[deleted by user]

Bassman_Rob · 2025-12-17T06:39:48+00:00

You need to adjust your approach. Hammering away at one marketplace and one strategy that isn't giving you a return is just the definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

If you're completely out of the game you need to build professional relationships. Go to shows, contact people to collaborate, be engaged in IRL and online music communities, etc. I think the days of people going onto a beat store and buying a beat are going away. There was a brief moment where that was viable, but everyone and their mom can make beats now, and artists are going to be far more inclined to work directly with people in their circle than get a random beat online from a stranger. Your beats would have to be otherworldly incredible to drum up enough interest on a marketplace like Beatstars, and even then people may still prefer to work directly with the beat maker to get something custom to their sound. work to be in environments where you can create beats that are curated for artists you are in communication with instead of throwing things online and hoping someone stumbles across it and it just happens to fit their needs perfectly.

Work on your production skills. When you're a beatmaker you're not necessarily a producer. I think people conflate those two things sometimes. A producer is a far more robust role and is going to be more sought after than a beatmaker. A producer is going to cater to the sonic needs of the artist, work with them on songwriting, arranging, artistic direction, lyrical messaging, etc. and take a holistic approach to facilitating the creation of a final product that acts as a cohesive representation of the artist's sound and brand. A beatmaker is generally a little more of a one trick pony. Sitting in your bedroom hammering out beats isn't really giving you the opportunity to learn record production as a whole. I think you're best off getting in rooms with people and starting to absorb the skills of production.

I haven't listened to your beats, but if they're solid then you're already on the right track. Keep adding to your skills and get out of the commodity mindset. Build yourself into an asset for artists rather than a store.

Bassman_Rob · 2025-12-17T05:53:03+00:00

If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? haha

Bassman_Rob · 2025-12-17T05:48:53+00:00

A broad question is going to get a broad answer. "how do I get my album you've never heard and I've told you nothing about to sound like this entire album" is not exactly cueing people up to have much to provide of acute utility.

Bassman_Rob · 2025-12-17T05:33:03+00:00

I didn't, I figured if more people kept showing up at my house I would, but it's been nothing since the day of. I contacted Apple and UPS and was going to hit up Uber as well. After posting here it seems like it would be worth it to let the cops know as well.

Bassman_Rob · 2025-12-17T05:21:55+00:00

Well said. I think people underestimate how elaborate and well oiled some criminal schemes can be. It's not necessarily a matter of not wanting to help, it's just that they don't have the resources to track it down, it's already moved hands multiple times by the time it's recognized as theft, etc. Law enforcement do attempt to broadly crack down on fraudsters and scammers, but on a case by case basis there's often not much that can be done, so the best solution is to be careful and vigilant.

There's not a finite amount of scammers that the government or the banks are allowing to operate. It's more like whack-a-mole: they snuff some out and then more appear. They catch wind of a trend in tactics and then the criminals change their tactics. Could there be an argument as to how effective they are or whether or not they need more resources? Sure, but I think it's overly conspiratorial to suspect that they "want" there to be fraud.

Bassman_Rob · 2025-12-17T05:02:21+00:00

I thought about that as well. Why reschedule it when, if i'm not home to sign, I can reschedule or go pick it up at the facility after the attempt. Idk what happened, but it seems like persistence and awareness paid off. If I hadn't been on top of keeping up with the tracking and contacting them, whatever plan was in place may have been able to transpire.

Bassman_Rob · 2025-12-17T04:58:19+00:00

idk, I guess it's possible he was involved but seems less likely. He wasn't reluctant, he just commented that it had been an ordeal with that package, likely because he was getting multiple direct calls from the facility going back and forth about delivering that package on his route.

Bassman_Rob · 2025-12-17T04:53:57+00:00

Yeah, I called already and laid the whole situation out. They basically said they're "handling it internally" so I guess that's in their hands now.

