I hear what you are saying! I was looking through my old eight track recordings a few weeks ago and I always wonder if I am going the right direction because back when I had all the time in the world I would record my intentions where only expression...when music success happens there is all of a sudden a expectation of greatness that you may grade yourself on. I know you will always have fans that support you because you have kept it real...Cheers to that. The beautiful thing about making music is that you will always have it...and it can be carried on in time. I have kept all the music I have made since the age of 15. Which is a pain lol...cause everytime the medium changes I have to transfer everything over!! soon it will be blu ray! or brain transplants....I don't know...Anyways have a great new year Mr. K-OS.

The dopest artists are those saying what they wanna say, while maintaining melody and chords so catchy that your Grandma will sing along.

Yes, there is a formula.

It's my goal to master and progress it :)

Fun is the only goal.

If it "hits" you, it is a hit. The amount of people that purchase a song or hum it like a commercial jingle does not measure its true worth. Living La Vida Loca was a "hit". The Macarena was a "hit". Art is completely individual. There are no formulas. It either moves you or doesnt. Most of todays "hit" songs have more to do with the person singing and the amount of times we are subjected to it rather than it simply being an incredible song.

i would have to concur with jalyn.i think a hit song follows a formula which is more indebted to the business end of things.a great song though is about a human being finding their unique voice(or language) and expanding those predefined parameters set by previous songwriters.these days with a lot of formulaic music on the regulated airwaves it's a pleasure to hear those unique voices breaking thru,however rarely.livin in van city,we don't have a lot of options on the radio compared to t.o. or nyc and when a great song(or community radio show) comes on it almost feels like you've been trekking thru the desert and finally found that oasis and then you can say, life is truly good.

I look at writing music the same way as giving a speech. You know what you want to say as an artist; but then you ask yourself, if I say it this way will my intended audience understand what I'm saying. Me personally, I don't like a lot of commercial music (hits), so I don't gear my music in that direction. Not that I'm against commercial music if it's well written. The problem is a lot of commercial music isn't well written, just well produced. Another issue I have with many of today's artist, they don't have a strong position on anything. A lot of it is just meaningless garbage; but then again the American population isn't about substance. A lot of it probably has to do with consumerism.

I can't count how many times I found myself singing a tune I didn't even like! But when I go to the store it's forced upon me repeatedly and then it finds it's way into my subconscious. That's one of the reasons I don't listen to the radio anymore. I get my daily dose of "hits" without even trying to.

Hits to the general public have to be basic. A non-complex flow their ears can follow and their mind can understand.

A hit song explores new territory while sounding familiar. The best songs are repetitive with variation within them. The words are usually simple and easy to Identify with. I don't think anyone can sit down and write a hit song every time. There needs to be that special something from the artist, sounding "real". Then again many "hits" I have heard are complete misses for me.

Hey just wanted to let you know that I was featured in the Calgary Hearld for 4321:

http://www2.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/enter...

We know B. Nelson.

The funny thing is that, this is exactly what i was thinking when i entered this contest. Because for the first time I was not creating music for myself, but I was creating music for others. I was creating music for a contest, to be judged. So I was wondering if there was a certain frequency of sound that would appeal to all ears, playing this frequency would spark a certain area in the brain and the listener would be overwhelmed with joy. If this is true then I think I would respond this way to bass.

I think that it all depends on what we call a hit...How are they gagued? Is it $$$ spent on the record, or is it rapport with the audience you are AIMING to reach. If you attempt to make a hit by Columbia Records executives' standards, you will be singing a selfless creation; signing a tyrannical contract. You will be trying to recreate something, that they have seen by dollars spent, that has been successful, in a business mindset.
BUT
If you are trying to create music that is meaningful and has a direction, you are in a way, obligated to be selfish (with a hope that your message is heard and has an impact). There is a downfall to this attitude, though. You will lose "fans", but I've always said that you can't choose your "fans". If it's a hit to one person only, you've done your job. But if you reproduced a steryl meaningless track, your mind has been stifled. You are responsible for your music and your music alone. There will ALWAYS be someone out there who will make your stuff a hit! A hit, lies in the listener's ears, not on the desk and wallet of record executives.

MUSIC IS FREE!!!!!! The plastic it's printed on is not...capitalism has ruined the art and path of true music! K-OS, you are doing a great service to music and your fans by creating, not emulating. Thank you for your music, my friend, if I may call you that.

joshuabreed