13 Reasons why YOUR band will NEVER MAKE IT!

[@rahulmenon4357]

How to take better metal band photos: 1) look at other metal band photos 2) Dont do what they did

[@joristimmermans5058]

What, you mean 5 middle aged guys looking grumpy, arms crossed, dressed in black jeans and band-t-shirts (with THAT guy in blue jeans), from a weird angle, in a disused warehouse isn't original? Damn man, we just recorded our music video in here, meticulously tracked 15 million times to ensure our artistic integrity.

[@Metaldad87]

Also don't take it on train tracks 😂

[@JohnnyJackson-yh9vw]

A bunch of fake tough guys. You never seen anyone act natural in a photoshoot

[@rk28984]

After 7 years I feel like my band finally got the participation trophy this year. Not only did our album end up on the Doom Charts album of the month back in June (just one spot behind Red Fang), today we also made it onto a small to medium sized music-blog album of the year list. Did we make it in the music business - hell no! Was it a shit ton of hard work over the years- definitely! The most important thing is that we just try to have fun and as a 100% DIY band we can only go so far.....and that's cool with us.

[@shhs1227]

music business? maybe not music? definitely you have made music that a pretty decent sized amount of people like and that's the most important thing as well as what you said at the end. fun. haha

[@rk28984]

@@shhs1227 thx mate! if it wasn't fun we wouldn't do it! we also made a lot of new friends along the way and that is one thing that is more important to me than "making it"!

[@miracleofsound]

A lot of people don't realise that success mostly only comes after tens of thousands of hours of hard work & practice along with multiple failures & setbacks. Using failure to learn and grow is key - perseverance & tenacity are just as important as 'talent' :) And yes - the song itself is by far the most important thing. 99% of the audience don't care about your guitar tone or soloing ability, they just want a great tune to sing along with.

[@CptTachyon]

Someone who isn't skilled or talented can become so with enough hard work and time. Someone who's lazy will always be a liability.

[@HeliosXII]

Bullshit, success only comes with fighting like a Krogan and running like a leopard.

[@miracleofsound]

@@CptTachyon yep! And while some of us will never be as good at shredding as Devin or Vai no matter how much we practice (clumsy hands over here, lol), the important part is finding your strengths and working hard to enhance them :)

[@soulsphereproductions7009]

It's like pregnancy; nobody cares how many times you got fucked, they only congratulate you after the child is born.

[@joolz666]

@@CptTachyon I beg to differ... 😆

[@jeremyrutledge8378]

My band gave up the idea of “making it” a long time ago. We’re all in our mid to late 30s, and we just play/write what we enjoy, which I’m pretty sure isn’t what’s trending with current music. We suck at marketing too. But we have fun, and at the end of the day, that’s all we really care about. My advice to you younger people is to not worry about “making it”, because no matter how much you try or how good you are, there’s a 99 percent chance you’ll never get out of your hometown. Just have fun and create some kick ass music and memories.

[@dispersemedia]

Yeah and to think of it, many successful acts in the punk and metal scene did not intend to "make it" in the first place. Most just kept doing what they love for personal enjoyment. Naturally, when you keep doing something, it's inevitable to expose yourself to many opportunities. One of my favorite bands' front man , Ross Dolan of Immolation has mentioned in some interviews that he still holds on to his day job, despite being in one of the most successful and long standing death metal bands.

[@geezerbill]

I don't think there's any shame in doing music for fun, and staying as a hobbyist instead of a professional. But there's that remaining fraction of people who really want to do it professionally. Unfortunately, it's not always clear what "making it" means to begin with.

[@Kataklysme666]

I'm exactly in your situation. Only difference is that my new band is only 3 years old and we never think about "making kt" whatever it means. This is my 4th serious band tho, but just have a bunch of shows / years with ours drunken friends yelling in the audience make me feel like I "made it".

[@Goodmanperson55]

A video about band photos would genuinely be interesting. It's something that's constantly memed and joked about, but almost nobody discusses in a serious degree. Which is probably why we see so many terrible and generic band photos.

[@derekfloresofficial]

I want to see this so badly

[@danyloveretennikov7861]

Agreed!

[@shipwreck3637]

Not only band photos but the logos as well...at least when we're talking black metal. lol

[@geezerbill]

It's astounding how many bands think that having their girlfriend take photos on a smartphone is as good as getting an actual photographer for the job.

[@danyloveretennikov7861]

@@geezerbill Agreed! Funnily enough, in my case, my girlfriend IS an actual longterm photographer with pretty good equipment. Which is gonna be super useful for both bandshoots and concerts (+ graphical and webdesign is also very useful). She already did plenty of research from works of other (professional) bands, but I'm sure some additional insight would be great! Although, I must say, she's a bit skeptical about viewpoint of guys behind the channel (the whole contradiction of "be original vs don't be original" thing), but I'm looking forward to it! Definitely gonna show it to her. Thanks for the content, much appreciated! It gives a starting band a really good reality check.

[@SalemsChilde]

Spot. The. Fuck. On. We're signed. Have label support. And it's still tough. We released our debut record last year. Even with label push we didn't get gobs of sales and streams. Then we released a cover of "Plowed" by Sponge, did a little better, but still not what we're have liked. Even got some FM radio play both here (US) and abroad. We busted our assess to write and record an album that didn't fit the current norms. Made 6 music videos to support it. The big problem? Pandemic. We couldn't play out to support our releases and build a fanbase. Hopefully that changes in the spring, when he hit the road as direct support for Doyle. Being signed helps. But it's only a piece of the puzzle. Great video, Glenn. Keep telling the truth.

