Why you will NEVER make a living selling beats.

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biggrome said:
Say what you will but most people don't want it enough to go through what Griffin Avid did.

A lot of people that make beats are introverts and actually scared of rappers. So most wouldn't be in a room with a rapper and his crew to even produce them. They would rather use the anonimity of the internet and fake names to try to make it all happen. I do know that at one time I was riding around with an emcee prospect and a friend that introduced me to him and the guy actually lived his lyrics. Let's just say he was bout it and was up on lots of heavy charges (violent - sending people to the grave charges). So there will always be a sea of beatmakers from artists to pick from via the internet just because of the make up of "people" now a days.

Interesting thought. Who has an easier time getting what they need... a producer or a rapper. A rapper can hit up the Soundclick top 10 or this reviews section and within an hour walk away with 15 beats for $300.00 or LESS (15 beats at $20 a piece). How long would it take a producer to get 15 of his songs completed or to find somebody that would use 15 of his songs? Quite awhile... and by the time he's done, he'll be hella frustrated and possibly let down by a lot of the songs.

Do the homegrown thing if you can connect with a decent emcee on your level that actually wants it and won't waste your time. Completed songs trump instrumentals and remixes all day.
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I have a cousin who spits fire lyrics on facebook all the time. He also talks about his boys and his past, which I perceive as him being connected to a gang. He has asked me a time or two to hook up but I fear(internally) that he will some how bring trouble to my door. For this reason, I somewhat fear working with him. So what you say has a great deal of truth to it. How the hell do you know these things?
 
newuser1 said:
For this reason, I somewhat fear working with him. So what you say has a great deal of truth to it. How the hell do you know these things?
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I told people before a lot of what I say sounds off the wall... but have been in more "Hip Hop" situations than 90% of the people on this site.

You are a smart man for feeling the way you feel. The guy I was riding with was cracking jokes, shook my hand like he had known me forever, asked to hear my beats and all o dat... it wasn't until my friend said "Yeah, that mf ain't gonna beat them murder charges on Monday though..."

I asked him about it and he seemed a little worried. I didn't know how to make light of "Did you kill some people?" but he just said "whatever happens on Monday, happens on Monday"

From being around the dude, I thought it was terrible because if my friend hadn't said anything... I would've invited dude around my immediate people.

They did have another straight up A hole though that wrote a bunch of No Limit songs but never got to shine on his own. He was pissed that he wrote the songs that were blowing up... and thought he was owed something. My friends recorded him (I told them the songs were shit but they didn't listen), recorded about 8 songs with him at guess what - I don't know much about studios... $600 an hour at a really swanky studio and then Master P called him... and he was on the next flight out.

I posted what I posted because I have been around producers - in person... and rappers in person... rappers are always more BOUT IT than producers (most of the time - when you do the type of music I do). Most cyphers I got into as a rapper were at boxing parties... I would never phuck with or ride with a lot of the people I rapped with at those parties, lol. Not that I was scared of them but I knew the potential of things going South just based off of the ish they said. Most of 'em felt some sort of connection with me after we set the parties off... but in my mind, that's as far as it went. I saw a few of those dudes hurt pretty bad and they were really humbled after some F'd up ish happened to 'em. I only have one scar on my face... (off some dumb ish).

I knew dudes that had "rapper meetings" at their girlfriends place, lol. 30 mf's in her garage and they scared to come in there. Dudes rapping all kinds of WILD ASS ish. I remember seeing one dude there that would F up Technine and Bone Thugs all at once. I had not and have not heard anybody rap like that before or since... people just walked outside and had private conversations about the dude, lol. We were like "did he even breathe?"

That dude had star potential...
 
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biggrome said:
I told people before a lot of what I say sounds off the wall... but have been in more "Hip Hop" situations than 90% of the people on this site.

You are a smart man for feeling the way you feel. The guy I was riding with was cracking jokes, shook my hand like he had known me forever, asked to hear my beats and all o dat... it wasn't until my friend said "Yeah, that mf ain't gonna beat them murder charges on Monday though..."

I asked him about it and he seemed a little worried. I didn't know how to make light of "Did you kill some people?" but he just said "whatever happens on Monday, happens on Monday"

From being around the dude, I thought it was terrible because if my friend hadn't said anything... I would've invited dude around my immediate people.

They did have another straight up A hole though that wrote a bunch of No Limit songs but never got to shine on his own. He was pissed that he wrote the songs that were blowing up... and thought he was owed something. My friends recorded him (I told them the songs were shit but they didn't listen), recorded about 8 songs with him at guess what - I don't know much about studios... $600 an hour at a really swanky studio and then Master P called him... and he was on the next flight out.

I posted what I posted because I have been around producers - in person... and rappers in person... rappers are always more BOUT IT than producers (most of the time - when you do the type of music I do). Most cyphers I got into as a rapper were at boxing parties... I would never phuck with or ride with a lot of the people I rapped with at those parties, lol. Not that I was scared of them but I knew the potential of things going South just based off of the ish they said. Most of 'em felt some sort of connection with me after we set the parties off... but in my mind, that's as far as it went. I saw a few of those dudes hurt pretty bad and they were really humbled after some F'd up ish happened to 'em. I only have one scar on my face... (off some dumb ish).

