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LA -> UK

guitarguru12

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Hello all,

I've just finished FastLane, and wanted to take the opportunity to introduce myself here. Historically I've always been averse to involving myself in online communities attached to self-improvment books etc., but felt fully compelled in this case to have some humility and enter in as a complete beginner into a world no doubt full of experts.

I'm a 33 year old Brit who's just moving back from spending 3 years in Los Angeles. I work in the movie industry, writing music for films (or 'doing what I love', as @MJ DeMarco would put it...). And as much as I have enjoyed some success over the years, it's been a slog that has slowly eroded my love of music and film. Working on too many awful projects for too many awful people for too low pay and punishing hours/deadlines finally took its toll. And when C0VlD-19 came along and torpedoed the industry, I finally decided to re-assess my situation.

I realised that what I was looking for was financial freedom. To be able to one day pursue my artistic goals without the burden of a brief, an a**hole client, an impossible deadline....
And I am someone who has historically been fairly terrible with money - being freelance meant I would yo-yo from desperately poor, to landing a decent gig, frittering away that money almost immediately and going back to the breadline.

I got sick of this, and decided to take charge of the situation. After reading a few recommended books on value investing etc. and becoming fairly disheartened at how long this wealth journey was going to take, investing in ETFs etc., I finally came across the FastLane and have resolved to hurl myself into it.

So, here I am. I have absolutely no idea how I'm going to action everything I've learned thus far, but will be dedicating bandwidth in the coming weeks towards a problem that can be solved, a gap that can be bridged; some way I can provide value, and affect millions. Something that adheres to the C.E.N.T.S. system.

I'll do my best to continue to engage with the community, provide value where I can, and hopefully learn something from all of the experience that is no doubt floating around everywhere here.


Look forward to getting to know some of you and your own endeavours

All the best,

David.
 
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rpeck90

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Hi David, you're in good hands.

Do you have any examples of your previous work? Also, where are you living now you're back in the UK?

Rich
 

guitarguru12

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Jan 1, 2021
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Hi David, you're in good hands.

Do you have any examples of your previous work? Also, where are you living now you're back in the UK?

Rich
Hi Rich - and thank you. As for my previous film work, you can hear an up to date reel here:


Alternatively there’s my website:



I’m actually currently in Dubai with my family waiting for the Tier 4 situation to clear up a bit. Haven’t decided quite where I’ll be based yet - whether London is worth the squeeze right now or if I should be somewhere outside the M25 for the time being
 
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UK_Mike

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I realised that what I was looking for was financial freedom. To be able to one day pursue my artistic goals without the burden of a brief, an a**hole client, an impossible deadline....

I've always wondered - how difficult would it actually be to knock up some type of "dance" track, get it picked up in the clubs around the world, sell a shed-load and just keep the cash? Every time I hear one-hit wonder tracks I think about the fact that someone sitting in a room somewhere has the publishing royalty on it - it might be a terrible piece of music, but it's raking some money in. You have the skills to do something like that, where I can only wonder what it must be like to have them. You'd have to forego your artistic integrity (unless that's a particular style of music that you like of course) but the income could give you the freedom to do better things.

It's obviously not that easy, or it would have occurred to you already. Can you give any insight as to why that might be, to someone who has no involvement with music other than to listen to it?

Anyway, it'll be interesting to read what you do, always good to hear from others in (or thinking of being in) the UK.
 

Robbi

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Dec 18, 2020
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First post from me, I've been lurking and reading (didn't do a proper intro).

All the best with all this. Your story resonates with me; while I have never made any real money with music or it's surrounding practises, I've always done it and never wanted to comprise on it. Similar to you, part of wanting to living a rich (fast lane) life for me is to be able to undertake projects with little limits. I'm also at the beginning of my journey with this (UK based also, and similar age--32).

Looking forward to reading/hearing more from you.
 
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guitarguru12

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Jan 1, 2021
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I've always wondered - how difficult would it actually be to knock up some type of "dance" track, get it picked up in the clubs around the world, sell a shed-load and just keep the cash? Every time I hear one-hit wonder tracks I think about the fact that someone sitting in a room somewhere has the publishing royalty on it - it might be a terrible piece of music, but it's raking some money in. You have the skills to do something like that, where I can only wonder what it must be like to have them. You'd have to forego your artistic integrity (unless that's a particular style of music that you like of course) but the income could give you the freedom to do better things.

It's obviously not that easy, or it would have occurred to you already. Can you give any insight as to why that might be, to someone who has no involvement with music other than to listen to it?

Anyway, it'll be interesting to read what you do, always good to hear from others in (or thinking of being in) the UK.
Hello mate,

So this is a bit of a tricky one to answer, but I think the best way would be to use Fastlane mechanics.

The main issue here is the Commandment of Entry - dance music alone is one of the most saturated markets in the world in terms of supply. Everyone and his mum these days thinks they can churn out a hit - the barriers to entry with regard to the technology are so low (GarageBand on your Macbook will suffice...), and many see it as that fast track to fame and fortune (Britain's Got Talent mentality).

The reality is that most of the 'crappy' dance tracks that hit it big in the clubs are masterfully constructed - they take advantage of a litany of musical nuances; be it structure, melody, production values etc. - you'd be surprised what goes behind a hit. The Tiesto's and Guetta's of the world are heaps more talented than people might first assume.

