That's where I'm currently. It's so demoralising. I laid off social media for this reason, it's too toxic. Once I'm back on track and going to school it'll be better tho
J everybody is on their own schedule man don't stress 🙌 you will be better for the hardships you've encountered. I'm in a similar situation and know brighter things are yet to come
J yeah you don’t see what their struggles are. You don’t see their stress about mortgages, and you don’t see any potential regrets about the career they picked.
One of the reasons i left toronto was because at the time (2008-2009) if you wanted to make a living as a musician you could play in a tribute band and work a day job or you could starve, dealer’s choice. Moved to LA and 11 years (and many failures and discouraging experiences) later i’m still out here doing it. I cannot tell you how many dead end jobs i’ve had to work leading up to this point, among cool gigs, a tour, and rewarding projects here and there too. Coffee shops. Uber. Lyft. Studio “internships”. Retail. Sales. Restaurants....but the one thing that has been most steady so far has been stage crew jobs. Building, running, and striking shows. Now, pushing boxes is not the most glamorous gig in the world but the good news is you never know who’s gonna end up on your stage and it has helped me stay inspired and see what personality traits, leadership, and relationship decisions might lead to one seeing more success as a musician. Was fortunate to come across an opportunity voice acting for a yt channel (since my music production suite is overpowered af for recording narration). Another lucky break later and i was hired by an old friend to produce a full length album. Another and i’m in line to help run a record label. And i have a litany of musicians now that i can work with who are eager to work with me. If you are a music student right now thinking “how the hell am i gonna do this when the party’s over?” Here is what i’ve learned: your knowledge and skills are not just limited to music. If you know enough about basic recording, you can apply that knowledge to a live show environment. Signal flow is signal flow. But you cannot walk in there acting like you know everything. Listen to the cats who have been there longer and ask questions if you are unsure. They will not always be answered (some old guard sound guys would sooner berate you than help you learn bc you understanding what you’re doing is a perceived threat to their job security.) if you can run a live show, you can redirect that knowledge, spend a week learning a bit more, and learn how to run a live stream. That is one of the most valuable skills you can have today and its really no different from a mix. I wanted to be a session guitarist and that’s it. while i have made some money playing sessions, i have been robbed a lot more. When you’re going into a session, discuss splits or work for hire up front. If your client is unwilling to discuss the logistics, likely they’re planning to razzle dazzle you and walk off with your creative input for their own profit and not yours. Big red flag. Session guitar alone would never pay the bills. The more ways you can use the information/skills you have to make a buck, the better. My background in audio engineering doesn’t just mean i mix songs. It means i run monitors/ears. It means i edit/mix/produce podcasts. It means i can narrate/voice act and edit that. It means i produce beats/instrumentals for ppl who are not me. It means i tutor folks looking to learn their first DAW as well. If i was to stick 100% to my original plans of “i wanna be a session guitarist” i’d have been homeless since i got out of music school in 2012. Most of my friends have given up on professional musicianship and gone to work in their dad’s body shop or died of heroin overdose or are working in a massive endless sea of cubicles now, playing guitar as a hobby and little more. There is nothing wrong with those decisions, to be clear, however as someone who essentially gave up for 3-4 years, it was really hard to look at myself in the mirror. I still practice music about an hour or two a day. I make stuff every week. I crunch tutorials and backing tracks like my life depends on it. The music business is constantly evolving. The power is being returned to the artist. Musicianship is back in the limelight. Music is becoming less of a sales pitch and more of a creative outlet again. Old guard labels are going the way of the dinosaur or being forced to adapt how they do business and market. Tl;dr if you want to thrive as a musician your best bet is to wear as many hats as your skill set will allow, and keep improving and broadening your skill set. If your education ends when you don your cap and gown, you will be left behind. You have infinite resources to keep getting gooder. Something generations before us couldn’t DREAM OF. But whatever fam it’s your story. If you don’t, i will. Somebody always will. Always keep learning. most importantly, your creativity and experience have value. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise. Don’t sell yourself short. Always sneak the licc into wherever you can sneak it. And stay hydrated. Good luck kiddos.
Really don’t know what to do. Music is like the only hobby in my life that I’ve actually found interest in. And I’m very angry that this is the case because it is one of the hardest careers to pursue.