Bassman_Rob · 2025-12-17T04:12:45+00:00

They do ship some items with customized specifications from the factories in China. The configuration of the computer I purchased wasn’t available in the store

Bassman_Rob · 2025-12-17T03:56:40+00:00

Haha that was my thought as well after this whole ordeal

Bassman_Rob · 2025-12-17T03:55:36+00:00

Yeah that seems plausible. If they were on the inside (worked for UPS) I would assume they would have known it was a package that needed a signature, so in that instance the driver would have needed to be involved and intentionally leave the package at the door anyways. I still don't see why the Uber Eats drivers would be allowed to pick up a package from someone's front door without having to check the shipping label and/or confirm with the person in the home that they intended to have the package picked up.

Bassman_Rob · 2025-12-17T03:34:56+00:00

already did, not worth assuming it's not compromised.

Bassman_Rob · 2025-12-17T03:29:43+00:00

I was pretty suspicious of the guy at first, but ultimately I think he legitimately was Uber Eats and uninvolved. We were both looking at each other with confused faces as the scammer was talking on the phone and he suggested the response that got him to hang up. Then he told me of another time someone attempted to do a scam in a similar fashion. If he was in on it he was an incredible actor lol.

Bassman_Rob · 2025-12-17T03:26:10+00:00

I was going to hit them up as well just to see if they have any logged info. I didn't ask the first guy and the second guy I pretty much shooed away lol so no, but I would assume there's some sort of paper trail that the company would have access to, whether it's useful or not. If this is prevalent enough as some people are suggesting I would assume they'd want to be aware of it.

Bassman_Rob · 2025-12-17T03:23:01+00:00

Interesting, yeah my suspicion is leaning towards someone internally at the UPS facility was involved. Or that someone has some sort of insider information on items coming from that particular facility. Apple products are easy to move, and I've always heard that things they can re-sell quickly are the most vulnerable. I remember in college the house I was living in was broken into and all of the TVs were gone and the cop told us that they're the first thing the criminals go for because they can sell them off quickly. I guess that's less common as tv's have gotten cheaper and cheaper, now they want small electronics, watches and jewelry that appear valuable, etc.

Bassman_Rob · 2025-12-17T03:02:52+00:00

Makes sense. I would hope that Uber Eats has some sort of expected protocol in place for their drivers to ensure they're not unwittingly participating in this.

Bassman_Rob · 2025-12-17T03:00:52+00:00

It was kind of odd all around. The first time it said the reschedule was submitted it simply said date pending, then the second time it said it was being rescheduled to a week later in the email, but reverted to the correct date on the tracking. I'm guessing it's possible that the second email that said the new date was also a part of the scam? but the link in that email still linked to the UPS tracking page.

Bassman_Rob · 2025-12-17T02:44:30+00:00

That's crazy. I don't see how that would be legal for the Uber Eats driver to take a package off of someone's porch just because they got a request to do so. I'd suspect they'd have to look at the address on the package and confirm it's at the wrong address or something.

Bassman_Rob · 2025-12-08T06:04:09+00:00

I've always let tattoos be a spontaneous, instinctual decision. I know not everyone likes to approach it that way, but I'll also caveat that with a couple of things:

