I have to admit I have a problem with holding on or "song stashing" my material. I used to worry that if I saved it too long that it may become irrelevant, at the same time nobody wants to release something to the masses before it has been given a chance to reach its full potential. This was all before I discovered a philosophy that stated, “No artist ever finishes their work, it is merely abandoned”. I’m not sure if that’s the exact quote I heard or who actually said it, but the theory has always stuck with me.
Abandon. The term is attached to a negativity that not even the most seemingly dismal artist would want to have associated with anything they wished to call (and have others call) their masterpiece. How can you know when its time, that it will be okay, to abandon something you’ve been molding? Is it when you show it to another person and they approve? Is it when that last addition seemed to take away from the overall feel or original goal? Is it when someone cuts you a check? Many of us, for better or worse, call it a day when the ladder situation occurs.
Their has been times in my career where I have sold my material and granted an exclusive or conditional license, where I have promised not to let my composition be used by another artist. It has only happened to me once so far where I heard my song, and didn’t feel it lived up to its full potential. I had to realize that it wasn't entirely MINE anymore. It is also a struggle when you are an artist yourself and are forced to sell off your beats to the highest bidder even though you want the track for yourself. But “That’s how it is, when you into this sh*t!”
Abandon. The term is attached to a negativity that not even the most seemingly dismal artist would want to have associated with anything they wished to call (and have others call) their masterpiece. How can you know when its time, that it will be okay, to abandon something you’ve been molding? Is it when you show it to another person and they approve? Is it when that last addition seemed to take away from the overall feel or original goal? Is it when someone cuts you a check? Many of us, for better or worse, call it a day when the ladder situation occurs.
Their has been times in my career where I have sold my material and granted an exclusive or conditional license, where I have promised not to let my composition be used by another artist. It has only happened to me once so far where I heard my song, and didn’t feel it lived up to its full potential. I had to realize that it wasn't entirely MINE anymore. It is also a struggle when you are an artist yourself and are forced to sell off your beats to the highest bidder even though you want the track for yourself. But “That’s how it is, when you into this sh*t!”
But the question is, how do you know when its ready? How can I tell if I’m ready to inspire another artist into writing a song or how do I know that I’ve written a song that will generate any response for any other living soul on this planet? Truth is you may never know. You may have to be dragged away kicking and screaming before you admit that any creative process of your life is over and final! You may reach a level where you have a great ear and think you can trust yourself, but my advice is no matter how confident you feel about any idea it PAYS to bounce it off, at least, a few peers.
For me I know its time when I cannot help but share my latest creation with people and get feedback. I'm excited about what I have and I have no anxiety to put it out there. To me a song is a vision, but as a creator it’s easy to see a beauty within your creation that is intangible to everyone else. An artist working with a producer has the advantage of using the producer as a conduit of taking his vision and making it into something tangible. I guess artists who produce themselves take a risk of being blinded by their own creation.
Confused? Me too! I think in the end, success comes when preparation meets timing (some folks would insert luck here, but fu*k luck). You’re going to need to do a mix of “song stashing” and releasing. Releasing your work will help you get feedback and attract people to your game, on the other hand no one is going to want to buy beats off an unknown that aren’t the freshest of the fresh! I mean if a tree falls in the woods…
