My Industrial has never really been about the past, outside of it as a link to the future. My Industrial is about progression, about embracing the technology of Now and making something NEW with it, about making the music that represents what I'M about, not necessarily what some electronic punks in England or Belgium did 30-plus years ago, or what some electropowernoiseebmaggrowang artist made YESTERDAY. Why? They already made it. Move on or you've missed the entire point.
My Industrial is about energy, and surprise, and never letting a single fucking person dictate to me what I can and can't do. My Industrial is based upon decades of love of a musical form and taking that and making it my own. I don't want to sound like anyone else. Industrial isn't ABOUT sounding like anyone else, and too many people have forgotten that in an effort to have a better chance of sounding enough like some OTHER more popular artist so you'll be more palatable to their fan base, or so some DJ will "spin" your new mp3. It's about finding your voice in the din and hate of this world and making something ugly to love. My Industrial is about spitting into the abyss and showing the world that you're not afraid to tear yourself open and let them watch you bleed. It's about fucking with everyone and everything, especially the status quo. It's about understanding the joke. It's staring every single person in that audience in the eyes and defying them to like you. Or maybe it's not. That's just My Industrial.
My Industrial is about challenging myself and the listener and making MY music. MY product. MY statement on the world, and laughing like a maniac in the face of every close-minded idiot that says My Industrial has to be Their Industrial, that it has to conform to their stunted, myopic view of the artists that have spoken to them. I am NOT those artists. I have gorged myself with their influences and a myriad of other creators and vomited out Caustic, just like they vomited out Throbbing Gristle, Nitzer Ebb, Einstürzende Neubauten, Skinny Puppy, or Babyland. I don't claim to be any of those artists, but then again I never wanted to be to begin with.
You don't have to like My Industrial. My Industrial isn't based on your stupid validation. My Industrial doesn't cry to sleep when some copy of a copy of a copy that looked MUCH better in that vinyl Lip Service outfit thinks I'm shit. Why? Because that shows that My Industrial is WORKING and I didn't have to do anything to do it outside of make it. That shows that My Industrial has affected someone, provoked them, and made them actually react in their numbed media brain to something. I don't need to go out of my way to "shock" someone with My Industrial. My Industrial does it for me, because I'm a fucking artist and I don't need to resort to lazy, easy bullshit to sell my art.
My Industrial is based on the artists that gave the finger to the music of their day and went forward, just like I give the finger to them and make my own way. That's considered RESPECT in My Industrial. My Industrial is about finding My People, without ever lying to them or misrepresenting what I'm about. My Industrial is about still having integrity in a genre nobody has given a shit about in decades, but I don't care as *I* love it, and I don't need the world sucking my musical cock to feel appreciated. Industrial has never been about the mainstream. Industrial has never been about acceptance. Industrial has been, and continues to be, for the freaks. For the kids who weren't making touchdowns. For the kids who spent countless hours drawing decapitated zombies and worshipping Tim Burton movies and reading Sandman thinking you understood it all. And you know what? Even if you weren't one of those kids welcome to the party. I don't give a shit, as long as you respect the art.
And that's what it always comes back to for me: Respect. Respecting the past but knowing that respecting the past means creating something new for the future. There's no point in making the music of Throbbing Gristle or DAF or Skinny Puppy or Front 242 any more. There's only making YOUR music NOW.
My Industrial is about My Chaos, My Love, and My Life, filtered through waves/wavs of distortion, screaming, and big kick drums. It's the same but it's NOT. One of these things should never BE like the other, and it SHOULDN'T be to be Your Industrial. In fact, I completely prefer that it NOT be, because I'd rather you make your OWN Industrial, as then I know the "style" is still LIVING and isn't some discarded stillborn mess on the side of the proverbial musical highway.
That's all the legacy we really need to worry about.
There are two kinds of luck in the world: luck and "luck". While the first version of luck can't be controlled in any way and truly is a "right place, right time" situation, "luck" is something that you can rig the odds on and work in your favor.
Professional poker players rely more on "luck" than luck when in a game-- sure, they know they may get dealt a bad hand, but experience and understanding how the game works increases their chances at having "luck" in their favor. They know the angles, where the deck is at, and can read the tells of the other players to figure out when they're bluffing. These same basic principles can be applied to artists and their success-- you simply need to know the game to know how to increase your "luck". And believe me, it can work, maybe not for astronomical success, but you'll get further employing these techniques than if you don't.
