Should I move to L.A.?

[tedsingingfox]

And FWIW, Kevin, when I sat down with Joanne Ledesma at the Rally and she heard a couple of my tunes (after I introduced myself as a "composer" rather than as a singer/songwriter), she said, "you can write THIS, you're a composer, but you live in Taos? That's a problem. You need to be here in LA."My reply was basically, "Joanne, I'm 50 yrs old and I do NOT want to be starting over in LA like some kid."She said, "YOU'RE 50 yrs old?!?!?""Yeah...""So have you thought about music libraries?"Stay where you are and build a life from there. These guys here have first hand experience and are telling you the truth (not to mention sharing with you some GREAT one-step-at-a-time ideas to get you closer to where you're wanting to be.)Ted

[mikev]

Hi,It seems I'm jumping into this topic a little late but I thought I'd put in my 2 cents.Kevin, while you certain can stay where you're at and be successful, nothing is going to replace the contacts you will exposed to out here on a daily basis. LA is an industry town and while the Internet and frequent trips to LA can certainly help in establishing relationships in the industry, it is no substitute for living here in the community.In LA you will be exposed to literally 100's opportunities that simply are not available in Utah. Most people get in to he industry via entry level positions and work their way up establishing networking relationships along the way. Will you have the same opportunities in Utah?You also make a good point that you are single right now. This would seem like an opportune time. A year or so from now could that situation change to where that would no longer be the case?Best of luck!!Mike

[ernstinen]

Quote:Hi,It seems I'm jumping into this topic a little late but I thought I'd put in my 2 cents.Me too! Here's my experience with this topic: You've got to REALLY REALLY REALLY want to be a film composer above anything else in life --- AND be a fantastic schmoozer with great people skills and an incredibly thick skin if you move to L.A. for your film composing career.I moved here to be in the music biz. I played rock&roll for awhile (ALMOST got signed), became a recording engineer/producer, and got so busy with that I had no time to compose. So I wound that down and took film scoring courses at UCLA. The Extension program is great if you have the $$.During one of my first classes, the instructor told us about his take on the business of scoring for film and T.V.:"The best part of scoring is hearing your music being recorded by an orchestra on the sound stage. It's so exciting! But then, EVERYTHING goes down hill from there. The producer, director, music editor etc. get involved, and by the time they're done with your music, it's a pathetic, sad shell of what you created. You feel used, deflated, depressed --- or even fired. It's a terrible business to get into."I'm thinking "Wow, what a great pep talk!" So I kept taking classes in arranging and composition, but that first "lesson" really stuck with me. I realized I wanted my music to stand on its own, and not be a pawn in someone else's game. I scored some short films, but it just didn't do it for me, personally. Everybody is different, but my experiences steered me into what I REALLY wanted to do: Compose concert music. --- That's what I'm doing, and frankly I could live anywhere and do that. But here I stay in LaLa Land for the time being!In summation, follow your muse, and above all, follow your heart. You'll never regret it.Ern