Could I have a crack at it? Certainly. But I'd have to dive into a very, very large ocean with millions of tiny fish all clamouring to get noticed whilst a handful of enormous sharks gobble everything up. It would be lovely to land a banger, but as most bands over the years that have tried, in vain, to produce that perennial Xmas hit that's going to keep them comfortable on an island for the rest of their lives.....well they quite quickly end up with a lot more respect for Slade and Wizzard then they probably started with ;)

I earn a fairly steady stream of royalties from my work over the years - the films and TV shows I've worked on are one of my main income streams, and wil continue to be. IP really is an incredible form of passive income - and when I return to the industry in earnest where I intend to also write/direct/produce movies using the skills and experience I've picked up in this field, I'm sure royalties will play an even bigger role in my life than they do currently.

But until then.....I'd rather stay away from the dance music rat race.


Great question! Thank you
 

Mutant

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Hello David

Welcome, & welcome back! (Kind of. Nearly. Soon. I'm in London :rofl: )

I used to want to compose for film & tv, & indeed have done bits, but thankfully realised early on that it wasn't the best path for me. I have however spent most of my adult life thus far doing various - usually underpaid - things in the arts/media in various capacities.
Fastlane really is the smart approach.

Historically I've always been averse to involving myself in online communities attached to self-improvment books etc., but felt fully compelled in this case to have some humility and enter in as a complete beginner into a world no doubt full of experts.

And whilst I'm obviously biased, you will find the real deal on this forum. It's it fully worth being here.


I'd keep any eye on what @Mike Partee is up to as a smart young musician/producer/entrepreneur & dig into his old progress threads (might be on the inside?)

Also @Valier took skills from his arts background (acting) & made a fastlane route. Especially as you're interested in taking your background & going into filmmaking, his progress thread is well worth a read.

And I know there are a number of other musicians and other arts-based folk on here.


Enjoy!
 

Valier

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Hello all,

I've just finished FastLane, and wanted to take the opportunity to introduce myself here. Historically I've always been averse to involving myself in online communities attached to self-improvment books etc., but felt fully compelled in this case to have some humility and enter in as a complete beginner into a world no doubt full of experts.

I'm a 33 year old Brit who's just moving back from spending 3 years in Los Angeles. I work in the movie industry, writing music for films (or 'doing what I love', as @MJ DeMarco would put it...). And as much as I have enjoyed some success over the years, it's been a slog that has slowly eroded my love of music and film. Working on too many awful projects for too many awful people for too low pay and punishing hours/deadlines finally took its toll. And when C0VlD-19 came along and torpedoed the industry, I finally decided to re-assess my situation.

I realised that what I was looking for was financial freedom. To be able to one day pursue my artistic goals without the burden of a brief, an a**hole client, an impossible deadline....
And I am someone who has historically been fairly terrible with money - being freelance meant I would yo-yo from desperately poor, to landing a decent gig, frittering away that money almost immediately and going back to the breadline.

I got sick of this, and decided to take charge of the situation. After reading a few recommended books on value investing etc. and becoming fairly disheartened at how long this wealth journey was going to take, investing in ETFs etc., I finally came across the FastLane and have resolved to hurl myself into it.

So, here I am. I have absolutely no idea how I'm going to action everything I've learned thus far, but will be dedicating bandwidth in the coming weeks towards a problem that can be solved, a gap that can be bridged; some way I can provide value, and affect millions. Something that adheres to the C.E.N.T.S. system.

I'll do my best to continue to engage with the community, provide value where I can, and hopefully learn something from all of the experience that is no doubt floating around everywhere here.


Look forward to getting to know some of you and your own endeavours

All the best,

David.

Hey David,

I've been doing acting for a while with some professional work, and your journey sounds very similar to mine.

Apart from the fact that I just lost my passion for acting as a whole after grinding through it since a child and throughout my teens, I also started to realise that what I really wanted was to hit that "financial freedom" and follow my "passions" without needing to worry about whether it made some money, or deadlines, etc etc.

One of the biggest things creative individuals are lacking, that I've seen time-and-time again since being introduced to the world of business, is an entrepreneurial mindset/approach.

Many of my actor friends rely on gatekeepers and working minimum wage jobs to get by, and fail to realise that we are living in the best possible time in which you have the ability to create and share your own work and build your own audience right at your fingertips, as long as you find your way of standing out in the market.

So here's what I'd say as my personal advice to you: the first mistake I made when I started becoming serious about my financial goals and "going fastlane" was separating my creative side and my entrepreneurial side.

The both of those things go really well together, and they should be utilised especially if you have the advantage of coming from that creative background in the first place.

I don't know what that might look like for you. But for me, I combined what I learnt with acting, along with developing my skills at video editing, to create a YouTube channel that I think is unique in my niche because I chose to utilise my creative background to fill a gap in that market.
 
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guitarguru12

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Jan 1, 2021
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Thank you for all the support so far guys - I'm feeling very good about this community already.

To @Valier and @Mutant and their comments - interestingly you beat me to the punch on my next topic of discussion, and that is field of play.

My initial feeling was that I should try and move outside of the industry/s that I know to work on whatever development I opt for. But I have begun to wonder whether it might be advantageous to tap into the market that I already know and am connected within....

....food for thought certainly. And to not throw the baby out with the bathwater in terms of my creativity, and to lean into that.

Onwards!!
 

Mutant

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If you think about it, with the E & N of CENTS, any kind of specialist skill & experience means you will be able to see Needs that the average person can't, & are better placed (Entry) to solve it than the average person too - even if you told them the idea.

Of course you don't have to stay within your industry, but you don't have to leave it either - just look at it from a different perspective. Whatever you do - leverage your advantages!
 

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