A shot in the dark

We who haven’t been lucky enough to be born into a family of musicians, or to move around in music circles, to live in a town with a diverse music scene, or without having direct contacts with record labels and other publishers, have to rely on Internet for presenting and promoting our creative work. At first glance, the Internet is the most open and democratic media ever, but relying solely on it without having the mentioned traditional advantages is largely a shot in the dark. In other words, maybe you’ll get lucky, but you’ll probably not.

I started presenting my creative work online more than five years ago. I started by building a website, which seemed the most logical move back then. First of all, I wanted to tell my story but also to leave some personal mark. However, it seems that in these times ruled by social media, classical websites are losing their importance and the number of visits. Still, I believe that having a dedicated website is a sign that you’re serious about what you do.

I also needed a way of placing my music online, primarily for demonstration purposes. After some thought, I went with SoundCloud. Being the leading platform when it comes to music and sound, this seemed like a good choice. Unfortunately, SoundCloud is like similar platforms plagued by overpopulation and a massive amount of new content added daily. Therefore, it's extremely difficult to stand out in the crowd, no matter how good you are.

Many considered YouTube as the better option for promoting your creative work and they are probably right. Not only more people are following this platform, but its visual component is what draws them in first. For this reason, I’m thinking about trying to make some musical videos on my own to go with my music. This is, however, quite a daunting task, especially after going through a painstaking process of creating the music itself.

Things are not much different with various services for music distribution, like CD Baby, TuneCore, or DistroKid. If you, like me, are not a social media person and don’t have a lot of contacts or money to spend on advertising, placing your music there is likely like throwing a bucket of water into an ocean. So I’m still hoping for a possibility of working with a traditional record label.

What particularly bothers me about the Internet is the constant pressure. To achieve some kind of success, you need to be present all the time and keep posting something new, fighting for that small moment of somebody’s attention. Ultimately, art and creativity are reduced to hunting clicks and likes, and the potential artist becomes just a content creator.

Trying to get back to my roots and open some new creative horizons, I have lately slowed down considerably in posting new stuff online. Although you can already find more than eighty of my tracks there, including many I’m very proud of, it seems that this is not enough. As soon as you slow down, you begin to lose listeners and followers. So much about the loyal audience….

Taking everything into account, I sometimes wonder if there is any sense in trying to maintain an Internet presence. Although my experiences so far tell me differently, a person should still try to make at least a small mark by using the available means. Finally, there is an eternal question of “what if”. Perhaps I’ll finally get into a position to present my work to someone relevant, who will be able and willing to help me.