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Mutlu
by Gary E. Andrews - 04/15/24 07:08 PM
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Joined: Feb 2004
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So
Here we go
Driving another possible resource away from JPF.
How many is that now?
Good work guys.
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So
Here we go
Driving another possible resource away from JPF.
How many is that now?
Good work guys. I know what you are talking about Bill, but in this case I have to disagree. This is a "for pay service" and therefore JPF is as good a place as any to "put it through the ringer". If it comes out the other side looking OK, then it might just be OK. As long as the conversation remains civil, why not? It seems there are a few folks that are giving it a try. Kevin
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Surprised Marc has not :?popped his head into this hot topic.mmmmh
Last edited by Petra; 04/12/11 12:37 PM.
Invasion of Aliens!!!
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So
Here we go
Driving another possible resource away from JPF.
How many is that now?
Good work guys. Hey Bill, No, I don't think so, just an honest discussion on the merits or otherwise, of $75 ten minute friends. Is that kind of thing legal in your state ?  cheers, niteshift
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Getting you closer...ok Ron if you say so..who came second in the 100metres olympic final?...they were close,how close is close Ron,it is just an experience for these guys,they still have to burn a lot of midnight oil,i still say it,there are no short cuts,it's a long winding road,Blazetrack may be innovative,but don't know?see that young guys video response,hmmn,if i were you i would'nt use that as an example,didn't come across as totally convincing,mybe it's just me,but it didn't sound to me especially by his body language,as if he was totally blown away...Anyway,All the Best...Terry.. he is an 18 year old kid, sorry that he didnt give an oscar winning performance. The fact reamins that he is now represented by a highly respected LA manager, Has already worked and collabed with several KNOWN artists, songwriters and producers, made his first visit to the US, drove around in a Ferrai in LA (he was bragging about that on twitter, lol), and sat courtside at a LAKERS game. All for the bargain price of $50 Is that close enough for you? And what do u mean there are no shortcuts? This business is littered with shortcuts and luck? What hard work did Justin Bieber do? Putting a video on Youtube...Im sure a lot of work went into that. So, his manager is paying for all this ? Just asking..... it would be a little strange for the manager to pay the talent .... oh but wait a minute, ....  The Ferrari line really sums it all up for me. LOL It's a great phycological give away of smoke and mirrors. Can Blazetrack please provide the successful referral percentage ? Taxi, for example quotes a 3-5% random chance ratio. As to business models, please compare Blazetrack to industry professional publishers such as www.musicdealers.com which has no sucker,..... er I mean..... entry fee for submissions. Oops, I forgot, it's not about submissions, it's about driving Ferrari's and going to Lakers games. *bangs head on desk* cheers, niteshift its pretty funny how you manage to pick and choose what to focus on in my statement. You poke fun at the Ferrai and Lakers comment (which was made in jest on my part anyway), but gloss over and ignore the point that he is actually working with mainstream artists now (actual work), which is what this whole thing is supposed to be about. Who is paying for all of this for him, i dont have the slightest idea, nor do i care or does it matter. What matters is 10 months ago, he was sitting behind a desk in an accounting class at a community college in London with dreams of one day coming to the US to work as a producer. He spent $50, and made a connection the lead to him coming to LA to work in the studio with the likes of Dave Aude and Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls. Maybe you dont think he is in a better position now than he was, maybe you think Nicole and Dave suck as artists and musicians (or dont even know who they are) and none of this will amount to anything for him, maybe you are just bitter because he took a "shortcut" to get to place that people (or yourself) spend their whole lives trying to get to (working with a major artist) and you dont think he deseres it. The truth is it really doesnt matter what you think because you did not use the service, he did, and he is pleased with the result. In regards to a successful referral percentage, i haven't run the numbers but obviously it is very low, most people just are not good enough and those are the facts. Less then 1% of all college athletes go onto to play pro sports, does that mean people should not play college ball if their goal is to play pro?? Of course it doesnt, you put yourself on the line and hope you make it knowing that you probably wont. Here is a percentage i can give you: the percentage of complaints we recieved from people who did NOT make a connection....ZERO! Sure people may not like to hear that their music just isnt that good, no one likes to hear that, but they appreciate the fact that it came from someone they respect or admire, and they appreciate the time and the advice that came along with it to