40somethings...still trying to make it..??

[JTUK]

Just something that has been apparent in a few instances of late..where I have met a few guys still working on trying to make it in music when of an age
where the music industry wouldn't be interested in them.

I am talking about bands with images etc etc...when I would have thought late twenties was the time to figure out something else to do..???

[BigRedX]

Only in their 40s? They lack ambition and drive.

Today I'm 51. My current originals band is doing fantastically and is close to achieving more then any of my previous bands of the last 35 years. These days the only people who really care how old you are if your playing original music are becoming less and less relevant in the grand scheme of musical things. Our audience covers a massive age range from teenagers to people with at least a decade on me, but they all like the band because they enjoy the music and we're entertaining.

Of course it helps that don't really look my age, have enough hair to still have a hair style and know how to dress in a stylish and appropriate manner for the band without being told. Having a strong visual identity always helps - it's not just about the music and anyone who thinks it is, is going to be disappointed.

[lojo]

Its a strange one,

Was watching Jools Holland the other day and we couldn't put a name to Neil Finn, but all of us watching where sure that someone in the band most have previous, or the group would not have made it to jools holland at that age

DIdn't the band garbage behind shirley manson make it as older then the average ?

Anyone re those stil trying I guess there is nothing wrong with a focussed dream, however far fetched, the main issue though is what you sacrifice to chase it family wise

[lojo]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1317715484' post='1393491']
Only in their 40s? They lack ambition and drive.

Today I'm 51. My current originals band is doing fantastically and is close to achieving more then any of my previous bands of the last 35 years. These days the only people who really care how old you are if your playing original music are becoming less and less relevant in the grand scheme of musical things. Our audience covers a massive age range from teenagers to people with at least a decade on me, but they all like the band because they enjoy the music and we're entertaining.

Of course it helps that don't really look my age, have enough hair to still have a hair style and know how to dress in a stylish and appropriate manner for the band without being told. Having a strong visual identity always helps - it's not just about the music and anyone who thinks it is, is going to be disappointed.
[/quote]


Nice one mate, sounds like your enjoying yourself !

[Shambo]

I'm acutely aware that I've joined my first ever band this year at the ripening age of 37, about 20 years too late.

The only solace I can take is that I'm not trying to sell boyband pop music to children or recapture my misspent yoof playing rock n roll.
Our lead singer might be though... I stand in the shadows near the back rolling my eyes at the drummer or stroking my beard wistfully.

[JTUK]

I must say, I am in 2 minds about it.
I know for a fact that many many older acts are still more than viable to a good level on the continent.

It was just that I met this mod looking guy at a recent gig of ours who wasn't as young as his girlfriend..by some way, and he seemed to be a friend of our dep drummer.
The conversation turned to bands and he said he was still pursuing 'making it'....and in an original sense.

And he isn't the only one by any means...

[thunderbird13]

yeah I've met a fair few people like this who musically are average but have somehow convinced themselves that they are going to make it and have left school gotten a crappy job while they play music at night. Fast forward 30 years and they're still doing the same thing.

I dont know sometimes I think its a bit sad and a waste of a life but then again who am I to tell people how to live and if its what they want to do and also what other people want to hear then good luck to them . I'm sure there are many examples of people who have slogged for years before "making it"

[Clarky]

I'm 48 and I still live in hope of making it!

[xilddx]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1317715484' post='1393491']
Only in their 40s? They lack ambition and drive.

Today I'm 51. My current originals band is doing fantastically and is close to achieving more then any of my previous bands of the last 35 years. These days the only people who really care how old you are if your playing original music are becoming less and less relevant in the grand scheme of musical things. Our audience covers a massive age range from teenagers to people with at least a decade on me, but they all like the band because they enjoy the music and we're entertaining.

Of course it helps that don't really look my age, have enough hair to still have a hair style and know how to dress in a stylish and appropriate manner for the band without being told. Having a strong visual identity always helps - it's not just about the music and anyone who thinks it is, is going to be disappointed.
[/quote]
This exactly, except that I'm 47.

[Gust0o]

I will offer the seeming flattery of saying that you all read as much younger individuals, than your years might suggest - proving there's a lot more to age than just a number

Surely age only matters in the manufacture of music - where some form of Neilsen rating has informed the executives that they need 5 foppy-haired teenagers (at least one to be of ethnic origin) for an 'originals' band, backed by all the cynicism which the rise of X-factor [i]et al[/i] has engendered in the modern pop industry?

For the rest there's only yourself and your limits. Surely?

