🔒 Locked

Promoting myself as an artist on the Internet

Started by Crispy Aug 27, 2006 at 6:42 PM 18 replies 5.6k views

Original Post

Aug 27, 2006 at 6:42 PM

I apologise to people who deserve it. This topic might be of interest to many (depending on the quality of the replies), although it is not programming-related. My aim is not to invoke a discussion (or even to promote myself really), but merely to seek advice (on how to promote myself). I'll try and be concise. I am an artist working in the electronic music field (as slightly more than a hobby, but greatly less than a full-time job). Unfeatured - I've had close to zero exposure. And I'm not familiar with how to impose myself on what-not it is that I should be imposing myself on. The problem is that I don't have the money to hire an agent and I don't have the time, or that other thing - interest - to do the lobbying. Simply put, I'm looking for the simplest, most easily exploitable way(s) of exposing my work electronically. As things are, just uploading something is pointless - you need a catalyst of some sort. Since this really is not the place to advertise myself, I'll post the two links that you can click to listen to my stuff with a note of discretion. Sure, you're free to comment, but comments and a friendly pat on the back are not (no longer) that which I'm really looking for (you can pat away, though). my MySpace account my AudioStreet account The sole reason I'm posting this thread in the Lounge instead of the Sound and Music forum is the combination of two ratios: experience and exposure - you can figure out the rest. If anyone sees this as blatant self-promotion that shouldn't belong here, feel free to close this thread. The promotional section of this post is: you can always distribute the above links to your friends if you're inclined to do so.

dave

Aug 27, 2006 at 6:49 PM

Is this game related at all? ie, are you intending to make music for games. If so, one thing you can do is actively seek an work with indie game developers who might need some music for their projects. Build a name of yourself like that and as you are currently doing.

Dave

Crispy

Aug 27, 2006 at 6:50 PM

Quote:
Original post by Dave
Is this game related at all?

No.

dave

Aug 27, 2006 at 6:52 PM

Is this an area you wish to avoid, because what i said could still help.

Rain 7

Aug 27, 2006 at 6:56 PM

Dave is right Crispy. Exposure can come from the most unseeming of places.

Crispy

Aug 27, 2006 at 7:04 PM

I'm familiar with that - in fact I have experience with that. What you're suggesting includes four factors, three out of which are very unwanted: lobbying, hard work (the wanted factor), risk and greatly misdirected exposure. Game music, like film music, is not the same as "standard" music and is essentially a trap door to a world that I don't want to get into because I've been there and I didn't like it; the reasons are full of subtleties and I'd prefer to not waste bandwidth on justifying my preferences.

Rain 7

Aug 27, 2006 at 7:09 PM

Quote:
Original post by Crispy
I'm familiar with that - in fact I have experience with that. What you're suggesting includes four factors, three out of which are very unwanted: lobbying, hard work (the wanted factor), risk and greatly misdirected exposure. Game music, like film music, is not the same as "standard" music and is essentially a trap door to a world that I don't want to get into because I've been there and I didn't like it; the reasons are full of subtleties and I'd prefer to not waste bandwidth on justifying my preferences.

Please explain the difference betweeen "standard" music exposure and game music exposure...

Crispy

Aug 27, 2006 at 7:22 PM

Quote:
Original post by Rain 7
Please explain the difference betweeen "standard" music exposure and game music exposure...

Off the top of your head, name three game music makers. No, name one.

ArchWizard

Aug 27, 2006 at 7:24 PM

Quote:
Original post by Crispy
Quote:
Original post by Rain 7
Please explain the difference betweeen "standard" music exposure and game music exposure...

Off the top of your head, name three game music makers. No, name one.

Nobuo Uematsu.

I can name a few more: Frank Klepacki, Yasunori Mitsuda, Jeremy Soule.

I don't know how they all got started in game music work.

GroZZleR

Aug 27, 2006 at 7:26 PM

Jesper Kyd composed the music for the Hitman series. He could have done other things, but this is what I know him for.

Crispy

Aug 27, 2006 at 7:32 PM

Good - the original thread counts for exactly squat.

For some reason I'm stuck with justifying myself against singled out examples, not rules.

People can't even recognize a round-about question: you quite literally only have a miniscule chance of knowing a game music maker or their work if you play the damn things. Consider yourself lucky to be in that 1-2% of people who know a name or two.

Now list the artists you know off the shelf.

outRider

Aug 27, 2006 at 7:42 PM

Try running a shoutcast and/or sending your music to others for play on their shoutcasts (check out www.shoutcast.com).

Opportunities come in the form of the right person hearing your music at the right time, so until crystal balls become more reliable you need to push your music to as many people as possible, instead of putting it up somewhere and waiting for them to come to you. Choose the methods that give you the greatest number of potential listeners.

LessBread

Aug 27, 2006 at 7:43 PM

Check out Nigel

EDI

Aug 27, 2006 at 7:52 PM

Quote:
Original post by Crispy
Quote:
Original post by Rain 7
Please explain the difference betweeen "standard" music exposure and game music exposure...