Here are some examples:
1) You can't win if you don't play
The first thing you have to realize about creating "luck" is that it's incredibly difficult to do if you don't stick with what you want to accomplish. It should be no surprise that the artists that succeed on any level are the ones that are constantly practicing and honing their craft, playing shows, maintaining a strong online presence, and making sure people know they EXIST. Rarely does someone blow up overnight, so remember that success is incremental and lasting success is built on a wide foundation of hard work.
2) Appreciate what you've already done
Let's face it, most of us aren't going to get huge. We may just put out a few albums or get a remix played in a few cool clubs and open for a "big" band once or twice, but you know what? That's awesome. I'll even bump it up a few notches and say that's INCREDIBLE. Why? Because you fucking DID IT, so realize you've already had some "luck". And while it's easy to beat yourself up and say "well I only sold 50 copies of my debut album and have a few hundred Facebook followers", but you still did the work to earn that. Jesus shitballs, do you know how many people hide in their bedrooms wishing they could just LEARN an instrument but give up on that dream? You are making shit happen and that is nothing to pout about. Maybe you're not Lady Gaga in terms of sales or crowd attendance, but you should never diminish the fact that you put yourself out there, took that chance, and succeeded in simply doing it. That takes balls/ovaries, kids. It doesn't mean you can't try to go further and you can't be disappointed if it doesn't work out as well as you'd hoped, but hold your head high because a lot of people can't even take that first step.
People like working with positive people, and gratitude can help a lot in that area.
3) Don't get too desperate
Yes, I know you want to get your name out there. Yes, I know you want to be recognized as a genius prodigy god/dess of [INSERT ART YOU LOVE HERE] and you want it NOW. Yes, I know. I know all too well. But guess what? If it's not going exactly your way, the last thing anyone wants to hear is you whine about it. I don't even mean publicly. Your girlfriend/wife doesn't want to hear it. Your boyfriend/husband doesn't want to hear it. Your band/computer doesn't want to hear it.
Having nothing to lose is fine-- take chances, but still be a decent person, because although a certain amount of desperation can help create some amazing art, but when it comes to it people get sloppy if they're TOO desperate. They can't focus on what's important because they're seething about how nothing's fair, everyone's got a better deal than them, blah blah blah. People become petty, greedy, little assholes when they're desperate, are zero fun to be around, and generally that translates realllllly poorly if you're trying to keep fans. Acting unlucky affects your "luck", too.
So stay cool. It helps. I know you want it. I want it too. But keep a sense of humor, tell your fragile ego to STFU and get back to work. Don't be a Negative Nellie and you can attract more people to what you do.
4) Have confidence
If you're at a show you can tell an artist/band that's played a lot of shows. They're loose but focused, they look like they're enjoying being up on stage, and they're confident. When you're watching a new band which isn't as prepared and doesn't have as many miles of road shows under their belt you almost get nervous for them, regardless of how good they are. "Will he forget the words?", "I hope she doesn't screw up that key change", etc. The more people see that you're in control of the show, your art, and your image (and I mean this in the "you can talk about yourself without stuttering or breaking into tears" way) the more they're going to be into what you do.
Hell, they may not even enjoy the music, but they can appreciate the enthusiasm. I've had lots of people come up to me and say "I really wasn't into the music, but I loved the show!" And that's something to be proud of, because I know I can keep making the music better, but I also know that my confidence from simply knowing that "I can DO this!" and enjoying the performance translated and helped them enjoy it too.
Engaging your fans is supremely important, whether it be live, when you post updates on social media sites, or whatever. It doesn't mean you have to be a cocky dick, as people can tell false confidence from a mile away, but knowing what you can do and what you do well is a huge asset and can produce more "luck" in both promoters wanting to book (and rebook) you and make people want to come back again to see you perform.
5) You can't control everything
A lot of artists are control freaks. They want something a certain way or it simply doesn't work for them. Maybe it's false confidence, or maybe it's arrogance. Either way they are always going to be a lot more stressed out than the artist that realizes that everything isn't always going to go your way, whether it be a release date being missed because the pressing plant screwed up, the mastering is taking three times as long because nobody can get ahold of the guy doing it, or because there's no sound system hooked up yet for your show. All of this shit happened to me and has probably happened to a thousand other artists in the last month alone, and while it was really frustrating, it wouldn't have helped anyone to freak out. People will stay cool with you if you stay cool with them, be it a pressing plant, a promoter just trying to keep it together, or a troll screaming about how you're the worst thing to happen to music since the last artist they yelled that about yesterday.
