Another obstacle: Why it is so hard to make it in music?

By: Aryan Javan

Sometimes things just are not meant to be. The forces of nature are against you. The yin is more than the yang. Something or someone is just out to get you. It must be tough to be the best at something and never get recognized. It stinks that money can be thrown at someone to create an image. It really stinks to think a talented individual may never get the opportunity they have worked their whole life for. Well, you guys that is the reality of the music industry.

As long as music has existed, there have been underground musicians who may be just as or even more talented than famous musicians. Everyone knows a person or a friend that just has that pure talent or "it" factor. You may think to yourself, "this guy/girl could actually make it."

What is stopping the world from hearing the work of these individuals? Whether the individual is an artist, producer or engineer, there has to be a common element. 

Oliver Greene is be a recording artist on the side, while attending post-graduate school full-time. 

Oliver Greene is an underground recording artist. Like most he realizes how hard it is to break into the music scene, thus why he is in post-graduate school.

"If an artist lacks the 'it' factor that makes them stand out from others, that definitely won't get them too far," Greene said, "I think it's important for a new artist to create a movement or wave so that when people see them they can associate them to something bigger than just themselves." 

Based on the statement above, it seems that the artist needs some sort of uniqueness the world has never seen. The "it" factor is a real thing. But there have to be people who pass these qualifications and still never get the opportunity, right?

Roland Williams is the lead creative engineer and an active board member at Digital Dope Radio. He has a unique view in the music industry because he is a part it. 

"In regards to an artist it has to be their budget and ability to access technology," Williams said, "technology is connected to budget, and of course you have to network and gain opportunities, but then you need access to technology and the budget to pay for your network, you see? We haven't even gotten to the talent yet."

What about producers or engineers do they face the same obstacles as an artist on the come up. Those two professions are considered more "behind the scenes." So what kind of obstacles do they face?

DJ SOD is an underground producer. He learned the entire craft of how to produce music from videos online and hours of practice. 

"Being unique and having your own sound is huge. We have to listen to multiple genres to develop a sound unique to us," DJ SOD said, "one advantage to being a producer though, is that we always have the ability to make money. Producing a beat costs nothing and artists always need beats."

DJ SOD spends countless hours practicing and producing tracks. How long will it be till he finally gets discovered?

Ivan "Kayden Terry" Patrick is currently a student studying to be an engineer of sound. This can be very meticulous work for little payback. 

"A big part of our profession is the ability to accept constructive criticism," Patrick said, "it's good to ask other engineers about your track, but at the same time a good mix is not set in stone. If another engineer listens to a track and gives me his input I have to think, 'I have the vision for this track, is that his ear telling him to say that?' So I have to decide at that point who to trust, my own feeling or his." 

Underground artists, producers, and engineers put in a lot of work that goes unoticed.

There does seem to be a common thread between all three professions and the concept of "making it." This may sound cheesy to some, but it is so cliché: be yourself. Greene stated that an artist can get big if they have something that makes them stand out over anyone else. DJ SOD stated how creating your own sound was the key to being a great producer. Patrick stated how an engineer should trust his own work and his own ear to capture the best sound. 

The real truth is it takes a lot to make an industry like this. There are so many factors that can determine one's success that it is hard to pinpoint just one reason. Yet it is easy to pinpoint one commonalty in an industry like this. You need to have an unwavering sense of faith in yourself and use that to carry you to places you never imagined. 

It all starts as a dream....