If you’ve been on the Internet any time at all, you have probably met up with some of its more unsavory folks—trolls. These are the Webbers who love to make obnoxious, manipulative statements trying to force you to act in some fashion that will be somehow in their favor. They may get off on making you get upset, or they may be trying to force you to take some action that will somehow be for their gain, but make it look like it is in your best interest. There are lots of people like this in real life, too, especially in the music industry, so it is best to be on your guard against them. Here are a few ways to help you deal with them if you must, and avoid them if you can.
CRITICS
Unfortunately, it is next to impossible to avoid criticism once you get your music out into the public ear. Once you submit songs in pitches, songwriter forums and in performance, everyone is going to have their say. It is good to listen to the constructive critiques, since you may be able to learn something from these—give these ideas a try, and see if it does improve the response you get to your tunes. If you don’t see any real progress, go back to what you know best if you were doing as well or better doing things your way. If the critiques show mostly personal attacks, though, it is best to ignore them—such a person probably just has some personal shortcoming that makes them tear down others for enjoyment, and can be dismissed as unfortunate individuals in need of help—you aren’t the one with the problem, they are, so just ignore them. The music industry is full of people who are looking for attention, and don’t care how they get it as long as they do—the worst thing you can do is fail to respond and just let the insult drop—it isn’t worth your time and energy. It is impossible to only hear praise all the time, but don’t allow yourself to be bullied into not writing by people who are adversely criticizing you—they are probably just jealous of your ability and their lack thereof. Many of the most successful acts out there were told they were terrible at first, so you are in good company. If you are selling, that is all that matters—if you aren’t, you might, like I said, try a few of the constructive ideas, but don’t ever let it deter you from continuing to write.
