Advice for new Songwriters

I just recieved a comment back from a record label that I sent my band's demo to.
They said my music and my vocals suck and that I'm stuck in the "90's grunge thing"
I found it odd seeing as the 70's and 80's are far more my thing.

But my question to you kids out there in Sup Forums
(and this is for Rock Music fans only)
is it possible for new rock bands these days to be original?
Doesn't it seem like it's all been done already?

I know there's no real answer to this rhetorical question, but I'm just venting a little because I'm feeling like a washed up loser right now.

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u washed up bc u playing dadrock. the fuck u think labels want to do with that?

Just make the music you want to make, if you think it sounds good then that's great. Getting others to like is a bonus.

t. someone isn't a musician

damn

Sell your shit on bandcamp and build a following through social media and youtube. Fuck labels. As you've now learned, labels are run by non-human reptillians who can't tell 90's grunge from 70's rock. Stop caring about them.

>can a rock band be original now
A band with electric guitar, electric bass, drums, and vocals can absolutely still do things that are interesting and novel. A band trying to make "rock" will might be dooming themselves to unoriginality by defining what their doing in terms of an established genre format. Don't want to be "generic"? Don't make music in a "genre".

*they're

Poast music

i can't argue with that!

this is great advice and i lost sight of that thank you user

no musician in the world likes to be placed in a genre, but the world is gonna do that for me anyway, regardless if I avoid it or not. it actually took me a long time to "admit" that my band is "indie rock" but I'm forced to put myself into a genre. How else can I tag my videos and songs without a genre. it actuall helps believe it or not, in the long run because "rock" fans or "indie rock" fans can more easily find me. But trust me, I hate to box myself it as much as the next guy.

i thought about that while making this thread, and I actually have shared my stuff here on 4chn about two or three other times, and I've actually gotten some mostly positive responses, but I thought maybe I shouldn't shill in this thread? Like maybe this is the wrong time and place to do it? You know what I mean user?

Yes it's possible to be original, but here's your problem:
>"70's and 80's are far more my thing."
Record labels don't want that. They want 2018. What are you doing that makes your music GOOD and PRESENT in the world today?

what exactly did they say?

House Metal hasn't been done before

>no musician in the world likes to be placed in a genre

I think Eminem and Dr Dre like being labeled Hip Hop

he was a qt3.14

alright user i posted it in the most recent soundcloud thread on Sup Forums
it's labeled
>indie rock

well, my music is good, but honestly, it probably isnt really PRESENT or current. It really hurts to admit that.

he said my vocals were so bad that he could only listen to about tenseconds before turing it off. he also said something about me living and dying at the same time. it was weird. but the even weirder thing was...first he made like a real basic comment like "i heard your stuff and it was terrible"
But then he edited his comment to add more details to why he didnt like the music or vocals. THEN like two minutes later, he deleted his comment!!! can you believe that shit?
(this was all on You Tube BTW)

So I guess Ministry or White Zombie wouldn't be considered "house metal" to anyone?

Hmm, you might be on to something user!
I might be selling my soul a little if I actuall went through with changing my band's sound to "House Metal" though
lol

do you think Dr. Dre liked being called "gangsta Rap" in the 2000's? He hated it!

Sure, you have to tag your music and tell people about it, etc., but I'm just saying you don't have to think of your music as being within some genre during the process of creating it.

Record labels are really way less of a thing nowdays, where I live they have kinda morphed into a scatter of various hybrids of smaller companies like a physical recording studio + PR and release management type deal. The big international ones like Universal still scout about a bit but they really don't give a fuck about you unless you are already really hot shit in your city at a minimum, and kinda same thing with the smaller companies they usually arn't gonna like forward you funding for anything like in back in the day unless you have a following already. Otherwise you are looking at just paying out for a studio and producer yourself and doing the distribution yourself until (and if) you can get more hype and more money.
Sending your "demo" to a label, and hoping you get like "picked up", I don't think it's really thing any more. It's way more done on things like live show attendance and facebook likes/general social media follows and shit, showing that you have built up an audience by yourself already. And by being in the right style of music that that label actually releases. The one you contacted may have zero interest in any type of somewhat rocky guitar band

Trying to be self-consciously "original" is defining yourself in negative terms, i.e. trying to take away everything that everyone else is doing or has done so that it's off limits. That's stupid. Do what you consider interesting and push yourself to get better at it.

I find this Trevor Horn quote helpful: Unable to make the album sound like what was typical of other records released in the late 1970s, as well as finding it boring, Horn "figured that if I couldn't get records to sound like Elton John, which I couldn't because I couldn't figure out how they did it, then whatever I could do, I'd better exaggerate it."

Wait so you contacted the record label and the rep commented on your youtube video? That's pretty weird especially if this dude like edited then deleted his comment. Sounds like some goofy ass clueless old guy using the internet shit, did he actually reply directly to your email or whatever?

labels are a dying force in the music industry, they exist almost purely for booking nowadays and even there they are losing ground. Truth is, if your music is good, the labels will find you. But if your music is that good, you won't even need them.