help them potentially improve. We are giving people the chance to get their creations into the hands of people you cant just call up, you cant email, you cant just go knock on a door and have their undivded attention. Actually we guarantee it! There is a fee for this guarantee. You wanna send some music to an a&r in Denmark for free that you found online who may or may not respond?... be my guest, knock yourself out. When is the last time an a&r in Denmark won 3 Grammys, or had a #1 Billboard hit (hot 100), or sold 30 million records worldwide? Blazetrak is not for everyone, and we never intended it to be. If you have the connections, networking ability, know how, and access to people like we have for free, then you are in GREAT shape and congrats to you, u dont need us. If you have $50 in the bank and its either make a submission or eat, please go buy a sandwich. If you live in the middle of nowhere, you dont have any access, you dont know who to talk to or how to get yourself out there, you tried other avenues that dont seem to be working for you, you have a little extra money, a dream and talent, then give us a try. you never know what might happen. Cheers! I really couldn't have said it any better than that. :-)
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I recall posting a song once on the boards (and the song is now being considered by a major artist for an upcoming project of theirs and professionals who have heard it think it's a hit) but someone here on the boards suggested I should change the lyrics to encompass mermaids, greek mythological creatures, and a plethora of other stuff that would have rendered the song unmarketable in the top 40 market. How is that suggestion ( on these boards ) preferable to people who have had major mainstream successes? So I can get a suggestion from a hobbyist as opposed to someone who does this for a living and has success at it....But apparently some of you guys think a bad suggestion is preferable to putting your apprehensions aside and trying something that might prove fruitful?
The logic here astounds me. smh (shakes my head)
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Anyway, I'm done posting on this thread. Blast away. Those who see the value in it, will try it. Those who don't, ignore this thread and go back to whatever it was that you were doing. No harm, no foul.
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....But apparently some of you guys think a bad suggestion is preferable to putting your apprehensions aside and trying something that might prove fruitful?
The logic here astounds me. smh (shakes my head) How many songs (or artists) have you heard on JPF that you really, really thought had "can't miss" commercial potential? I would say not that many. For those "can't miss" folks, then BlazeTrak might be a good avenue. For the rest of us, it is just a "more expensive" professional critique. I am not sure why this logic astounds you. If I was writing songs that were at the "commercial bar" and things were starting to come together, then I can see where this service might be useful. Can a model be discovered walking in the mall with her mom? Sure -- but it is the exception to the rule. In all likelihood, for 99+% of the aspiring folks, this service will end up not furthering their careers. Kevin Kevin
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How many songs (or artists) have you heard on JPF that you really, really thought had "can't miss" commercial potential? I would say not that many. For those "can't miss" folks, then BlazeTrak might be a good avenue.
Truthfully, I haven't heard very many people on the BOARDS with that commercial potential. That doesn't mean there aren't members within the JPF community who have commercial viability. I think Brian has confirmed that there ARE on several occasions. I've connected with a small handful here on JPF with the potential (and have had some success), but for the most part, there are a lot of people on the boards who don't fit what is commercially viable right now. That's just the reality. Anyone who gets offended by my saying so, I'm not apologizing for saying so. The truth is the truth.
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Yes, I meant the JPF boards -- and I agree with your assessment. I don't think anyone would be offended by that opinion.
Kevin
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Here's another reality....I wasn't always at the level I am at now. Brian can attest to that. Lol In my opinion, at one point in the past (until I improved), I didn't exactly "suck", but I wouldn't let anyone hear a lot of my earlier works. haha So even if someone ISN'T commercially viable, that also doesn't mean they won't be in the future. If they got the RIGHT advice from the RIGHT people, they can make leaps and bounds. I just don't think a lot of the people offering "critiques" on the boards are the right people for it (unless their intent isn't to get their songs on the radio or on major artist albums), then by all means, ignore what I say too. :-)
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Greg most of us here are mature adults and write adult music so it is hardly surprising that few of us write or even understand kids chart music and even less could give a decent crit on it. I would not consider a critique from a kid who writes like Justin Bieber would be much good or appropriate for my style of music either. So it is mutual.
