Having fears about your life is natural, having fears in music-making is no different. Fear keeps us alert of what might happen and helps us to prepare for that.
Fear 1: Not being good at what you are doing
To all our fellow perfectionists, being as good as -insert your all-time favorite artist’s name here- and being not good at all are two different things. Your favorite artist or music producer has years of music-making behind their shoulders. It is not about any unique superpowers that allow learning everything in one week, month, or even a year. It takes time and a lot of it. For example, it took Chief of K-Tune Masters, Sinsadong Tiger, 20 years of hard work to become one of the top South Korean producers. The point is, we all start somewhere. Enjoy the ride and learn on the way!
Fear 2: Investing more money in music-making than getting back
Investing your money in music making software, music production tools, and other creative tools is inevitable. We live in a digital world, and spending money on digital services is a new norm. Since the music is progressing in a digital direction too, it is only reasonable to invest in services. It enables your music growth and keeps it up to date.
“What if I will end up investing without getting anything in return?”
We can hear your fear talking in your head.
The fear is reasonable. Imagine investing everything you have into music-making. You would expect it to be working but instead, it brings no revenue.
With the paid services, however, you will know precisely when you pay and how much you pay. That helps you plan your budget ahead and never subscribe to something you can’t afford. Also, at first, you don’t need that fancy software because everyone else is using it, you need the one that is working for you. Learn first and then upgrade.
Fear 3: Hitting plateau
Just like in workouts, there is a point in your music-making journey when you hit a plateau, and it seems like you can’t figure out where to go next, and how to grow further. It is usually the point when you create this one song that is “the one,” and no other song is keeping up to it.
“I wrote that one song, and everything else couldn’t compare to it.”
And here you are, thinking that nothing else you produce will ever be as good as this song. But this is not true and is proved by many music producers out there. What you need to do is to find new ways of producing, for example, you can collaborate with others to bring new elements to your music.
Fear 4: Investing a lot of time and effort and fail anyways
This fear somehow derives from the worries above and usually presents itself as a “total failure,” when you feel like whatever you do doesn’t bring the results you expected to see, but brings the feeling that you fail at everything at once. What happens is you are making high demands of yourself. Your (and no one else’s for that matter) music-making journey doesn’t have a fixed and definite timeframe, and it is not a trip from point A to point B either. While some things you can plan like graduating from your music-related major within four years, other accomplishments might take longer than that. Even though there is no way to control everything that might or might not happen, what you can do is to be ready for ups and downs, and not to be too hard on yourself.
Fear 5: Your music will get lost in millions of other tracks on the internet
Thousands of music files are being uploaded daily on YouTube, SoundCloud, Spotify, iTunes – you name it. Feeling like your track will go straight to nowhere, and no one will ever find it, is quite common. But what you can do is to focus on another side of the coin. The uploaded track will be in the open for everyone to see, which increases the chances to get discovered. It is also will be there forever unless you delete it manually and sooner or later will find its listener. You can also help and speed up this process by following music marketing tips, which can significantly increase your music visibility and contribute to your fanbase growth.
Fear 6: No one will ever like your music
First of all, you should be your number one fan and liking your music. Even though appreciation of others and connecting with your audience is an essential part, without loving your music first, you will end up thinking that no one will like your music either. Winning your listener’s love might take time, but if you are consistent with what you are doing and distributing your content where others can access it, you will find your listener. It is also worth mentioning that tastes differ and if one person doesn’t like your music doesn’t mean that others won’t either.
Fear 7: No one will ever take you seriously
Are you very excited about what’s next to come for you in your music-making journey but have this one friend or family member who thinks that you are wasting your time and should be doing something else instead? You are not alone in this. This negative influence often comes from people who do not value music the same way you do. While we can’t stop talking to everyone who is not sharing our life views, we can change the way it affects our lives. Just do your thing and make sure someone’s judgment is not the only feedback you get.
Different phases lead to different fears that sometimes are hard to fight. Feeling that you will never succeed is only human, but it doesn’t mean that it will happen. It doesn’t have to define your music. Just keep your goal in mind and it will help you overcome the difficulties. Channel your fears into creating everyone’s next favorite music!