[@orlock20]

There are songs that hit the Hot 100 that came out years ago. That happens more frequently on the UK singles chart.

[@TooBarFoo]

My band will never make it cos I'm a middle of the road musician who plays music to destress and clear my mind. But a long time ago I followed my passion and do what I'm great at for a day job. Music is a great enabler to let go and hit reset. Its why people go clubbing, listen to Spotify / radio / whatever in their down time. I just find making music works better than just listening or dancing to clear my head and a clear head frees up resources for my clearest thoughts. I think most of us make music for ourselves mainly. It is a bonus when we get to share that with others not the driver.

[@pcb8059]

yes, listening to music is whole different experience than playing. From my pov, listening is more fulfilling than playing. I love listening to metal (example black metal).But i hate playing metal or with any distortion in the band, (unless Im shredding for fun) But i hate listening to shred. Ive been fingerpicking blugrass and flamencofor 35 years

[@raydandy4899]

@@pcb8059 I agree. While I am a big fan of old school metal (Priest, Maiden etc.) I don't and never have played metal in any of my bands. I enjoy performing for an audience whether it is a dozen barflies or or a bigger audience of several hundred. I have been fortunate to be in bands that play a lot of gigs consistently and the reason they do gig a lot is because they don't play metal on gigs. The singer and bass player in the band I currently play with have their own project band playing and recording some really decent metal and doing occasional shows with other local metal bands (to mostly small audiences). While they love doing what they do on the metal side, they love performing more accessible music to larger audiences and doing well structured, harmony driven material. As far as a "day job", my job has allowed me to buy a nice house (paid off), put my children through college, build a pretty awesome home studio and only play in bands and do gigs that I know I will enjoy. Win,win.

[@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623]

That is very fair and honest way to present it. Most musicians don't feel the need to be big.And as long as everyone in the band is on board with that that's okay. The real problem is when some in the band do want to make it big and have other band members who are fine with playing once a month. That kind of division will absolutely kill a band.

[@raydandy4899]

@@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623 I agree. When I was younger I had those thoughts about making it as a musician, I even gave it a serious try working at it full time for a few years in "house bands" and other musical situations. I am glad I did it because I had the opportunity to work with musicians who I learned were more serious, more driven and frankly just better musicians than me. These players would play music with the band at night and get up every day and practice their instruments then go back to another night of playing. They showed me how important it is to be dedicated to learning and constantly playing anything, anywhere, doing any gig offered at any price just for experience and networking possibilities. It caused me to just be honest with myself and realize I didn't have that kind of drive. I became a part time player, got myself a decent job and have still continued playing, recording and writing music and I play with musicians of similar backgrounds and attitude.

[@xsteveconwayx]

Dude, Blink-182 became superstars (and are the reason I learned guitar in the first place). There’s nothing wrong with being a middling musician if you can make catchy songs that people dig. Seriously, go watch any of their live shows from 1999-2001. They fucked up a lot at the height of their popularity. Catchy songs and an exciting live show will always supersede technical prowess in the music industry and thank God because nothing is more boring to most people than listening to a technical wiz noodle on their guitar.

[@victorblakey4260]

After 40 years mixing (mostly) live sound, I have worked for some jaw droppingly amazing musicians who never went anywhere, despite the fact that they had more talent in their little finger than the majority of the 1990’s top 40 combined. Musicians that could play circles around most of the ‘names’, but were so boring on stage that they would never get a second gig anywhere. Seriously, no one will remember a single one of your songs until they have heard it 5 or 6 times, and your music is not enough to get an audience to come back. The Who were a fantastic band, with well crafted songs, full of hooks, and catchy choruses, but it wasn’t until Pete Townsend started smashing guitars, that audiences started to flock to them. Legends were born. Kiss were another band that broke new ground (heavy metal disco music, what a concept !), but it was their make-up, not their music that first got them noticed. Alice Cooper, the king of schlock rock, sometimes lauded as the first punk act, got his first record deal largely because of their show. People go out to SEE a band, not to listen to them ! This doesn’t mean you can let the sound go to shit, but what it does mean is that the visual aspect of the show is extremely important. Give your audience a reason to come back and SEE your band again. The performance is the key, not getting everything note perfect. The sound, the musicianship must all be competent, but don’t worry about perfection on stage, leave that for the studio. Give the audience a SHOW !

[@musek5048]

totally agree about the entertainment aspect. although there still are people willing to go see a band of musicians that just stand around but play amazing jazz or something like that its only a small fraction of the audiences that pop music attracts. not to even mention that like you said, a lot of people go to see a show and have a drink with their friends.

[@erockscott1184]

Today with video games and visual stimulation to the extreme...a normal rock show will bore the hell out of kids now..Shows that have lots of lights effects binging and dnging and fluff is what will draw someone ultimately and sadly not the music itself. It has to be a spectacle or youre done plain and simple. Revenues aren't made by album sales anyway now...its the shows and merch that makes money for a band...the show has to be first

[@BOBANDVEG]

If it was based on talent....the chubby church girl would alway win lol

[@JazzGarciaProduction]

The fact that live music performance has become about showing anything rather than listening to the sounds that are being performed is hugely depressing to me. I understand the importance of visual aesthetics in any multimedia presentation, but music performance is an ancient and important medium in itself. By forcing all musicians everywhere to be visually appealing we are starving out some amazing musical talent. We are reducing the quality of what gets noticed because there's less time to focus on how something sounds rather than how good our stage presence is or whether we have adequate gimmickry. I hope and believe that there will always be room for amazing music on its own on small stages in places where people appreciate art.