I doubt very much if a couple of five minute video reviews or pro critiques could help anybody that much and the chance of being picked up with a record deal by some top professional is just a carrot to lure people in....it is unlikely to happen. There is no shortcut to learning the craft and attaining success is a combinataion of luck, hard work and contacts.....
But if Blazetrak works for you then I do not have a prob with that.
You obviously have your finger on the pulse and know better....keep us posted if anything ever comes from your dealings with Blaztrak....I would be genuinely interested and a trifle surprised if it ammounts to much. That said nothing would suprise me about the music scene of today. Some real stinkers have made it big.
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Actually, I did have a good experience using Blazetrak. I made a couple of submissions to Brian B Richardson (B.O.B's manager) and we've exchanged contact information and are now in touch outside of Blazetrak. I may or may not have had the opportunity to get in touch with this guy outside of Blazetrak, but the fact remains, due to using Blazetrak, the connection has been made. If you're unfamiliar with B.O.B, then check out the song "Airplanes" (it was a hit on the radio and the song was done by adults): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kn6-c223DUU
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Each to his own, please keep us informed.
Of course there will be successes, that's the nature of buying a lottery ticket. As long as folks are informed that it's $75 critique, and that's all it is.
cheers, niteshift
PS - Mr Blazetrack, I think you may have me confused with that crazy pilcher eating, beer swilling Dane. I don't know any Danish A&R folks ??? I do know a Danish mastering engineer, who has contacts with lots of REALLY REALLY famous people, but they're probably just unknown Danish A&R guys....... and smell of fish and stale beer. *shrugs*
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Niteshift...
I thought you were A famous Danish singer that immigrated from down under?
Invasion of Aliens!!!
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Actually, I did have a good experience using Blazetrak. I made a couple of submissions to Brian B Richardson (B.O.B's manager) and we've exchanged contact information and are now in touch outside of Blazetrak. I may or may not have had the opportunity to get in touch with this guy outside of Blazetrak, but the fact remains, due to using Blazetrak, the connection has been made. If you're unfamiliar with B.O.B, then check out the song "Airplanes" (it was a hit on the radio and the song was done by adults): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kn6-c223DUU Yep done by adults...... the guy rapping looks all of eighteen or nineteen. I have socks older than him. Sorry this type of stuff does nothing for me I just do not get it...but if you get work from Blazetrak for writing this sort of stuff good luck.
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Yep done by adults...... the guy rapping looks all of eighteen or nineteen. I have socks older than him. Sorry this type of stuff does nothing for me I just do not get it...but if you get work from Blazetrak for writing this sort of stuff good luck.
And that's why you and I are not two pea's in a pod.
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I looked for americana/country and came up with a few (actually only Paul W, but you gotta scout around):
John Rich: Not accepting submissions
Paul Worley (Lady A): $132 a crack
Steve Fishell (successful producer): 15 credits ~ $170 (?).
By and large it does seem to be a hip/hop, rap, pop dominated site.
Kevin
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So it is aimed mainly at kids or I should say young adults to keep myself right with Gregory....well that speaks volumes. "I want a PS3 cause all the other kids have one" will soon be replaced by "I want Blazetrak credits...pleeeeeeze mum"
Cannot get my head around the credit idea....... why do they not just simply come out and say a straight charge and the more famous the person the higher the fee they command.
lets say you can do 4 listens and critiques per hour so $400 or more per hour earnings is not to be sniffed at.
Hey Blazetrak I can do critiques and there seems to be a gap in the market for critiquing music from over 25s.
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(yawn)
You're talking in circles Jim. You do your thing, I do mine, we're golden. Stop beating a dead horse.
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Only messin.....but I think it is unethical and just a simple money maker.
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Hey there, I even didn't read all this stuff(it's boring) I do only statement (as for me): never pay for critique. Example: right today I did submission via www.musicxray.com to get a critique of my song, why did I submit?- cuz it's free! There are options at musicxray:: "free opportunities" and "No submission fee", so, if I see something interesting exists there, then I submit. That's all.
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Only messin.....but I think it is unethical and just a simple money maker. Understood and I respect your opinion, even though I happen to disagree.