I knew dudes that had "rapper meetings" at their girlfriends place, lol. 30 mf's in her garage and they scared to come in there. Dudes rapping all kinds of WILD ASS ish. I remember seeing one dude there that would F up Technine and Bone Thugs all at once. I had not and have not heard anybody rap like that before or since... people just walked outside and had private conversations about the dude, lol. We were like "did he even breathe?"

That dude had star potential...
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I can relate.

I've been around the block and back.

Its real in the fields.

Very Humbling.
 
for those of you talking about working solely with an artist Dre/Snoop style ... the prob I've always had with that, ever since I left college the first time & was a little more conscious of using my time wisely towards getting paid in order to live, if your not getting paid for beats by the rapper, you end up working another job, and if your actively involved in actual production, coaching & all that, you really don't have time to go hard in the paint with it, & even if your just passing beats, you really don't have time to really get out enough beats to the artist, & most artists I know, especially in the last few years, will just go grab some beats from whoever else because of their impatience, & when you only have 1 or 2 songs to show for it, it kinda defeats the purpose
 
As I started reading this, I was like **** this dude...but then I read on further and discovered a mind opening article that only the inspired and motivated will take into their thoughts and act upon. Well Done.

www.soundclick.com/tapiwa
 
biggrome said:
I told people before a lot of what I say sounds off the wall... but have been in more "Hip Hop" situations than 90% of the people on this site.

You are a smart man for feeling the way you feel. The guy I was riding with was cracking jokes, shook my hand like he had known me forever, asked to hear my beats and all o dat... it wasn't until my friend said "Yeah, that mf ain't gonna beat them murder charges on Monday though..."

I asked him about it and he seemed a little worried. I didn't know how to make light of "Did you kill some people?" but he just said "whatever happens on Monday, happens on Monday"

From being around the dude, I thought it was terrible because if my friend hadn't said anything... I would've invited dude around my immediate people.

They did have another straight up A hole though that wrote a bunch of No Limit songs but never got to shine on his own. He was pissed that he wrote the songs that were blowing up... and thought he was owed something. My friends recorded him (I told them the songs were shit but they didn't listen), recorded about 8 songs with him at guess what - I don't know much about studios... $600 an hour at a really swanky studio and then Master P called him... and he was on the next flight out.

I posted what I posted because I have been around producers - in person... and rappers in person... rappers are always more BOUT IT than producers (most of the time - when you do the type of music I do). Most cyphers I got into as a rapper were at boxing parties... I would never phuck with or ride with a lot of the people I rapped with at those parties, lol. Not that I was scared of them but I knew the potential of things going South just based off of the ish they said. Most of 'em felt some sort of connection with me after we set the parties off... but in my mind, that's as far as it went. I saw a few of those dudes hurt pretty bad and they were really humbled after some F'd up ish happened to 'em. I only have one scar on my face... (off some dumb ish).

I knew dudes that had "rapper meetings" at their girlfriends place, lol. 30 mf's in her garage and they scared to come in there. Dudes rapping all kinds of WILD ASS ish. I remember seeing one dude there that would F up Technine and Bone Thugs all at once. I had not and have not heard anybody rap like that before or since... people just walked outside and had private conversations about the dude, lol. We were like "did he even breathe?"

That dude had star potential...
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cool_story_bro.jpg


zzzZZZZzzz
 
To the OP...what if I told you that I am 24...been messing with music since 17, but that SCHOOL is my #1 priority?

Music is like #4 in my priority list. I LOVE music but I realize that being in the industry is NOT for everyone.
 
Kalon2000 said:
To the OP...what if I told you that I am 24...been messing with music since 17, but that SCHOOL is my #1 priority?

Music is like #4 in my priority list. I LOVE music but I realize that being in the industry is NOT for everyone.
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I'd say you don't fit into the category of people that he has directed the post at. I'm in the same boat as you but I have been messing with music production since 18. Family, work and study take precedence over my music right now but I still freelance for the local scene and get quite a lot of work.
 
I didn't feel like going through all the pages and reading everyone's response. Using my finely tuned intuition, my feeling is that most ppl blindly challenged this post because they're afraid to admit THEY FIT PERFECTLY INTO YOUR PROFILE OF AN ASPIRING PRODUCER.

Honestly, I'm the perfect example of that profile. I haven't made a beat for 6+ months thanks to a crashing HP laptop, and since that fateful event, I feel I have a much better vision than before. I was desperate, insecure, and impressionable.

But now that I've got a chance to sit on the sidelines and observe, I can tell you one thing - MARKET SATURATION DON'T MEAN SH!T! It just means that if you're trying to infiltrate a mainstream market by emulating current trends, you'll probably fail. Why? CUZ THAT'S WHAT EVERYONE ELSE IS DOING OR TRYING TO DO!!

