You should definitely not quit making music simply because a track did
poorly in a what.cd contest. As the old saying goes, there's no
accounting for taste, and if you're going to make art/music, you have to
be prepared for criticism, even if it's harsh, misguided and unfounded.
There was an article in Pitchfork this summer (yeah, yeah, I know), a
"The month in techno" article by Philip Sherburne, and he solicited
"manifestos" from a number of different producers:
http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/feature/142152-the-month-in-techno
My favorite piece of advice, by far, was this one by Professor Genius:
"Before that track you just made goes out into the world, ask yourself:
have you just made something that would knock you out if someone else
was the author? Would you need to own it and listen to it again? Or does
it just blend in with everything else out there (ho hum)?"
I think this is a pretty simple (yet demanding) rule that would go a
long way towards improving anyone's music.
It also solves the dilemma of making music for yourself versus making
music for other people. Don't make shit music for yourself, make music
for yourself that blows you away personally. If you find yourself unable
to enjoy your own music or think of it in those terms, then perhaps you
should find another hobby.
cheers
w
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