The Monetization Blues

OK, here is my follow up post to the Post Traumatic How Do I make Money From Music Syndrome post before (no, it was not actually called that).

I have taken a little time to reflect on my thoughts about making money with my music / noises. The conclusion I have come to so far is to just keep enjoying making the stuff.

I do not like the pressures of trying to make music that could fit a specific area for the sole result of making money. It is much more fulfilling for me to make it because it's what I love to do.

I listen to some of the music I have made and after so many tunes; re-occurring themes begin to emerge. Sounds, melodies, rhythms start to take on a style that I suppose constitutes my "sound".

I used to try to avoid this as much as I could and often it would disappoint me when I began to hear what I called redundancy. I do not look at it as redundancy anymore, I look at it as what distinguishes my tunes as mine.

In the two years since I started consistently making music again (after a 10 year hiatus), I have put together over 100 songs / tracks. At that rate it was inevitable that I would begin to hear redundancy in many of them.

The one benefit I see to have so much music is more opportunity to reach someone or some place. The one obvious drawback to working so rapidly is sloppiness. I believe that if I spent more time with the songs that they would gain value in my mind and the future listeners.

I believe the music would have a more soulful (not genre) and personal sound if more time was spent on it. I like the immediate gratification of laying something down and hearing it the next day...But I fear that rush to finish can be heard in the songs.

I am vowing to spend more time with my music. To give it proper attention and spend days and weeks on songs rather than hours. I believe this will help me and my music be better.

Hopefully one day my posts will turn from these self indulgent revelations and speak more about the specific songs I am making. Once they have been nurtured.

Cheers,
m e e k