I think the most daunting realization I've seen when looking at even my friends pursuing STEM degrees is that, often times, many careers are over-saturated, underpaid, or suck. It's immensely disheartening to see, but at the same time it helps me feel confident in my own choice to pursue music; if so many careers seem joyless, stressful, or impossible to find work in, then I may as well get a degree in a field that I enjoy and potentially find work in an enjoyable part of that field. The other issue is that almost every academic interest of mine outside of music also doesn't pay well or is almost impossible to find good paying work in. Social work, sociology, history, journalism, and social sciences in general, so that also made me even more sure of pursuing music in particular.
So, I know it's disheartening, and it's a lot harder now (in the age of covid) than it was previously, but don't give up. I had a period of time when I just thought "fuck this. I'm done." But, I listened to The Working Songwriter, a podcast hosted by musician Joe Pug, where he interviews people that aren't exactly "famous" in the traditional sense, but people that had a dream to be musicians and songwriters and that is what they did. To quote American Aquarium, or at least the lead singer, "They may be a better singer, they may be a better guitar player, but nobody is gonna be a harder worker." He toured over 300 days getting started and he is doing good. So, don't give up on your dream. Work at it, and I mean, WORK. Because the chances of stuff falling into your lap are slim. I have hope for you, and I wish you luck on the path. I hope reading this inspires someone and I hope the podcast also inspires you like it did me.
I love this kind of "fail" videos. They are not fails. They are showing the path it took you to become who you are. In honesty. No trying to find excuses, to make-up things or bending the truth eeever so slightly ... Rock on and kudos to you!
I could never see myself honestly making a career at music. There are so many other hobbies I enjoy pursuing, that I really want to make the most out of it all rather than focusing on one for a good amount of my life. Playing music is something that makes me happy, not stress me out more. Really interesting and informative stories man. Cheers
This video makes me glad I never looked at it as more than a hobby. Honestly, even my own goal of writing, producing, and recording something good seems so far away at this point. If I could do only that, put it up on Soundcloud and get a couple of comments or plays that would be plenty.
You’re pretty much describing every musician living in Los Angeles. The music industry is for executives only. There is no music industry for actual musicians other than the gig jobs you describe. I did not make a single serious buck with my type of work as a keyboard player/programmer of electronic music until my late 40’s. In 2019 I had the opportunity of working with at least 10 or 12 artists and collaborated in at least 40 tracks. Then 2020 arrived and all those projects came to an abrupt end including a chance to score a video game in an android platform. It has always been stop and go and that has really made an impact on my motivation, but never on my love for what I do. I figure I’ll be alive at least 10-15 more years so why not keep to make music. There is nothing else I would rather do.
@@azmike3572 Any musician who pays to play somewhere is an objective idiot. Do restaurants pay you to eat their food too? I know what you’re saying is true but it’s also dumbasses like that that make it worse for real musicians. Playing for free didn’t used to exist for a good reason: ENTERTAINMENT ISNT FREE
I'm currently struggeling with the whole "cover-letter after cover-letter" affair. Really feel like giving up but I won't back down just because I don't have luck right now!
I was one of those that turned back after entering the dark forest. I had been intent on making it big in a rock n roll band. It became clear to me, in 2005, that after hearing all the music always being played on “rock,” stations (every song was either made using computers, drum machines, auto tune, or it was Pink Floyd), that rock n roll was dead. I joined the military instead. I always wonder what life would’ve been like had I not given up. I may look the average boring joe now, and basically, I am, but man I still get goosebumps whenever I hear Brian May’s guitar come through my car speakers. I may have turned back on the dark forest, but then I had to cross a desert. Also as someone who lived in Nashville for 3 years, let me tell you, it’s not great. I miss the hot chicken, that’s about it.
In my recommendations today: - If We Play 1 Note Out of Tune This Video Ends (TwosetViolin) - My Many Failed Attempts at a Career in Music (Samuraiguitarist) RU-vid: We bring together what belongs together.
