Reality Check Please

So, a few posts ago i was looking for a female singer. Alot of people responded. I picked the voice i thought best suited for the song. Amateur singer, had only done maybe 1 or 2 things "professionally", but i loved the voice. So, I called her up, scheduled a date, accomodated her schedule, then she did not show up to the session. never called. Never emailed. She just didn't show up. I called her 2 hours after she was supposed to be here, and she said she forgot. I quickly ended that conversation, as well as the potential of that singer ever setting foot inside my studio or singing a note on one of my projects. I got a call several hours later from a friend of hers saying how she had a family crisis the night before, she's so sorry, blah blah blah.

I will only say that in 15 years of making records, i have never ever once forgotten about a session. not for any reason, and i've been through alot in 15 years. I have cancelled sessions, shown up late, started late, had to leave earlier than i should have, made mistakes, big mistakes, but never ever have i just forgotten that i had a session. Not once in 15 years. So, needless to say, when someone "forgets" they have a session with me, my response is typically to forget that i know them. Especially if that person is someone trying to break into the business. ESPECIALLY IF I AM THE ONE PAYING THEM!!!!! I've had artists not show up to sessions before, but i was getting paid regardless. This time, i was paying that singer.

Now, i'm not gonna say who this person is. That is irrelevant, and trust me, you'll never hear her name anyway if this is the way she thinks she'll build her career. It takes more than talent. I'm only posting about this for all of the rest of you out there. This is a wake up call. a reality check. A chance to take a good hard look at yourself in the mirror and ask yourself "do i want to make music a career or not". Its an honest question, a hard question to honestly ask yourself and get a straight answer, because alot of you, most of you probably would say "yes, i DEFINITELY want a career doing music", but alot of you would be lying to yourselves. Many people WANT a career in music, but i'd say 95% of you just do not have the drive that it takes to build a sustainable career. (if you are reading this and have the slightest hesitation that you might be in that 95%, you probably are, the other 5% think they are in the top 1%, trust me). I'm not trying to insult you, but a sustainable career in music is damn near impossible, because EVERYBODY wants to work in the music industry. I never once doubted ever that i would have a successful career in music.

I hear alot of times "well, i gotta keep my 9 to 5 til something jumps off for me". Or, guys who want to get where i am i hear often "I cant afford to intern for free, i need to pay my bills". I do understand, all i will tell you is that there are PLENTY of other people out there willing to make that commitment, so while you are paying your bills, someone else is building their resume, and when you apply for the same job they do a year from now, guess who's going to get the job. It sucks, but its a fact of life.

People ask me constantly "how can i make this a career?" or "how can i make records like you do?". The simple answer is if you are not doing music more than full time (I typically work 70 to 100 hour weeks, mostly 7 days a week, nights, weekends), even if you are not getting paid yet for it, then you are not going to be able to keep up with the other people who are making that commitment, who are barely scraping by, but building their experience, their resume, their credits, their talent. there are always exceptions to every rule, but for the most part, this is the rule. If you want music to be your career, tighten your F'ing belt and get in the game.

I'm not just talking the talk. I moved from Cincinnati to New York City when i was 22 years old. I saved for many months before i made the move. Long story short, the day after i got to NYC, all of my money was GONE. travel expenses and rent/security deposit took almost every penny i saved. I started my new job at a big NYC studio the day after i arrived, working 102 hours my first seven days (i earned $150 per week my first couple weeks - thats a dollar fifty an hour!!!, on week three i got a low hourly wage but worked a TON of hours and barely made rent the next month). I did not know anyone in NYC, i just knew that was where i was going to make my career. I started here flat broke and working an insane amount of hours (still do), and over time, my career developed. Now i do pretty well.

One more success story for you. My production partner used to be my intern. Before that, he went to Berklee College of Music. After his first two semesters, instead of going home for the summer to chill, he went straight to NYC to intern at a studio all summer, then he went straight back to school in the fall. Never went home. Went back to school that fall and spring while also interning at another studio at the same time. After spring semester, he went straight from school back up to NYC to work as my intern for the summer. unpaid. Before fall semester started for him, he had become such an asset to me that i offered him a full time paid position to stay working with me and not go back to school. He accepted. That was three years ago. He has since won a Grammy for engineering, gotten 2 more nominations, and has a bunch of gold and platinum albums. THAT is how you build a career. THAT is how you walk the walk. Most people would have gone home for the summer and chilled.

So the short moral to the story is, if you are a singer, engineer, producer, artist ...... fill in what you do here..... and a Grammy winner calls you for a session, you'd better drop what you are doing, set three alarms, have a friend call and remind you, camp out down the block, do whatever you have to do to make sure you show up at that session, preferably on time, especially if you are not yet making a living doing music!!!! I don't want to come off like i'm arrogant, because honestly, if someone calls me tomorrow, anyone calls me tomorrow, and says "hey i need you for a session" (and they can afford me), you'd better believe i will be at that session. Thats just conducting yourself professionally. Real opportunities come few and far between in this business, and most of the time real opportunities are the ones you find for yourself. If you are sitting there waiting for opportunity to come, you'll be waiting a long time.

So, if you are still reading, maybe you do have what it takes. And if you are still reading and do have what it takes, then I'll leave you with this. I am currently seeking co-writers to collaborate with. NOT beatmakers, i have too many already. I want to find talented lyricists/singers, mostly pop, R&B and hip hop, male or female. professional attitude. i dont care if you have zero credits, i care if your a hot writer. If this is you and your looking to collaborate, drop me an email and lets talk. I am VERY picky about who i work with as a writer, so bring your A game. and for gods sake, if we book a session, show up.

-Ken