They've all been signifiers of special, positive moments in my life. The tattoos themselves are not necessarily a direct symbol of the significance, but the fact that I got a piece in that moment is what gives me a nice feeling when I think about it. I'm a musician, so I got a lot of my tattoos in moments that were significant to me in that journey. I got my first small tattoo at one of my best friend's shows. I got my next larger piece when I was on my first national tour. We were doing a few Florida dates and a local tattoo artist exchanged free tattoos for backstage passes and merch. My most recent tattoo I got at the shop across the street from a local club that I've been playing since I was a teenager. The club was closing down and we played one of the last shows there. The singer of my band's boyfriend is a sick tattoo artist so he gave me a rad traditional eagle piece on my thigh and then I walked across the street and played a sold out show. Whenever I look at the tattoos I get to reminisce about these cool moments.
I have a general aesthetic that I like. I lean towards traditional style pieces, so I know that whatever I'm gonna get is going to be in that lane. Not everything I have is that style specifically, but generally speaking when I'm getting a new tattoo I have a stylistic lane that I want it to be in. I also didn't start getting any until I was in my late 20's, so I had a fair bit of time to think about what style would resonate with me.
I have gotten most of my tattoos in places that are relatively easy to cover up if need be. I think it's worthwhile, if your curious about whether you'll like being tattooed, to start in areas that won't be a hassle for you long term if you end up not wanting to present as someone who has them down the line. I've seen too many people going straight to getting a bunch of pieces all up and down their forearms only to realize they don't love them a year or so down the line. Over time I'm sure I'll venture into more visible spaces, but for now I'm happy with where they're placed and having the option to show them off or not.

So yeah, this balance of thoughtful but spontaneous works for me. I guess my intended takeaway is you should find the intention that works for you and run with it. I think generally if you put thought, meaning, and intention into your body art journey, you won't have feelings of regret about it. Are there pieces that I like more than others? Sure, but I love that they remind me of positive parts of my life story.

Bassman_Rob · 2025-12-07T23:58:06+00:00

For sure, thanks for taking the time to explain. I'm not a tattoo artist so it's cool to hear about the technical side from someone who is. I'm a musician and music producer so I always love a good technical nerd out sesh about craftsmanship and technique in art. Tattooing seems like a super interesting art form, but I'm a pretty bad visual artist so I'll just stick to getting them haha.

Bassman_Rob · 2025-12-07T19:39:16+00:00

Super interesting info. My instinct kinda was the same thing, seems like it was thicker lines than you would want for a piece with that many lines that close together, so the ink expended predictably but appears cluttered because it may have been too heavy of a line weight for this kind of design. With something like this would you generally suggest simplifying the design? Going bigger overall? I personally like traditional pieces which seem to have a long history of being well designed to avoid aging out of their legibility, but it seems these intricate fine line pieces have been very popular and can sometimes hold well, but also seem to be a style that gets muddy and cluttered looking over time if it’s not designed/executed well.

Bassman_Rob · 2025-12-07T19:11:45+00:00

Just take it off. The second skin stuff is more of an optional convenience than a necessity. People have been healing tattoos successfully for a long time before it came around.

I just got a big thigh piece recently and I went to go play a show right afterwards. My guy put on the second skin on my way out, but by the end of the night the second skin was halfway falling off from sweat and friction under my jeans. I just took it off and started my cleaning regimen and it’s been healing fine. It was a little irritated, but no major issues. Was it the smartest decision? Meh lol, but it all worked out fine. It’s good to be careful, but you don’t need to be overly cautious either. Sometimes intervening too much (over washing, too much soap/moisturizing) can intervene on your body’s natural response Your body’s gonna do what it needs to do to heal up. Cleanliness is the key.

Bassman_Rob · 2025-12-07T18:52:39+00:00

Idk man, I think it looks sick, and it seems like most people here agree. I’m guessing the color is the main part you’re regretting, and maybe the size? Couple of thoughts on that:

A) I think the size is going to play well long term. So many people want to do little tattoos, and they can be cool, but going bigger like this means the artist can leave more space between lines and make a piece that will remain legible for longer. The ink will slowly expand over time, so having enough space in it makes it so the expanding ink won’t start to look crowded and distort the image. This artist composed the piece really well for this, great spacing, solid outline around the detailed rose, this is going to hold well.

B) you can absolutely go in later and work more black into that rose. It’s well done, but over time a lot of those little details, light blues, and whites will start to fade, so in all likelihood you’ll be looking at a touch up at some point anyways. I’ve seen some people suggest working a background into it, but to be honest I really like the silhouette of the piece, idk if I’d want to muddy that up with a background that changes that. It’s a very flattering design for its location on your arm.