Off the top of your head, name three game music makers. No, name one.

1. Adam Frechette
2. Mark Sierbert

Jarrod1937

Aug 27, 2006 at 8:28 PM

Quote:
Original post by Crispy
Quote:
Original post by Rain 7
Please explain the difference betweeen "standard" music exposure and game music exposure...

Off the top of your head, name three game music makers. No, name one.

1.)Sean beeson (does music for indie gamedevs but one of the best out there).
2.)harry gregeson (sp?) williams, did the mnusic for the rock, and the metal gear solid series, one hell of a composer.
3.)akira yamaoka, did the music for silent hill, i love his style of mixing meloncoly with suspense and creepyness in his music.

those are just few off the top of my head.
you seemt o be underminding the ammount of exposure game composers get, if you're good you will get to be known, no matter what path you take.

Rain 7

Aug 27, 2006 at 8:36 PM

Quote:
Original post by Crispy
Quote:
Original post by Rain 7
Please explain the difference betweeen "standard" music exposure and game music exposure...

Off the top of your head, name three game music makers. No, name one.

Lol. To be perfectly blunt, it is clear you know very little about the gaming music scene. I can name off dozens of composers from the video game music genre off the top of my head without breaking a sweat. I believe that when you say that you have "been in the industry before" you really mean "I don't think my music is cut out for this type of medium" which is fine. I would advise you to perhaps check a different forum as this one currently houses GAME developers, and GAME musicians and GAME editors and etc..etc. Have you tried the AudioStreet or Myspace forums? Those probably would be more beneficial to you as they are not affiliated with games.

Crispy

Aug 27, 2006 at 8:37 PM

Quote:
Original post by Jarrod1937
if you're good you will get to be known, no matter what path you take.

That's naive enough to be cute. Obviously you've either succeeded (good for you) or just read a couple of success stories (not so good for you). You might want to take a look at my previous post in this thread, though (hint: it will direct you to the OP). The same goes for EDI.

At this point I'm quite unhappy about not being able to delete this thread since it's obviously a lost cause.

outRider: I did think about that. But setting up a server for that is a little above my capabilities.

Crispy

Aug 27, 2006 at 8:41 PM

Quote:
Original post by Rain 7
Quote:
Original post by Crispy
Quote:
Original post by Rain 7
Please explain the difference betweeen "standard" music exposure and game music exposure...

Off the top of your head, name three game music makers. No, name one.

Lol. To be perfectly blunt, it is clear you know very little about the gaming music scene. I can name off dozens of composers from the video game music genre off the top of my head without breaking a sweat. I believe that when you say that you have "been in the industry before" you really mean "I don't think my music is cut out for this type of medium" which is fine. I would advise you to perhaps check a different forum as this one currently houses GAME developers, and GAME musicians and GAME editors and etc..etc. Have you tried the AudioStreet or Myspace forums? Those probably would be more beneficial to you as they are not affiliated with games.

I used to be a regular here. I didn't register just to post this. I know quite a few names around here and thus figured I'd post here first. And I do realize that you're right; I just hope you won't assume that games, even on this forum, are all there is to life.

Rain 7

Aug 27, 2006 at 8:45 PM

Quote:
Original post by CrispyI used to be a regular here. I didn't register just to post this. I know quite a few names around here and thus figured I'd post here first. And I do realize that you're right;

Thanks for the explanation.

Quote:
Original post by Crispy
I just hope you won't assume that games, even on this forum, are all there is to life.

Thanks for the concern. Good luck with everything.

Jarrod1937

Aug 27, 2006 at 9:06 PM

Quote:
Original post by Crispy
Quote:
Original post by Jarrod1937
if you're good you will get to be known, no matter what path you take.

That's naive enough to be cute. Obviously you've either succeeded (good for you) or just read a couple of success stories (not so good for you). You might want to take a look at my previous post in this thread, though (hint: it will direct you to the OP). The same goes for EDI.

At this point I'm quite unhappy about not being able to delete this thread since it's obviously a lost cause.

outRider: I did think about that. But setting up a server for that is a little above my capabilities.

to be blunt (don't take what i say personally), but what i ment is if you're good and don't sit on your *ss you will become known. being a known compser is all about reputation, i have seen many good composers not be known, but what i ment is if you're good and actually go out and attempt to join as many projects as possible (gaming, film, whatever it may be) you will eventually get that reputation you deserve.
it is even more naive to think that you will be known if you're good but don't go out and try to join projects, get your music out on the net...etc.
and what i ment about different paths is for example, film, just plain music (such as releasing cd's, radio), gaming, you name it. i said this because you seem to think that just because the composers do stuff for games that they will not be known, but this is a horribly uninformed belief, lots of game composers become famous if they also possess the talent deserving of such fame.

Topic Locked

This topic has been locked by a moderator. New replies are not allowed.