Originally Posted By: axeplayer
This is an interesting thread and in many ways gets to the core of what the user showcase is all about.

My observation has been that there is a regular group of people on the forum who submit songs (and good luck to them on that) but it does seem to me that they get so familiar with each other and saying good things to each other, that should someone post a song that is a total load of rubbish that somehow they others in the group will still praise it.

I have heard songs on the showcase where the singer is "simply roaring and bawling" [and] comes across as they cobbled the whole song (if you could call it that) together in 15 minutes.

God only knows why they submitted the song in the first place, and still song gets a lot of praise from others. And these songs aren't from newbies either but people who submit on a regular basis.

Sometimes I imagine that the others in the group who are doing the praising are simply doing it totally out of jest, like "hey this is so bad but you have giving me such a great laugh that I will encourage and inflate your ego so much that you will do it again"

And of course there are other songs on the showcase that are simply stunning and deserve all the adulation and more that they get.

The problem as I see it there is no consistency.



axeplayer,

Your reply seems to indicate that you are not all that familiar with the diversity of people who visit Users Showcase and who post songs and instrumentals.

Have you posted a song? Given your comments above, I get the impression that you might not have. I'd like to ask some questions for you to consider...


1) One of the users that I'm aware of in Users Showcase had a car accident a while back and was left badly brain damaged. This person still loves making music and wants to be part of the community. They are limited in what they can do.

What do you say to that person who is working at their very best to produce what it sounds like you'd probably call poor music?

Quite honestly, I'm in awe of what they can do and the hurdles they have overcome to be part of our forum.


2) Then there are forum members whose voices and abilities are fading with age and with sickness. We've had a number of people die from terminal illnesses while active members of the forum and they've soldiered on, putting their "best foot forward" (to quote Videotrack) for as long as they possibly can.

What do you say to them when they've given their all to create something that, while it might sound mediocre to you, is a great achievement for them?


3) There are also some who live in lonely circumstances, didn't learn music at any stage in their lives and BIAB and Users Showcase bring meaning to their present existence. Isn't what they create worth celebrating? How much does it hurt to say "you've done a great job" when, by their own musical standards, they surpassed what they did last time even though they don't sound like anywhere close the standard of professional musician?

The thing is, whenever we make a comment, chances are that we have no idea about the circumstances that surround the person who posted the music. This is something that I'm always mindful of.

In the last 12 months the forum has seen...

  • a person travelling a pretty tough road from prostate cancer
  • three people, that I know of, who have had a stroke
  • a musician with lukemia
  • a couple who have lost three children and one of whom finds peace and comfort in writing and singing songs
  • another who is having a rough trot with cancer
  • etc., etc., etc.

These are just some of many.

I don't want to bore you. All I'm trying to say is that before making judgement calls such as, "I have heard songs on the showcase where the singer is 'simply roaring and bawling' [and] comes across as they cobbled the whole song", isn't it worthwhile finding out a little more?

Many of the long term members of User Showcase have gained an insight into the lives of one another that people outside the forum have no idea about.

I believe that Users Showcase is one of those forums that it's necessary to be involved with for a while before it's possible to see how and why it works.

Regards,
Noel

MY SONGS...
Audiophile BIAB 2025