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Quick notes 1- I brought up the copyright costs.. Since spending money on our music is such an issue why does anybody spend to copyright? $50 or $75 to submit a song is not terrible copyrighting $35- $65 is.... Moneywise... 2- A Critique is not ALL it is. It's a SUBMISSION! The intention is for your song to be used. The critique is two different things 1- Proof it was ever even heard HUGE! 2- Advice and a learning process on that particular tune or match up with the submission. Those last two are what I'm really interested because I'm never sure it was listened too in many cases and I worked extremely hard too eliminate #2. 3- I don't think we'll chase Ron away Bill  He'll do so little with us he'll just move along most likely. But he seems poised and not easily rattled (so far) But from what I can tell that's part of his character. And also he BELIEVES in what he's doing that's totally obvious to me. And right there tells me something. What he's saying about the level, the contacts, the matchups/hookups, the chances and the gambles are all dead on truth. 4- If he was pushed away he'll be pushed by folks who would never use his service and have no real desire or experience/knack to place a song in the mainstream or create mainstream songs. That's kinda beat. Peace Sub
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First off I think it speaks volumes that Ron came here and in a very articulate way explained what it was that he is trying to accomplish
Second, I have "known" Greg for several years and followed his progress before, during and after his service tour...and have nothing but the utmost respect for him. If he supports it, listen and respect what he says.
Third. The money is inconsequential when viewed through the lens of the real sharks who ask for hundreds and thousands of dollars for services that make no sense
Fourth. The internet allows for amazing amazing business models and many different ways to collaborate and share. BT is simply working their version of a business, and they are all entitlted to make a living doing it.
Fifth. Nothing I read here indicates this is not a legitimate business that works to fulfil its promise.
Sixth. Just because the music that is predominant at BT is not "your music", that does not mean it is not a legitimate business or a useful service.
Seventh. Just because there are free alternatives or other ways to get this done, does not mean BT is somehow tainted.
Eighth. Any business in its infancy has few customers and few suppliers, so just because you don't recognize or respect those involved does not make it a shady business
Ninth. $50 to $200 is nothing in this day and age. It's a couple of tanks of gas, a good night out...
Tenth. Good luck BT. I think you are on to something and I wish you success.
If writing ever becomes work I think I'm going to have to stop
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Hey John, Thank you so much for your words. I appreciate it more than you know. :-) For people like Jim who think me and my team are just cooking up only "Justin Bieber" type songs, here is a taste of what we've been in the lab doing: www.soundcloud.com/gvwattonNot that there's anything wrong with writing songs for Justin Bieber. If that opportunity came my way, I wouldn't turn it down and it's no secret I'm a fan of the guy. Anyway, thanks to those who've shown me support and thanks to those who don't too. Nothing's gonna stop me from putting into motion what I have been working hard to do. :-)
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Jim's OK. He's a traditionalist who came up via the old school of hard knocks.
If writing ever becomes work I think I'm going to have to stop
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Just giving Jim a hard time since he's so adamantly against Bieber. Haha
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Haha I bet you underneath that tough guy Scottish exterior, Jim's really a softy who secretly has Bieber Fever. lol :-) (Just jiving you Jim)...
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Only messin.....but I think it is unethical and just a simple money maker. Is Blazetrak a division of Statue Records?
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There's absolutely NO affiliation whatsoever. Dan, are you for real? WTF.
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John, Super,very well put. I like the number listing technique lol Has anyone ever been like "Man I lost those contacts now, nothing new is on the horizon, nothing's happening. And even so artists are all writing there own songs even if they shouldn't be technically. Especially since the quality of them are so low right now ANYONE CAN and still they don't need somebody who JUST WRITES SONGS anymore in this business. What the hell are my options? Film & TV? well I was on to that 10 years ago and if you go that path YOU have to provide the final production product.. That costs alot more than $50 - $75 - $135- $200 or $500 dollars... Actually it costs $400 with Substudio Music Services lol And let me think for a second NOW the music libraries have become the more dominate force in providing songs for film & TV. Press play a TINY pay and download. That's gonna put my kids through college? You can't even buy them McDonalds for what places are willing to pay. Oh and wouldn't the MAJORS GIVE there new young bands material away FREE! to me in the next hot show or movie. The young band will be THRILLED to death to tell all there friends & family even if they did not get a penny. As the label would sit down and explain to them HOW important it is to have this FREE exposure on CSI or the hundred other shows.. Sounds like Monopoly to me... I want my next song done by "Rhianna" I've been told here that I can reach her publisher for FREE and I'm guaranteed solicitation and a response by phone or video.... Well Mags didn't promise that lol but really what the hell kinda publishers are we talking about. Why would THEY bother with ME? or US? THEY WON'T!!!! So now you need alternatives and new angles. Yes becareful, be doubtful, be pessimistic but do not be close minded. Everytime, a hundred times, someone asks me " Should I join Taxi"?