[@erockscott1184]

@@BOBANDVEG its like that TV show the Voice...super talented singers this year...but half of them you would NEVER want to buy a ticket to look at in a show...looks and flash is what sells not always true talent.

[@ciniclay]

The last point is something I've been saying for a few years. The modern technology advancements for music is like a double edged sword: The great thing is that everyone can record and release themselves. The problem is also, that everyone can record and release themselves. The great stuff is hidden and drowned amongst a sea of shit.

[@musek5048]

yup, the problem of overexposure. everyone cant be famous at once, which a lot of people are trying to be. eventually the market becomes so saturated that people can start losing interest quickly but then the cycle would reset i suppose.

[@erockscott1184]

I'll go one further...amps and presets...everyone has the same sounding presets in amps now...creating your own sound out of a preset is a joke.

[@Jake-mv7yo]

nah there is no problem with this and it doesn't matter if everyone and their mom has a metal band. If someone likes something and shares it with someone then it will snowball until a bunch of people listen to it. The more people trying the better I think.

[@manarail7126]

@@Jake-mv7yo yeah i feel that whenever i hear something really good that's new i always try to share it

[@orlock20]

Technology does not help somebody write a good song. There is really nowhere to go on how to write a song somebody will enjoy. That's where the artist comes in.

[@Blackrforever]

Glenn, this is the greatest gripe video on bands ever. You have literally called out 99% of bands in my area including some things in my own band. I love this so much because I've been telling and screaming at bands to do much of these for years. Thank you Mr. FRICKER!

[@Citizen_J]

My band wont make it for one simple reason: we arent trying to. We just enjoy making music

[@kudus9235]

I think it is the way. All that "succes" often means shit like problems with addicts, problems with relationships, and staff like that.

[@nammajeff38]

Based

[@whitemeadowsounds7198]

Dude, this is the way. Just be happy with yourselves. Just like the other guy in this section says: if success is a must-have in your life in music, then don't do music.

[@thepowerpoutageguy]

Rad desert punk pfp

[@kudus9235]

Do you have some own recordings? I would like to listen your music.

[@FamousByFriday]

One thing I found that helps is to assign duties. Not everyone is good at everything, but everyone can do something. One may not be a good song writer, but maybe they’re good at smoozing… so send them out to the record stores with a handful of demos and a poster display to try to get them on a counter. One guy likes doing social media… great. Maybe one person makes the buttons. It’s almost like every band needs a sound engineer now too. Etc… that is one of the benefits of a band. You have a larger skill pool to draw from. …and if you find a way for a member that isn’t pulling their weight to be a bigger part of the band, they may feel more involved and more a part of the group. Win win. I recently watched a video about how bands are dead, do it yourself and keep the money all to yourself. My opinion… there is no money. Well, a small amount of money… but much less comes in than goes out.

[@SuperPol1981]

Prime example would be Metallica: Hetfield to write, Ulrich to schmooze, Burton/Ewsted for awesome legendary stage presence.

[@SuperPol1981]

*Newsted

[@viakra]

Absolutely spitting some truth. Might as well it will hurt most of us, thank you Glenn.

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

You’re welcome! Have a nice day!

[@kidnavajo]

Thank you for this Glenn🤘🏼 Gotta keep practicing. And yes please to the photo taking video! That would be awesome

[@deepvoiceguy2589]

“You suck at marketing” Holy fuck isn’t that the truth! I’m awful at that myself. I’ve made a social media presence but as far as learning how to properly manipulate the algorithms, I don’t know where to begin. And the shittiest part is marketing is the absolute most important thing when it comes to music. You can write an amazing song with amazing production, great vocals, great riffs, heavy drums and bass, and a super catchy chorus. It all won’t mean dick if you don’t know how to market yourself.

[@zackakai5173]

Frank Iero made a good point in an interview he did about a year ago where he said you can make the best piece of art in the world, put it in a drawer, and no one will ever see it. Making something great is only the first step if you want people to actually see it.

[@soulsphereproductions7009]

Don't think the wrong thoughts either, cause the thought police with shadow ban you without your knowledge and nobody will even know you exist.

[@borafett3005]

It takes time but appealing to the algorithm isn't the end all be all. Establish a steady stream of unique content aside from your music and you will have a better shot of attracting an engaged audience.

[@Icebergslim91]

Yup we all know a few bands that had potential but just didn’t have a business bone or didn’t want to “ sell out”. Each to their own but I’ve seen so much talent wasted.

[@jrodgers211]

Not in a band, but as a consumer, there are so many band fb pages or KZbin channels. I won’t check out 99.9 percent of them. The small bands I follow I discover at shows. Wether it is a small touring band opening for a well known local band, or a bigger local bands that are consistently playing shows, either headlining small clubs or opening up on festivals or national touring bands. I see a lot of bands on fb from fb friends from school and you go to their page and it’s all people that are either family or people they went to school with, who most likely do not listen to their content. I’d bet you need to break out of your local acquaintances and find people who are actually seeking new music.