If someone knows you can keep your head and not bug out like a prima donna because you didn't get your 12 required cubes of ice as dictated by your hospitality rider then they're more liable to not only want to work with you again, but also recommend you around. If you're opening for a significantly bigger band and demand an extended soundcheck when nobody's even coming to see you? Yeah, that gets around. You're not a special flower. Just do the work, be nice, and roll with the punches. It gets you significantly further than throwing a useless tantrum...outside of you becoming a punchline for years to come when people are telling stories of douchenozzles who fell apart at the drop of a dime.
Know what you can and can't control and focus on the parts you can. The rest will work itself out, but if you've got your ducks in a row on what you can control you'll have a lot more "luck" in moving yourself forward.
6) Spin spin spin
You know what happens to a lot people when something doesn't go their way? They give up. They lose confidence. They cry into a bag of Arctic Cock Doritos. And a lot of them don't get back up from the fall. They think "it's over" or "I'm through" or "it's time to go back to college".
You know what I've learned to do? Spin the bad situation into something good. I got kicked off a tour more than a half decade ago and it was a huge opportunity that blew up in my face. When I found out I was humiliated, embarrassed, and INCREDIBLY angry. I wanted to vent online and do everything I could to ruin every single show for the band that did it. I think it's a natural reaction, but luckily I smartened up. I don't usually give myself credit for doing something right, but I did this time. So what did I do when people asked me what happened?
I was gracious and took the blame. I was a professional.
Sure, a lot of my friends and fans freaked out and were literally destroying this other band's music and vowing never to buy another album from them. And because they were so angry and venting more and more people heard about me and, of course, EVERYONE wanted to know why the hell I was kicked off tour.
And I told them the truth. It was a really lame reason too, which fueled the fire more. But I didn't bitch or talk shit about the band publicly even though I didn't think it was fair. I just said I screwed up and accepted responsibility.
The point is here that I spun a horrible situation to make it work in my favor as much as possible. I could have been a child and lashed out in embarrassment and rage to try and save face, but I luckily saw bigger potential in being a professional and honestly I think a lot of people respected me more for that than if I'd turned into a frothing cock about the whole thing.
Any situation can be made worse. You can't control it happening, but your reaction to it can turn it around in your favor. Maybe not all the way, but you can definitely minimize the damage-- think of it as using creative aikido.
*****
So when you see an artist getting a lot of press or wonder how the hell this or that artist got booked opening for some awesome band realize that luck had something to do with it, but there was a heck of a lot more "luck" put into play. Know what you can do with the hand you're dealt and you can create your own "luck", too.
Three days ago Amanda (Fucking) Palmer, known for her solo stuff and work in the Brechtian cabaret duo The Dresden Dolls, raised $250,000 in less than a day on Kickstarter ( http://kck.st/JliwH9 to check it out) with a $100,000 initial goal. She's raised nearly $440,000 as I write this.
So what does this mean? Well, for one that my last blog on Kickstarter was pretty dead on, the only difference being that AFP has no label now, as opposed to me who has a label but would rather finance the creation expenses of the music myself and let Metropolis handle the production and distribution. However, there's no doubt she wouldn't be in the position she is to raise that sort of scratch without having been on a label, much like Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails wouldn't have been able to release their "pay as you want" albums so successfully, but the more important lesson to be learned from AFP is that if you respect your fan base you don't need the traditional music industry in the world of the internet and social media.
AFP is a master of marketing. There are millions that love her, and millions that probably can't stand her. She doesn't do this for the naysayers though-- her music isn't for them. She knows and loves her people. And her people love her. She's polarizing, outspoken, and to speak in terms of the dreaded, icky viewpoint of "marketing", she knows her BRAND inside and out.
The most successful artists do. You should know yours, or at least know that your "voice", in whatever medium you choose to create in, is your best selling point. You should know who you are and what you stand for and be ready to defend it. This doesn't mean being overtly confrontational if that's not your thing, but be CONFIDENT. Artists aren't known for this, as we're all sensitive little flowers when it comes down to it, but knowing your skills and that what you create can move listeners (whether it be visually or sonically) means you have power. Everyone can't do this, and even less can do it well...and even LESS know how to communicate with their fan base like AFP can.