I’m glad your failed endeavours landed you where you are today. My whole life I wanted to be a “rockstar”. But now I’m in my 30’s and have children and a career. So I’m giving up on that ever happening🤷♂️. But it seems to me to be a successful RU-vidr is the best of both worlds really. You get to be home every night, no traveling or drunk people or band mates to deal with . And you get to do what you love everyday! THAT sounds like success to me! Keep up the great work Sammy G! And now I have to go learn how to edit videos! Lol
I've been here a while Sammi, all I can say is "A man who makes no mistakes, makes nothing at all" You have walked your own path and now seem to be striding along. All the best for the future.
Sam, You mentioned that you weren’t really fond of much country music, but you had an affinity to writing it. I honestly believe that your failure in Nashville had all to do with your lack of passion towards the style. I like to think that, Music is EXTREMELY emotional, vulnerable and honest and if you don’t absolutely love what you do then it’ll show in your craft and anything you make won’t have that sparkle that really drives the message forward. Nashville would have been my last guess for you if you asked me to guess what your past experiences were in music. I love your RU-vid page because I think you are a very bright , interesting and witty fellow, and it’s apparent that you are yourself 100% of the time. You’re my music buddy that I don’t have to put in any work to keep :p keep up the great stuff my friend!
"Music is EXTREMELY emotional" Do you listen to country radio? If there's one genre where you could make a living writing music with no soul, it's country.
I appreciate the transparency of this video, really cool to see that side of another artists journey. The objectiveness that you use to view and interpret your own situation is motivating for anybody who struggles with taking their losses personally. I’m glad you ended up where you did, you help a lot of us keep our heads straight!
This video was very good for my mental health. I frequently struggle with feeling that music is a waste of time even though it's all I ever wanted to do. I missed the boat getting an opportunity, and I'm still working full time outside of music. It feels like there's still hope after failure now
It's quite wonderful for someone with a large audience to be very open about things that most people would be ashamed of sharing. Thank you for this valuable lesson.
Sammy when I started watching you I could barley pick the intro to stairway to heaven, you inspired me and everyone else who grew up with you to be a better guitarist. Now I’m playing little wing without missing a beat. You have done so much for so many people, I wouldn’t say you’re a failure in the music industry. To me and all of your subscribers you’re a legend among many. We love you Sammy G
I just wanted to say thank you for making content like this. It feels crazy chasing this dream, but watching videos like this remind me I'm not crazy for wanting this and that I can do it. Thank you!
Stories like this always help me put things into perspective. I've been having a rough go of it lately career-wise. I really consider playing the guitar to be something of a hobby / life-enriching-thing. I've been trying to get a foothold in any sort of IT-related field. Taking a look back at my experiences, between not being trained by employers, to out right hostile workplaces sometimes making it in any industry you have to have a kind of fail-forward mindset. There's always something out there. Sometimes you have to carve out your own niche.
I’m starting my journey into that forest. It’s comforting to know that it’s okay to end up somewhere you didn’t except to, and it’s okay to get lost along the way.
I love how balanced you are telling your story and not like cashing in on attention. You really are sharing so others can learn that losing one dream doesn't mean you cannot try another one, I appreciate that. Thank you so much! :) There are always these legendary stories of people always knowing they wanted to be a famous musician, and then they did it, you just have to go for it, etc. Many people are destroyed even just by these stories because they feel they will never be enough unless they are a star or were born knowing it. That is why I love how you went looking for new opportunities and kept going.
Sounds like a success story to me. Most people think it's start --> do stuff --> success. But it's really start --> do stuff --> setbacks --> things are good for a while, then bad for a while, repeat --> try/fail, --> frustration --> try/fail, etc. --> then finally success. And the end often is different than you expected. Great video!
I am living your life right now. Fellow musician. Failed bands, ideas, ect. I've been thinking about a RU-vid channel for years.. great video, keep it up. It's motivating, man.
This is great and everything is 100% true. As someone who is lucky enough to make playing guitar/making music my primary source of income, this really resonated with me. I changed my path to something music-adjacent, but I made the right connections previous to that change. Luckily, one of those connections led to me being asked to join a band out of the blue and I've been playing with them for just over a year and touring Canada/US. Thank you for this and greetings from Canada Keep up the great content!
very happy you made it work.... I'm currently in that forest looking for my map at the moment. living in the middle of nowhere in a country that.... honestly I'm not sure about but hopefully I can find my way out soon. PEACE And thanks for sharing
Very insightful video. I just graduated with my Master’s so it was encouraging to hear your story from when you were in a similar situation to me. With this pandemic going on, online work certainly seems to be the way to go. Thanks!
