Where's the links let's hear your music

"I wasn't made for retail"

Bro no offense but nobody likes working retail or the minimum wage jobs, but they do it because they have to. There's nothing wrong with working a shift a day and spending the rest of your time on music, at least so you can support yourself.

Also if you're 21 idk why you're complaining. Kanye was 26/27 when college dropout came out. Imagine if he quit at 21 bc "he's not getting anywhere". He was also working jobs on the side to stay afloat. Don't be stupid with your life.

Right. Dont listen to these dumbasses

it’s a generation thing. i’m 19 and most of the time i feel like i’m running out of time. young ignorance i guess lol

still though at least give it till like 23 before you really start flipping out op

archive.org/details/TheManualHowToHaveANumber1TheEasyWay

here u go OP u can make a deal with the devil and get a #1 if u really want it's not that hard

the music you've posted is nowhere near good enough by the way, in a commercial sense. do you think it is? as others have said you should focus on making 1 good song instead of 10 unfinished demos

op is 21 you existential youth are worse than me and i’m hardly older

for those who graduate college at 22, most arrive as fetuses to their jobs and s***. no one is arrived in full form at 22, and hardly any artist i know of has been both amazing and potent at that age

And it's also a problem of what young people are being portrayes as and are portraying themselves in social media, which creates high expectations (tho its always just a capture of the best moments most of the times) vs. How life actually looks like for most people.
Ive seen a lot of young people who cant cope with the dissonance and they think they're lacking, which in turn leads to a depression.
You didnt have that before, we just did stuff to do it, art to express ourselves, without any great expectations.
I'm 28 now and I feel like my greatest days are still ahead of me, I have a vision for social projects I want to realize and I know it will take decades to fullfill this, but the small stepping stones are part of the journey, even if it doesnt work out in the end. You cant always be thinking 'bout how your life should look in its final form, cause there is none, there's no certainty, but it's the way, the process that shapes you, the experiences you learn from that. Appreciate what you're able to do everyday and what you've already achieved. That's what is to be enjoyed.

Ayyy I’ve actually been in the exact same situation as you. Same time frame and everything (over a decade of making music)

Felt like I was so close to popping with my producing. Had contact with a manager, had ASAP twelvy f***in with some of my beats, beats being sent to French Montana and other big artists, but nothing came of it.

After a bad breakup I went on a drinking phase and completely got cut off from my music partners. Completely lost interest in music.

By the time I got my head clear, I found out that I’ve been surpassed by everyone, and that the passion wasn’t there anymore. When I sit down to make music now, I give up within the hour. Huge difference from the 12+ hour days I used to put in, sometimes even forgetting to eat. F***ed off in college my first time around, quit my retail job, all that.

I wound up going back to school and getting a “big boy” job.

To be honest I do miss it, and always wonder what it could have been, but I also realize I just don’t have that passion anymore, and I grew up

However, that doesn’t mean you can’t use your experiences from pursing music in other areas of your life as I have.

It’s corny, but it’s not the end, it’s the beginning of something new. Find a new passion to pursue. As you get older, you will actually find what you are meant to do.

It takes time. You need to try many things and have many different experiences.

you don't even know what you want. venture into different things, try different jobs you'll find something you're interested in eventually

you'll never know until you try

one thing that bothers me about the responses in this thread is everyone telling me to get a #1 song or make commercial appeal music

I obviously don’t f***ing care to make that

if my music is that trash then my decision isn’t that bad to make

I’m not one to post all of my accolades nor do I care to

if it’s a resort to work at a dead end job until you find a career that can hopefully supply you, then we’re all brainwashed and carried by a dream to aspire to

None of this s*** matters when you die so f*** it

Even leaving legacies ain’t s***, ask your favorite artists

Most of them are dead now, can’t enjoy the fruits of their labor now

My rant is done, roast me I don’t care

at least you’ve been in a similar situation

what are you afraid of lol

Writer's block doesn't just hit writers. It hits everyone. You start to question if what you've been doing all your life is actually what you want. That's okay. You just need a break from it all for a while. It's still your calling.

theres other jobs that aint in retail

surviving in this soulless society

what has changed that suddenly after a decade u question ur decision

realizing that in order to gain people’s attention, you have to cater to their wants and opinions

yes it matters because in business, in order to stay in demand you have to supply for the customers needs

in music, people’s taste are varied but they usually contain one or a few toxic components (sex, money, d****, violence, etc)

truth is most of the time, people don’t wanna listen to it unless it includes a few of these
and popularity is a factor too, which is usually derived from these things

I don’t wanna have to associate myself with those types of people or become that just to get ahead in a business that thrives off that

Obviously youre not gonna get anywhere if you dont do what people want, but youre being very naive if you think that nobody wants the kind of music you wanna make. Theres a market and niche for everything. You might not get a #1 song but if you enjoy the music that youre making it shouldnt matter.

I guarantee you that the reasons you just mentioned arent the reasons nobody is listening to your music. You need to learn proper mixing, better lyrics, and most importantly, finding a platform for people to listen to your music, via connections. You say you have connections but clearly you need new ones if they arent helping you.

You havent been doing this for a decade. Youre 21. Youve probably been doing this seriously for like 4 or 5 years. Literally everybody and their mother is trying to make it as a producer/rapper, i mean theres literally 3-4 itt. hustle harder or try something else. Theres no other option.

True.

I personally am debating moving to Arizona and giving climbing tours for a living. Starting my own business

at this point I’m taking it that 80% of these replies are right

I’ll just keep making music or whatever

if people f*** with it they do

best of luck to ya

You come seeking advice, but for each piece of advice given you say their advice is wrong

as you can see I have issues

what inspired you to believe that ur dream/goal was possible in te first place?