Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Updates, A Rant, and Many Thanks

So, wow, almost a year since my last entry. I'm so sorry about that guys.

So a lot of new things:
- New camera: the Canon EOS Rebel T2i (suggested by AJ Rafael) - awesome everything.
- Made a commercial for Kellogg's: "Start The Day" (which actually allowed me to buy said camera).
- I've got a vlog channel where I'm going to be posting some more personal stuff.
- I'm still writing for the new album... I don't want to start recording until it is really right, but all the songs are good. :)
- I'll be playing at FAP 2.0, so please don't hesitate to get your tickets! It would be great to see you there.
- and more... too many to name.

(Warning: this is a rant)
Recently, I've been looking over myself, trying to figure out the weird parts of my life. If you all are keeping up with my vlog, you'll see that I'm on a diet and I'm exercising more. I'm starting to realize that the name I made for myself on YouTube is now a thing of the past. Videos are higher quality, there is a lot of post-production in every video out there... it's really hard to keep up with the flow.

But I'm asking myself, why do I have to keep up with the flow? I'm a singer/songwriter.

I had lunch with a couple of friends a few weeks ago and got to talking about music... one of them is a musician, a songwriter actually. He asked me, "So how is music going, ya' know being a YouTube cover artist." I was slightly offended.

But it's true a lot of us do covers, and covers, and more covers to get more hits, and really -- it's true! A lot of YouTube artists are essentially just doing karaoke. I mean, I haven't released an original song since "Here" (except for "Start The Day" lol). And I feel kind of like a hypocrite because I've been discovered because of my unique renditions of songs, but some people are taking a "diva-ish" twist as they start to become egocentric and less of a musician, and more of a label or brand, if you will.

I dont mind it - hell, i'm just jealous and i wish I could only have a problem like that so I can prove to people that there can be honest, polite people out there in successful land... but when it comes to getting success, you best acknowledge the people who gave you the opportunity, the people who supported you through it all, and your closest friends and family. If you start to ignore them, your support will not follow you, they will not respond to you, and they will not be loyal to you.

I think that is one of the biggest things I'm struggling with - comparing myself with other musicians and putting a price on myself based on how many subscribers I have in comparison. I'm sure a lot of you YouTubers do it too, don't lie. "So and so got 5M hits on their one original and I've got... 700k?" It's sad that this kind of thing could have any type of competition. Before, YouTube was a community of people who just enjoyed sharing their lives on a video medium because it was new, intimate, fresh... now, it's more than commercialized, it has become as (or more) concentrated with professional artists as regular TV. It has become the mainstream. I have to admit that I cannot compete with that.

But I do love YouTube for what opportunities it has given me from a lower-level perspective. It has been almost an extension of my life - my music career, my proposal, etc.

What I have come to find is that I am fortunate there are 46k people out there who I moved enough to hit that little yellow button. I am fortunate to say to people that I am a semi-professional musician because of the people who support me on YouTube. I am fortunate that God gave to me the gift of music. That is what is important - stepping out of the box for a second to look back and see what all has come of my efforts on YouTube and the people who love watching me... and from what I've seen in the last 3-4 years, it is so good.

So for those of you who are still here... thank you. And thank you for everything you done to make me who I am.

See you on the next blog.
-Chris

2 comments:

  1. Nicely put Chris!

    It's easy to compare ourselves to others. Especially with the numbers being displayed in our faces all the time (views, subscriptions etc.) but all of that dissolves when you look at everything else. A sneezing panda can get a bajillion views. There are people who lip sync and get a million subscribers (since you mentioned karaoke) So with that in mind, you can't measure music with the numbers.

    Personally, the numbers doesn't matter. To me, if 5 people saw my video; that's 5 more people than if I hadn't shared it. We should just count our blessings. Real music is not about fame or competition; it's about expression and art. Our videos are our canvas; our music, lyrics, and everything else are our tools. Let's just create and spread the love of music, for the love of music.

    Cover or not; Our feet will still dance. Keep up the awesome buddy!

    -Aldrine

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  2. Suprisingly I did not know you had a blogspot :D now I am very happy, although I do hope you update more often than one year :) Anyway its hard to be on youtube now a days because it has gone mainstream. But because of that it has produced some talented actual mainstream artists, like Charice and Justin Beiber. But then again it makes it harder for people to start up on their own to make it out there in the music industry. Its hard, and it gets more difficult everyday with all the new videos and new artists coming out but just remember that you DO have 46k people that absolutly love you and your music. Those 46k people will support you and your music and there will always be more who will fall in love with your music. Even though it is hard to do, you shouldnt feel the need to compare your video views to your friends!
    I hope that as you try to still figure out the "weird" parts of you life that you remember you are a very talented musician&songwriter, no need to say semi-professional musician but I do think you can be and are a professional musician :)
    Just know you inspire different people everyday!
    Please keep it up!
    Jen

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