not?

Become a contributing member and you might not get banned... or at least people will have a dialect with you, and will provide criticism and/or comments.

In other words, just getting your post count up to be able to post links and say "Look at me!" is frowned upon.

Urban Hat€monger ? · 10-15-2012, 11:26 AM

See, you leave one thread open with someone asking for feedback for their music and then everybody wants to know why they can't start similar threads.

I hope this shows the people who complain were too harsh on these people why we do it now.

Closed.

10-12-2012, 12:58 AM	#21 (permalink)
nbakid2000 Music Addict Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 179	You pretty much have to make a choice - focus on college or your band. It's one or the other, if you want to be famous. You can do college, but then you need to work to pay off student loans. Bye bye band. If you focus on the band and fail, then it's a toss-up as to whether you can go back to college in time for a degree to get hired somewhere. Right now the band I (was) managing has completely stalled because 2 of the band members (3 piece outfit) think college is more fun than a band and are putting no effort into writing songs or practicing instruments. They won't get famous or well known any time soon unless they focus completely on the band. It's a job and you have to make it a lifestyle. They insist they can start the band after college - I'd like to know how they think their new employers are going to let them off for weeks at a time to tour and build a following. The government will want their money back from all those loans too. So, you might get big after college, but realistically not. If you want to get big, skip college. If you want a steady guaranteed income with no fame, go to college. As a friend of mine always says, "it just depend on what you like." __________________

10-12-2012, 08:40 AM	#23 (permalink)
nbakid2000 Music Addict Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 179	Fair enough. That was just my opinion. Of course going to college doesn't mean you won't have success as a band as an absolute and vice versa. In fact there's no reason you can't do both but one or the other is going to have to take priority regardless. Writing a novel I think is a bad example, as that is not even in the realm of time and work and money as building a band is (IMO). Like I said, it just depends on what you like. Every situation varies. I just gave an example of what I personally saw happening in my own band. Your experience may be different. __________________

10-12-2012, 08:54 AM	#24 (permalink)
nbakid2000 Music Addict Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 179	I should also mention that while not in college, the members enjoy going on vacations instead of working on material so there is that factor as well. __________________

10-12-2012, 11:49 AM	#25 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	Yeah I know writing a novel is a bad example: I realised that once I had posted. But the same idea holds true. If you told someone "if you don't go to college but instead write a book you'll be famous and rich", the campuses would be empty. Similarly, if everyone who could play or sing thought that just putting a band together would get them fame and riches, look at those tumbleweed blow across the campuses! Just trying to inject a note of caution and boring reality for those more impulsive individuals who might take your advice too literally... this is what comes of being old, y'see... __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

10-15-2012, 11:26 AM	#30 (permalink)
Urban Hat€monger ? The Sexual Intellectual Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Somewhere cooler than you Posts: 18,605	See, you leave one thread open with someone asking for feedback for their music and then everybody wants to know why they can't start similar threads. I hope this shows the people who complain were too harsh on these people why we do it now. Closed. __________________ Urb's RYM Stuff Most people sell their soul to the devil, but the devil sells his soul to Nick Cave.

10-15-2012, 11:07 AM	#28 (permalink)
smolanski Groupie Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 23	Hello over there, I didn't understand something about the community policy. so maybe someone here can help me, I'm recording my music at the studio. Is it ok to publish it here or not?