I Tried Everything, Still Failed
- HP Music
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
I Tried Everything, Still Failed. Maybe the World Was Never Built for Me to Win.
Every indie musician knows the feeling: you pour heart and sweat into your music, and yet—it feels like the system is stacked against you. Algorithms bury your uploads. Labels won’t look your way. Even friends say, “Why don’t you just get a real job?”
At some point, you start wondering: maybe it’s not failure. Maybe the game was never designed for us to win.
“My mask looks apathetic, noisy inside the static… possessed by Tamar Jalis.” — Kidrose, “Mantra”
Life, Just Like Music, Feels Rigged Sometimes
Think about the industry. Major labels, massive PR budgets, glossy TikTok campaigns—it’s like a preset playlist on shuffle, with the same songs pushed again and again.
Meanwhile, indie artists fight for scraps of attention on YouTube or Bandcamp.
That’s not much different from life itself:
The education “pipeline” → like being forced into one genre.
The 9–5 grind → like playing background music for someone else’s story.
The debt cycle → like being stuck on repeat.
But here’s the catch: just like in music, breaking the formula is where greatness starts.
Big Players, Small Stages
Global music feels too scripted to be “natural.”
High ticket prices → only the elite get access.
Streaming payouts → fractions of cents, while execs pocket millions.
Viral trends → distractions, not discovery.
Sound familiar? It mirrors life itself. The system profits while we keep playing.
“They mocked me when I was nothing, now they panic when I play…” — Kidrose
Maybe It’s Not Failure. Maybe You’re Just Indie in a Major’s World.
Here’s the truth: indie artists aren’t failures for not topping Billboard. They’re just playing in an arena that was built for majors.
Same with life—you were handed a fake map, told “success” means fitting in the charts someone else created. But your real power comes when you stop chasing their approval and start building your own sound.
Action tip for indie creators:
Don’t chase trends. Build your signature. Like how Phoebe Bridgers owns melancholia, or Steve Lacy fuses funk with Gen Z internet humor.
Use platforms that empower indie musicians: Bandcamp Fridays, Patreon, SoundCloud Reposts.
Reimagine covers—your voice, your version. (Think: how Boyce Avenue or Kina Grannis flipped Top 40 hits.)
Flip the Script: Make Music, Make Meaning
You don’t need to “win” their game. You can write your own setlist.
You don’t need a million streams → you need 1,000 true fans.
You don’t need to go viral → you need to connect.
You don’t need their validation → your sound is enough.
“I feel so… I feel so blessed.” — Kidrose
Blessed doesn’t mean chart-topping. Sometimes it means you’re still singing even when the world wants you silent.
Final Note: If the World Is a Script, Then Drop Your Own Track
You’re not broken. You’re not talentless. You’re not failing.You’re just tired of playing in someone else’s system.
So be the glitch. The demo tape they didn’t expect. The song that spreads underground until everyone knows the words.
If this feels like it’s reading your heart—you’re not alone.Share your voice. Because maybe your song is the mantra that wakes someone else up.
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