Forget about the list of reasons why or why not.
ONE BIG SIMPLE QUESTION!
"What else are u doing, where else can you go with your music" ?
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Greg, & Mr. Blazetrack: You are about to bring me over to the dark side. I actually spent over three hours today (OK, I'm a slow reader) checking out the bios/credits of the 65 "professionals" listed under the songwriter/publisher category. I hadn't recognized their names, but I certainly recognized the artists they have been successful with. There are a bunch of people on Blazetrack with some stunningly impressive credentials, and I in fact picked out 12 I thought it might be interesting to submit to.
Last night, I was paying bills. The cable/internet approached $200.00. The T-Mobile wasn't much better. I remember when TV was free, and my phone bill hovered around $50.00 No more. I'm thinking that the old adage "never pay someone to listen to your music" will work quite well if you don't want someone to listen to your music.
The "credits", or "costs" requested by the listeners ranged from 5 to 16, depending, I assume, on how far up the musical food chain they are -- but the credits are set by the professional, not Blazetrak. So the most expensive guy was at 16 "credits". If you popped for 100 "credits" up front, your cost is $900, or $9.00/credit. So, $144.00 for one song submission. Cheapest was 5 "credits", or $45.00 using the same ratio.
Frankly, there were several people on the site that I would kill to get a five minute listen from. The fact that they come back at you with a video critique adds greatly to the legitimacy of this site, in my opinion. "Ms. or Mr. Big" actually listened, not some intern in a closet in the back hall, wondering if he's going to get lucky on his evening date.
At any rate, I've spent a great deal of money on demos over the past few years, so I think a few hundred on this site is worth a shot. Will let you know how it works out.
Ott
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Hey there, I even didn't read all this stuff(it's boring) I do only statement (as for me): never pay for critique. Example: right today I did submission via www.musicxray.com to get a critique of my song, why did I submit?- cuz it's free! There are options at musicxray:: "free opportunities" and "No submission fee", so, if I see something interesting exists there, then I submit. That's all. Hey Alek, Yes, there are a few free oppertunities at http://www.musicxray.com/ but, by enlrge it's a paid site with prices ranging from $3 to $500. Like Blazetrack and others, it makes it's money from the artist rather than the placement source. I don't think that anyone's mentioned, that there is no music business anymore. It's been dead for 10 yrs or more. But even previous to that, it relied/relies upon putting out a large solid catalogue, and chasing up leads. The work is simply not there. It has been replaced by large music databases, where producers can access EXACTLY what they want and when they want to. It's pre-cleared, and the only criteria is wether or not it exactly fits the project. And it's incredibly cheap. The last track I got placed for a small regional, payed $19.95 It used to matter "who you know". That doesn't work anymore, although it always helps. There is simply too much product, and not enough outlet for that product. ( recorded music ) Because of the self implosion of the music industry, we now have another industry that has sprung up, "the pay to play" industry. And it will gladly take the money of those that don't realise that the old industry is dead in the water. It is based around those who are left. Those that once worked with "famous" people and can no longer make their living from legitimate music production. So, they are relegated to the role of "teacher" or "service provider" to those that think they may still be able to climb the ladder. There is no ladder. The ladder is horizontal, and in most cases leads to the basement. Spend money the way you wish. Just realise that it's a ticket to a 10 minute home made movie which taps into the pyhcology of the percieved lack of your own validation or self worth. cheers, niteshift
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Niteshift: Have you morphed into Dr. Freud? "Spend money the way you wish. Just realise that it's a ticket to a 10 minute home made movie which taps into the pyhcology of the percieved lack of your own validation or self worth."