Wow! Amazing how much we have in common! Awesome to see your success on RU-vid though bro, all your hard times and doors closed in your face came back in good karma for you. :)
I've never had the idea that music would be anything more than a hobby but I want to say thanks for all the entertainment. I appreciate you being open with your experiences in the industry, good and bad.
after getting demolished in chess about 20 games In a row by a chessmaster, I asked him for advice on becoming a great chess player. He told me "play for fun". Best advice ever, I chased the music dream for 20 years, wishing my bandmates had 1% of the urgency I had to "make it". Now, having had time to reflect on "failing" at music, if someone asked me for advice, id say "play for fun"
Thank for being so candid. I wanted to be a musician. Life really got in the way. Ended up pissed off like on TV(had to kill for every note]. I'm now retired and obviously to old. However I play regularly with friends at open jams, whinerys, parties and every Thursday night etc. It's saving my sanity. Love your videos.
This is an incredibly beautiful video, There are not a whole heap of modest, extremely talented people without very large heads...lol..Good work and glad you're getting success, you certainly deserve it..
I don’t know what I wanna do with music specifically yet, I just know I really love guitar and music in general. I’m just getting in high school though, I hope I’ll have some kind of plan in the future! Thanks for the vid.
This kind of stuff really takes patience, man! I've been a composer for 6 years, and I'm only just now starting to see a noticeable impact from my work and a clearer path forward. That's how long it took: 6 years of painstakingly hard work. I was working my ass off in the beginning and, for all I knew, the future was bleak! I had no idea how any of this would evolve. I just had to trust my instincts. I salute you for trying new things and forging your way through all the failures. This video proves that failure paves the road to success.
Thank you so much for this video! I've been struggling for years with the fear instilled in me by others about the unpredictability of the music industry and it's stopped me from fully pursuing my music. This video obviously confirms that unpredictability aspect of the industry but the way you put it makes me feel so much more comfortable with the fact that the unpredictability is PART of the journey. Thanks
Thanks for sharing your honest perspective, you know maybe all those things needed to happen for you to be here with us. I hope you keep building and growing a healthy business and maintain your energy and keep making great videos!
I wish you all of the success in the world. Your videos are great, and as a musician who hung up his guitar years ago you have helped put some inspiration back into me for my own personal enjoyment of creating and loving music. Thanks !
Thanks for sharing that with us! It was actually encouraging. Though I’m not interested in a music career, I’ve had my fair share of terrible luck with getting a job. Glad you found your niche on RU-vid!
You're terrific. Good on you for persisting so long at following your dream in a complex, at times nebulous, industry. Your videos are informative, funny and entertaining. I wish you greater and greater success!
Love it. Would be interesting to see another vid like this that specifically hones in on your youtube trajectory--what worked, what didn't, all that. Hope you're doing well my guy!
As a fellow Canadian I can relate to so much of this story and I'm so happy you're sharing about it. I was fortunate enough to get in on the royalty free platform boom and get rewarded for my countless hours of bedroom recording. Persistence is key and I'm glad that's the point you're making.
I was very blessed to be the ‘music coordinator’ 11 years for a large special needs adult daycare with 6 facilities. Everyday was lots of music and fun and love. I’m a good singer for older ballad covers and pop, and mostly a strummer. But l have a knack for medley arrangements and whatever it took to make that job what they wanted to keep those 11yrs. How fortunate that time!
Thank you for sharing your failures. I have a few of them as well. I am sure it has made you, as it has made me, a more grateful and appreciative person of the things you have achieved and more resilient. I respect you even more now. Cheers 🥂😎
Thanks for sharing. I'm not looking for a career in music but this was insightful and hopeful. Thanks also for coloring in my own thoughts on my own path.
Really appreciate this, as I am currently treading in that dark forest analogy, and I'm just starting. Don't know what's coming, don't really know what's around, doing my best to keep my eyes forward to keep me going, but I'm loving each step of the way so far. I think when we do the things that we truly love and believe in, the hardships can also be somewhat enjoyable, since it's an experience worth a thousand lesson. You are an inspiration, Samurai Jack!