>Truth is, if your music is good, the labels will find you. But if your music is that good, you won't even need them.
you misspelled "marketing". twice, actually

Actually, you are right. I did

no you're absolutely correct
I don't think about genre when I'm writing or recording. Only afterwords, when either tagging my songs/videos, or when decideing what I actually sound like. This is important because when you meet someone in the music industry who hasn't heard your stuff yet, but is inquiring about it, you can't say your music is "post modern, impressionistic country-hawaiian metal"
it just doesn't compute with anyone.
My music school even told us that. They said to just think about what categories are in the record stores, and where would you want your fans to find you.

well, I met him on a classic metal/hard rock channel on You Tube so he was obviously interested in guitar rock, but he just didn't like my brand of rock I guess.
But you are correct about everything else you said.
My problem is I'm the drummer and only member of "the band"
I was probably misleading by calling it "my band"
I write everything on MIDI keys, then give it to my producer to redo eveything on basses and guitars. Plus I sing on top and play drums to it.
But I don't know how to perform it live by myself.
i don't really like bands that play to a sequencer like 21 pilots. it seems kinda lame. Maybe I need to change my attitude about it?

that last part of the quote Exaggerate it"
damn nailed it user!
I'm really trying to do that with my stuff but it seems to land in just the "normal" places.
Maybe I need a different producer?

No the rep commented on a you tube channel that was discussing how this famouse DJ gets demos thrown at him all the time, but that 98% of the demos he hears suck ass. So in the comments section, some guy was saying "dude! If you heard my band, you'd change your mind bro!"
So some label guy said OK! Send me your songs.
So I basically took that as a open invitation to submit songs to this label guy. he listened to my tracks soon after and the rest is history.

that's good user, and true

Release your music to spotify. itunes etc. by yourself. Record companies are clueless.

>from a record label
Labels are shit. Self-promotion gives you better promotion. Labels only want big sales, and fuck you out of your income.

If you do social media right, you'll reach more people, more directly, and be able to keep more of your income from your work.

Start a YouTube channel, Instagram and Twitter accounts, and maybe a Facebook page for your band. Post on a very regular basis. That is, post at least one Youtube video per week, and post the same day, around the same time. If you post multiple days, consider themed days.

Book local gigs and list them on all the accounts. Cross-link your content.

Be personable with your fans. Respond to comments. Retweet good content, and like things which are shared on your accounts. A couple hours on post-based social media per day (actually, about fifteen minutes when you have a routine) will grow your online presence, and you will reach more people.

Distrokid is the way to go. They take care of licensing, and for a small annual fee, will list your music on a lot of sites.

I could go on, but I fear you don't want to do the work.

>no musician in the world likes to be placed in a genre, but the world is gonna do that for me anyway
Sure. But sometimes, being unique means your fans will have to create a genre, or have a hard time describing your work in terms of genre.

For example, one band I like is often called metal, but they're not. They're called heavy rock, but sometimes they're not. They've been called "groove rock," which fits some of their songs, but they're not. Then someone called them, "Boogie rock," and it stuck.

But still, tag each song with things that fit it, and things which are close, but not exact. I see stupid shit tagged "metal" all the time, which are far from metal, for example.

>i don't really like bands that play to a sequencer like 21 pilots. it seems kinda lame. Maybe I need to change my attitude about it?
sequenced drums in rock music can be interesting if you ruin with it and don't try to emulate real drums

this comes to mind:
youtube.com/watch?v=3HDsJ4h3GxY

yeah i released my stuff through LANDR which places my music in basically all the major streaming services like itunes, amazon, tidal, iheart radio etc.

thats some awesome tips record label user!
I already released my stuff through LANDR which places my music in most of the major streaming places on the net.(itunes, tidal, iheart radio, etc.)
But yes you are right about all that other social media stuff.
I don't post nearly often enough for your plan to work for me.
I write and record songs, and release them about every 4 months. That's how long it takes me to save enough money to record in my producer's studio. I release a song every week if I had enough money to pay for the studio. Not sure how to solve that pesky problem.

I'm the drummer in "my band" so I would be playing drums and singing over pre recorded keyboards, guitars, basses, and background vocals.
I never bother trying to put a live band together because I know from playing drums in numerous other people's bands, how hard it is to get musicians to learn your material for free for years. They get bored and frustrated in less than 6 months and leave. (I used to do the same!)

Hey OP, I just wanted to say that I like your responses so far and how you are taking the opinions and advice well. I hope your music does well and you achieve what you want.

Get tattoos on your face and work on your fashion sense. Maybe consider becoming LGBT.

hey user thanks!
In the you tube thread I mentioned earlier here, there's a new guy that just commented saying he like my stuff so I feel better now lol
Plus your nice comment too!
Wow. I feel actually pretty good, which feels strange being on Sup Forums.

Good thing I've got
thisto balance things out tee hee