When did you hang up the dream?

[donf]

Never really had the dream to be famous or hit the big time. I do enjoy, just sitting there playing, maybe at a picnic, barbeque. When I joined my band, we started gigging and I was up on stage, I remember looking around at the crowd and thinking, this isn't all it's cracked up to be (at least to me).
After several years, it became a chore to shuttle all the equipment, break down at 2:30am and lose the whole next day cause I needed sleep. My wife enjoyed the gigging, but it was a drag after a while. I also was tired of missing out on vacations, weekend events because of band commitment. Also band politics didn't help....

I still enjoy messing with my Sonar recording software and getting together with the old bass guitarist in the band and working on acoustic duets projects. Being 49 now, thats where I sit with my dream, and I'm happy with it.

[clifffclaven]

I have to say that I believe the ratio to make it in the music biz is: 99% ass busting hard work and determination, and 1% luck.

Not even close.

[j4vice]

I found that when I started playing for chicks and not dudes or club owners or even for myself, my dream came true.

[rjohnstone]

I gave up on the "rock star dream" when I was in my early 20's.
I knew I lacked the skills for that and luck only goes so far.

I quit playing out when I was 34. Raising a kid and working 60 hours a week didn't leave any time for rehearsing let alone performing on the weekends.
Plus the band drama BS was getting old real fast.

[jgcable]

I have to say that I believe the ratio to make it in the music biz is: 99% ass busting hard work and determination, and 1% luck.

My take is 50% work... 50% luck.
The biggest mistake bands make is thinking that they are going to get a record deal without having to leave their hometown.
The second biggest mistake is keeping members in the band that suck just because they are friends.

[jonasaberg]

When I first picked up guitar, my dream was to get loads of chicks throwing themselves at me.
That didn't happen but a few times I've had a few chicks sit and listen while I played, which both freaked me out and felt hella-cool.
My current dream is just to play in a cover band, doing 80's hair metal songs in local bars or something.
If I could hook that up I would think that my dream has become reality.
And who knows, maybe then I'll have those chicks throwing themselves at me and both my dreams would have come true.

[GodOfRhythm]

There's two kinds of people in the world
lawyers business types
artists musicians

I'm an artist and musician. I'm also (nearly) a lawyer and have a keen business sense. Guess I'm both.

[metalchurch79]

I gave up on "The Dream" yesterday. I realized that I'm not going anywhere and came to terms with it.

[jgcable]

I'm an artist and musician. I'm also (nearly) a lawyer and have a keen business sense. Guess I'm both.

I am just an asshole that plays in a metal band

[Jacksons Shred]

Maybe it's just because I'm young and naive. The music industry is dead, but metal is coming back! What happened in the 80's when everyone was sick of fucking Poison and Warrant running the charts? Something different came a long and smashed it to pieces. I think that's still possible, the teen bopper shit has ran the scene for quite some time (the jonas brothers and that shit is s till making millions...), metal has such a cult following that it's far from over, and I'm convinced it will see the light of day once again. I guess I'm chasing my dream, so to say, a lot of my friends are now in pretty famous bands and are traveling around the US and some of them, the world. They say it's not all fun, but when you're on stage you forget about everything. I'll be damned if I have to work a 9-5 job, be a slave to the machine and become another peon of the system. I'd rather make the bare necessities doing what I love, then making more doing what I despise and regretting not doing my passion. I can imagine I'm due for a very rude awakening, but hell, balance is everything. You're only young once, and I'd rather die knowing I tried to make it doing something I love, rather then not doing it and never knowing the possibilities! I don't really care about making millions of dollars, as long as I get to make music and support myself, I'm completely fine.. Oh..and being the poster boy of GuitarWorld wouldn't be bad either :P

I've read so many times from Yngwie saying "To get there, you have to deal with the most bullshit, the criticism, the demotivational people, the donuts....(seeing if anyone actually reads this..), bla bla bla". He chased his dream, look where it landed him...

[Cleveland Metal]

Well, teen boppers, are the only ones that have the expendable money, or well their parents. Anyone else, well, they are poor and download off the net.

Gone are the days of dinosaur bands like zep, stones, floyd, sabbath, maiden etc etc making billions.

Some lucky few will keep popularity past their American Idol contracts and be big enough still to make some dough. Some, a lot. Spears, Aguillara, kelly whatever her name is etc. That crowd is quite flavor of the month, so, there is little loyalty if you aren't a smash hitter.

