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A farewell message to the music industry from Fabio Stein

Interesting post here by Fabio Stein, a DJ/Producer who has experienced a considerable amount of success as outlined in his farewell post. A lot of what he says sums up many of the feelings I have personally had of late.

Fabio Stein - Letter of Resignation

Thoughts?

people think my picture is a joke, seriously, ill do anything for a leg of turkey.

I hope he finds his happiness

Holden says, "any dj over 30 needs to quit"...

I'm 29...

But I aint quitting...

How old is Oakenfold??

He makes generic techno and complains about generic music; what a hypocrit.

Ghandi said it best: "Be the change you want to see in the world."

He could try and make fresh and exciting material, rather than just continually bitch about how "there's nothing good out there."

I guess if you live inside your tiny little genre bubble, then yeah, it's going to be eventually bore you.

It seems like great artists are constantly trying to push themselves, and always improve upon what they have done before. If you just kind lay down and stop pushing yourself, then you'll get bored and the game will be over.

I never really understood why DJ's are so obsessed with having the most recent music. They rather play out so-so new material rather than great old material. Give any track enough time and it will become fresh again. Great music never goes out of style.

Shh...music older than six months should be played only on classics nights.

Oh well, he's definitely not the first person to get frustrated with the music industry and he certainly won't be the last. But I find this excuse to be very lame:

quote:

I think today�s electronic dance music is just boring� as a whole, and with rare exceptions. Everything sounds like it�s trying too hard to be a genre, instead of expressing something special and unique. It�s all about esthetics, smoke and mirrors� but where�s the beef? From the underground to the mainstream, it sounds like dance music has stopped in time and entered an eternal loop, recycling the same old sounds over and over and over� you�re either part of the trend, or will get trampled by it. And I�m just sick of going against the grain.

Wah. I don't like what other people are doing so I'm going to quit doing what I like to do. That just doesn't make sense. Moreover, it just sums up the overarching problem with many dance DJs and producers - they take themselves and the music far too seriously for their own good. Do it for the love of what you're doing, or find a new hobby. Expecting the industry to be full of music that is "special and unique" as YOU view it is a very unrealistic viewpoint and will only lead to dissatisfaction.

Regardless, I'm not familiar with the guy, but I hope he finds happiness and success doing something else.

quote:

Originally posted by cryophonik Do it for the love of what you're doing, or find a new hobby.

This.

quote:

Originally posted by cryophonik Wah. I don't like what other people are doing so I'm going to quit doing what I like to do. That just doesn't make sense. Moreover, it just sums up the overarching problem with many dance DJs and producers - they take themselves and the music far too seriously for their own good. Do it for the love of what you're doing, or find a new hobby. Expecting the industry to be full of music that is "special and unique" as YOU view it is a very unrealistic viewpoint and will only lead to dissatisfaction. Regardless, I'm not familiar with the guy, but I hope he finds happiness and success doing something else.

Word! I don't agree with his rant about how electronic music is stuck in a perpetual rut and never tries anything new. I'm 30 and have been listening to the music for as long as he. I still find the music just as interesting as ever. Now and then it gets stale, but what doesn't. Maybe its just the sheer volume of music thats driving him crazy and making it harder to find the good stuff. This is true. Back in the olden days you could scroll down the new release page a chemical and check 20 records and be done with it. I think the glut makes the dj even more important today. No big deal though, good luck to the guy.

God, people are such bitches lol.

If you don't want to listen to EDM anymore then shut the fuck up and stop listening to it and quit pretending there's some higher reason behind your decision.

It hasn't gotten worse, it's not boring, it's just different and if you don't like it anymore then stop fucking listening! There are a lot of people out there making EDM and I guarantee you there's always going to be something new and fresh if you know where to look, but bitching because you're not happy with the beatport top 10 isn't going to get you anywhere.

as;ldalsdkfj.

felt this way many times (though his accomplishments look larger than mine). just take a break, step back from the politics. I've always had a day job though, I don't really "feel his pain", we've all been working just as hard, but two fold.

Last point to make, where I think he might be "coming from" is something I've been saying for a while. There is, unfortunately, zero middle class in dance music. 99% of the money goes to 1%(arguably less) of the artists. The pie should allow a lot more people to do this full time and now get into depression, financial hardship, etc. I know the economists of this forum are you going to say, "well people won't try as hard" or "the reward won't be as great" but that's bullshit, this industry isn't based around dollars, it's based around talent. There are so so so so many talented people that should be able to write music for a living that can't and that sucks. That is awful for the scene if you think about it.

