Going on hiatus for a while...

[Glitchhog]

I know this is probably a bit off-topic for the off-topic forum, but shut up, that's why.

I was just listening to Swagberg's 'Pony Swag'; one of the first tracks I ever heard from a brony artist, and a huge wave of nostalgia hit me. I've been a brony for a good year or so now, and I remember when I used to just enjoy the show literally JUST for the show. Creating music has no doubt been amazing, but it just seems to have overcomplicated everything. It's essentially at the point where I'll be watching an episode, and be thinking "now, how can I add that to a song?" and variations of such, instead of just enjoying it 100% for the show.

My experience of the fandom was simpler when I entered it (around February 2011); I'd watch episodes, watch fanmade stuff on YouTube and get together with friends over Steam to watch and discuss the new episode with when it aired with a few drinks and a lot of good laughs. There was no huge expanse of artists and musicians trying to get recognized (or at least not in my experience of it all). The show started as just that; a show. A damn good show that made me feel like I was part of something, and contained characters that I could relate to very pesonally.

However, I've now entered into this competitive world of brony musicians who are all fighting to become recognized... and that's honestly taken away a lot of the magic. Listening to that track took me right back, and I miss how the show used to just make me feel great and a part of something. I'll likely go back to music no doubt, but I'm going to be putting it under the bed for now. Views and subscribers aren't my worry; I have plenty of them... I'm just looking to 'go back to my roots', as a mate said. I'd just rather my experience of the show remain as simple as possible.

So yeah, the track I released a few days ago may just be my very last track for a long, long while. If I knew that I was going to do this, I would have made it more solemn (haha), so have this one instead, as a bit of a play-me-out. Goodbye for now, brony musicians. I'll see you all around the bend. (and just fyi, I will continue to contribute as a columnist, to Equestrian Rhythm and Brony Musician Directory.)

[Random111223]

I know dat feel bro. I can't believe this silly show has had such a huge impact on my life. And i totally see episodes just like you. "Aww, no song? This episode sucked".

However, I've now entered into this competitive world of brony musicians who are all fighting to become recognized

Views and subscribers aren't my worry

Oh you, if you see it as a competition, you do care about views and subcribers.

Protip: remember that you don't make music for others, you make it because you enjoy it. If i fall deep into the hole of "MY MUSIC IS HORRIBLE I MUST BE LIEK ALEXS AND WORK HARD" i just drop everything until i get an idea which i will enjoy to create.

[Glitchhog]

Most of that was a stream of consciousness writup, so yeah, I would like more views, but I do have quite a few, and it's a number I can be proud of. I guess I just need to put it all aside for a while to avoid falling into traps like that. My music is also very... different and I guess it's to blame for not having made it onto EqD in a while, which has been pretty discouraging. The fact that I've started thinking this way is an excellent reason to take a break and then come back refreshed and more inspired.

So yeah, I /do/ care about views, and I don't think that's an odd thing to care about as a musician. I was just saying that I'm happy with the amount I /have/ accumulated. Just explained it pretty poorly. I just feel that somewhere along the line, I stopped making music for myself and started making it for the fandom... and that's not the way to go about things. Time for a break. (:

[Overkillius]

However, I've now entered into this competitive world of brony musicians who are all fighting to become recognized

Views and subscribers aren't my worry

Oh you, if you see it as a competition, you do care about views and subcribers.

(I think he was referring to a lot of the people in the community who really just seem to have the primary intention of getting attention)

Protip: remember that you don't make music for others, you make it because you enjoy it.

Words of wisdom.

[ChromaMonster]

I think its all right to want your music recognized; after all, the reason you make music is for it to be listened to.

Making music for attention is going too far, though. Oh, and hope you'll find the inspiration to return soon

[Whitetail]

It's only a competition if you make it one.
Don't let others ruin your happy.

[Glitchhog]

Sadly, I don't have the mentality to feel that way. I didn't when I began, but it's been increasing recently, and I just honestly feel a good break will do me good. I'll still be composing music in my time off, just won't be uploading anything. I want to focus more on piano-based stuff and my weird electro/chiptune/prog/psychedelic stuff that I apparently do so well. I'd also like to find an audience for that kind of music and maybe try sticking to one style. 'Eclecticism is Magic' may sound catchy on my YouTube channel, but it's bad for attracting a fanbase, as each group of subscribers I get is often from a certain song with a certain genre. Too much variation can be a bad thing, I feel.

Hell, I'm not even sure what I want to do yet. A hiatus is just a good idea right now. I just want to watch the show with friends and concentrate on studies for now. I may release the odd track every now and then if I'm happy with something I've written, who knows. Right now, this just seems like the right thing to do.

Also in regards to 'competition', I could have used better wording. I'm just feeling discouraged. Of the last 4 songs I've composed, I feel 3 of them are of quite high quality, but haven't been seen by many people at all. I'm not blaming anyone here, however, so don't assume that. A break from music will just give me time to re-motivate and re-inspire myself, as well as just watching the show purely to just watch the show. I wish I could have a better mentality for this kind of thing, but sadly I don't. At least not nowadays.

At least I can say that my music is still genuinely inspired by the show, and for that, I'm pretty happy. I couldn't see myself being able to actually release a song if it wasn't... I'm too much of a perfectionist. There are quite a few tracks of mine I'd delete if it weren't for the amount of people who enjoyed them so much.

Anyway, I'm just rambling now. I'll be back with more music at some point, whenever that may be. (:

[Freewave]

Aw man sorry to hear this, but its understandable. A break from the pressures of music making, but staying active within the music scene, may be a great change of pace and make it fun again. You can always return when you feel refreshed. I'll be honest when i got back from my trip to disneyland 3 weeks ago the first thing i did was take a vacation from my vacation and regroup. While i felt lazy i knew i wasn't ready to bounce back and make music. But I feel refreshed now when i really wasn't sure if i would feel that way again (which was a bit scary as i worked hard at this music for so many months). So I hope that spark re-ignites but glad you aren't leaving us as you're a great asset to our community (and thanks for continuing to help out with the blog!!).

We all want views and subscriptions as you are right is so hard when you work hard on a track and there's no EqD, little feedback, little views. So its important to want to get your music TO people who will be receptive for that and that really isn't easy until you've reached a certain level. Those views will still grow while your on hiatus so I hope people get caught up and give them a listen. I've seen some top notch people with plenty of subs getting upset and ready to leave cause they hate the expectations or conforming so maybe there's always an uphill struggle going on no matter what level of the food chain we are.

[meletric]

I can definitely relate to this. It's just so easy to get caught up in the hype of other musicians and feel like you need to keep up with the ridiculous pace pony music gets released at. Thinking like that totally kills the fun though. I find it much more fun/rewarding to refrain from thinking of myself as a "Brony Musician" and instead as some guy who occasionally makes music inspired by the show. Less pressure that way and it's easier to continue to enjoy the show without feeling like you HAVE to be inspired by it.

I guess what I'm trying to say (in a totally disjunctive way) is don't worry too much about it Do what you want; your listeners will still be around whenever you feel like making some more music.

[Legion]

Really sorry to hear that, though I get where you're coming from. It's true that the fandom's expanded far, far beyond the show than it originally was. Even though I've only been watching since December, I already look back at the days in December and January where I watched ponies just to watch ponies. Nothing more, nothing less. When I got involved in the community this much, I was happy. But at the same time, a tiny bit of that magic was lost. It's a shame, really.

I'm just glad you're leaving on a somewhat positive note for now, and not dropping everything. Hope it works out well for you.