Luke Dowler
My name is Luke Dowler, and I am a singer/songwriter in Montana. I live in a small corner of Montana. It’s a beautiful resort area with lakes, rivers and mountains, great for the summer or winter life and a huge inspiration in my music.
The sky, mountains and ocean are all great equalizers. It is almost impossible to live life myopically. That’s what I love about living here, but it’s also why I should have quit playing music a long time ago. For most people, Montana is not on their radar. Montana has the stigma as being a place of mountains and sky, with less technology than other states. So, when I tell people that I am a musician based in Montana, it usually goes the same way: first comes the disbelief as in “wait, where are you from?” and then comes the dismissal as in “oh I get it, you’re not any good.”
I chose a long, windy road as an artist. I didn’t move to L.A. or Nashville. I stayed in Montana and toured. I toured my tail off, playing every dive, alley and club I could find. I made records in Nashville, L.A., Texas, and Portland. I sold those records to whoever I could.
I built a house here in Montana and started a studio to write in. I landed a development deal with a major label; it didn’t work out. I was contacted by numerous industry people wanting to check in on what I was doing; it never worked out. I was contacted by an indie label in the Midwest; it didn’t work out. I even signed a deal and released one album. Even though that worked, it didn’t work out. Because things never work out, I should have quit playing music.
Here’s the thing, though, I didn’t quit and I don’t intend to, but you should…
Here are 6 reasons why you should quit playing music:
1. The odds are stacked against you
If I were a betting man, I would put it all on the odds that you aren’t going to make it. You won’t showcase on American Idol or The Voice or America’s Got Talent. You don’t have enough money. You weren’t born with any connections or friends in high places. Your dad is probably a plumber or a Parks and Rec director. You will probably wind up with 2 kids and crippling credit card debt before you make a gold record. You are green and ignorant of the ins and outs. You should quit playing music.
2. You’re gonna get screwed
The music industry is filled with sharks. I have a friend whose band was signed in the early 80’s by David Geffen. Mr. Geffen flew out and personally signed the band himself and scheduled the studio time, paying advances and then heading back to his swanky life. The band went into the studio and cut what they considered to be their best record yet. Shortly after, they were notified that they would be legally unable to play together, the record was being shelved and the band owed the advances back.
Geffen and company signed them because they were direct competition to another of the label’s darling bands. This was a strategic crushing blow to separate the band. Now don’t feel sorry for these guys. Some of them went on to lush careers playing Bad Company covers at such fine venues as Roadhouse Pub and Wild Stallion Saloon. It’s one of the many cautionary tales about the sharks you swim with when you are actually in it. It’s why you should quit playing music.
3. You are not as good as you think you are
Your mom thinks you’re pretty good. You believe her. Sure talent gets people’s attention, but talent is also easily faked these days, ahem Auto-Tune. Talent might get attention, but the internet has shown us that talent is everywhere. Sure, you can always get better if you dedicate yourself to the craft, and yeah, you will also find your voice along the way. But if you think that you should be given a record deal just for being you, you should quit playing music.
4. You are way too lazy
Life is all about timing, and you are all about doing whatever you feel like when you feel like it. You spend your money on Panda Express, designer scarves, iPad apps and marijuana. I don’t care how much talent you think that you have or may actually have, if you cannot stay motivated and start yourself up Rolling Stones style, quit now.
The number one trait that you need in this business is self-motivation. You have to love making music to be in this industry. Someone who loves something will outwork the person who just wants to be famous every time. If you don’t love playing music and you only love the idea of people loving you, you should quit playing music.
5. You are in this to be famous
You spend nights dreaming about being interviewed by Carson Daly and staying up for a 4 night bender in a posh New York hotel. You fantasize about the roar of the crowd and the warm rush of adrenaline when they all know your name. You would do better as a bartender or community organizer. You should be an artist with something to say and want to leave the world a better place because you chose to sing or you should quit playing music. If you sing to be famous, you should quit playing music.
6. You will wind up jaded bitter and unhappy
What makes you different than the other one million people lined up outside of The Voice auditions? If you keep chasing the life of a musician, you will miss out on holidays, special occasions and weekend parties. Your best friends will be people hundreds of miles away. They are your best friends, because you share memories with them. But they may not consider you to be their best friend, because they have since moved on from that moment and have moved on with their lives. If you can’t live with yourself lonely at 50, after spending half of your life under the poverty line, then you should quit playing music.
So in conclusion, being a musician is hard work. If you aren’t willing to roll up your sleeves and risk it all…you should quit playing music now.
Luke Dowler is currently hosting his last 5 albums on Noisetrade along with a handpicked “best of” compilation. Catch up on his music and share it with a friend. Noisetrade is a website that allows you to download the music for free, but if someone is inclined to pay something for it, they can do so by leaving a tip. All tips go to the International Justice Mission (www.ijm.org) to fight human trafficking.
Noisetrade page: http://www.noisetrade.com/dowler/best-of-luke-dowler
Luke Dowler
@LukeDowler
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