Contests do you keep participating? by Carolyn on The Pipeline at IndieMusicPeople

Contests do you keep participating?
It's been a while since I blogged here, but I thought as artists we all go through many of the same 'processes' or developments in our art. I wanted to share some thoughts that I've had muddling around in my head and felt like putting it out as a commentary.

Contests do you keep participating?

Not that I know everything or have nothing new to gain. Quite the contrary, I’m finding the more I get involved in the music scene, the less I know, and the more I need to learn.

That said, I have participated in several ‘talent’ contests, I’ve won some, came close with others. In one way I feel I have always left as a winner because of the experience, the audience response, and the judges comments and for that I am grateful. The down side to these competitions is the state you get yourself into before you play, the nervousness, dry mouth, you almost think your throat’s going to cease from the stress.

Most of these contests are won by the amount of friends you bring to cheer you on, whether you are the ‘better’ artist or not. These contests can be encouraging or discouraging. There are always better singers, musicians, there are those starting out in all their nervousness. Each brings a uniqueness that I enjoy watching, but put in a competition you sometimes forget to enjoy them. Music is so subjective; I personally prefer original music and quite frankly I don’t think radio puts the cream of the crop on the airwaves, sadly.

I think I’ve reached the end of my contest entering phase. There are even song contests that you pay to enter. I just want to play! If you like me you like me, if you don’t that’s ok too. Heck I may like one song an artist sings and the rest of the songs are, well, mediocre. The important thing a songwriter needs to do is keep writing. Keep developing new rhythms, new lyrical mixes, new styles. That’s where I’m at… when you hear a song and say “Wow, I wish I wrote that one”, I hope I can bring that much emotion or feeling into how I write.

Performing is another aspect of it all…I strive to bring the best performance each time…and may it be better than what I record.

Continue to support those musicians you like, attend their concerts, vote for them, buy their music, spare a buck for a download, leave them a comment (nice ones are the best :-) ), tell a friend. If it’s the first time you see them at an open mic – ask their name. We all start out usually at the bottom of the totem pole and just want to be heard. We want to bring you more of what we do but sometimes there is so much that gets in the way.

Peace and enjoy whoever it is you’re listening to, for tomorrow it may be someone new.

-Carolyn

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SILVERWOODSTUDIO

4/5/2007 6:26:42 PM

It has always bothered me that competition is such a big part of music, however that is how it is and I don't think it's gonna change! -----I also see a lot of co operation on this site, and that may be our strength into the future.

We tend now to only practice when we have a specific gig to work towards, often we include cover songs, to keep onside with the crowd, doing an original song in a competition is daunting because you can't choose the audience / they may hate country and that's what you've chosen!

Original songs and music are what we are all about, but the odd cover slipped in can warm up an audience, and open their ears for the next original.
We don't enter comps much, unless it's one of us solo and then of course you are right we go and support and meet some of the others and yak yak yak!

I was once in a band at a festival on the West Coast, and we were really rockin' the whole joint, there were 2 stages and everyone had come over to ours
We started the first few bars of "Total Control" and the band who was coming on next, said we know that! and jumped in and started plugging in and trying to play along----------it turned into a dogs breakfast and that was the end of our set!

that's the worst of competition!

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Duane Flock

4/6/2007 12:45:43 AM

I write ,sing, and play all of the music in my songs. Kind of a one-man-band thing. I've done countless amounts of covers in several bands over the years and have gotten tired of the "mainstream" B.S. of the local bars and gin-joints. Now when I write a tune, I write it so that I can also do an acoustic single version of the same song that sounds just as good or better than the live band version. This way I have the best of both worlds. If I get an itch to play at an "open mic" night at some cool venue, I'm all set with at least an hour (provided they like my tunes). Or I can get a gig and gather up the band to do a great evening of good originals. We'll get paid for the gig because we sent out a demo before hand.
We all have the screwed nights and gigs. That's gonna happen ocassionally to everyone. Plus you can't please everybody. One big mistake is trying. People are either going to like you or they're not. The ones that don't like you don't write your songs, so just go with what works best for you and your band. What makes you stand out and your strengths. Be creative and try to be different and stand out! Be yourself! When your comfortable, you're confident, and that's when you'll have fun and "kick-ass". When your fans see that quality, is when it all falls into place.

Peace, D.

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4/6/2007 6:06:35 AM

I came across this thread you wrote Carolyn - and what caught my eye was the headline "Contests do you keep participating?"

I have played my fair share of talent shows. Once I won $1000 and took first place for two guitar songs I played. (Delta Slide and Malaguena) I've also taken second in a few other talent shows.

And your right, I was all worked up about those shows. Nervous, elated when I took first place, let down when I took second place, and jumping for joy over winning lots of money. At one show I lost to a Ventriloquist! I was so let down, guitar music looses out to a talking dummy?

This may seem a bit twisted, but what I really have noticed about talent shows lately is that they are filled with singers. I think it has a lot to do with the show American Idol. Anyway, I actually found it real fun to drop all those teeny bopper singers in the ditch when I beat them all in the show! Some of those "singers" would walk in to the audition with a certain "swagger" and attitude. While I was always quiet, unassuming and usually sat in the back row. When it came time for me to play, their "swagger" turned into a sense of dread! You could see the attitude disappear from their faces - it was great! Is that twisted of me?

Anyway, I find it all a bore now. I don't think I will participate in talent shows anymore. It is a great way to get your music out there to the public, just like IAC is a great place to get your music out there. But that time I lost to a Ventriloquist at a talent show, I decided this was it for me.

If you have never gigged in a band, and you want to get some experience with a live audience - talent shows are a good way to go.

But if your a musician like me who has years of experience gigging in bands, you might find talent shows fun at first. But in my experience, after playing a number of talent shows - it's easy to get fed up with all the judging and all the teeny boppers that frequent talent shows.

But thats just me! Maybe you experienced musicians would love to play talent shows. Thats cool too. But form me, I'd rather watch paint dry.

http://iacmusic.com/artist.aspx?ID=15090

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