[@FromThoseAshes]

All of these are very good and valid points. We've been around for a couple years, and are still very slowly growing our way up. Sometimes it's hard and frustrating to see other bands blowing up faster, getting booked more shows, or having bigger crowds at shows. But that's the business! Just need to keep working hard at it. Some other big things are: Bands don't understand the importance of networking or don't capitalize on the connections they make enough. Music is very much a "who you know" industry, and if you're not networking, you aren't getting to know people. For us too, another big issue is lack of money and time. We're all in our mid to late 20s. We all work full time jobs. None of us make very much money. It's hard to dump a bunch of money into purchasing merch, advertising, or music videos. Every purchase is a sacrifice - but making SMART purchases becomes more important. Don't invest in merch people aren't going to buy. Tailor your ads for specific audiences. MAKE A BAND FUND and put the money you make back into the band. Little things that go a long way.

[@danlastowski-ministerofpai1983]

Brutally honest...and Brutally correct on everything you said. I love your no bullshit take on things Glenn!!! Keep up the great work!

[@mewetea119]

love this video, Glen. Amen, brother.

[@jloiben12]

Marketing: the second most important component to succeeding as a musician (or arguably the most important because if you are good enough at marketing you can cover up flaws or incompetence basically everywhere else)

[@CesarHuescaMusic]

Great video! 🤟🏻

[@jonathanbicknell8435]

14: Don't pay a fortune to get your music out on vinyl, CD or download when most of your fans rip their music for free from KZbin.

[@rk28984]

My band released 2 vinyls this year and it's the first time we made som money from our music besides playing live. After just 1-2 Months we broke even on our releases (we released everything DIY and payed for studiotime/mixing/mastering/pressing/music video/merch). Now every sold item is money in our pockets. I think it depends on what music you play because in some genres vinyl collecting is pretty common and some scenes are very activ on Bandcamp(where we sold 80% of our stuff).

[@StrangerE0ns]

@@rk28984 what kinda music do you guys make

[@NahuPyrope]

Oh boy do I suck at most of these, in all honesty, it's all hard work, sweat and tears, but in the end it is just the absolute dream, thank you for the slap of reality to the face you gave so many of us Glenn, it's needed.

[@jphi1000]

Great video as always! You mentioned “How to take better band photos” That’s a video I could definitely use.

[@ZackRobinMusic]

This video speaks to my soul!!! Literally saying what I feel! I love it

[@MarcCoteMusic]

Whether you appreciate Glenn's delivery, everything he said in this video is pretty much spot on. In particular, I'll echo what he said about playing live. Getting on stage - as often as possible - and delivering the best show you can, hopefully improving each time, is critical. It's how you can develop a following and generate good word of mouth. Back in the 80s, I was performing at a very large fundraiser along with many bands, many of whom were bigger than we were at the time. I was backstage talking to a member of another band and I asked him about their club-playing days... To my surprise, he said, as he looked down his nose at me (difficult for him to do, given I was probably about eight inches taller than he), "We've never played bars." In other words, they had next to no live experience. Guess what? Their show was one of the most boring I've ever seen. They just stood there, looking down at their instrument, with virtually no interaction with the audience. So, get out there and play. Often. It will serve you well.

[@fleshtonegolem]

Dude.... LOVE the new wide screen format :)

[@MoreMeRecording]

All spot on. When I used to do this professionally, I created a T-Shirt that I'd wear for some sessions that said: "The only thing I hate about the music business is the musicians". Some people laughed; most had an incredulous look on their faces when they saw it..

[@chriswoods1234]

Love this channel!! Glenn keep calling it like you see it! What a breath of fresh air!

[@khancolman8565]

I haven't even finished watching the video (about half-way through), but I'm loving it! Great advice, not just for everyone else, but for me as well. I have to get over my irrational fear of internet platforms and the reality of the necessity of salesmanship. 有難うございました ("Arigatou gozaimashita"), and greetings from Japan!

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

Greetings from Canada!

[@townsendmedia]

10:12 Dude, this is classic! I wonder if anyone has taken you up on your offer. BTW, I think you would be the best boss to work for for anyone who was serious about their career.

[@philliamproject8113]

A a mature musician this clip speaks truth.I was once a pro player myself and though my current genre isn't metal all you said applies to bands and interacting with an audience! Awesome commentary Glenn.The bands who don't take offense and absorb this stand a decent chance,Best Wishes to all!

[@corvidwyrm4113]

Watching your videos motivates me to keep practicing, thanks Glenn

[@OlliLappalainen]

Glenn, you should make a demonstration with two mixes. Make a good sounding quantized mix from a perfectly good natural performance.

[@dry_skies_ct321]

I love all this advice man great tips, it gave me an idea , I’d love to see more on “marketing for dummies” like a beginners guide to things to focus on in the beginning to get socials off the ground

[@c.j.7752]

I worked as a guitar tech in the early 90s. Funniest memory is after the band fired the drummer after his first week. Seems that learning 1 new song by pounding on the backs of the front seats in the car on the way to a gig, just doesn't cut it.

[@DevotioOfficial]

I like the idea of a video on how to take better band photos. Also, I know you touched on it here, but a video on how to market your music would be awesome, too.