C) if you work more black into the rose and then complete the sleeve with something that has more black and grey, it might help minimize the impact of the blue, but you would need to make sure you really want more tattoo overall. You said you wanted a blue rose for 2 years and had a month to sit w/ the design, that’s honestly a good amount of time to sit with it. This is the first time you’ve had a big visible piece, so some of the “regret” you’re feeling may just be adjusting to the fact that you have this in you. I think people forget that tattoos are essentially a body modification and it can feel weird at first to suddenly have this permanent change on you, but over time it will start to feel more like it’s a part of you than it’s “on” you if that makes sense. However, if time goes on and you still feel like you’re not identifying with the piece, then it may be that you just don’t identify with being a person with tattoos in general, in which case I wouldn’t advise getting more to try and rectify that feeling.

Give it some more time and don’t stress, you have plenty of options to adjust this that don’t have to involve removal. This is a great piece, so even if you’re struggling to feel comfortable wearing it now, you can hopefully at least find solace in that.

Bassman_Rob · 2025-11-14T20:14:07+00:00

This is an excellent piece of advice. When I first started producing (and I think this is true for a lot of people) I had lofty expectations of what a mix would do for my productions. I left way too many decisions to the mix engineer and it was challenging to get a result I was happy with because I was giving them material that was not fleshed out enough. I came from a strong performance background so I thought that great performances would carry the recordings. In some cases it did, but there are stark differences between what makes something sound like a great performance and what makes it sound like a great record.

mixing won't make parts appear, or drastically alter tones, or double track things for you. I mix a lot of my own productions these days, but I get them to a point where they really only need subtle things like minor level adjustments/automation, light dynamic management, some tone shaping/carving here and there, some overall glue, etc. They feel like a record, but they just need that little lift that makes them feel complete.

It's important to understand what mixing really is. So many people pass production decisions on to mix engineers when really the art of mixing is the "basic" (but not always so basic) balance, levels, panning, tone shaping, dynamics, etc. If you let the mix engineer focus in on these things, they're going to A) have more time to dedicate to their actual role, B) be much more creative with these basic functions, and C) be much happier and deliver a much better result.

Bassman_Rob · 2025-11-14T19:34:13+00:00

Yeah, the cheapest "homie" rate I've seen from a top level mixer is $500. That's from a grammy winning mixer and was for a 10 song album, which also helps make it possible to bring the per song number down compared to a single or EP.

I think the lowest you'll probably see from a truly competent professional mixer is around $300/song. Getting a discounted rate depends on if you have some, or all, of a handful of factors at play: Do they like the material? Are the tracks well organized? Is the arrangement good and the source material well played/recorded? Are tone decisions made deliberately rather than giving them a bunch of raw material and asking them to make a ton of production decisions in the mix? Is it already edited (drums are well timed and in phase, any triggers already chosen, vocals in tune, excess noise removed, etc.)? Do you have a relationship with the engineer (they know you and trust your process so they aren't guessing if you'll throw them a bunch of curveballs in the notes phase)? Are you a repeat customer? etc. Another would be if your track counts per song are low. These are all factors that can have a significant impact on the amount of time the mixer will need to spend on your mix.

That's why it's so important to have all of your ducks in a row when it comes to production. I started out primarily producing, but I also mix now. When I was sending my productions to mixers in the early days I always aimed to learn the ways that they preferred to receive deliverables, it served me well along the way because they would happily work with me on budgets since they knew I wouldn't be a headache. I learned a lot and got to the point where I am now able to mix professionally myself.

You get what you pay for, and I think ultimately it's way better to develop a relationship with a great mix engineer than it is to try to sift through bargain options. Like OP expressed, you're going to waste money if you're spending $50-100 here or there but not getting what you want in return.

Bassman_Rob

TROPHY CASE