I received a very long email from a self funded musician who felt the above statement recently who asked me for advice.
As he was introduced to me by a good and helpful friend, I took time off from my recording(and lunch) to
reply him a long one as well. After writing that, I felt it will be of help to many others who choose to pursue
their passion but feel jaded due to a lack of appreciation, support. I’ve changed the names to protect the innocent.
So here goes…
Hi. XXX
U’re frank with me, I’ll be frank with you as well 🙂 Though I sympathise your situation however aiyohhh, there are so many too many other struggling musicians as well. Our friend is very cool to always try others and link us up, but the market here is as such. We can’t force the audience or media to love us.
I’m considered one of the very very very lucky ones to have made a comfortable living out of making music since 1997. However that comfy living does not just come from one job. Here’s a list of what I did to sustain this career.
1. Pub Musician
2. Songwriter
3. Music arranger
4. Music Producer
5. Music Publisher
6.Artiste Manager
7. Music Lecturer
8. Foreign Artiste booking agent
9. Session guitar player
10. Touring musician
11. Recording engineer
12. Judging for songwriting/singing competitions
13. Music consultant for corporate companies
14. Advertising Jingle writer
BTW, all these are self taught, till today, I can’t read or write a single note, or don’t really know how to say OH! That’s a 289HZ if I hear it.
on top of all that, I’m also a key person running my music label/publishing company named Funkie Monkies Productions together with Xiaohan. Sticking my face into whatever events I can attend, going to pub/clubs to mingle, at times giving advice to
musicians like yourself. If I can help, I will help, if I can’t, at least maybe something out of whatever I can dig from my experience can help u. Any little help to others I feel, is good karma anyway.
So let me share my story.
When I 1st started at 17, I was a guitarist playing heavy metal, I’m one of those mat rockers who despised pop and cheena music etc coz it was not cool.
However when I realised by playing pop rock cover bands, I could earn a little allowance plus perform for a crowd.
hmmm…heavy metal in a dingy jamming room where no one listens…or pop rock, still played on a guitar with few people listening plus some taxi fare back home?
CHANGE…
From there, while I was playing rock guitar in pubs, a friend approach me to jam during her acoustic guitar set playing chinese music.
hmm, chords all roughly the same, people were intrigued by this mat rocker playing guitar solos, funky strumming opposed to the usual mellow gentle musicians, PLUS more pocket money?
CHANGE…
Got noticed as a more unique Chinese music guitarist and asked to perform for Taiwan artistes, who I didn’t know then, were very famous. Including Emil Chou, Coco Lee, A*Mei. Got on TV, got on radio.
Jialat!!! This isn’t what I set out to do when I 1st started 4 years ago!
But hmmm, chords still roughly all the same, more pocket $$$, TV, Radio exposure, realised from the people I meet that there is a potential that I can actually do this not just for taxi fare but for a PROPER living.
CHANGE!
Good friend asked me to join a songwriting competition for Rock Records, a Mandarin label. She was not chinese, and my chinese then super jialat. Ahhh screw it, let’s just do it in English. We came in 2nd or 3rd I can’t remember,
but I did win best arrangement, though the accompaniment was just one guitar. Jonathan Lee remarked he was quite impressed that I could do all the build ups/dynamics of the song on one just one guitar.
Hmm…I hate singing, face fat and not good looking, but I can hit the mainstream by writing a song for a singer?! wow!!
CHANGE!
And the list goes on and on and on…Every lucky step of the way was done by changing my mentality and weighing the pros and cons of what I wanted and what I didn’t. Some can say I sold out by doing what I didn’t set out to do.
U can say whatever, but most importantly I’m true to myself. My mission was – making music into a career. Whatever I did was just slipping and sliding between changes to get where I am today.
Our good friend did also intro-ed me to people here and there because I shared that even though we’ve have managed to survive from the above stuff, but Funkie Monkies have always funded their own productions out of the income that we have gained thru the other income channels in FM.
So, my man, I’m not in much of a greener pasture from you in that sense. However luckily at FM, we still work extra hard to make sure we got food to eat, plus push our passion and dreams in hope of bringing more new LOCAL talents to greater heights.
Back to the introductions gave to me by our good friend, most of them didn’t work out, BUT I don’t blame any of them, as after all, this is my problem, my choice.
End of the day, the decision and choice to invest time, blood, sweat, tears, money into this passion was from me. I can always say, SCREW IT. Mai Leoww, I go be…err…property agent! =D
But here I am, and i will do it till I don’t feel like it.
So yeah…that’s the story of my life.
There were another 2 questions from him.
1. To expose the failings of the Arts and Music industry.
Though it’s all subjective, I feel your stuff is not mainstream enough for Singapore.
The media serves the mainstream, if U want them to notice you, do what they serve. If not, we can’t expect them to help us. They are a business which is why they are called an industry.
And if U feel U wanna stick to your guns, sure! go ahead! however you will have to balance your expectations. As mentioned, this is our choice, we cannot force everyone to like our choice.
Myself, I chose doing mainstream music because I’d much rather be playing in a concert listening to 10000s of people screaming my song than playing to 12 family and friends in a park and I rather make a living than some pocket $$$.
2) If there’s anyway I can help his music, and he feels that people overseas are more receptive towards his stuff.
– Platform, hmmm maybe you can seek someone who’s closer to your style of music coz it’s not really what I’m good at. (it’s jazzy/classical kinda thing)
Lastly, my humble opinion is…we do music is for the love of it, NO ONE can prevent or stop us from doing that (unless they chop your hand off lah).
If U truly believe in your music and what you do should be accepted but it’s not happening.
Then U should weigh which is more important to you.
– Your music?
– Your country?
If U feel it’s music, and you feel U did your very best to push your craft but am feeling jaded as U feel now, then I’d advise you to move.
As Chris Martin from Coldplay sang ‘If you never try, you’ll never know’
It’s up to you to make your own changes =D
Yours sincerely
Eric Ng黃韻仁 Exec Director
Funkie Monkies Productions Pte Ltd
The end…hope this post can help anyone out there who feels the same. Good luck!
