So, I'm a songwriter. I've been writing songs and poetry since I was 10 years old. I'm 17 now. I've always had the ability to write and do my Youtube material, but I don't have the Youtube fanbase that I used to. I've always wanted to be a paid songwriter for a huge record label, if only I had connections. I'm looking to compile my songs and poetry in a book and have the book published. I also said on Twitter that it'd be my wildest dream to write a song with my favorite singers: Sia, Esthero, Natasha Bedingfield, and Tamra Keenan. Esthero and Tamra favorited my tweet, and Tamra was nice enough to write me back yesterday. I have all these big dreams but no way of going about reaching them. How can I start with small steps? ---------- Post added 10th Oct 2013 at 05:45 AM ---------- My old Youtube--that I had over 300,000 video views on--got terminated in October 2012. So now all I have is Twitter. My current Youtube has only 1,000 views.
Don't give up man. I've been a composer/producer for 14 years, and only this year was I discovered by a record label. It can get depressing when you get little attention, but keep going. Take a break, then go at it again. Tamra Keenan, amongst many other Electronic music singers, seems lovely. I've spoken to some (Kirsty Hawkshaw, Tamra, Coco Star, Nicola Hitchcock) online. They are wonderful people. True ARTISTS. You want to expand your online presence as much as possible. Facebook, SoundCloud, SoundClick, YouTube, Twitter, ReverbNation, Tumblr, BandCamp and more.....as much exposure as possible. Don't rush your creations/productions, take your time, but keep regular activity online. Make regular posts, Seek to support and promote other amateur creators, Blend your music/poetry with other forms of art so as to be varied, dynamic and frequent, Offer feedback on other peoples creations! Hope it works! And be PATIENT! You're only 17. You've got plenty of time.
I agree with the above poster. I also have a few ideas of my own: Try performing at open mics. You never know if you'll gain fans, catch an important person's ear, or find a collaborator. Also, if you're anywhere near Asbury Park, New Jersey then I could suggest a music school that I did a songwriting camp at.
Thank you guys for the great replies. Moonlighter, that's super awesome that you got to talk to Tamra. She's so funny and has a beautiful singing voice! Everybody around me is telling me to get a job. They think I just sit on my ass all day. That's because I hate working. Truthfully, I would only get back into the habit of working so everybody can shut up about me not having a job. That's really interesting that you've been in the game for so long and just got discovered! Musician, I've thought about doing open mics for a while now. For some odd reason, I'm scared to read my poetry out loud to anyone, so I guess I can work on getting over my fear first.
Now that this thread is alive again (never saw it the first time, sorry ) have you tried sending feelers into NYC? There are quite a few big shots there and while I've never heard of a subway performer who hit the big time, you have a better chance of getting noticed there than anywhere else on the east coast by my estimation. What kind of music do you write? I have always wanted to break into songwriting over poetry myself, but I don't think I have the right stuff. :/
The only thing I can think of is try to get performance gigs in some of the low-level venues there. Somebody looking for a good indie act might be watching. Unless you write but don't play, in which case you've got to find somebody who will play your songs. But that shouldn't be too hard, as songwriting is more difficult for some than others lol.
Good points. How can I find a good place to do an open mic in NYC? I don't play any instruments (I used to, but not anymore).