If I pop $100 bucks to have someone who's won a Grammy, or Emmy, or whatever, to listen to one of my tunes, I suspect my sense of "validation" or "self-worth" might be quite high.
Ott
p.s. Did you listen to my last submission on MP3? Neither have a lot of other people.
Ott
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The fact that they come back at you with a video critique adds greatly to the legitimacy of this site, in my opinion. "Ms. or Mr. Big" actually listened, not some intern in a closet in the back hall, wondering if he's going to get lucky on his evening date.
At any rate, I've spent a great deal of money on demos over the past few years, so I think a few hundred on this site is worth a shot. Will let you know how it works out.
Ott BINGO! Give this man a cigar Now that's totally getting it. Now if you'd like you can think about that song you wanted to submit post it on the mp3 board, mention " I was thinking of investing more into this song including money to pitch it, and also since you will even know who it's intended for mention that as well. Maybe in the post title put - "Song Title" & pitching I most likely will see that since I check the board nearly every day, and can help let you know for Free! in 30 seconds or less if your set to go. Others may do the same, I know it attracts my attention even more when someones going for something beyond the fun of it or the love of it. Why? if it's not our job. Cause some people like to help other people AND if these people are songwriters BOY do they need each others help lol
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Thank you Ott.
See that's all I'm trying to do here. Show people different avenues that can help them, IF they're interested in doing so. I'm not trying to pull people's toenails off their feet one at a time. I'm not holding people's eyelids open and pouring salt in them. I'm not forcing anyone to watch endless episodes of Barney or giving them a choice between eating a plateful of broken glass or swimming in a pool with man eating sharks.
I simply want to give those who want HOPE a chance to have it. Thank you for taking the time to at least investigate BT's site and looking deeper than most here. So, THANK YOU.
:-)
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I don't have to come to these boards guys. I don't have to say one word to anyone here. I choose to because I have a good heart and if a guy like me can start out with no connections and no experience and end up with a lot of great opportunities and a bright future, the same can happen for other people. I keep my eyes and ears open because there ARE others out there who are just like me.
I've basically been a member of JPF since 1999. Brian has seen me grow from a punk ass, know it all kid, to someone who actually learned a few hard knocking lessons and came out on top as a result. I'm not the best person in the world, nor do I pretend to be, but I do know what I'm talking about.
If I recommend something or bring something here for your attention, it's because I think it could be beneficial for some people.
Of course, there's always gonna be naysayers and to them I say, "Good on ya."
I'm an underdog and I know it, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
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I still don't care for Mr. Bieber, nor does my daughter.
Ott
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Niteshift: Have you morphed into Dr. Freud? "Spend money the way you wish. Just realise that it's a ticket to a 10 minute home made movie which taps into the pyhcology of the percieved lack of your own validation or self worth."
If I pop $100 bucks to have someone who's won a Grammy, or Emmy, or whatever, to listen to one of my tunes, I suspect my sense of "validation" or "self-worth" might be quite high.
Ott
p.s. Did you listen to my last submission on MP3? Neither have a lot of other people.
