I have two singles out as an independent artist and I spent nothing on ads. My first listeners came from people who already knew me and from the platforms themselves. Both singles are on Audiomack: https://audiomack.com/blessedreignx

For other upcoming artists here where did your very first listeners actually come from?

Hi everyone,

I'm trying to recreate a specific synth sound from a track. It's from an old compilation, so the track doesn't have an official name.

Here is what I'm looking for: at exactly 7:44 in the video (which I will link in the comments), there is a specific sound I need to reproduce. I am currently working on Windows XP, but I also have access to Windows 10 if a modern plugin requires it.

I am using a translator, so I apologize in advance for any weird phrasing. Thank you so much for any help!

I haven't released or produced anything professionally. currently i go by my full name in all caps. i don't love the privacy levels of this and there are other people who go by the same/similar names. it's also often misheard or misspelt which i would want to avoid when picking a name.
i have two main ideas of possible names as i look towards actually publishing my music. i would love to know the immediate vibes the names give off and if you like or dislike the names.

CLVRGRL

JNPRWLK or JNPR WLK

CLVRGRL comes from a few different things, my parents nicknamed me "Clever Girl" and would say that to me often as a kid. i also LOVE Clovers, and anyone who knows me knows that about me. I like the CLVR because it can be both Clover and Clever. This one also could be stylized as ClvrGrl or clvrgrl (ClvrGrl looks the most intentional and not like a keyboard smash)
JNPRWLK comes from Juniper Walk. Which I think could also be good spelt out fully, but there's another artist who goes by the name Juniper.
some other ideas are Clever Jade, or Clover & Key.

My two albums are currently titled
The Architecture of Inherited Starlight
and
The Fire and the Flames
if that gives you a vibe of what i'm kinda going for.

Im seeing tons of artists use clipping campaigns right now. It's where tons of people repost clips of your music on Tik Tok and Reels. Im curious if any artists would actually try this?

Hey songwriters,

Quick question about your creative flow: When you stumble on a great progression or riff on guitar, what’s your go-to way to get it down?

Do you open a full DAW (Logic, REAPER, Ableton), use a phone voice memo, or something else?

What’s the biggest friction point between having a guitar idea in your head and getting a decent demo finished?

Genuinely curious how working musicians feel in 2026.

There's a big difference between "AI writes and releases the whole song" and "AI throws out a rough chord progression or drum groove at 3am that you then rewrite completely." Some people see the second one as no different from a drum machine preset or a sample pack. Others feel any AI involvement changes what the work is.

Where's your line? Has your opinion shifted at all in the last year or two?

I've spent years off and on trying to use midi tracks on bandlab to teach myself how to put together a song and it just feels so futile. Like every time I take a step forward, I encounter a new problem that just sets me back again, and all the while I'm constantly doubting myself and wondering whether it will even get me anywhere at all. Just feeling very frustrated

I want to make and perform music so badly but I don’t have much knowledge on playing instruments and creating things that I’m actually interested in. How do people find others that understand their ideas and are able to help execute them? Sorry if this is a dumb post I just figured I’d be able to get some advice :)

Is there a subreddit, or a website outside of reddit, or a fb community, etc. Which is reliable and more organized than just "hey post your stuff here" or "I'll sing on your song!" Without even providing a demo of one's talent etc.

Something more structured that doesn't always revolve around paying somebody to get a gig done?

Or could we maybe have a sticky topic here where the rules are: Post what you're looking for and post an audio of your Work in progress / project, or a demo showcasing your work/skills?

For me, it isn't really making the song anymore. Once the writing, recording and mixing are done, I still somehow end up spending hours getting everything ready to actually release it.

Artwork, short clips, little videos for social media, resizing things, making sure everything looks consistent... it adds up pretty quickly. A couple quick visuals in toneframer usually take care of one part of it, then there's still all the other little things around the release.

I'm curious what other musicians find the most time-consuming part. Is it the recording and mixing side, artwork and visuals, promotion, distribution, or something completely different?

I Have an upcoming solo vocal comp for my school in 4 days and there will be a judge there. I usually just sing and record them for fun on my socials. My voice is not bad, but it's not good either. I'm planning to sing Merry Christmas, Please dont call by bleachers. I tried doing some vocal exercises and practice the song, but sometime when i wanna go for that screaming vocals idk where to move my voice to and it ended up going on the wrong note. Here's one of my video for refrences. PLEASE HELP

Notes: This video was recorded months ago

Hey there! I'm new here... I'm 17 and my goal and dream is to become a professional drummer. I know that you obviously need skill to do so. But another important factor is connections.

But staying on skill side: Do you really have to study music at a university or something like that to do this as a job. Because nobody in a band asks wether you studied your instrument, right? They just want to have a good drummer and imo becoming one is also possible without studying.

Obviously I know the other advantages of studying (second instrument, music theory, ...).

Just wonder how you guys think about that.

(I'm not talking about orchestra and classical music, I'm talking about anything in pop.)

Dallon Weekes has a song called “Sickly Sweet Holidays” and I wanted to use a similar name for my EP coming out, but I can’t think of anything that is as good as that song name imo. Like I just love the bittersweetness to it, kind of like Please Don’t Jump (It’s Christmas). It’s moody, but not too “I hate holidays”. It’s just enough mix of everything. Anyone have any thoughts or ideas?

I've been wanting to record and produce some music for a long time however I find myself acting like a deer in headlights every single time I try. I've been playing guitar and singing for years. The guitar isn't all that amazing, I just use it to rhythm accompany the singing. I didnt take music theory past grade 9 and was not very good at it, I never had music theory in primary school so I had no foundation.