I've spoken on this before, but the artist that's honest and willing to make themselves vulnerable to their fans forge a significantly deeper connection with them than the artists that stand back and are afraid to open up (or hide behind paid spokespeople, IMHO). This can be done by the music/art itself or, in the case of those of us on social media outlets-- where every artist SHOULD be building a presence, an ubiquitous one if possible-- through blogs, tweets, or simply showing people that we're fucking human beings too. In my case I'm still literally a nobody in the music world, which I totally accept. Being a "big" artist in the electronic subgenre of industrial (and Nine Inch Nails is beyond all of us- Trent has ascended to Rock God status) is like being the smallest artist in metal or pop. Nobody gives a shit what I have to say outside of a group of maybe twenty thousand people (and I don't get read by a tenth of that), so there's no pedestal that I am hoisted upon like so much ridiculous rock royalty, but when you start making a bigger name for yourself this can be an issue. AFP's expanded way beyond anything I'll ever be, and deservedly so. Say what you will about the lady, but she put the freakin' time in. And it's paying off.
While my Kickstarter project (and 99% of other artist's) is incredibly modest in scope, AFP is a game changer in terms of what one hard working artist can do. If nothing else she's paving the way for artists big and small to realize just how much a fan base will support you, even in the time of torrenting and file sharing and the RIAA bitching nonstop and trying to take over the internet legislatively so they can shut down anyone they don't like, fostering even more ill will towards those idiots. Fans care, and AFP's confidence and faith in hers are unshakable, as she'll even give you a download of the entire album for just a $1 donation. It's not the amount that matters when it comes down to it-- it's the gesture. And there are a lot more people donating a helluva lot more than a buck to her project. It's not about the money. It's about the artist's community working to achieve something together, even by contributing in the smallest ways.
Digital patronage is the future, at least to AFP. And me. And a lot of us.
The best thing about her Kickstarter is she doesn't have 50,000 people pledging to make all this money. Well...not yet. Currently this is only about 7,500 loyal fans. And while that's more pledges (or fans) than the vast majority of us will ever have, it shows that a financially vocal minority can provide the monetary salvation for a determined artist to achieve their goals. Read about the Thousand True Fans if you want some more insight into this theory. In my case it's around a still impressive 130 people thus far, but regardless of the amount you should know that if you put in the time on your art AND on reaching out to your fans you can achieve a lot. Even though I'm sure AFP was positive she'd rake in the initial $100,000 goal, much like I knew I'd achieve the paltry-by-comparison $2,500 I needed, I think (and I'm gauging AFP's response by her tweets. I don't know her at all.) we're both equally blown away by the response of our supporters.
Why? Because you never take them for granted, and while you have the confidence to think they'll come through because you know how hard you've worked to build that foundation and relationship, you also know that you've always been at their mercy and appreciate every kind gesture thrown to you by them.
You create for you, but you work for THEM. They don't work for you. And any artist with a modicum of success should understand and respect that above almost any other thing. And that's why the music industry is suffering-- they've taken the fans fore granted since the first days of Napster. But intelligent artists like AFP have seen the light, and they're thriving because of it. Without major media support. Without major label support. Without anything but a few free social networking sites and a lot of honesty and relationship building.
The simple answer is this: Outside of royalties, I receive no advances from Metropolis. Most of us on smaller labels don't, not anymore-- the labels can't afford them. And while the royalty rate I do receive is actually generous by comparison to major labels it goes fast, especially when you're paying travel costs, buying CDs wholesale from the label to sell at shows, and handling the production, mastering, and design costs on all of your releases solo (from albums to singles to remix albums-- I've put out a lot of stuff) it gets pretty pricey in niche genre terms. You need to spend money to make money...even if there's not a lot of money around.
I'm saying this to explain how small labels work these days, not be defensive. Getting talented people to produce and mix down my final tracks, which helped me immensely in the success of my last album, The Golden Vagina of Fame and Profit, costs money. Not huge money. Not Diplo or Jermaine Dupree or Rick Rubin money, but money nonetheless. And graphic design and mastering the album costs money, especially when you're doing an 18 track album and a few singles. I can call in a few favors and do a few trades in services (mostly non-sexual, unless it's with Tom Shear), but to get things done right (and not insult the people helping you), it costs money.
