Son wants to be a singer

[ollins.comVocalist Dad]

All,

I have a son Gabe (21) who has informed me about a year ago that he wants to be a singer (rock) and only take business classes in college that will help him in the music industry. As a dad, I want to support him and his dreams but also want to be realistic about his future. I have been checking in with the Modern Vocalist (Review and Critique My Singing) forum for about 6 months and must say you all conduct yourselves very professionally and respectfully, something not seen on many forums. I am not looking for compliments and praise of his works, (he doesn’t know I am inquiring) but a truthful honest opinion on if this is something I should help nurture or help steer in another direction. He does have a rock cover band he gigs with a lot on the weekends so he always has an outlet to performing. I am afraid I can’t find a FAQ on how to post songs for review so if the first response to this can be on how to do that, I will post some songs. The only work I have is the songs he and some friends made in his buddies studio so they are somewhat mixed already. This is the first place they have been heard outside of his family.

Thanks for your assistance,

Gabe’s Dad

[Keith]

Get a dropbox, soundcloud, or soundclick account (Free) and upleod in MP3 format. Then, just supply the link and a description in the "post a new topc" link. Easy as that.

[ollins.comVocalist Dad]

Thanks Keith,

this is a cover of an ALter Bridge song Metalingus. Hope this works.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=1229744

[Keith]

Not sure he needs any help being a fantastic singer... He is already there. Getting him into a national act is most likely you're only logical next step... Where did he learn to sing like that?

[slstone]

...enters dreamy state...remembers the scene from "Rock Star". Mark Wahlberg auditioning for steel dragon.....hey that was Zakk playing guitar...lol

[Vocalist Dad]

Keith, thanks for the reply. I'm not exactly sure where Gabe picked up his ability to sing, I think it is something he has always done. I know he use to get into trouble in school for not being quite, he was always humming. I know he really wants to do this; I'm just concerned that he can really do this and make a living. This is probably just a typical dad concern. I always tell his mom that he is only 21, if he is going to try this, now is the time to do it. If it doesn't pan out, he can always put his business studies to work. I appreciate the forums here, they are full of very useful insights and I will keep learning. thanks

[Daug Poland]

He is kurwa zajebiście very Good. Just the type of voice I wish to have.

[devaitis]

World Class ROCK singing.

Levels: newbie, average, good, very good, professional, Gabe.....

Congratulation, I wish my son will be able to sing like that.

[Condor Bastadon]

The other covers on that site are just as good. Black Rain is awesome. Dude is a really, really excellent singer.

Bad thing is, the music scene probably isn't such a great way to make money these days(see: illegal downloading)...and even getting noticed is so tough now. Even if he's in a semi-successful band and touring and stuff, he's not gonna be rich like the rock stars of the past unless he's in Nickelback or something. But if he finds a group of guys that can help him write some decent songs, and they don't mind being on the road a ton, then sure he could make a living at it.

If I were this guy and wanted to make it in the music business....i'd be sending vocal demos to all kinds of bands and/or finding a group of talented musicians to work with, writing songs, posting covers on Youtube, really just anything that you can use the internet for nowadays. The internet has made it a lot tougher to become financially successful for musicians in a lot of ways, but it's much easier to be heard immediately and around the world with the click of a button.

Get him to try out for American Idol and blow everybody off the stage with some real badass rock vocals. I'm sure some would balk at the idea of that, but it's honestly just the best way to get noticed today. I know David Cook and Chris Daughtry are rock singers doing pretty well for themselves, though they have more "pop-ish" voices than your son i'd say. I don't even know if they'd let a guy like him on the show, but it'd be awesome to see. He IS that good a singer in his genre IMO.

[ronws]

Really cool sound. Good choice, dropping a step on certain songs. Better to do a solid version where one can.

I don't have any singing advice except to say that he should take care that he can always do that. That usually requires vocal lessons or some kind of study.

Excellent, pro quality recordings, by the way.

[gno]

Excellent voice! and excellent productions too!

[Vocalist Dad]

Guys, thanks for the nice words and excellent tips. I think we are going to have to do some work figuring out a plan to pursue. I'm sure like a lot of businesses it's not what you know but who you know so this might take awhile. I do know that Gabe is very dedicated to this endeavor and is not afraid of the hard work required to get it done.

[ronws]

We have a section of the forum called artist developement where just about no one goes. In there, in one of the topics, was a list of contact names and numbers. Since your kid already has the sound of a polished and well-trained singer, pitch-perfect and with impeccable timing, and this band on the weekends is going nowhere, then, yeah, you should get him noticed by talent agents, etc.

[Vocalist Dad]

Thanks for the nice direction gang. From what I've been reading, he should be assembling a good music team. One of the first team members recommended is an entertainment attorney. Does anyone have a recommendation? There is very little need for that practice in the area we live so we aren’t having much luck.

Thanks for the help and advice.

Steve

Here is a cover of Audioslave’s Cochise recently completed that Gabe shared with me.

http://www.soundclick.com/player/single_player.cfm?songid=11406528&q=hi&newref=1

[ronws]

Not just an entertainment attorney but one that specialises in contracts for musical recording artists. Because, right of the bat, the music company is going to hold your son to 12 percent of net, which is 90 percent of gross sales. And then, advances, recording costs, including producer fees, etc, will come out of your son's royalties. He'll have to sell about 500,000 copies (gold record for an album) before seeing a check. Sell a million (platinum) in order to make the same as any management people at any company.

So, find one that can help you start your own music publishing company. Then, find another that is good at negotiating tour package deals.

[ronws]

Is your son going to be doing covers all the time? And, will he have a band or just be a voice for hire? Will he be a solo artist? Nothing wrong with that, plenty come to mind that have had success. Sometimes, record labels prefer that because they can build the band out of studio musicians that have a habit of not disintegrating themselves with drugs.

[Vocalist Dad]

Ronws, thanks for the insight. I know Gabe’s real dream would be to have the ability to use his own band. He and his brother write some pretty good grooving rock. I don’t think he wants to do covers other than that is what pays decently when out gigging in town and around the area. He has done some vocals for hire for a few small projects so who knows. I think he is open to anything related to singing. If he were fortunate enough to get interest from someone wanting to put a band together, I’m sure he would open to that as well. Being 21, he says it’s not necessarily about the money, if you have the goods and work hard enough, the money will follow.

[ronws]

So, he has the wisdom of someone twice his age. Maybe that will help him through the maze of drugs, alcohol, questionable personal relationships that await him.

"I know, it's only rock and roll but I like it."