Fame or fortune: another classic question.

[Griffin Avid]

Fame or fortune: another classic question.
Then choices are pretty clear with a catch that takes some imagination.

A) Famous and broke: Note, you are famous for your real passion (assumed production) so there's no way to turn your fame into music related opportunities/money. Thus you are famous for your music, but haven't made any money and won't in the foreseeable future.
You walk into the room and people crowd you, but you're just getting by every month.

B) Rich and unknown: They are playing/using you stuff (production related) everywhere, but you can't take credit. Maybe it's ghost production or the paycheck comes from a source that wants you off the radar. Possibly you've found an untapped source and if everyone else sees what it pays, they'll jump on the bandwagon and ruin it for you. The money is crazy, but only you know that you do music. No aliases, no forums, no profile pages...nada.

Use your imagination to presume this is a situation you can't fix or turn around after. Or Save up enough and then do something different. In both cases you are spending a serious amount of time keeping either scenario going.

 

[The Arkitekt]

this is pointless...

 

[Griffin Avid]

Actually it's not. There are lots of places to land in this music production industry besides being the next famous producer. Lots of famous cats that you idolize don't make as much as you think. Lots of cats you think are off the radar or fell off are doing just fine $$$.

And it's actually a personal question. And you do have an answer although you don't have to answer.

How much have you spent on your lab?
What's the point?

What's you main/major goal for the summer?
What's the point.

Production opinions?
What's the point?

How many people here play the drums?
What's the point?

 

[skidflow]

Actually it's not. There are lots of places to land in this music production industry besides being the next famous producer. Lots of famous cats that you idolize don't make as much as you think. Lots of cats you think are off the radar or fell off are doing just fine $$$.

And it's actually a personal question. And you do have an answer although you don't have to answer.

How much have you spent on your lab?
What's the point?

What's you main/major goal for the summer?
What's the point.

Production opinions?
What's the point?

How many people here play the drums?
What's the point?

Touch'e!....I'm def in "A" category...either or is a good situation because if I had doe I would wanna keep a "low pro" anyway. Either way your earnin RESPECT.

 

[Fury]

ill take the Cash fuck that...ill laugh at my unrecognized ass all the way to the bank

 

[Ash Holmz]

if someone is famous and broke .. its usually because of their own financial fuckup ... theres so many ways to make paper out there today on the strength of popularity alone that if ur smart about it, you can pretty much make money. Many celebrities make their career out of doing absolutely nothing, but doing it on camera.

 

[StressWon]

ill take the Cash fuck that...ill laugh at my unrecognized ass all the way to the bank

thats what I'm sayin homie

 

[Ash Holmz]

thats easy to say, but the reality if u wanna make alot of money without fame in the music business, then u prolly shouldnt MAKE music.. the two contradict each other greatly. Its pretty much impossible to make alot of money without being famous as an artist. How are u gonna do it?? As a producer, you might be able to do it, but these days hit making producers are just as famous as artists, and the producers that r really making bread without being in the spotlight too much are mostly rock and pop producers. the people pulling in the real checks are the execs and owners. So maybe if thats what u really want, u should work it from that angle.

 

[StressWon]

thats easy to say, but the reality if u wanna make alot of money without fame in the music business, then u prolly shouldnt MAKE music.. the two contradict each other greatly. Its pretty much impossible to make alot of money without being famous as an artist. How are u gonna do it?? As a producer, you might be able to do it, but these days hit making producers are just as famous as artists, and the producers that r really making bread without being in the spotlight too much are mostly rock and pop producers. the people pulling in the real checks are the execs and owners. So maybe if thats what u really want, u should work it from that angle.

ghostwriting and ghost-producing. I can do that all day. I don't need to be on MTV. But feel what ya sayin.

 

[Relic]

Hmmm, Good question, Im feeling both sides here , I see where Ash has a great point though.
If your super famous, chances are you dont have to work a job anywhere, meaning all your needs are being met somehow. Additonally if you are super famous there is ALWAYS a way to make money, just show up and charge for it.

That being said I dont mind doing Ghost anything if Im getting heavy money.

 

[shadeed]

Option A is my choice but its a bit unrealistic to say I can't make money other ways if I'm famous because 'the other ways' is how most people end up making the money.
Any "Mixtape Rapper" today could get a clothing endorsement deal today for example.

Option B would be cool, but you have to realize that almost everyone -not- in your immediate circle would believe you make your money by suspicous means. Women would think you're a liar, it would be a great lifestyle but one you would always have to defend.

Option A without the vow of poverty would be most ideal. I don't believe in being broke, poor, desolate, or down and out at all. Poverty is a disease of the mind and has nothing to do with "your craft" or your fame, but more of your decisions and approach and lack of education in the area of personal finance.

There are literally hundreds of ways to make a living in music, and unlike other professions, its encouraged that you combine 2 or 3 different ways to be successful - so being broke is not an option over here.