/rant

quote:

Originally posted by Seandroid God, people are such bitches lol. If you don't want to listen to EDM anymore then shut the fuck up and stop listening to it and quit pretending there's some higher reason behind your decision. It hasn't gotten worse, it's not boring, it's just different and if you don't like it anymore then stop fucking listening! There are a lot of people out there making EDM and I guarantee you there's always going to be something new and fresh if you know where to look, but bitching because you're not happy with the beatport top 10 isn't going to get you anywhere. as;ldalsdkfj.

Whilst I don't personally fully agree with some of what Fabio Stein says, your response is typical of an 18 year old who is fresh into the scene...

quote:

Originally posted by G-Con Whilst I don't personally fully agree with some of what Fabio Stein says, your response is typical of an 18 year old who is fresh into the scene...

Maybe that's because there hasn't been enough time for me to turn into a pretentious twat who can't just enjoy the music because I'm to obsessed with listening to "high class" or "genre bending" music.

quote:

Originally posted by Zombie0729 There is, unfortunately, zero middle class in dance music. 99% of the money goes to 1%(arguably less) of the artists.

Music is just a reflection of real life where also ~ 1 % controls the whole world. It's the "XXI century capitalism" where greed people can do everything (law really doesnt apply to them) to get more money, even ruin hundreds thousands of people (2008 crisis). In XXI century its not about market competition anymore. It's about monopoly or oligopoly. Few people control financial sector, few people (corporates) control food (i dont know what does it look like in US but in europe almost every chocolate = KRAFT foods. where are the other competitors ? there arent or were bought out. 20 years ago there was a chocolate from Scandinavia (Toblerone, Marabou), Germany, France, Poland etc. Now it's all "KRAFT Foods").

It looks like in music industry also few people control 99 % of "money pie". I have my own theory why trance somewhere around 2000 suddenly went down and stopped being played in TV, Radio. Its not because it was boring or something. It's because US labels, powerful people didnt have their pie. Most DJs, biggest events were in Europe and "some" people didnt like it at all. So they just killed the product, invented another but this time focused on US. (yea, im starting to think about that iluminati crap (or any other "powerful group") controlling music industry ). Now dance / pop music is all about US. David Guetta, Lady Gaga, Bieber - it's all United States.

And just for the record - it's not about being good. There are hundreds of great producers but they dont have enough promotion, they'll never get into the media. Sure, there are some exceptions which can remind people "american dream" but it's just an illusion. The truth is that tiny amount of people controls the whole worlds and no one can stop it anymore.

I remember, about 10-12 years ago my "internet friend" was signed by some label. God, I was so jealous (in a good, positive way). I knew that he put a lot of work into this, and I put much less work 10 years later im actually happy that i failed, that i have "normal" job (IT sector) because it turned out to be ... a better way.

Fabio says that its not about the money but in my opinion it is about the money. It's not about he is greedy or something. It's just everyone wants to have a decent life. If you do something good, but you cant make a living with it then this sucks. If you're a good producer you should earn enough money to live, just like good it programmer, seller or whoever...

quote:

Originally posted by Beatflux I never really understood why DJ's are so obsessed with having the most recent music. They rather play out so-so new material rather than great old material. Give any track enough time and it will become fresh again. Great music never goes out of style.

I have wondered about this many many times. Most DJ's will play material released in the last couple of months and maybe throw in a couple of 'classics' as and when needed. Is that part of the profile? Why can't you play a song from 2006? 2009? If it fits in the set it fits in the set.

Radioshows are about the latest music, don't know why live sets should be an advertisement for the same

If you feel music as a whole is "stale," probably one or both of the following have happened:

(1) The music in your own small niche of listening has gotten stale.
(2) You have reached that unfortunate stage of life when you start to remember the music of your youth as so perfect and profound that nothing new can ever touch it.

For anyone with a little knowledge on psychology, Fabios disatisfaction is completely usual within ANY and all endeavours.

His sentiments can be found for example in the history of painting where some people claim yesterdays cubism had become stail and poisoned so they were quitting the whole art scene.

You will find this in every era, and twill always be thus.

There will always be those wanting to get out, claiming they've seen the light.

It always amazes me the Fabios of this world seem blissfuly unaware of history.

I was watching a history of British prog rock and they had interviews way back in the 70's of people saying they were getting out as the scene had gone sour.

Many studies have also demonstrated that as people get older they tend to think tomorrow will be worse than yesterday so to speak. The studies will still be finding this in a billion years - and yes Humans will still be around, albeit on other terraformed and natural planets.