[Monckyman]

"Making it" is a meaningless term unless you can define it more precisely, but you can`t because it has a different face for everyone.
Also, a 40something musician in an originals band aimed at selling music to 20 year olds will certainly struggle as image is a massive part of why 20 year olds buy anything, but if you are aiming to sell to 35 to 60 year olds then you are prime.
Jazz and blues musicians don`t seem to get any respect till they hit 50 anyway...
The upper age of music consumption has in my opinion massively expanded and along with fashionable clothes is enjoyed by people who 20 years ago would be in zip up boots and furry hats with a tartan food trolley listening to radio 2. In Bournemouth.
Garbage had the benefit of Butch Vig`s considerable production expertise from his work with Smashing Pumpkins and Nirvana and by making Shirley Manson the focal point of their promotion in very bling and wacky videos convinced youngsters they were cool enough for school.It also helped that he`s married to a Dreamworks A+R executive.
My definition of "making it" is to earn enough income from musical activities to support myself without too much hassle from the powers that be.
I consider there to be no age limit on that.

[discreet]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1317715484' post='1393491']
Only in their 40s? They lack ambition and drive. I'm 51.
[/quote]

+1 Me too! I've been doing more playing over the last year or so than ever before. When you say 'music industry', do you mean 'pop music industry' by any chance?

The music business is a very broad field - just because you're not a pretty boy (or girl) who is in the media 24 hours a day doesn't mean you can't make a living out of music, whether gigging, recording, producing, etc.

This trend toward thinking that people are useless (at anything) just because they're over 40 is ludicrous and demonstrates a narrow worldview in my opinion!

You've upset me and now I'm going to have a tantrum. Bwaaaa!

[Hutton]

I'm 53 years old. I don't have the energy to 'make it'. I'm just happy to play and do a bit of regular gigging.

[BottomE]

[quote name='thunderbird13' timestamp='1317717594' post='1393530']
yeah I've met a fair few people like this who musically are average but have somehow convinced themselves that they are going to make it and have left school gotten a crappy job while they play music at night. Fast forward 30 years and they're still doing the same thing.
[/quote]
Just do what makes you happy. There are thousands of rubbish original bands full of misguided kids but so what. Age shouldn't be a barrier and the profile of the music industry is very varied now - not like the top twenty culture that existed twenty years ago. Probably more chance of making it as an oldie now that ever.

[TheRev]

I'm 39 and after 20 plus years of playing I've finally ended up in a band that has enough focus, energy and commitment to potentially be able to play music as a full time job. We do have an 'image' but it's not aimed at any particular age range - our fans range from a 12 year old son of one of our older fans to a 75 year old granny.
A couple of years ago, the thought of quitting my job for a band would have put me in a serious sweat, but what with the public sector cuts, redundancies at work, potentially being downgraded and the fact that everyone in this band actually wants to be in this band, the idea of quitting my job to be in a band quite appeals to me.
We've still got a year of hard work ahead of us but at the end of that year we're hoping to at least be able to cut our day jobs to part time.
So yeah, I suppose I'm still trying to 'make it' in a mid-life crisis kind of way.

[lemmywinks]

I guess for me it depends on what you mean by "making it". If that means progressing with a band playing music you love, gradually gaining a big following and subsequently playing much bigger venues then i think that's ace, the age thing doesn't come into it at all.

If by "making it" you mean the whole ego trip and reliving the glory days of rock and roll excess then maybe not so much. I think it looks pretty stupid when younger bands try and put that image across, worse when their dads are doing it.

[xilddx]

[quote name='Monckyman' timestamp='1317718505' post='1393548']
"Making it" is a meaningless term unless you can define it more precisely, but you can`t because it has a different face for everyone.
[b]Also, a 40something musician in an originals band aimed at selling music to 20 year olds will certainly struggle as image is a massive part of why 20 year olds buy anything, but if you are aiming to sell to 35 to 60 year olds then you are prime.[/b]
[b]Jazz and blues musicians don`t seem to get any respect till they hit 50 anyway...[/b]
The upper age of music consumption has in my opinion massively expanded and along with fashionable clothes is enjoyed by people who 20 years ago would be in zip up boots and furry hats with a tartan food trolley listening to radio 2. In Bournemouth.
Garbage had the benefit of Butch Vig`s considerable production expertise from his work with Smashing Pumpkins and Nirvana and by making Shirley Manson the focal point of their promotion in very bling and wacky videos convinced youngsters they were cool enough for school.It also helped that he`s married to a Dreamworks A+R executive.
My definition of "making it" is to earn enough income from musical activities to support myself without too much hassle from the powers that be.
I consider there to be no age limit on that.
[/quote]
None of that is true mate.

[discreet]

[Monckyman]

sigh
Slid I`m not sure I can be arsed with you today.
I`m in quite a good mood.
Tell you what, I`ll settle for a " In my opinion" which I thought I`d already made clear.
Then none of it has to be true.