So I've said "F*ck It" - I know the melodies in my head (or sometimes full compositions if I'm half-asleep/half-awake) may not have mainstream appeal or may not be readily marketable, BUT I DON'T CARE ANYMORE. I'd rather do it for the fun of it, and have artists with similar visions gravitate to my finished product. I can't see myself jumping onto the "LOOK AT ME! NOTICE ME!" train EVERYONE else is on.

I may make $$$, I may not. Who cares. If I do, then I'll know for sure I'm on MY RIGHT PATH.

I would also add to your profile that MANY aspiring producers have DELUSIONS OF GRANDEUR. Which explains the plethora of SH!TTY-@SS producers trying to market terrible instrumentals, while seeming completely obvious to the fact THEY SUCK. "Oh, ur just hatin! im tellin you, i'm da next big thang, ya heard?"

Denial, denial, denial, fragile egos, denial, denial...
 
GimpSpack said:
I DON'T CARE ANYMORE. I'd rather do it for the fun of it, and have artists with similar visions gravitate to my finished product. I can't see myself jumping onto the "LOOK AT ME! NOTICE ME!" train EVERYONE else is on
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cosign...
 
wow this guy is ****in depressed, who takes the time to type all that, i could of sold 5 beats in the amount of time u took to make that
 
GimpSpack said:
Honestly, I'm the perfect example of that profile. I haven't made a beat for 6+ months thanks to a crashing HP laptop, and since that fateful event, I feel I have a much better vision than before. I was desperate, insecure, and impressionable.

But now that I've got a chance to sit on the sidelines and observe, I can tell you one thing - MARKET SATURATION DON'T MEAN SH!T! It just means that if you're trying to infiltrate a mainstream market by emulating current trends, you'll probably fail. Why? CUZ THAT'S WHAT EVERYONE ELSE IS DOING OR TRYING TO DO!!

So I've said "F*ck It" - I know the melodies in my head (or sometimes full compositions if I'm half-asleep/half-awake) may not have mainstream appeal or may not be readily marketable, BUT I DON'T CARE ANYMORE. I'd rather do it for the fun of it, and have artists with similar visions gravitate to my finished product. I can't see myself jumping onto the "LOOK AT ME! NOTICE ME!" train EVERYONE else is on.

I may make $$$, I may not. Who cares. If I do, then I'll know for sure I'm on MY RIGHT PATH.


Denial, denial, denial, fragile egos, denial, denial...
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same thing happened.
 
Producerlifestyle said:
I would disagree I think now is just the right time cause record labels are dieing and more companys are looking for the power of the internet
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i agree that its the right time, but i think the label is going to come back, the past ten years have been marked by thousands of piece of crap songs out there, and netlabels help organize it because as john peel said he could never, even back in the day, sift through the mounds of music he was given daily. also, there is a new rush in technology, and the recession is lifting, and that naturally brings about great things artistically, remember the laate 90s and early 2000's, those were some of the best times musically in the past 40 years, its only when scenes and new styles play themselves out and get reborn by more talented artists that this usually happens, and this follows a general decade long era, my guess is going to be that by 2012, which subconciously is a mythical date, just like the millenium was, great advances in music that no one has seen before since the 90s or 60s will happen. look at the 80s, they were full of a lot of undeveloped ideas, and crappy pop music, and the ideas were developed more fully in the 90's.

i think all the technology naturally inspires rebellion, and questioning of it, which tends to create a firestorm of artistic inspiration, think koyaanisqatsi, ok computer, kid a, lateralus, boards of canada, surrender by the chemical brothers, i could go on... all of them landmark albums, created in the same period, all of them sharing themes of rebirth, lateral thinking, new conciousness altered ways of seeing the world, and universal themes and patterns.

then after something like this hits, its really tough to top that kind of effort, which takes years to do, so the cycle restarts, and i think the cycle of development is nearing a point where great things are going to come again, thats just my thoughts about it
 
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There is enough money for everybody to get rich, it doesnt matter if you rap selling beats or not there are so much opportunity in this world, with a will there is a way. I bought my first house while the recession was in full in effect and I had a job that payed only 10 dollars an hour. It wasnt positive thinking it was positive knowing that what I desire will come to me, now I make beats all day and get paid.
 
ill keep it real short - iMAKE MUSIC CAUSE I LOVE IT I LOVE SAMPLING an thats it just making a beat makes life that much better creatin nothin to something its a joy and blessing to have this gift i dont tend to lower myself cause of greed .. its all in time if you have the patience an time if your like me youll keep at it an u wont let anything blind your real sight at the end of tunnel . yeah media an everything in amerikkka is spoon fed propaganda marketing stragetigies an a little of findin yourself helps alott know what life is ..


if your in it to get a QUICK buck YOUR RIDE ENDS HERE !!


i love music the whole aspect of it ...

BESIDES OUR GOVERNMENT F*UCKIN US AN THIS RECESSION \ THIS CHANGES MY WHOLE MINDSTATE!!
 
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