Marc Supsic* - DREAM TEAM Still Making music, just not foolishl...

January 21, 2009 01:39

I should have faced it before I joined SellaBand, but I was, and still am, burned out on the music industry. It took a long time to learn.I set out at age seventeen to crack the recording industry and worked at it until I was thirty. I saw a lot of things in that short time, that taught me that this industry is not nice, nor does it promote a healthy way of life. You almost have to care about nothing else but making music in order to succeed as a recording artist.I guess that's my issue - not bad or good - but I care about many things. I care about my wife, my home, my job, my family, my health, the environment and the government, to name a few.Young, ambitious and starry-eyed musicians will disagree with me, of course. They’ll tell me that you can eat your cake and have it too. They’ll say that you can achieve anything that your heart desires. While I don’t wish to diminish other people’s dreams, I have to say in this one instance that I disagree.I’ve spent time with managers, venue agents, recording engineers, and record label execs. I’ve watched dozens of bands labeled, "the next superstars," fade into obscurity. I spent years hanging around the local music scene, in an area of Philadelphia that was considered a hotbed of band activity: the feeding frenzy of the labels when they thought they had discovered a new "scene" to exploit. I saw my friends get recording contacts and go on world tours, only to return in debt and with no more contracts. I recorded in the best studios in the area, with so called professionals who told me I was going all the way to the top.Making music is a great thing. Making music to make money is not. Nine times out of ten, the music industry does not pay – it sucks the life out of you and makes you grow old before your time. I used to believe you could become a star if you really wanted it, if you were hungry enough: But I don’t believe that anymore. In a world where the odds are stacked against you and few people care if you make a song or not, you’re destined to lose, if your only goal is to become a star.After I recorded my first album, the Internet was just picking up steam and being used as a networking device. I marketed the music on that album via CDBaby and GarageBand, and achieved some success. I gained the attention of Dick Clark enterprises and was nominated to perform at the American Music Awards that year.It was pretty clear that the Internet had untapped potential for sharing music. I decided that rather than mess around with traditional avenues I would move forward, recording my own music and marketing it on the Internet.After recording my second album last year, I stumbled upon SAB. Based on my previous experience, I knew that I should approach it skeptically. I know that almost nothing in the entertainment world is what it says it is. But still I joined.When I put my profile up and started getting Believers, my doubts changed to hopes. I got sucked into the Site, and for a year, did almost nothing but network, promote and record for the sake of my SellaBand profile. I was gaining parts and meeting so many people who supported my endeavors that it was easy to get swept away in those naive dreams once again.We all know what happens next. Two years later, and for many complex reasons, SAB has changed. I wish I could use the word evolved, but I can't. Many will agree, at this point, the time you spend here is not worth the amount of frustration and emptiness that you get in return. As I said before, when your goal is to make money with art, you lose before you even begin.The Internet has come a long way, and now serves as the primary communication tool for most people. There's Facebook, MySpace, OurStage, Slice the Pie, PureVolume, Virb and of course SellaBand, to name a few.It's too much. For a person like me, who is still relatively young and still somewhat idealistic, I stand in the middle of a world that is seemingly falling apart around me. Granted, the U.S. has been on this path for a long time, but I think our eyes are finally being forced to see it. We can't ignore the big picture anymore.For these past few years I have been striving to reinvent myself into a more caring, compassionate and worldly individual. For me, that means continuing to improve my quality of life so that I can help others.That means changing my career path, streamlining my lifestyle and simplifying my daily activities. It means staying home and cooking in my kitchen rather than going to a restaurant. It means hanging out with my loved ones and bonding with friends. It means donating my time to worthy causes.That also means I’ve had enough of sitting in front of a computer screen and living in the imaginary world of a rock star. This is not real. I am many things – a husband, a homeowner, a businessperson, a Graphic Designer, an artist, a musician – but I am not a rock star. Nor do I want to be.I think SAB is on its last legs. I could be very wrong; I don't really care. I haven't been involved over here enough to get a good read on things lately. But whether fact or fiction, for my own personal reasons, it is time for me to move on.I will maintain a presence here, but not actively for the sake of earning parts. I will continue to record and write in my own time, and even post my music up here to share with you all.To me, that has always been the main attraction of this Site – being able to reach and interact with loyal music lovers the world over. Your support has been wonderful and invaluable to me. That is why I ask you to take your money back now.I don’t want your money nor do I need the glory of recording that 50K album anymore. I love music and art too much to be able to put a price on it. It took me a long time to realize that I love making music, but not at the expense of selling myself.From now on my music is free. And so am I.