Have you ever typed your name into Google to see what comes up? I have. I come up as a Christian Electronic Musician. It's no surprise because those results are based on The 8-Bit Hymnal, but anybody who knows me or my music thinks it's kind of funny (more the electronic musician part than the "Christian" part)
Genre: Christian
Sub-Genre: Electronic
I'm a Christian -but would people know that based on other instrumental works I've done (Bagatelle Parlour is one of my favorite projects I've done)? There are many stigmas attached to the genre of "Christian" music. Mostly, U2-inspired guitar parts, inspirational -but often shallow lyrics, and a 200%-300% markup price for a copy of a CD in particular stores.
Fun fact: The 8-Bit Hymnal series is the ONLY electronic music project I've ever done. Out of the hundreds of songs I've written and produced, I've been labeled in Google searches based on 3 albums that I've released.
I'll take "Musician", though, I'm definitely a musician.
Every song that I've ever written -instrumental or with vocals is shrouded in my worldview.
Worldview: I'm a full-time Christian Realist that works as a part-time Cynic.
I take my relationship with Christ seriously.
I try to reflect Jesus Christ through the way I act and the way I relate to others.
Realistically, I fail at perfectly reflecting Christ through the way I act and relate to others...
BUT... Through His grace I'm saved -from my sins, my struggles, and my imperfections.
My cynicism gets in the way sometimes, but experience has proven to me that I'm a new creation in Christ -and that gives me hope and motivation to pick myself up when I get knocked down.
My worldview shows up in my music because I write songs about my experiences.
Often, my songs (with lyrics) are based on people I've met. My songs are often written about memories. I have a pretty solid collection of songs that are really dark, but sound very happy. It's an odd mix of hope clashing with despair. Life is hard -but I try to navigate it with rose-tinted lenses. NOTE: Sometimes it doesn't work... and that's okay (WORLDVIEW: Through His grace I'm saved -from my sins, my struggles, and my imperfections.)
Here's where the worldview and genres split... Genres imply a label (recording contract/record label) is involved. Labels have requirements. Requirements often mean songs get edited. Songs getting edited means we, as listeners, are missing out on what the artist truly has to say. Why does this happen?
Money.
If a label is involved, it all comes down to "what do we sell?" and "who will buy it?".
See?! Now, the cynical side is coming out. I feel confident in saying that a Christian record label will have zero interest in the music I make -aside from my 8-Bit Hymnal project. Some of Billy Saffyre's originals get pretty dark (Drinking Again, Too Much to Live For, and Nocebo come to mind...). Most of the music I'm excited about is instrumental -and like I asked before... How will people know that it's relevantly "Christian" if it has no words?
I'm okay with this, though. Each one of those Billy Saffyre songs was written from a place deep inside of me that I have no regrets or apologies for. They are songs about life I've experienced. Chances are good that there are other people out there that have had similar experiences. I would much rather reach people who have experienced something similar to me rather than write cookie-cutter songs (this goes for any label -not just Christian).
Perhaps I'm a little jaded... but if we remove "Christian" as the genre and put something else in, it still holds water. Check it out:
How about "Rock"?
As a "Rock" label, would I want to sign Mumford and Sons?
How about "Metal"?
As a "Metal" label, would I want to sign Lil Wayne?
How about "Mainstream Pop"?
As a "Mainstream Pop" label, would I want to sign Amon Amarth?
How about "Hip Hop"?
As a "Hip Hop" label, would I want to sign Carrie Underwood?
See, it looks ridiculous with popular artists matched with the wrong genre, but if you line up the artist's potential with with the label's vision, magic (*cough* MONEY *cough*) happens! The label will fund the artist (on the label's terms) to make albums that will make a return on their investment. The music industry is a tricky and fast moving place.
Why does it matter?
What if I told you that a label doesn't have to be the goal of being a musician?
What if I told you that fame doesn't have to be the goal of being a musician?
What if I told you that being rich doesn't have to be the goal of being a musician?
What if I told you that your success isn't measured in numbers or sales as a musician?
What if I told you that your validation DOESN'T COME FROM OTHER PEOPLE?
Many songwriters are conditioned very early in their careers that they need to "play by the rules" to be successful. The sad truth about this is that for fiscal success, there are a LOT of rules to play by. HOWEVER, there are no guarantees that fiscal success will happen -EVEN IF YOU SPEND YOUR ENTIRE LIFE PLAYING BY "THE RULES"!
The music industry is changing. If artists spent more time focusing on their worldview rather than writing songs in a way that they think will sell, the overall music will become better. I know that I've written too many songs with the outcome in mind while I was writing it -you know the outcome thoughts "This jam has got to be a hit!" or "That lyric works so well, people are going to notice that!" or "This might be the best song I've ever written" or "If people don't recognize this as good... I'm done!".
When I let my worldview take the reigns, I'm able to fully engage the song that I'm working on by disengaging my brain from what I think others will think of it. It allows me to get out of my own way. It's freeing because I know that if I'm secure in my worldview that my music will reflect how I truly feel about the world. This also tells me that if something I write doesn't line up with what I think my worldview is, I have some soul-searching to do. It's a risky approach, though, because you end up learning quite a bit about yourself -and that can sometimes be a pretty bitter pill to swallow.
Every worldview has a story attached to it. Every worldview comes with struggles. Every worldview comes with some kind of worth. Worldview is something that people can relate to -maybe not everybody... but somebody. Worldview is something that resonates with people deeply.
Here's the bad news. Being a musician is nothing like the radio or TV tells you. Musicians are artists. Unfortunately, there is more supply than demand for artists in the current world we live in. Consequently, the odds of being ridiculously fiscally successful solely as a singer, guitar player, or songwriter are very low.
The million dollar question to wrestle with comes down to: Is making music still worth it?
I think it is! :-)
This was a bit heavier of a post than I was anticipating on writing for a Friday. If you're interested in checking out The 8-Bit Hymnal, Bagatelle Parlour, or the Billy Saffyre Anthology, here is a link that you can download all of that stuff for free (tips are appreciated but not required): http://www.noisetrade.com/tylerlarson
I look forward to hearing your thoughts and hearing your music! Don't hesitate to send me a link -I'll gladly have a listen!
Until next time,
-T.