Want to chase the dream...Advice?

PreppieNerd

Silver Member
I'm 21 years old, taking a few semesters off of school. The more I ponder the question of what I want to do with my life I keep coming back to music.

In addition to drums I also have a singer/songwriter project and plenty of experience with live sound, so I consider myself pretty marketable.

I am considering working really hard for 6 mos to a year saving as much as I can, then dropping everything and running after the life of a professional musician. And it's a romantic thought to move to Nashville and start digging in.

So questions:
Would it be beneficial to move to a new city? (I live in St. Louis right now, general consensus is that there is little to no appreciation for original bands)
What approach would you take?
What mistakes have you seen or made?
Anything else?
 
I'm 21 years old, taking a few semesters off of school. The more I ponder the question of what I want to do with my life I keep coming back to music.

In addition to drums I also have a singer/songwriter project and plenty of experience with live sound, so I consider myself pretty marketable.

I am considering working really hard for 6 mos to a year saving as much as I can, then dropping everything and running after the life of a professional musician. And it's a romantic thought to move to Nashville and start digging in.

So questions:
Would it be beneficial to move to a new city? (I live in St. Louis right now, general consensus is that there is little to no appreciation for original bands)
What approach would you take?
What mistakes have you seen or made?
Anything else?

This is funny that you would ask about info on making it in the music biz, I always give this sage advice! listen to the immortal words of Bon Scot of AC/DC, It's a long way to the top if you want to Rock n Roll! everything that he sang of rang true in my career as a Professional Drummer! Ripped off, underpaid, rough and mean, all of it! but I have had the enjoyment of touring the World and meeting the coolest of people,while having the best job in the World,I am still chasing that dream and will do so until they bury me so if you want to play the game, do it professionally,with honor,and always stay grounded! I was a huge KISS fan until I met Gene Simmons, what a Loser he turned out to be! Good luck and best regards!
 
I can only suggest the profoundly simple advice from a world famous drummer...
"You must never, ever give up. Because once you do, you've assured your own failure.." - Alan White.
 
There was recently a similar thread on this same topic, here:
http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=92997

What I've observed is the drummers who work spend a lot of time working on networking.
Most of the better gigs are never advertised, and some touring positions with high profile artists/bands don't even have formal auditions. It all comes down to connections, and who knows whom.

So, if you want to make it in the business, my best advice is get to know everyone, and make sure everyone knows who you are and that you can deliver.

Although I've been to st Louis, I can't say I know much about the music scene there.
In general, the major music cities have far more opportunities, but also far more competition for every last gig.

Here in Los Angeles, this is a place where things happen. I've watched many bands go from unknown to huge. I've seen guys go from unknown to the cover of magazines 9even if it took them 20 years to do so). But at the same time, if you stand on any given corner with a ball, and throw the ball in the air, chances are you'll hit a drummer looking for a gig on the head.
 
You know, if everything works out, as far as the world goes, twenty years seems like a long time, but it goes by too quickly. Ask yourself this, what do you NOT want to be doing when you're 41? Do you want to be schlepping your way for an hour and a half back and forth to work on some busy-ass freeway/toll road or whatever you call it where you're at, waiting for the day that you can finally take that trip to Cabo every five years? Who knows? Maybe you'll like your job and the people you work with everyday....if you're lucky.

Now what?
 
What I've observed is the drummers who work spend a lot of time working on networking.
Most of the better gigs are never advertised, and some touring positions with high profile artists/bands don't even have formal auditions. It all comes down to connections, and who knows whom.

So, if you want to make it in the business, my best advice is get to know everyone, and make sure everyone knows who you are and that you can deliver.

This is it, in a nutshell. Keep in mind that with a move, you may lose some impact of the networking you already have underway...just something to consider.
 
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