Hi mofos, I'm looking at moving to L.A. in 2007 and it seems like a bit of a hassle to get a visa and whatnot. Has anybody else done this, or know someone who has? I have a degree in music, but I suspect it isn't going to count for shit as it's not really an essential skill (well, yes alright, but not compared with say medicine).
I know I should go in the green card lottery, and I will be entering in October, but failing winning that, what is the best course of action?
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Yeah yeah ok. Not everyone who goes to ...
Yeah yeah ok. Not everyone who goes to LA makes terrible music.
I've thought of entering the green ...
I've thought of entering the green card lottery as well, just for kicks - one point I'd mention is don't bother paying an agency to do it - you can submit the form yourself and enter the lottery for free. The only thing to bear in mind is that you have to fill it out exactly right, and submit the photo in exactly the right size/format, otherwise they'll just bin it.
Also, the submissions for 2007 have already closed, you can't enter again till November, for entry in 2008.
Keep half an eye on this site though, I ...
Keep half an eye on this site though, I assume it'll go live again when they've opened for 2008.
[ http://www.dvlottery.state.gov/ ]
//you can't enter again till November, ...
//you can't enter again till November,
...oh, you already said that.
why you wanna go there? that's the ...
why you wanna go there?
that's the city that's gonna be... **que music** ...'shot down... in a blaze of glory...'
we need you here man!
Nah, you guys will be alright without ...
Nah, you guys will be alright without me. ...and I thought I'd write a really awesome blog all about my adventures, maybe even film it for the first year and sell it to C4 or something, so it will be like you've all come along for the ride.
You're <I>really good</I> at keeping ...
You're really good at keeping an up-to-date blog aren't you?
Yeah well.....I guess I'll start being ...
Yeah well.....I guess I'll start being good at it or something.....
/why you wanna go there? I curious ...
/why you wanna go there?
I curious too man, is there any particular reason you're headed that way?
6 days late, but hey. I want to go ...
6 days late, but hey.
I want to go there as LA has always kind of tied in with the whole "making it" thing for me, where staying in NZ seems to be (across the board) a surefire way to build a following in NZ, and total indifference from the rest of the world (with the exception of Fat Freddy's, who have toured internationally). I know from past experience that everyone on nzm has different feelings about musicians who have a burning desire to make a career in music, and I can understand why those that deride it/us feel the way they do, but the music I make is for first and foremost something that I create for artistic merit rather than commercial appeal. So what I'm saying is, I'm not going over there to make punk pop hits, I'm going over there to do what I do, in the hope that the size of the market will mean that I have a shot at sustaining a career.
Finally, I've been really frustrated with how hard it is to find committed, serious musicians to work with in NZ, and with LA being a target for aspiring musicians, actors, models and whatnot international, I figure there's more chance of finding some good talent to work with there than anywhere else.
Of course, as soon as I'd started looking seriously at this, I met up with and began jamming with a GREAT band here in Auckland, and that looks like it could develop into something really interesting...
that's cool sam, nz needs u...
that's cool sam, nz needs u
/I'm going over there to do what I do, ...
/I'm going over there to do what I do, in the hope that the size of the market will mean that I have a shot at sustaining a career.
I understand where you're coming from- I'm all for travelling for it's own sake and I wouldn't criticise you for chasing your ambitions... if I may offer my humble 2c, it's really, really hard starting something from scratch when all you have is your guitar and a backpack and every little thing seems to cost a little more than you can afford.
Yes, bigger market overseas means more good opportunities, but the flipside is a lot more setbacks than you're used to, plus a thousand more musicians from around the world who are just as determined to 'make it'. I don't want to put you off, travelling is one of the most rewarding things I've ever done- just saying that moving overseas is no golden ticket, Charlie. I wouldn't build LA up as being top of the pyramid at all, just... REALLY BIG.
At any rate, it really helps if you have support there already, even if it's just some close friends and a place to crash. Good luck bro ;-)