The rest of the myspace or whatever generated bands will be eaten alive by the companies when they want to get more cash and/or a better contract or try get out on their own. Companies drop support and and the band fails with no backing to do tours or video support.

Your only hope is to go/stay MySpace etc, and self produce/market material and merch. And competition is fierce. Plus, without paid off MTV/radio rotation, you will be in a cast of millions of unknown myspace bands. Maybe local support and touring will make you big enough to be self supporting. Maybe you'll hit the lottery too...

Even getting record deal isn't all that. My buddy's band got signed on Universal for 1.3 mil for two releases over 2 yrs. ONE of which was already intyhe can and released actually. It was self produced and released on a local label. Universal bought it and the next release. Universal then took a LOT of their 1.3 mil and Re-produced (paid one of THEIR producers a LOT to go through it against their wishes and not doing much good) and re-released it (AFTER making them do a terrible cover song or two they didn't want to do at all). Sort of a mandatory hooking one of their inside producers up with the band's cash cow.

By the time THAT was all paid out, and they paid to do a couple videos for MTV. They all basically made around 30k each for 2 yrs. and toured their asses off nationally for 2 yrs. Lived the life tho.

Benefit... They didn't have to work for 2 yrs, other than the band stuff. And travelled a lot, for free, drank for free etc etc... Playing big places they never would have normally with a real metal style stage show and did garner some some national attention they didn't have before.

Now, they are self produced (again) and self released/marketed (again) and do tour nationally twice a year in smaller venues (with little stage show now, since there no label support for the big arenas. When they aren't touring, they are back to working regular jobs around town . They have a pretty decent underground folowing tho. Hopefully something happens again for them.

So... That's what you have to look forward to. AND, there are a million hot bands of the style we're into coming out of Europe etc that are younger, with more fire, hungrier, better players (not much to do there other than play), and have a lot to say.

Ummm... I give.... haha... I just play in a cover band and drink on the weekends.

[clifffclaven]

cleve, everything there is pretty much spot on. Someone brought up yngwie? Thats not even a valid comparison to anything thats going on today. IMO? If youre over 30, start thinking about going back to college. Todays "music" industry pretty much necessitates that. Theres a few (very few) exceptions, but, like cleve said, its akin to winning the lottery.

[Jacksons Shred]

cleve, everything there is pretty much spot on. Someone brought up yngwie? Thats not even a valid comparison to anything thats going on today. IMO? If youre over 30, start thinking about going back to college. Todays "music" industry pretty much necessitates that. Theres a few (very few) exceptions, but, like cleve said, its akin to winning the lottery.

I brought up Yngwie. Think about it though, everyone told him he wasn't going to make it, he should give up, he wasn't going to get anywhere with that guitar playing and that attitude. He risked everything, gave up his home, girlfriend, numerous guitars, and put his dreams ahead of him. Everything people said would fail, got him to where he is today and is what made him famous. I'm not saying that it's possible to repeat his situation, but think about what would have happened if he hadn't came to America to persuit his dreams? Imagine if he would have just given up?

I need to find out for myself.

[guitarsjb]

I'm 40 and haven't given up yet. I also don't wear blinders, I know it probably isn't going to happen. I'm o.k. with that, and I'm having a ball along the way. I say with the right song, the right circumstances it can still happen. I hope it does, but if it don't cool, I've done things (been on stage, made a couple CD's etc..) that a LOT of people only dream of doing. No regrets.

[NextInLine]

I know from the time I picked up a guitar on my 13th birthday, I wanted to be a big rockstar and live the dream. But, I'll be 24 this year, still pretty young, and still play daily. But alot of things have changed and I feel like I have to put all that behind me. Sometimes I still think I'll hook up with a good singer(finally) and make a real album, but I wouldn't bet the farm I'll be finishing college this year, and picking up a real job. I guess feel like the time to really make it has come and went. How about you guys? I know some of ya are much older than me and still dreaming big, I envy the hell outta that! But for the rest of you, when did you hang up the towel and why?

I guess out of all the experienced people here I am the closest to understand what you're thinking about because:

- I will turn 24 this year
- I will be graduating from college this year (actually not but I have only 1 course left)

And
- I have a real job
- I guess I can say I have a real singer
- We are about to release a cd soon.

And all I can say is (with my limited experience) its all about what you want to do, not what you dream of or what you aim for. Do you wanna be a rockstar? Work for it while you still want it, there might be a point in which you have the chance to be a rockstar but don't feel like working for it.. Motivation is the key. So when you are willing to do something for your dream just do it and never think about its possibility to turn real unless it's blocking your other priorities. This is my point of view.