Ott
Hey Ott, Really ? You think you can buy self worth ? I don't see any validation when you are paying for it. Validation comes for a whole bunch of sources. It's not worth 2 cents if have to pay for it. And very sad if you do. It's very similar to prostitution. "Me love you long time", and even longer if you pay more. *sigh* I'm opposed to such practices as this, as those that perpertrate them, send out a message that what they are dealing with is the real world of media. It couln't be any further from the truth. It's a trip to Disneyland. cheers, niteshift
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Haha I bet you underneath that tough guy Scottish exterior, Jim's really a softy who secretly has Bieber Fever. lol :-) (Just jiving you Jim)... I am a big softie and will help anyone I can anytime I can. I will always give advice and practical aid. I sometimes will even do a demo or recording work for folks here and in other places...All of that for free. I think that says more about me than it does about Blazetrack who would charge for such services. Yes I have Bieber fever...every time I see or hear the little squirt I feel sick. I took a listen to your song......I tried to like it but sorry it does nothing much for me. It is so like so many other songs from boy bands and has little originality. On a positive note it is no worse than most of the songs that do chart these days. My biggest nit is the singer.....I hate the way kids sing in that stylized way and found it very difficult to make out a lot of the words....poor pronunciation. But that is probably the accepted way of doing things these days. This demonstrates that I am not the best person to crit your songs or give you advice on how to further your career...it is clear that the style of your music is alien to me....I just do not get it. So you made a good point agreeing on that and probably most people on this forum have similar views and tastes to mine. However I still think that BT is perhaps not the way forward......I certainly on principle could never use them or suggest that it is a valuable service for anyone I know. I see how it works BUT can never condone paying for music to be listened to. That said you could not pay me to listen to Bieber. I think there are a lot of areas with todays ways of doing things that IMO are unethical. One example is a recent boy band concert that my friends kids went to see......the ticket prices were exhorbitant by any standard...the programs were £12 each...I saw said 12 page program and would have not justified paying any more thsan £1 for it. But the most disgusting rip off was the autograph signing and pic with the band scam at the end.....there was a long queue of emotional kids all having to pay a huge fee to have their pics taken with the band and get a signed poster. What parent would deny their screaming, infatuated kids these things?.....so the management unethically can charge what they like and know they will get away with it.
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Haha I bet you underneath that tough guy Scottish exterior, Jim's really a softy who secretly has Bieber Fever. lol :-) (Just jiving you Jim)... I am a big softie and will help anyone I can anytime I can. I will always give advice and practical aid. I sometimes will even do a demo or recording work for folks here and in other places...All of that for free. I think that says more about me than it does about Blazetrack who would charge for such services. Yes I have Bieber fever...every time I see or hear the little squirt I feel sick. I took a listen to your song......I tried to like it but sorry it does nothing much for me. It is so like so many other songs from boy bands and has little originality. On a positive note it is no worse than most of the songs that do chart these days. My biggest nit is the singer.....I hate the way kids sing in that stylized way and found it very difficult to make out a lot of the words....poor pronunciation. But that is probably the accepted way of doing things these days. This demonstrates that I am not the best person to crit your songs or give you advice on how to further your career...it is clear that the style of your music is alien to me....I just do not get it. So you made a good point agreeing on that and probably most people on this forum have similar views and tastes to mine. However I still think that BT is perhaps not the way forward......I certainly on principle could never use them or suggest that it is a valuable service for anyone I know. I see how it works BUT can never condone paying for music to be listened to. That said you could not pay me to listen to Bieber. I think there are a lot of areas with todays ways of doing things that IMO are unethical. One example is a recent boy band concert that my friends kids went to see......the ticket prices were exhorbitant by any standard...the programs were £12 each...I saw said 12 page program and would have not justified paying any more thsan £1 for it. But the most disgusting rip off was the autograph signing and pic with the band scam at the end.....there was a long queue of emotional kids all having to pay a huge fee to have their pics taken with the band and get a signed poster. What parent would deny their screaming, infatuated kids these things?.....so the management unethically can charge what they like and know they will get away with it. I am not even going to bother wasting my time answering your post at length.
Last edited by Gregory Watton; 04/13/11 02:37 PM.
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Niteshift: I don't recall saying that one can "buy self-worth". What I like to buy is "opportunity". I'll give you a couple of examples. I pay professional demo firms to do my demos, and I use high-end firms. They expect to get paid! I've paid over $1,000 for a demo. I took a CD with a few of these demos to the 2008 TAXI convention. I booked one pleasant hour with Pat Luboff to listen and critique my tunes. She expected to get paid! Also, an hour with John Braheny. He also expected to get paid! So far, I've paid for professional services, and haven't felt like a hooker. Then, I entered my expensive demos in both the Great American Song Contest and the Billboard Song Contest. They expected me to pay an entry fee! Well, I got an "honorable mention" three years running in the GASC, and an "honorable mention" in one Billboard contest. And you know something? I still didn't feel like a hooker, and I suspect none of the professionals I paid did either.I got a great sense of "self worth" from those honorable mentions. Are they tainted because I paid money along the way?
I was just as skeptical as you when this thread started. It wasn't until I checked out the credits of the professionals on the site that I changed my mind. You need only one of these people to like your stuff. It's my marketing money, and I'll spend it as I see fit -- even as I realize how slim the odds are. And by the way, I went to Disneyland once. I remember it fondly, still have the video we took.
