We’re Not Giving Up Yet

Hi, this is Vaidotas. I’d like to share some thoughts and insights about what we face as artists when we think about making a living from music. From the outside, it can look much easier and simpler than it actually is.

When we started rehearsing with the band and writing our first songs, we immediately set a few goals for ourselves:

• we wanted to be an international band;

• not to limit ourselves to one country;

• our music should take us on journeys;

• to think bigger;

• to create our own music rather than do cover shows;

• to stay true to our values and not compromise them for money;

• to remain open to creative changes, experiments and discoveries;

• to make a living from music. Music is our main job, not a hobby.

As you know, that last point is the hardest one for many artists. Somehow, though, we managed to achieve everything on the list. From the outside, it probably looks like everything is perfect: well done, keep going. And we are going, and we are trying. But today I want to talk about the real challenges we face.

There is very little money left to invest in developing the band. We face this quite often. We can make a living from what we earn, but too little is left to invest in recordings, music videos or video content, marketing and promotion abroad. We are constantly looking for new ways to break out of this cycle.

And this has very little to do with creativity or the romantic idea of an artist’s life. We have actually had to learn about entrepreneurship, management and how the music industry works.

You might ask: why are you doing all this yourselves instead of your manager? Well, I’ll tell you an old truth: everyone wants to get a well-paid position and have an easy job. But for now, our situation is this: the income is low, while the amount of work is huge. Doesn’t that sound like a dream job?

If we had chosen a local path, everything would be easier. You sing in Lithuanian, Lithuanian listeners can easily connect with it, and you can build popularity much faster. But you remain local, organising concerts mainly in your own country and occasionally for the diaspora abroad. It is a perfectly valid approach, and financially it can actually work very well.

But that is not our path.

From the very beginning, we believed that we are part of the whole world, not just our own backyard, and that we can connect with a much broader audience. We have something to share and something to say to the world. For us, music is not just a business; it is also a form of self-expression and fulfilment.

I truly believe that we have created songs that are world-class. And I’m not talking only about “On Fire” and “Discoteque.” Those songs were given a platform that allowed them to reach a much wider audience. That is how people discovered them. At the same time, they became proof that we can connect with people from very different countries and cultures.

I’m also talking about songs that never had Eurovision or another major platform to help them reach a wider audience. Songs like “Steal Me,” “Chica Chico” and “Simple Joy” are world-class songs in my opinion.

The main challenge we face is exposure.

For a large number of people to simply have the opportunity to hear these songs, we need to invest significant amounts of money in promotion and marketing. And this is where 99% of artists struggle. Some simply stop creating new music. Others turn music into a hobby. But we all know that hobbies have a tendency to slowly disappear.

At the beginning of this summer, there was even a moment when we felt that we were losing the motivation to create and release new music because the investment was becoming greater than the potential return. Videos, marketing, agents…

But you know what? We are not giving up.

We are looking for support and investors. We believe we still have the potential to achieve much more. And for now, we have decided to simply take it one step at a time.

I often remember a very important thought: the road ahead only reveals itself once you start walking it. And sometimes opportunities appear along the way that you could never have imagined at the beginning of the journey.

So we planned three songwriting camps. The first one took place in Greece, the second will be at the end of this month in Sweden, and the third one is planned for September, most likely in Norway.

Even after the camp in Greece, we all felt that we had the beginnings of some truly world-class songs.

I really hope that we will find ways to bring those songs to the world and give them the widest possible audience.

Your support gives us energy!

Musically,

THE ROOP

Vaidotas, Robertas, Mantas