The goal in my Kickstarter campaign was also set relatively low because on the off-chance the campaign wasn't as fortunate as the one for Golden Vagina I could still work with the goal I set-- Every penny is already pretty much spent that I've brought in thus far OVER the goal, from offsetting tour travel costs (gas will probably be $10 a gallon in July) to buying the CDs for backers from Metropolis (you think I'll be getting them free?) to all the postage and packaging I'll need to put out cash for. Hell, I may even be able to take a few shifts off my second job to work on production. It adds up fast. Oh, and Kickstarter/Amazon Payments takes 10% off the top just for their services, so when it looks like you've made $2,500...you've made $2,250. Solid money, but it's still less than what it looks like.
The "creative industries" are in a new paradigm these days-- you don't necessarily need to tour 6 months to finance the studio time for your cassette demo or mail slides of your paintings to get a gallery show. You don't necessarily need an advance from a label (which is paid back out of your royalties, by the way- read this essay by Steve Albini and educate yourself http://www.negativland.com/news/?page_id=17 ) to make your album if you're smart and have the good fortune to have a fan base that will support you. I mean you have THE INTERWEBS! Worldwide exposure! But the trade off is that there isn't as much money in it these days for most of us, but quality still costs money. Hence Kickstarter.
And for some perspective, I've been slogging away for a decade doing this. I guarantee I wouldn't have raised a fifth of my goal 5 years ago.
Another important point that I don't advertise (it would be a stupid billboard, after all) is that my contract with Metropolis was only for one album, and I declined an option on it for the next album because I wanted to make sure we were both happy with the arrangement. I'm not even 100% they'll take the new album, as it's a very different animal (but no less awesome), so I'm hoping to make enough extra to handle replication costs if it comes down to that. Honestly I think they WILL take it, but there is that chance that they'll pass. I have no illusions that there are many, many artists on Metropolis that sell better than me, and make more marketable music for this genre. And I'm cool with that. Still, the question looms...and if they do take it I'll use the money to help promote the album.
Remember that as an artist these days, thanks to the internet, DIY is alive and significantly more powerful a tool than it ever was. A talented, creative artist (and, maybe more importantly, a creative marketer-- this is where I think I've been able to stand out) can bring together a nice fan base and do almost anything they want without any compromise and by simply respecting that base. By funding and paying for everything on my own albums I do exactly as I please, and that freedom is invaluable. I answer to no one creatively. And luckily I've also always been on labels that never asked me to change a thing. If you're an artist and can avoid being beholden to anyone you'll be able to, in my opinion, be the most free in your creativity. And you won't have to stress nearly as much about your label recouping on an album AND paying them back an advance.
I'd rather try and control my own creative destiny as an artist than rely more than I need to on other people. I feel extremely fortunate to be on a label, especially Metropolis, because they do a ton for me in terms of promo, distribution, and simply name recognition, but the facts are that they have their yard to maintain and I have mine. We both handle our own shit, but I like to handle more because I don't want to have to end up mowing their damn lawn to pay them back. We're equals, because I'm not a slave to them because they tossed me some scratch to record an album and now expect me to pay it back.
So why did I do another Kickstarter project? The same reasons everyone else does-- I need the cash to make my (big, ridiculous, loud) vision come true.
If you're an artist whining in any way about how hard it is to "make it" in music these days-- Shut the hell up. You are not a victim.
It's never been easy making fans, money, or ANYTHING in the arts. Being an artist isn't like being a doctor-- you don't HAVE to go to school for it. Any shithead with a paint brush, pen, or acoustic guitar can call themselves an artist and get on ReverbNation or Etsy, but it takes people (and a good chunk of them) who actually reinforce that opinion to make them a SUCCESSFUL artist.
The "good ol' days" of the music industry were simply "the days when a limited amount of people made a lot of money by putting out a limited amount of artists," and honestly I'd say 75% of us would never have gotten much more than a CD out in our own hometown, let alone having the easy ability to reach billions worldwide if it WASN'T for the internet. I know I wouldn't.
Sure, it's harder to break even on an album these days in general, but it's also cheap as hell to RECORD one-- for a few grand you can put together a workable studio to record your full band and NEVER HAVE TO PAY FOR STUDIO TIME AGAIN. Or, if you're luckier still to be an electronic artist, you don't even need a real studio. OR to pay to press physical product for people to hear your stuff. OR to have a label at ALL, so you can't whine that you're a label's "slave" any more. Nope- do it yourself if you don't want to be on a label. Easy as pie.