I've seen a few of your videos here and there but this one had me subscribe! Very interesting, thank you for sharing these attempts. I think they are certainly not failures, simply hard work that got you to where you are now. Congratulations! I look forward to watching more of your videos.
I can really relate to this . I've had no success in the music scene so far, and my youtube guitarist dream is pretty much imposibble at this point , but the difference is, i'm probably never taking off . But this video has given me a bit of hope
Really interesting to hear your experience. I clicked on the video because I was curious what a music career meant to someone else. I really loved the analogy of the dark forest as well and I appreciate the reflections. My experience has been, do what you love, & that will take care of you in this lifetime. Music & art aren’t just about playing instruments, in my opinion, its a life style and nourishment through expression. It’s magic-like and it can manipulate/influence emotions to a degree. It’s nice to be wandering in a dark forest and although sometimes we think we’re lost, we’re actually always exactly where we need to be. Cheers. Great video ☺️
I really appreciated this video, I needed the encouragement for my own career, I work pretty hard at it and was down recently so it was good to see you admit your bumpy road towards your goals.
That was a very inspiring video for me, my man! I've had a similar experience in a macro-sense. Lots of frustrating "dead ends." Very different details of course. But now I'm making plans to create video content too. I threw up my first instagram video last week.
Sammy, you are an inspiration. I've been watching your channel for the past couple of years, and your quirky and deadpan delivery has always resonated with my humor. Not only are you entertaining, but you are a magnificently gifted musician and guitarist. I started my channel because of your videos, and I hope to find just a droplet of success that you have had. If I can entertain and inspire just one person like you have inspired me, I'd consider it a success. Many thanks my friend
Could get started from the Samurai-Cowboy angle? ... you know, Western music. There are interesting parallels between the heroic Cowboy and Samurai mythologies. Cowboy Bebop.
I feel ya on this video, Sam! I'm a freelance guitarist from Calgary, AB and am currently working construction due to COVID and the cancellation of so many of my gigs. I'm thankful to have some income coming in, but it's definitely a depressing time to be in the music industry. I appreciate you sharing your story and making your RU-vid channel more personal than most, I feel it's an element lacking from a lot of music/guitar focused channels.
A very great, semi-inspirational video! I'm in the dark forest rn and it's kinda tough being in a situation where all you can see are loses, but when you look around you see people that were able to get off the ground in a year or two from a semi-popular position with a decent amount of money. Seeing that I'm not the only one in that position and also that people have broke through from that position is pretty comforting :')
This gave me some perspective. A lot of my professional and creative development over the past several years has kind of felt like bumbling around. But it is comforting to know that eventually, perseverance pays off, even if you go on a long winding path to get to somewhere good.
Once you've made it to bare survival/ break-even, it also matters how you choose to view "success". For instance if you wrote and produced a song you feel was something you could enjoy listening to if it was by someone else, you could view that as a success (in creating something) or a failure (in "winning"? - ie. not hitting some preconceived notion of "making it"). A lot of Cardiacs fans have said something along the lines of "It's a pity the band didn't succeed" - meaning become a more mainstream act/ become more popular than a lot of other music that did "make it" , and contained less to stimulate the world's musical imagination. I saw an interview with Tim Smith somewhere, where he was asked how he felt about the "lack of success", and he simply disagreed. "We *did* succeed", he told the interviewer. And if one pauses to think about that, it's true. They produced albums. They had concerts. They made music that means the world to those to whom it means something. (You have people saying, "There are lots of bands I like, but there's only one that LOVE".) So this illustration of the alternative view of (REAL) success might come from the point of view of someone who loves the crazy circus music of a somewhat (but not entirely) "fringe" band, but I think it's also generally true. You were successful (but maybe you didn't feel like you were *winning* ). If you separate the concepts of "succeeding" and "winning", (where winning is just one subset of success, not all of it), you'll find successes amongst your "failures". And this is not just a "sour grapes redefinition for losers"; it's valuing all forms of success, and not just the one which is largely based on a concept of success which depends mostly on someone else "losing". To win many things, you need to destroy someone; in many cases it's almost purely destructive. To win a war, you almost purely need only create a loser of your opponent. (And so we we all lose at war. At its purest, winning is really massive scale losing - that you manage to escape somehow.) Hopefully the point is well enough made now I've generalized it beyond the kind of success you have when you master the beautiful E minor chord, and so on.