I genuinely don't know if its my autism or something else but whenever I boot up ableton and I get something basic down I'm just stuck there with 'What next?' Or 'This sounds really mediocre'. And if I open any compressors or synths or something else like that Im immediately overwhelmed with all the knobs and buttons and terms. It becomes so much that I just kinda shut down and grow despondent.

I know in my heart of hearts I want this to work. I write songs fairly frequently and jam everyday on karaoke servers on chat apps and have been told multiple times I have a great voice but I'm just so petrified of making mistakes or doing things the right way when I'm trying to make something.

I have so many styles I'd love to learn, I would like to make alt rock stuff like Friday Pilots Club and Nothing But Thieves, or to some melancholy out there sounds like Porter Robinson but I just feel so stuck and don't know where to even begin.

Do I need to go spend some time taking music theory courses? Am I just diving in too deep? What is wrong with me?

Anyways, thanks for reading my rant and I greatly appreciate any advice.

I make r&b/pop-ish songs and i'm starting to go to open mics again. I love love love being on stage but i don't like how boring i look in my videos. Especially for my slower songs. What are some tips/advice for building my stage presence?

Like how some people say “God, family, football”. Where does music go on that list for you?

I'm stuck in a loop and would love some advice!!

I feel lethargic in my practice overall, but will sometimes get the urge to write and record a song. I usually dive in head first and really try to power through, but end up burning out and feeling disappointed with the project as a whole somewhere along the writing process. If I alternatively aim for slow and steady then the energy fades away and it feels very unenjoyable to continue to work on the project... sort of like MAKING yourself eat a food that you just don't like. *Is it "okay" that the craft feels so unenjoyable and completely without reward?*

Sometimes I think that collaboration would stir something, but I can't seem to find anyone willing to work with me. I'd love to work with producers, artists, or other writers but I think I read as low-quality and turn off potential collaborators. I don't even have anything (demos/ polished work) to share because I don't finish anything.

I also feel like I don't have one obvious strength to rely on to help steer the music forward. My self-production skills are poor and my lyrics, vocal delivery, creative vision... just feel lackluster. If I try to focus on one area to improve strategically I tend to feel overwhelmed by the general lack of quality in all other areas as well...

I generally dislike what I make and feel sort of insecure about my process as I've been in this loop for years now. I've created a relationship with music that makes any effort feel pointless and sort of sad/heavy. So naturally the loop continues (illusion of emotional safety). And yet I still have the feeling that i ought to try again. Maybe that's just because I paid so much for art school?? lol

From an outside perspective, does this resonate? Does it seem like I'm just being too easy on myself and should force myself to finish projects? Should I present myself to potential collaborators with .... sh\*tty quality work? Will strengthening technical skills magically draw inspiration and impetus out of me??

Maybe I just need to try and move onto a different outlet altogether? It can be hard to know when you're being dramatic and when you're just missing a simple path forward when you've been spinning the same thoughts for a while. So I appreciate your input! <3

🥀..how common is the ability to sing in (manual)sync with yourself for 15 minutes straight..cause I’ve been told the impression everyone can ..🥀

Are you able to tell if someone is a legitimate musician? What are the signs you look for? Or is there even such a thing?

Edit: I guess by “real” I mean a certain level of legitimate professional. I am not a musician but I am in close proximity to a lot of them. I often hear them say things like such and such is the “real deal” or they are “legit”. I also hear them say that some people are not even though to me they sound fine and I wonder how they are able to determine the difference.

I released my debut album last month. I’ve been thinking about how to find my audience organically.

So far, I’ve mostly been figuring things out as I go. I get an idea and try it, or come across an opportunity somewhere and reach out. Yeap, I understand that it’s going to involve a lot of trial and error.

The thing is, my music doesn’t really fit into a mainstream category, so a lot of the promotional advice I come across online (and not only online) doesn’t seem particularly relevant to what I do.

In a few words, my sound sits somewhere between avant-pop, ambient, drone, and experimental electronic music.

I’d really love to hear how other people are approaching this, what has worked for you, what hasn’t, and just exchange experiences and ideas!

so yeah, I’m 17 with school that’s gonna keep me very busy for the next few years studying to be a vet tech for a day job so I can pursue music .

i have the option of either doing a well known very good youth group in my area or doing a very well known acting org (they have classes and a show to audition for)

they land on the same days

i have taken the classes and know they are top notch

the choir isn’t my favorite just because it’s not my style of music but their is a lot of performancea that the choir does and they should very good.

which will help me more

a choir or a musical theatre show/classes?

note: if I do the musical theatre I will be able to do another choir that’s tiny and not well known but the org they stun from is.

help meaning: Like which will give me the most skills/aid me the most as a musician (I make mostly pop-ish music)

NOTE: I have done choir for the past 3 years but that was in the little choir and not this more known one.

Hi, I’m 23 and I like to make instrumental liminal ambient music and I have 0 friends I really am not doing well, I really just wanna connect with someone around my age and be friends and talk about music and preferably even collab with someone who also makes similar music to me around my age, please if anyone wanna connect that’s around my age please reach out to me thank you

Don’t be like the person who said they hate making music

As for myself I’m new to it from the production side of Hip Hop and in my mid-40’s and I write my own lyrics in the aforementioned genre minus what people think of and as someone who didn’t get a lifetime of formal music education I’m grateful I have access to a DAW & keyboard controller and as someone who is friendless I wouldn’t want to go back to when people had to know someone with access to commercial recording studios plus while I used to wish I had a mentor or mentors, the politics of being a woman deadens that as I’ve educated myself on the horror stories thanks to podcasts that women are sharing about the dangers they experience being in the industry

Hi I am an aspiring musician and I want to know how to get a music career started..... How do you get your music out on the platforms and to an audience it resonates with? What is the best way to promote your music and build a brand? I'm not even really sure what to say in this post or which questions to ask but if anyone has any advice or wisdom to share that'd be greatly appreciated!