People who pretend things were so great before are the ones who used to control the MARKET, or profited from it. That control is now pretty much gone. Sure, if you're an artist or a label you can control WHEN the music goes out (if it's not leaked early), but as soon as that first album is downloaded all bets are off. This may means an extra hundred or hundred thousand people download it off a torrent and you sell a bunch less (and 10,000 mooch downloads do NOT equal 10,000 "lost sales"), but the reverse problem existed BEFORE if you were on a small label and could only get your music into independent record stores, through mail order catalogues, or by nonstop touring (which, honestly, is still the best way to get your name out there if you can afford to do it) It's the much discussed scarcity vs. lack of scarcity, and I would much rather have a LACK of scarcity because instead of bitching about it all (and maybe this is also because I was never releasing much in the pre-Napster days), I learned to play the fucking GAME.
And, to me, the game is fun. You wouldn't even be reading this if I wasn't playing it, as I most likely never would have had the chance to get this published in some magazine of note for you to even SEE it in the "good ol' days". The game ain't easy, but it can pay off.
Just because you're not well known doesn't mean you're a "bad" artist, either. No, it means you aren't playing the game right and haven't found your people. The beauty of the internet is that niche marketing is now the best way to go in terms of finding an audience. It may be small, but if they appreciate what you do they'll (ideally) always support it, and more than ever since everyone can hear EVERYTHING people actually listen to more styles than 20 years ago when you could only hear what your local record shop had or what your stoner friend put on a mix tape. It's not about selling 10 million copies any more, as that's reserved for major label, major payola, and major LUCK for an artist (the first two got Adele on the top of the charts, and the last has kept her there. But this phenomenon won't happen again for a lonnnnnng time, kids) There are billions of people in the world, so worry about connecting with a few hundred, or a few thousand, and you're already light years ahead of the majority of other artists out there.
And on the most primal level BE HAPPY YOU'RE CREATIVE. A lot of people couldn't draw a picture to save their life or write a song that won't make the dog howl. Appreciate that your mind allows you to come up with this shit at ALL. With that said...
Here's a quick side note: If you're a fan of music and think that "all music should be free, mannnnn" then shove it. Musicians and other artists don't create TO make money (and any that do are hacks), but they shouldn't be faulted if they're good enough to TO MAKE SOME. Don't take this rant as an excuse to upload your favorite new band's album to Pirate Bay...unless the artist is cool with it. Honestly the return is pretty slim on even the small investments you comparatively have to make these days, but they're still investments. Be cool to artists you like. We appreciate it more than you know. Now back to the rant...
This is truly the most empowering time to be an artist, as since nobody necessarily needs a label to put up a ton of cash in producing albums and then getting magazine support, you can (obviously, duh) do it all yourself. This takes a lot of luck as well, since even the best musicians can get lost in the shuffle, but that's where tenacity pays off. I'd say 99 out of every 100 artists who succeed simply do so by staying in the game and continually working to build their audience and their craft. They're learning where their audience is and slowly massaging that group to the happy ending of making them a fan. But by doing that you gain a foundation of support that will last. You build a RELATIONSHIP, and those relationships are what will ideally help support you financially along the way.
If you want to be successful, the most well trodden path is simply not giving up and doing the work. And understand that "success" doesn't mean financial success necessarily, so keep your expectations reasonable, and always know you MAY NOT BE AS SUCCESSFUL AS YOU LIKE, so don't try and make people feel guilty by posting passive aggressively that you're not selling what you "need" to or boo hoo nobody came to the latest show. Tough shit. Earn it, but know YOU don't get to determine when you HAVE earned it. Whining helps even less while being appreciative (or simply not whining) shows you're doing well, or at least gives that illusion. Don't act like you had no choice in the money you put out to get your art released, and frankly nobody wants to hear it. I've put out a CD for less than $1000 and recouped it in sales before it even hit the shelves. I'm obviously not everyone, but it can be done...if you're smart. Learn to budget and make sure you CAN take the financial hit if it doesn't work. Again, keep expectations reasonable.
These are not the days where everyone sells 10,000 albums a pop any more, but these also aren't the days when only 25 albums a year come out in the cool little genre you like. You have the world in your hands, but you just need to learn how to read the maps and start the long walk to actually succeeding in it.
But mostly, stop acting like a victim. It hasn’t ever been easy to be an artist, and it never will.
************ Caustic is touring the WEST COAST this summer!
