Creative Time

Notions of ‘success’ in music are often associated with fame and fortune, but for Brisbane artist Dot.AY, both measures are somewhat lacking. For now, he’s exploring the UnConvention-al idea of ‘embracing failure’.

You are one of the panellists at UnConvention. What are some of the myths around ‘making it’ in music?
The old music industry model no longer exists. Getting signed and touring with a major label or corporate backing only works out for some and even then they rarely maintain a long and prosperous career. Even if you somehow crack into the massive hype machine of the internet and generate buzz maintaining that and making a creative and fulfilling career would be a difficult task. ‘Making it’ isn't the reason why people should be in the music industry as the whole concept is so distorted these days that what many people may be aspiring to no longer exists.

Do you think people are becoming more realistic in terms of setting musical aspirations?
I really hope so, but I think everyone needs to aspire to greatness. There’s no reason that people in underground scenes shouldn't be able to tour as often as mainstream artists or even be accepted into the commercial scene. There is nothing wrong with making money from your music so even though the musical landscape has changed it doesn't mean indie or alternative artists need to fear commercial success.

As a Brisbane artist, do you feel there is enough backing and support for your music on a local level?
I think there can always be more backing and support, but essentially Brisbane is a small community and even with a large level of support locally it would not sustain me as an artist.

In your opinion, what are the upsides (if any) to the struggle that modern musos face?
I think that our struggles now are much smaller than those that faced artists in the past. We can now reach an audience of thousands or millions through the internet, through the creation of online communities, international networks are set-up much easier. I think the struggle for finding creative time is a particular one that has forced myself to be very thorough, but efficient with my music making and in part defined my style and workflow.

Dot.AY is a panellist at UnConvention, happening at The Edge June 11-12.