[@miguelrodriguez-pineroriva6713]

Glenn: "stop complaining your last song only got 200 plays" Me with 40 plays: omg this is doing numbers!

[@TheOnlineBusker]

Great great video as always! Most of these apply to me ha! Have a great Christmas Glenn!

[@bigkevonbass]

Glenn, speaking the absolute truth again! I've always thought a solo should be considered a song within a song. The solo in "Teen Spirit" fits perfectly without being 47 different swept arpeggios. As far as the band font thing goes, Party Cannon have nailed that!

[@nerdsforcardgames]

Super glad to see this popping up in my feed. Hope you and the wife are doing well, commenting for the algorithm ❤

[@Axxon_N]

I cant believe Glenn got a better crop of the Corey Feldman album cover than Spotify did

[@fink94]

Here to support Glen! Keep it going!

[@tmmmedia731]

My big break is happening for me right now and I’m nervous and excited just listening to this video so I can bring negative thoughts and doubt to myself instead of moving forward like I was. Really appreciate the city where is Glen lol just kidding I love your videos

[@caballodebatalla5561]

Love your hosting style. And you ´re telling the hard truth only. even egos wont admit you´re right.

[@bobmartino8073]

This has to be one of my all time favorite videos from Glenn. Can't say I always agree with him on everything but I certainly agree with everything in this video. Good job sir. You are spot on with this one!

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

Thank you very much!

[@ragnadrabinowitz7629]

watched it several times at this point

[@ego_sarx]

Uuufff!!! Not 13 reasons but 13 facts... I've experienced at least half of the situations listed and it's sad because, at the very least, I tried my best to actually DO music and being a TEAM player and member. I'm not super old but I'm not young either, I have not plans or expectations of having a band anymore so I'm making "my" music the way I want it under my own "standards" so... yes, this video encourages me to keep going and keep pushing.

[@endigopink]

Finally some reasons

[@hjs6752]

wow- thank you, glenn! totally on the point

[@dookmucus]

I take pride in the fact that (especially young) people generally don't know what to do with my band because we don't sound EXACTLY like everyone else these days. Good info, Glenn.

[@mcbroseph69]

great video! as a music teacher I enjoy spending some time with the riffs. Sure you can make something work, but it's more fun to make something fun to listen to.

[@zackakai5173]

I'll say it before and I'll say it again: making your art (whether that's music or anything else) look and sound exactly like everyone else's is NOT how you compete. Someone out there is already doing it better than you, especially in a lot of modern metal where you're already filling up basically every frequency to the point where there's very little room for variation in the first place. You compete by offering your audience something they can't get literally anywhere else, and to do that you have to do something DIFFERENT.

[@snap-off5383]

Different becomes more and more difficult as time goes by.

[@Hillbilly_Papist]

then explain deathcore

[@RealHomeRecording]

Yep! As an obvious example I like to point to the band Korn. They had a very unique sound. From the way their drummer played, The way their bass player had a clangy loose string sound and a bagpipe mixed with heavy guitars. And then their singer did this scaat singing starting with the song Twist and made famous in the song Freak on a Leash. They stood up. They were cool for their time. And they were memorable.

[@OdaKa]

Does that mean you shouldn't learn things that have been done before?

[@Napenthe]

@@Hillbilly_Papist Lots of people like generic crap I guess?

[@prodiggy88]

LOVING the cheeky edits Glenn, good fuckin job to the editor

[@MrMarioj87]

I remember a bunch of kids who had a band back in 2009. They played experimental funk jazz alternative fusion or whatever, and they just stood like trees while playing prodigious and boring 8 minute songs, the worst part is they believed they were the best music act to come out of the city. Even their name was forgettable: Diamonds without shape.

[@JayFreely]

Uncut gems would've been way cooler

[@MrMarioj87]

@@JayFreely their marketing creativity was just as good as their stage charisma.

[@orlock20]

Ah yes, the marketing pain that was the band Les Fleur De Lys which realized it was not working so changed their name to another forgettable name which was Rupert's People. It was an awesome '60s band with bad marketing.

[@TitaniusAnglesmith]

My friend's band is exactly like this. I love you bro but... Jesus

[@ProducedBy10A]

So well said!!!

[@hybridprepper9]

Amazing that all fingers point right back to the source. Who would have thought. To think of all the excuses we hear that blame everything and everyone else but the responsible.

[@therealkakitron]

Well, I once tried pointing all my fingers at someone and was called a nazi 🙃

[@silverdrumvideo]

“As we say in Program, when you point a finger at someone, you have three fingers pointing back at you.. and.. I guess.. a thumb pointing up at God. Or something. Whatever. I don’t know. I’m sorry. Okay.” - Stuart Smalley

[@FURTHER_ADO]

Shocker, a generation that has been taught to seek out any and every way to become a victim gets them the attention, money and excuses to their actions would blame others for not being successful.