 

[Fury]

ghostwriting and ghost-producing. I can do that all day. I don't need to be on MTV. But feel what ya sayin.

thas what im saying man u dont need to be famous to make alot of money..u can make music witout being famous i knoe im not in it to be famous i just wanna make music and im sure theres plenty of ppl out there who feel the same

 

[Kontents]

Twinkies or ho hos?...hmmm the choices....

 

[skidflow]

if someone is famous and broke .. its usually because of their own financial fuckup ... theres so many ways to make paper out there today on the strength of popularity alone that if ur smart about it, you can pretty much make money. Many celebrities make their career out of doing absolutely nothing, but doing it on camera.

what if you just "hood famous"...I mean everyone in your area and surrounding areas know that your dope or whatever and the only thing you can seem to gain from it is exposure on a local level and maybe if your'e a producer you prolly sell non exclusives for $50 a pop. Thats just my interpretation of famous and broke when applied to a cat susch as myself.

 

[Formant024]

rather make cash on the long run, mostly fame doesnt last that long meaning the money runns out even faster

 

[Ash Holmz]

what if you just "hood famous"...I mean everyone in your area and surrounding areas know that your dope or whatever and the only thing you can seem to gain from it is exposure on a local level and maybe if your'e a producer you prolly sell non exclusives for $50 a pop. Thats just my interpretation of famous and broke when applied to a cat susch as myself.

well thats the subjective part .. what i was trying to say is that to be sucessful in hip hop as an artist or producer you most likely would have to acheive some level of fame. How can people buy your records if they dont know who u are? All i was sayin is that if u are famous it provides a great opportunity to go into make money by OTHER avenues than music. Ice T wont sell another record but hes caked up and has one of the baddest bodies on earth as his wife. Music didnt do that but he used his fame to go into other ventures. Any Rapper who is caked up doesnt get their cheese from rapping, im pretty sure of that.

Ghostwriting I guess could be one to do it, but usually ghostwriters start out wanting to be artists. Not many people first get into music with the end goal of becoming a ghostwriter or ghostproducing. Dont get me wrong, its a means of making good dough, but i just think thats something you kinda stumble on as supposed to something you really set out to do.

 

[Beatz 101]

I've been in the position where everybody is like "oh! this shit is hot!" and I get the shit-end of the stick, and people that were barely involved in the creative process get credited with daps and hoes. I can live with that IF i was gettin' caked up on serious level.

I feel like if u rich and unknown, your work is so good the world is willing to pay for it. So u may not get the respect u deserve, but bottom line they respect your work regardless of who's name is on it.

If you're famous and broke, they like ur music... but not enuff to pay for it. Not enough to see u perform unless it was free. Which means ur good....but not that good.Which kinda makes me question whether all these people actually appreciate who u are.


this shit got me thinking too hard. lol

101

 

[Ash Holmz]

i still am trying to figure out how u could be rich and unknown as the music business.. (im talkjing about as a music maker, not an exec) .. how exactly would this happen again? To me "rich" mans you are making millions of dollars. Seems higly unlikely to me.. maybe someone can enlighten me?

 

[Griffin Avid]

Seems higly unlikely to me.. maybe someone can enlighten me?

1. You create under a production team. The production deal affords you a tidy living, but no one knows about the individual producers.

2. You produce for a major artist, but don't gel enough to be jumping around in his videos showing your ass. The paychecks are sweet, but you're just a name on an album. Produce for Whitney Houston/Michael jackson and..

3. You get film placements, hell you get on a blockbuster soundtrack. Does anybody know who did the track during that fight scene in the Matrix?

4. Your manager handles most of your business. You get checks, but don't get one on one exposure with the end contacts. Lots of records are made without the beatmaker and artist ever being together live. so you got the check, but not any build time for extended exposure.

5. You do music for television. Lots of money in there, but who knows the face or names behind all those songs/tracks/jingles/themes?

6. You never match your face to your music. Anyone know what the Gorillaz look like? You could be in a room with one of them and not know it.

7. Video games. They probably won't see your name until they finish the game and no one watches those credits scroll anyway.

8. You find a niche like making ambient music for a retailer or designer. You actually wouldn't want to blow up your cash cow.

9. After people keep saying your music is nice to listen to...you listen to them and put out instrumental music. If it aint your grill on the album cover, who would know it was you?

10. You choose a producer name that suggests more than one person. I produce under the Music Fam All Stars. I'm now percieved as one dude in that clique. I could even walk around as their manager and do business on their behalf.


I could go on and on, but 10 is enough.


A lot of it has to do with putting yourself out there.
Being famous is that next level after being Known.

Famous is people talking about you and not mentioning what you're Known For.
Legend is still being a celebrity after people forgot what made you famous.


Being famous takes work. The problem is, you've never heard of anyone UNTIL their famous so you don't really know what they did to get there. There's a difference between infamous and famous. People hire press agents. companies make press releases. artists have people that work on their image. It's not like being rich and famous are always tied together.

 

[Ash Holmz]

i specified hip hop ... so that pretty excludes most of evrything u just said .. which kinda proves my point .....im talking about working in hip hop, rap music