I have this idea that I can't still be doing music when I'm in my late 30's/40's

[Tboy]

I was going through the habits vid on the life purpose course and there is a visualization that gets you to imagine yourself 20 years in the future 'acing' your life purpose. This stopped me dead in my tracks because to me it felt not right to be involved in popular music in my 40's, I've been holding this idea that the time I'll be really acing my life purpose is in the next 5-10 years because I'll be young enough to be easily involved in popular music (I'm 26 now). (My life purpose is to essentially create groundbreaking, genre-defying music). I obviously see how ridiculous this is and that it is a limiting belief to think I can't be acing my life purpose at this age but I dunno what are people's thoughts on this?  I always want to be making the music I want and naturally when I'm in my 40's that will differ a lot from what is popular with the younger generation who's tastes will have a big impact on what music is successful and what is not, on the other hand I could still be successful with another age group or just have a particular fanbase. Just wanted to know people's thoughts on this.

[Human Mint]

What kind of music do you call popular music?

 

[vizual]

If you don't think you can do something, you are probably right. This applies especially to the arts. If you want to make it as an artist you have to have faith in your artistry, or else you are not going to make. There's too much competition, everyone wants to be an artist. You have to find within yourself if music is something you want to dedicate your life to, because if you want to make it you have to live and breathe music. Even musicians that make mainstream shit music like Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Rihanna etc. have to work their asses of to keep their stock high, and not fade away from their fan base. 

The upside of art is that if your work is good enough(like really good) is that their is a high likelihood there's a group of people that will dig it. Meaning; there will always be a demographic that will appreciate, and pay money, for high quality artistry. 

Economically speaking, in the recession, what we have seen is that people will spend less money on average/mediocre art and entertainment, but will spend just as much, if not more, on high quality art. So whatever you do, if you make quality stuff, you will be rewarded.

Edited February 11, 2022 by vizual

[Yarco]

I think a lot of the stigma around musicians in their 40s are "failed musicians".

It's people who hedge their bets and never fully commit to following their musical dream. It's people who have a full-time job working retail or in an office, who just do a gig at a local pub to 30 people, one time a month. They never even record in studio or attempt to put out a CD (or release on Spotify or whatever today's equivalent is.)

Think of the character Andy from Parks & Rec, he's in the early stages of being a failed musician. If you haven't seen the show, then you've for sure known a failed musician in real life. Changing their band name 5 times, members constantly leaving and being replaced, never growing.

If music is your life purpose, I think becoming a failed musician is unlikely though. It's more of a danger if music is in a grey zone between hobby and career and you're hedging your bets.

I'd say put everything into your music for at least 5 years without worrying about whether you're making progress or not. Then when you're 32 you can evaluate and see if you're making progress, or if you've become a washed up musician. You can set criteria for yourself now, like that you'll be making $XX,XXX income per year from your music in 1 year, 2 years, 5 years or have XXX,XXX downloads. Or you can ask family members and friends for their honest opinion at that point.

Once you're a popular musician making millions of dollars a year, nobody cares or judges whether you're 40. It's only if you end up failing and then keep making small bets that lead nowhere. Being that guy with a day job who occasionally does music super-seriously for 3 hours a week, and uses that to justify spending thousands on professional equipment, is what people find so cringe.

If Ronald Jenkees was able to turn music into a living 12 years ago with no record label or personality, in 2022 with all the new options like Spotify and other platforms, then I think anybody can make it with enough effort. He's good enough that his music stands for itself and it doesn't matter who he is or what he looks like. He never made it to Skrillex or Deadmau5 levels but I bet he's consistently making 6-figures a year still.

Just make your music so good they can't ignore you. Think Susan Boyle as well. Everyone's all laughs until she actually opens her mouth. At that point it doesn't matter how old you are or what you look like.

 

Edited February 11, 2022 by Yarco

[Philipp]

you will grow with your audience and this is the case for so many disciplines, where you need an audience. For example Leo's audience will also get older and older with time. 

What I don't understand. 

Your life purpse is all about music, but how can age then change something. Your ability to create music will only improve with age.

It seems like you are wanting something else from your career, something like youth, adventour, party, fame. Be clear on that. 

[Tboy]

I appreciate this, I am not on the fence about music, I know it's my life purpose or at least a large part of it and I am willing to go the 'so good they can't ignore you' route. I just worry about having a style that seems a little dated by the time I achieve mastery. @Yarco @vizual I appreciate your thoughts, I 100% know I can do it, I just worry about being able to sell it and like you say @Yarco I have a huge fear of being that cringe old musician who never really made it. 

[Tboy]

1 hour ago, Philipp said:

you will grow with your audience and this is the case for so many disciplines, where you need an audience. For example Leo's audience will also get older and older with time. 

What I don't understand. 

Your life purpse is all about music, but how can age then change something. Your ability to create music will only improve with age.

It seems like you are wanting something else from your career, something like youth, adventour, party, fame. Be clear on that. 

yeah I know I will only get better, I just worry about making music that won't reach a younger audience by the time I am older, which I guess doesn't have to be an issue. I think the thing I really search for self-expression, which appears to be more the basis of my life purpose than music perhaps. Thank you for your thoughts. 

[Yarco]

1 hour ago, Tboy said:

I just worry about having a style that seems a little dated by the time I achieve mastery. 

I feel like most genres are timeless, so I wouldn't be concerned about it. There are still jazz musicians, old-school hip-hop musicians, EDM musicians, etc making new music today and they have a big audience.

If you try to keep up with what the current fad is, you'll always be chasing. I would just make what is authentic to you. If it's good enough, it'll be timeless.

Individual musicians can become one-hit wonders and their songs can be overplayed, but I don't know if I feel the same way about genres. The window where a genre is overdone is pretty narrow in my opinion. Maybe a couple of years after peak popularity. After a few years have passed, people are already nostalgic and looking back and wanting more. Pretty much everything comes back around... swing music came back as electro swing, the style of the 80s came back as synthwave, etc.

No matter how niche you go, there will always be those 1,000 true fans (or more) waiting to support you.

[Nahm]

20 hours ago, Tboy said:

I was going through the habits vid on the life purpose course and there is a visualization that gets you to imagine yourself 20 years in the future 'acing' your life purpose. This stopped me dead in my tracks because to me it felt not right to be involved in popular music in my 40's, I've been holding this idea that the time I'll be really acing my life purpose is in the next 5-10 years because I'll be young enough to be easily involved in popular music (I'm 26 now). (My life purpose is to essentially create groundbreaking, genre-defying music). I obviously see how ridiculous this is and that it is a limiting belief to think I can't be acing my life purpose at this age but I dunno what are people's thoughts on this?  I always want to be making the music I want and naturally when I'm in my 40's that will differ a lot from what is popular with the younger generation who's tastes will have a big impact on what music is successful and what is not, on the other hand I could still be successful with another age group or just have a particular fanbase. Just wanted to know people's thoughts on this.

All thinking. 

??

[Realms of Wonder]

@Tboy Howdy! One way of looking at this can be as such.

Your music, can be centered around timeless principles and wisdom of reality, your personal perspective on it. to create groundbreaking music means digging where others haven't, or where others have given up, but what you dig up is your life purpose, not you. if you are 80, and still creating music that is based in truth, there will always be an audience for it. 

I keep stumbling on songs from the 70'sto early 2000's and because of the content of the song, I resonate with it.

 

Not sure if this helps, good luck!