[@cougar2013]

I was exhaling a bong hit when you delivered the line about not spending the last dime on weed. I also am gainfully employed 😂 ✌️❤️

[@M.Holland]

I’m in a band with just studied musicians, doing their favourite music: Metal. We know how to write a song, we know how to produce and record it and we know how a good live show works. Our weakness: marketing and video stuff. We know that as well. Did a video ourself anyway. Got us on some Spotify playlists, a radio live interview/concert and some local gigs which are postponed because of Covid. Instead of playing shows and stuff, we are working on our next EP. :) The other band I’m in is a HipHop live Band. Touring Europe, playing festivals etc. Usp here is that it’s multilingual music. Almost everyone here in Europe is getting at least something from the lyrics. Are we „famous“? No! But we are earning money from it, so that’s cool. :)

[@CreativeMindsAudio]

Nice! Great video Glenn! I’ll be sending this to newbie metal guitarists 😂

[@erymanthonseth9295]

Great video, a lot of very good points were made. I especially agree with the "all modern metal sounds the same" thing. By the way yes, a video about how to take better band pictures would be great!

[@orlock20]

That goes with most genres these days. The things with many great artists is that they were able to hop genres. Even metal acts made stripped down ballads that Adele could have made.

[@erymanthonseth9295]

@@orlock20 Ja... very hard to find modern music that makes you go "wow!". No wonder people still listen to the classics made in the past century!

[@orlock20]

@@erymanthonseth9295 This is my favorite live performance and was done in 2004 kzbin.info/www/bejne/i5jVc6FmbJefg7c My favorite new band kzbin.info/www/bejne/o6jdnayJf699h7M

[@erymanthonseth9295]

@@orlock20 Oh ja, I remember that Beth Hart video, I've seen it before, very cool. Didn't know the other band you linked but I like it, it has a cool vibe. Kind of reminds me of some Muse stuff, and they have this "insane" image which is cool. I am more into extreme metal, my favorite band is Bathory, classic stuff. I like everything they did but I prefer the "epic" albums. But I still do find modern albums by black metal bands that I really enjoy (yes I still buy CDs haha).

[@FOFBASS1]

I’ve been with my band for 10 years. The marketing thing hits hard. I’m so awful at it. It’s very discouraging. I’ve spent so much money on digital ads, flyers to put in local shops and to put in local venues. I’ve also tried to get radio spots but that was meet with a bit of resistance. I’ve even gotten a few billboard ads to promote shows. As much as it sucks. I’ll still keep doing it. We have a gimmick. It’s better then being Jeans and Tee shirt band. And don’t get me started on how much I’ve dropped in stage lighting. Your right about home recording it’s so easy to get the band hit the jam spot write and record stuff. We’re writing our 6th album. 3 are digitally Available on most platforms. I absolutely love everything we do. There’s so many good points in your video Glenn. I appreciate all your work in what you do. Thank you.

[@metalboy5150]

What's your band's name?

[@CptTachyon]

5. Reminds me of a conversation I had with my band when I asked "Does every song really need a breakdown that chugs on the A flat?" to which I got a confused look and "Well it's part of the genre, people will be expecting it." I would like to see a band photo video. I may not have been able to talk my bandmates out of their breakdown worshipping, but we did agree on not doing a generic modern metal photo, so seeing a vid on it could give us some cool ideas and thoughts.

[@caioteixeira1541]

Not every song needs a breakdown i love some "rushdown" songs. Its like solos, if the music ASK FOR IT than go ahead and put a GOOD solo on it if not dont.

[@Kataklysme666]

Similar songs structures can also be a way to build your style. Every band does it. On the other it can be interesting to explore some new paths. Problems comes when break a rule just for breaking it without any constructed idea in mind or when you follow a rule just to follow it.

[@beskidwood]

Thx for the part with D'Cart! I knew something was missing there.

[@icestorm_rb9057]

There's this one band that has been fascinating me for the last few years now, and they're called Sleep Token. They've avoided all the reasons stated here except for one, and that's the tuning low thing. They're quite unique in a sense where they've fused modern metal with rnb and pop, and their vocalist is such a powerhouse with a unique singing voice. I think you should check out some of their songs and maybe you'll find something cool to you. The Offering is their most popular song so far with over 1 million views, but I also recommend listening to Higher, Gods, Blood Sport, Mine, Hypnosis, Alkaline, and High Water. Their One and Two EPs are really good too!

[@michaelt5012]

This is awesome!!!

[@scottfleck2223]

This is the type of mental and emotional abuse I need on Tuesday morning❤️ keep it coming 🙌👍

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

Glad I could make your day!

[@fredyklug3512]

man, when my Band started I had absolutely 0 expectations, nah, more -1000. I expected us to not be the next Metallica. but no matter what I expected, I wanted to play in a band, so I started one. that was in december 2019, we all know what happened soon after and then we had band-members leaving, or some of them are even dead. the most extreme were the Bass-players, over the short time we were a band we had 5 bass-players, 2 out of which are dead, the first one died in a car-accident, his mother was driving, it wasnt her fault, two guys did an illegal street-race and one of them banged into her car and he died with our former bass-player and his mum. our secound bass-player (and that guy was the best musician that Ive ever had the honor to play with independend from the instrument) killed himself, he stated in his suicide-note that he thought that he sucked at playing guitar (he was a guitar-player who played bass because we needed a bass-player), he was really good, he had perfect pitch, which meant that I just had to play a riff twice and the third time he played with me, he was indeed the better guitar-player, I even said "hey, lets swith instruments" but he said no. in his suicide-note he stated, that he wanted me to have his whammy-pedal, I now play with that whammy-pedal and kinda make him still live in my songs. I killed him, I didnt tell him often enough that he is gonna be the next and better Cliff Bourton and it is now my task to revive him as much as possible. one out of our three drummers, that we had is now battleling cancer, they might have to amputate his left leg, making him unable to play drums, when they will do that operation, I will help him with comng up with solutions, for still playing drums, but that is near impossible. my band by the way broke up, because firstly, our rehersals just lead to nowhere, because they were introducing well-established songs to new band-members and not new songs to well-established band-members and secoundly, people were telling around that I am a pedo, I am 15 and our keyboarder was 12, before that people said that I am gay, because my name is "Fredy" and I make rock-music and there was a "Freddie", who made rock-music and that guy was gay, so I must also be gay, then I became good friends with a 12 year old boy and boom, pedophile. our local crowd hired a guy with a gun, they wanted him to go into our rehersal-studio and point his gun at me, that made me almost unable to play, those were my own songs, that I wrote, some of them in 2018! all it takes for me to not be able to play is a killing-instrument pointed at me. that killed our band.

