On this forum, I have been around a LONG time - mid to late 90's when I started learning here. I've run into exactly one person (hasn't posted in this thread yet!) who thinks their musical poop doesn't stink and about 1 month a year, they'll show up here asking how to get more radio play with their stuff; how to market; ask opinions about the latest feed-on-the-ignorant music publishing scams, etc.

Their stuff is schlocky / stinky bad; lyrics full of cliché; songs that go nowhere, etc. They have changed user names a couple of times after a few persons have tried to kindly suggest actual improvements in mostly kind ways, but it is clear over the years, that this person doesn't believe that their material has anything wrong with it - they believe that all that is missing are different marketing perspectives and methods.

Have I said any of the above to that person? No. I do not believe it will do any good to or for them. I actually believe this person might have some personality defects of some type just based on the delusional behavior they have exhibited with their posts. Fixing delusion is above my pay grade!

With rather rare exceptions, most of us here are just making music because it's plain good fun. We've had a couple guys that make their living in the recording/producing industry, and many that do the 1 or 2 person band gig full time; coming this way by way of the singular product BIAB. The folks relying on this for their income, they are the professionals.

I consider my music hobby to be like an amateur photographer that has studied the craft, but I'm not fooling myself that I will ever be able to replace my income with music hobby income. What I do is akin to giving a framed photo I've taken to family and friends and sometimes they will hang the picture in a prominent place, many times it ends up in the storage room. Totally o.k. with that.

Does this give me any kind of right for 'brutal honesty'? Nope. Even when it's tempting, still doesn't give me a right to that.

In a week, I will be participating in February Album Writing Month, where thousands of people across the globe will be trying to write 14 songs each over a 4 week period. There will be a whole bunch of bad songs I will write, and the others will write, but there will also be a couple that will get some nice comments (if past years are any indication) and I will find many that made me smile in some way, and I always take the time to let somebody know if that was the case and give a very specific hint at what it was that made me smile.

Some of those folks have become my favorite artists over the years. There's a guy who plays the hang drum (think of an inverted steel drum with more pure tone, played with the hands) who just simply makes goosebump inducing songs each and every year.

If a song makes you smile or get 'that feeling' that only music can provide. Let the artist know with a kind comment or some cash sent their way.

Oh, and if anyone's interest was piqued: www.fawm.org is the February Album Writing Month challenge. Site goes live in a day or so for 2017. There will be lots of opportunity to practice kind commenting.

My Songs, photos, writing,etc.
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