Remember this; your 18 year old golden today, will be a 40 year olds stinking swamp, and his 18 yr old golden days will have been the then 40 years olds junkyard. And on it goes.


Lastly, it is of course the case a few people in any scene will control the bulk of the income. Not everyone can be a farmer. None of us mind Al Pacino commanding massive fees, you dont protest about that, even though millions of actors are penniless. Why then should the public give two shits about similar in the edm scene.

Fabio should go into fashion.

There's just way too much talent out there. It's always a shame that some talents get out shined by others, but that's just reality.

What I don't agree with is that Stein thinks that EDM sucks because of it's stock chords, timbres, arrangemnts, and conventions. Art is heavily derivative, it's something that I had to accept too. If the wheel isn't broken, there is no need to fix it.

quote:

Originally posted by smakmagik I have wondered about this many many times. Most DJ's will play material released in the last couple of months and maybe throw in a couple of 'classics' as and when needed. Is that part of the profile? Why can't you play a song from 2006? 2009?

Hehe, my point too I don't understand why DJs mostly play the latest stuff. Seriously, I prefer set which contains big tunes from last 5 years than some average or crappy ones played only because it's a fresh release.

Andy Blueman.

quote:

Originally posted by Storyteller Andy Blueman.

Lol, was thinking the same thing 10 seconds in to this thread.

I have to echo all the sentiments in this thread, especially from Dave (cryo), DNA, Mr Buter and even a little bit of seandroid.

The problems are prevalent in any form of life or work (in terms of the 1% owning everything etc), and frankly the problem lies with Fabio, not with music/EDM or the scene.

I thought EDM was dead a few years when living in London and all the clubs shut and club music became this endless stream of mnml zanax - fast foward 4 years, a different country and it's like being reborn.

Essentially, it is what you make it and what you put in to it - the Ghandi quote is spot on - if you don't like what you're hearing, then make something you do like and find other who do. Every year I stumble upon a new producer who amazes me to the point I at first want to pack it in but then it inspires and challenges me. The world is a small place now and it's never been easier to find new material or inspiration. People need to remember, just 15 years ago, if you wanted to hear new music, it was either the radio or making a physical trip to the record store which for me was at least 30mins train ride away.

I do get it thought - trying to scratch a living out of music, even working at one of the top studios in the world for one of the most famous composers, in one of only parts of the music industry that hasn't fallen on tough times (film score) was a intense struggle, of getting paid fuck all for the most demanding hours I have ever worked. You can only do it for the pure love of it.

And this is nothing new - there hasn't been any money in the record industry since the mid 90's (in fact the 80's if you speak to people who made music in the 80s') - so those bitching about the state of things need to only blame themselves for not being realistic about their alleged passion.

Nearly all the DJ's and producers (in fact all musicians) I truly respect (and are getting paid big money) would continue to do it if they got paid nothing. That's the true test, and it can be applied to any art form, not just music.

His post is more about his own failings for getting too wrapped up in the politics and not avoiding the obvious pitfalls of EDM than it is about music.

fabio who ?

quote:

Originally posted by Beatflux He makes generic techno and complains about generic music; what a hypocrit. Ghandi said it best: "Be the change you want to see in the world." He could try and make fresh and exciting material, rather than just continually bitch about how "there's nothing good out there." I guess if you live inside your tiny little genre bubble, then yeah, it's going to be eventually bore you. It seems like great artists are constantly trying to push themselves, and always improve upon what they have done before. If you just kind lay down and stop pushing yourself, then you'll get bored and the game will be over. I never really understood why DJ's are so obsessed with having the most recent music. They rather play out so-so new material rather than great old material. Give any track enough time and it will become fresh again. Great music never goes out of style.

+1 +1 +1 +1

quote:

Originally posted by Looney4Clooney fabio who ?

with all my due respect for the guy, I second that. Not that I want to break him, but I've been through this myself a gazillion times. Enough whining and crying because it won't get any better soon. There is one way forward, that's work work work and work again. "Resign" when you reach the top, at least it doesn't feel ridiculous. And if he really quits then the boy has two problems. First of all he sends the wrong message as it also means he was only running a business and not expressing any form of art. Yikes. Secondly that means he won't be able to come back.

I did the exact same mistakes ROFL. It's not surprising. I know how frustrating it is. But guys, I beg you not to make those mistakes. Shut up, work, exist as creators/artists, and when you have nothing to say, just shut up. Focus on the important things in life and see this pop life as an avatar on the web, nothing else.

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