[@metalboy5150]

"We all know what happened soon after " -- proceeds to list off a bunch of shit nobody could possibly have ever expected. Dude, you have had some rough shit happen around and to you, but a couple things: 1) being friends with someone who is 3 years younger than you does not make you a "pedophile," particularly when you are a child yourself; 2) You didn't kill anyone. That dude made his own decisions, and it sounds like he needed serious help and counseling, and it's highly unlikely anything you could've said or done would have made the final difference. Now, I'm not saying that people shouldn't try, but unless he told you he was going to go kill himself, and you said, "Cool, let me tell you the best way," then you are in no way responsible for that shit. It is cool that you want to try to keep his memory alive through music, though. Also 3) I don't know where the hell you are, but if someone pointed am actual gun at you for any reason other than that you were threatening their life or the life of someone else, that person needs to be put in jail. I don't care if it was loaded or not. Please tell me you filled a police report.

[@paisleepunk]

Holy fuck, that's TERRIBLE! It appears you need therapy (and I hope you're getting it), or, at the very least, you could write an album about these events as a way to process it.

[@danielboxx-]

this is f#cking great. thank you. I needed to hear every single word of this.

[@nerdyneedsalife8315]

I think Brian May is a great example of being a guitarist who tastefully does guitar solos. Like you said, he mostly harmonizes with the rest of the band but then does the solo in the second half. It then becomes distinct. Not everyone has to like Jack White's music but his guitar playing is also reserved all things considering. I don't blame people for having trouble with creating original music though. When people think they created something new, they had someone else's work in their subconscious, leading them to accidentally creating a song that already exists. Even DeadMau5 has fallen for it. That is why your advice for broadening our tastes in music, it adds more music in our subconscious for us to take inspiration from.

[@Bacopa68]

I hope you noticed what that sheet music was at 9:09.

[@Mateo_Romero]

Neat 21:9 vid man, love how you keep improving the quality of your show. Definitely speaks volumes for the points you're making.

[@antonkovalenko364]

I really enjoyed the uptuning fad a few years ago, and its idea of "If you aren't heavy without tuning down several steps, then you aren't heavy with it."

[@jamesnation9192]

This video is next level comedy. True, and hilarious at the same time. Nice job Glenn.

[@frmm123]

As for No. 6, I understand, but still, I like seeing good guitar players shred, like when I saw Slayer at the Phoenix Theater in Petaluma. Watching Jeff and Kerry was just unforgettable (I've seen them at the Stone and the Kabuki as well, just awesome). Maybe there's some definition of "shredding" that is causing some sort of semantic misunderstanding here. And yes, I do love SpectreSoundStudios on KZbin, couldn't live without it. (Hope this gets read by someone someday!)

[@Froggsby]

thank you so goddamn much for being blunt and not sugarcoating things like others do, genuinely

[@WhatwouldRoddyPiperdo]

Great video so glad I did all this before social media l, was in a few metal bands here in the UK only stopped because of arthritis I couldn't mask or self medicate publicly anymore, but devils advocate it will be much harder nowadays. Sheer choice alone, not to mention I don't have social media because looking in from the outside that's where we keep all the crazy people so the rest of us can just get on with life, F trying to navigate that minefield 24/7 at least MySpace you could just message people as and when there was a mystique about not being able to just outright DM Phil Anselmo lmao

[@lachinelli]

I have to agree with that. The last band I was part of started just when Facebook was just getting known here in southamerica. We didn't go famous or get a record deal, but we were definitely trying to make things different, not only in music but also in the marketing side (good design on the flyers along a Facebook page and KZbin channel). Maybe my point of view is that Metal is no longer a mainstream genre. When the band I mentioned started playing live, I noticed people were more engaged than now in going to the shows, buying records, merch, etc. And I guess that years before that was even more noticeable. Having a Metal band nowadays is more or less making music for people that dig a niche genre. At least that's how I see it.

[@Liam_Hug]

Watching this before starting my band so I know what not to do, thanks man, I love your videos, they’ve given me a lot of useful tips, rock on🤘

[@myopicautisticmetal9035]

This is like every argument I ever had with a band member, me telling them they need to pony up the cash for something and them saying they needed cigarettes and beer more.