Ott
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Hey Ott,
Sorry about the hooker comment. I meant them, not you.
Ott, the difference is, and I'll put it bluntly, the folks you are talking about are highly respected. They are educators, and have spent their whole life educating others. They love to educate, and they love music. They have more contacts than you can throw a stick at. And they would never say so, because they have too much respect in themselves.
It is the insinuation that is put foward here, that I don't like. Like somehow it's a fast track to success.
It's not. It's selling dreams, and unrealistic ones at that.
I'm glad we agree on the Disneyland thing.
I'll drop by, and listen to your tracks. I'll do it for free too. You never know where they might end up.
I did a write up for an artist here, because I really liked what I heard and saw. One of those Cd's ended up in Tel Aviv, with a film and televsion composer I know. It got then got sent on to one of the major film studios in LA for consideration. Why did that person do that, at no benefit to them ?
Why ? Because I asked for that to be done ? No. Because I paid for it ? No...... Because someone else saw talent, and someone else saw potential where it was clearly recognised, and passed it foward. Maybe something will happen one day. Maybe not. That's the real world. That's the way it works.
It's just my take, and my experience...............
I don't favour this kind of "business", as it's not business at all.
Anyways, I'll drop by and take a listen. For what it's worth, I'm not famous, but would be willing to lend a hand.
cheers, niteshift
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Nite. I think you miss the point entirely. No one's "selling" a dream. No one's saying, "Hey, pay us and we'll make you famous." Nobody is making such claims. What IS going on is that the professionals featured on the site are taking time out of their busy schedule to go through the stack of submissions so to speak to see if there might be anything worth their while in it. But going through the stack of people who otherwise would NEVER have access to these people takes time, and in the world of business, time is money. Yeah, I could easily get feedback FOR FREE here on JPF, but according to your buddy Big Jim, my songs are complete and utter crap. He's entitled to his opinion, but apparently he has a low opinion of other people who frequent the JPF boards because he seems to think other people would actually agree with him. Lets put it to the test. How many people think the songs on this link are crap: www.soundcloud.com/gvwattonI'm interested to hear what the opinions on this board are. Here's an experiment on some "free advice" here...
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Gregory,
You are taking this too personal -- Big Jim thinks everything is crap. I have had numerous battles over stuff like "Powerless" by Nelly Furtado, but it is all fun -- it's art, folks are entitled to their opinion.
My only worry about BlazeTrak -- yea, maybe no one is "selling a dream", but I bet there are tons of folks that are "buying a dream". If you are nowhere close to the bar, then a video critique for $130 is not going to get you much closer. I would suppose that 99+% of all submissions fall into that "nowhere near" category.
Kevin
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Hey Greg,
I'll be totally honest with you here. I'm too damn old and too damn tired to put up with this nonsense.
Try getting up at 3 am for a sound check. Try being on set at 4 am with in the morning with some fuckwit that thinks the whole world revolves around them. Then multiply it by 100x.
That's the real world.
And then, just think about the $75 offer.......that some bozo is going to get you "connected".
The real world buddy, are doing their thing. And they absolelty know what's going on. Every day.
It's just that the actual real world of entertainment are employed in it, doing the heavy lifting.
What you are talking about here, is just talk. It's absolutely unrelated to reality.
If you don't know the difference, then learn.
cheers, niteshift
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More quick notes lol 1. No one should worry or be concerned about Blazetrak if A) Your not using them 2) You do not create the kind of material they are looking for. C) See A 2. Nite - Are you saying in that response too Ott that you can get songs placed? And if so what the hell are you waiting for? Place your songs and HELP US! LOL And where's the "Write The Songs" project, what happened?
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Kevin,
Just proving a point. I don't really care what Jim's opinion of my songs are, especially when, to my ears, I know what crap REALLY sounds like.
I'm not writing songs to please Jim. If I was, I'd really be in trouble. lol
As far as people making submissions on Blazetrak, if they're nowhere close to the bar (and I mean NOWHERE close), then they really have no business sending in submissions in the first place. For people like that, I'd tell them to save their money and go spend it on something else.
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