Edited October 4, 2011 by Monckyman

[geoffbyrne]

Well, I don't know about 'Making It', but I'm 65 next birthday & the Blues Band we are currently getting together (Subway) has huge potential. Maybe not in charts etc. but the bunch of musicians we've got here certainly could make this band a force in the Blues circuit - I'm keeping fingers crossed, & age isn't a barrier in the Blues world.

I also have a little (maybe not so little) functions band getting under way called 'Des Amis' - I've always thought of them as a 'Band of Friends' - we'll never conquor the world as the musicianship is limited, but we did a couple of gigs before the summer to great acclaim and it'll be great for what we are aming to do for it - fun & pocket money.

I also have a C&W trio (Coventry & Western) for light relief - purely small pub gigs.

To quote that web site, I'll rock till I drop!

G.

Edited October 4, 2011 by geoffbyrne

[xilddx]

[quote name='Monckyman' timestamp='1317719657' post='1393571']
sigh
Slid I`m not sure I can be arsed with you today.
I`m in quite a good mood.
Tell you what, I`ll settle for a " In my opinion" which I thought I`d already made clear.
Then none of it has to be true.
[/quote]
I'm not in anyway having a go at you mate. It's just not true, that's all. I know plenty of kids who like music played by older bands and who don't like music played by their own age group. There are plenty of solo pop artists who are very young but backed by older players, Jessie J for instance.

[Linus27]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1317715484' post='1393491']
Only in their 40s? They lack ambition and drive.

Today I'm 51. My current originals band is doing fantastically and is close to achieving more then any of my previous bands of the last 35 years. These days the only people who really care how old you are if your playing original music are becoming less and less relevant in the grand scheme of musical things. Our audience covers a massive age range from teenagers to people with at least a decade on me, but they all like the band because they enjoy the music and we're entertaining.

Of course it helps that don't really look my age, have enough hair to still have a hair style and know how to dress in a stylish and appropriate manner for the band without being told. Having a strong visual identity always helps - it's not just about the music and anyone who thinks it is, is going to be disappointed.
[/quote]

Pretty much this. I have been the 20 something that gigged every night up and down the country to finally as you saying making it and getting a record deal. Now I am 41 and playing in a different originals band and loving it. My perspective is different now though and to make it to me is just to be playing and making a living rather than making it and being in the spotlight.

[Monckyman]

The band playing with JJ are NOT what the kids are buying.
If you had a completely different band it would make no difference to her sales.
It`s a great band and I can`t see how she could do better, but that`s just not the point.
I haven`t heard her Lp but I`m assuming that most of it is dependant on the skills of the programmer/producer rather than any musicians so again, that`s not what "der kids" are buying.
Point of sales focus is a young sassy nubile female singer,well presented promotionally.
The band is irrelevant to any of that.
In my opinion, of course.
Maybe if you find an example of a 45 year old solo artist with a young band selling to the 20 year old market you might convince me

[arthurhenry]

I'm 39. I realised 12 or so years ago that the most important thing to me was just to be playing music live in front of people as often as possible and not worry about any notion of "making it". There is no "way" of making it, no set formula to follow. Many, many successful musicians who have "made it" will say that it happened only because they just kept playing year after year and were lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time on one or more occasions. The point is: anything can happen, anytime, but it might not - just keep playing.

Edited October 4, 2011 by arthurhenry

[Wolverinebass]

As a few people have said, it depends what is meant by the phrase "making it." About 5 years ago, the originals band I was in came close to signing with Parlophone. For various reasons, it didn't happen. However, I was only 27 at the time. Ironically, I considered myself "too old" even then. It's not sad people thinking that they're going to be successful in their 40's. Only if they're totally talentless does it become so.

The thing I've found as I've grown older (not necessarily wiser, I hasten to add) is that the sort of stuff I'm into (grunge, funk and progressive stuff) just nobody wants to do it well. It's so odd. Does everyone hate King's X?!! Really?!! I've also found I'm probably much less tolerant of people who are mediocre as I've been fortunate enough to play with some amazingly talented musicians who I've learned so much from. So if someone is say 27 and fairly average I look at it that they haven't put the time in. So the next blurb about "we have contacts" usually gets the short shrift.

Like what JTUK says, I've met some very delusional people who think that the massive success is just round the corner with absolutely no justification for saying so.

My own aims are somewhat more humble. I want to play gigs and music I enjoy (and hopefully just the once play a gig which I've written every song). Just basically for people to acknowledge that aside from being good at creatively swearing, I'm not a completely talentless idiot after all. A modest aim really, and not one that I'd think isn't acheivable.