[@stephenmoore2840]

I wish I had realised this sooner and ditched the band I was in. I was basically fronting more than my fair share Of cash thinking I was helping but in reality all I was doing was enabling the booze, drugs and rock n roll attitude of other members. The singers ego was part fixated on past minor glories whereas I wanted to keep pushing forward. He also thinks the band is far better than it actually is. After I left the cracks I was trying to cover grew bigger and the drummer departed soon after. Him and I are in a band together with zero of the bullshit of the previous band. It is incredibly refreshing. We aren't going to be rockstars any time soon but that doesn't matter as we are really enjoying what we are doing

[@lucky-fh2uu]

I genuinely love how aggressive this guy is...its awe inspiring

[@mattturner1441]

Me: oh great I can learn how I can make my music sound original and stand out Glenn: no drum samples Me: cries in bedroom musician

[@gavinhowell2769]

This came out a while ago so I'm not expecting this to get read. But thank you for being the person to tell me I suck. Everyone's always telling how cool my home studio setup is and how far I am coming along with learning the instruments I am learning, and how they think I have a chance at doing something cool, and admittedly, it has done a good job of giving me some hope. Hope I don't deserve to feel. I always tell myself I suck and people tell me I'm crazy its great to hear someone who agrees. I really appreciate you.

[@himawarii_gg]

watching this, I realized Sleep Token ticks all the boxes on how to do it right (maybe besides the riffs part; their riffs are not memorable but it plays the part for each song so the songs are memorable as whole)

[@andyshistorylessons8278]

Thank you, Glenn. That’s all I can say. Thank you for all this information. Your honesty is a valuable tool that you utilize well to help others. Thank you and keep up the good work.

[@jloiben12]

“Not everyone is great at making music.” People raging at Glen for saying something obvious. Well, we now know who at least some of “not everyone” is

[@insidelifewithbriannacampb8751]

I absolutely love these videos I'm part of a small pop rock band fro Dunkirk NY that write and sing all the songs we are 13-31 and these videos really help

[@jaymantisgaming]

@2:26 188 plays?? fuck me, SOMEONE's livin the dream. (this is not sarcasm)

[@addersforkaustria]

Thanks for this one Glenn. I wouldn't call myself a "struggling" musician since I earn my money someplace else, but I do love getting some recognition "trophies" as you'd say. I dare saying that my music is definitely not generic, but I need to work on my production and output as well. Big goal for 2022.

[@Kenshin73]

Tim Henson has basically become a meme at this point.

[@OvertEnemy]

Great video as usual

[@soulsphereproductions7009]

I think Originality is out the window nowadays. I myself am no exception to this although I do try to push myself to stand apart from the rest and I'll be the first to say writing Original unique content is no easy task. 🤘

[@orlock20]

Many great metal acts are now doing covers because they can't see where to go. Meanwhile Beth Hart doesn't have a problem with creativity. She sings about several different topics in several different genres while playing a variety of instruments.

[@surfwriter8795]

Thank you. This was amazing!

[@Ashadowtotheworld]

Corpse paint? God you must be so lucky if your local bands are actually putting in that much effort... down here its usually a dude wearing singlet and shorts and performing barefeet 😆😆😆

[@professorplaysgames]

Really, really inspiring (honestly). It's freeing to work hard and do my best and let go of traditional measures of success because they're hard to come by.

[@juanarocha8629]

Hey Glenn, do the things that annoy you about musicians and their instruments apply to all genres or is it just metal? I know you've done some work on Jazz, so I'm curious. Love the channel, stay awesome

[@MoneyCrespin]

Yes!! Thank you for this video!!

[@RockHardRiffs]

I’ll tell you what it takes to be a successful musician…..once I get there 🤡🎸😁

[@themotioncodemarc]

These videos inspire me. You do great work Glenn!

[@LevitatorMusic]

I just watched Tom Petty's documentary "Somewhere You Feel Free" here on his youtube channel and it's all about the writing and a little about recording the album Wildflowers and it was so refreshing to hear the things that Rick Rubin had to say about the process. Like they didn't use click tracks. Even for solo acoustic stuff, he'd play along to a real drummer tapping the hi-hat so the song breathes and moves and it's not quantized robotic bullshit. The guitars sound like humans are actually involved in the equation with string noises and mistakes and in Rick's words: the sound of a person playing a guitar and not just "the sound of a guitar". People need to start recording albums this way. Or like Appetite for Destruction. And yes...dear metal singers, stop fucking whining and complaining all the time!!!!!!!!!!!! Nobody cares about your depression or your mean mommy or how some girl doesn't like you...are you surprised? What girl would like you? You're a whiny baby.

[@Jake-mv7yo]

there was a video on blues drumming I watched where the guy said the only click you will hear is his pistol if you tell him to use a click track.

[@The_Metal_Mechanic]

Awesome video as always. My brother and I are trying to write a few Thrash Metal songs for our first time making music. As a bassist with my brother on guitar we are limited in members, so for drums he's been writing them and I've just been converting them to MIDI in Reaper. My goal is not to set the world on fire, but at least have a handful of people legitimately love what they hear. I know we have a long way to go, but I am going to keep pushing myself as hard as I can.

[@consumer365]

Another great vid. We got Treys gong and took it as a learning experience. We upped our game started practicing 3x what we were before. Got the desktop thing going so I can practice more at home now as well. Shit ain't easy but I'm not scared of some hard work.

[@DoctorWhomThe1st]

I really enjoyed this video. It makes people confront what they want out of being a band.

[@tristangabrielo]

I'm a raising trap/pop/afrobeat artist (first single coming) and your channel is GOLD everything translates great , thanks