Great story man. You should be proud of yourself, I'm from Paris and I love your videos. People watch you internationally and love your content, give me a call if you ever come to France !
This is a very encouraging video, even though it's primarily about failures. Thanks for talking about your journey. I have a lot of respect for you as a musician and entertainer :)
Dude, I really respect your honesty. And on a topic that is opposite end of the bragging about accomplishments spectrum, man that takes some real guts. I don't know what to offer you, except, maybe you could give guitar lessons to the younger crowd of want to be guitarists? I wish you the best.
Thanks for the honest message. The inspiration and motivation to find a way that becomes successful/lucrative comes, generally after its established that the maybe long and grueling journey is pleasurable. It feels like climbing a mountain, where you know there is a top but you have no real idea when or if you get there. That's why for me, it's important to put the work in but keep firmly grounded, I try to visualize that at any moment I'm near the top of the mountain and after another "win" or "check off the list" there's another part of the mountain to conquer. Also, most importantly I make sure I'm mostly happy to be making that progress happen!
Wow....this video really inspired me... I see many failures in your music career but its so so good that you didn't give up but you tried other possible ways to achieve your dreams.... The reason why we should never give up... 👍
Such a relatable video. Anyone in an artistic pursuit should learn to adapt. My mentor told me to (I know it's dumb) "Ride the wave". He said it one time and I know he doesn't remember it. "The journey is more important that the destination" stuff. But it gets me through it.
Thanks Sammy, that's a really nice story I can relate to a lot. I didn't really realize what in music would work for me until turning 30 a couple months ago. At least when you fail a bunch first you learn from those experiences, have a better attitude and make better first impressions now haha.
I’m so glad to see this video and watch it especially in a time right now where I feel completely lost. I’m so scared to gig anywhere and to put my music out. How does it make sense for a person with two music degrees to be scared of sharing their own music and performing ? I’m so angry at myself and feel like maybe I should change careers paths. I get so frustrated making music and it discourages me. I enjoy music and playing covers but when it comes to my own songwriting and singing I become so frustrated. I’m not sure what to at this point as I have no job in music or doing nothing in music at all. :( I do want to keep going tho. I guess I haven’t even tried so this gives me hope to keep going. And to put myself out there.
Done it for 50+ years. Done a lot of the things you did plus. I did not get the failing parts. You went in you did it(succeeded) and moved on to the next. When I found that there were so many things to do in the music realm I never thought of those trials as failures. Well maybe when I was younger and had my fart broken by some bunch of nuckle head cover band that broke up I thought could do well if they converted to originals but still they were great. It is a never ending journey if you have taken some steps. I sat and thought many times that’s it then here it comes again. If the internet got replaced you would most likely find that next path and jump on to the next successful adventure. I don’t know if getting an induction to the hof is successful some seem to not think so but I did that. Didn’t really feel like success but was exciting at the time.
I moved to Nashville a little over a year ago from Chattanooga. The move wasn't based on my desire to chase a musical career, though it was definitely a plus added to the circumstance. Chattanooga has a decent music scene, which is still expanding fairly rapidly. I've been playing drums since 2009 thanks to Rock Band and the generosity of my friend and his dad. Anyway, I was finally able to purchase what I consider to be a really nice kit about six weeks ago, and I've been pushing myself daily to knock the rust off and expand my ability as a musician. Unfortunately, I no longer have anyone to play with, nor do I know anyone in Nashville for that matter. It's just me and my soon to be wife. She's actually the reason I'm still trying to make music my career. As of right now I'm at an impasse on what to do. I'd like to join a band, but I dont know if my talent is enough to compete with all the pros here in Nash. I have an idea for a solo project, but I'd need about $1200.00 to buy all the recording equipment to make it happen. The only thing I know I can do right now is take my kit to the corner and try my hand at busking. If there's anyone out there with some advice for my situation id love to hear it. Also, if there's anyone in Nashville that sees this, maybe we could work something out and get a jam going. Thanks in advance for any help, and thanks for the video Sammy. You never disappoint.
