I assure you that I use my musical ability to touch people in plenty of ways, and I will never regret what I do currently when I’m on my death bed. But at the same time I will not regret the time I spent making music for myself, either. It’s a creative expression, and my confidence in my own expression doesn’t come from someone else complimenting it or from someone else saying they connect. My confidence in my creative expression comes from my own feelings about my work, not from other peoples.

I can see your point, many people get great personal satisfaction out of their work, myself included. I guess I see “fruitful” in terms of benefit that can be shared.

Your friend is stranded on a raft at sea with his wife and 2 children. His wife and children are terminally ill (sorry). He only has enough food and fresh water to sustain 4 people. A perfectly healthy family of 3 is also stranded on an adjacent lifeboat and has no food or water. It is selfish for your friend to keep his family’s rations for his sick family; but it is the right thing to do. Not everyone needs to write for an audience. It’s a choice to be made and a choice that is ignored and looked down upon by many ‘career’ musicians as somehow dishonorable.

Ex- “You write pop music? That’s actually accessible to morons (ie- non-musicians)?!!?!? What a loser! Where are the 34/19 drum patterns and 450 BPM guitar solos??”

For some; creating music is justifiably a selfish maneuver. Every response you received with the exception of mine deals with self satisfaction or writing music for the sake of the arts (which appeals the artist and perhaps similarly interested artists)

You say that my feelings sum up how a lot of people feel, but that just isn’t true. Your research suggests my perspective is uncommon. I’m in a dull mood in particular because none of these musicians (assuming some are talented) give two shits about who listens to what they create and how that effects their listener…much less how they can benefit from audience feedback. I’m a little irked that you didn’t notice this pattern. There are two basic answers to your question: for myself or for someone else. I challenge you to come up with a third. The reason for my sour mood? Everyone answered, “Memememememememe!” I would venture to guess that many of the artists in mainstream culture also have a selfish intent. Not necessarily a bad quality, but undeniably selfish.

This is exactly why I fail to identify with the majority of musicians, artists…creative types in general. Completely introverted and disinterested in how they might use a gift to help someone through hard times.

When you’re on your deathbed, do you want to look back and think, “Gee I really wrote a cool song or two. Wasn’t that swell?” or do you want to remember the lives of people you’ve touched with an art form as mysterious and intangible as music? To take something that doesn’t exist, actualize using an infinite palette of sound, and then help someone in a real way without ever creating anything that truly exists! Recordings exist, sure, but recordings are not music. I could go on…

Granted, I don’t consider myself a hobbyist.

Music is a selfish thing for me. I mean, I sometimes put my music out there for people to listen to, but there are countless things that I’ve created that are in my daily playlists that I would be surprised if anyone else ever hears. I don’t feel guilty about being selfish with my creation… I did it so that I could be proud of and enjoy something that I created.

Two common comments piss me off that I get from musicians on this subject:

1.) “It’s for the music, maaaaan! Nothing matters but the muusic!”
If that’s true, great for you. Enjoy that masturbation. No one other than musicians will care about your technical flip flops and lyrical depth (ie- vague poetry masquerading as intelligent thought)

2.) “I HAVE to do it!”
No, you don’t. Stop. See?

Both reasons for my frustration lie in that music is a selfish way to spend time for most people (especially the most famous musicians). The only fruitful application as a musician is to have a worthwhile message, and communicate that message to an audience with the intention of receiving feedback that will improve the message you deliver in the music.

Hence; To communicate WITH an audience.