Thinking about moving to the USA, for the music, this spring
Hey guys,
so this is something I’ve been thinking about for a while and it could be one of those defining decisions I’ll make in my life so it’s with great optimism I’m considering moving to the US of A, joining a lot of you guys and expanding my horizons…
so with that said, I’ll just break bottom line right off the bat; is there anyone here who could help me out with finding somewhere to live or a place to work in your home state?
As exciting as it sounds going there with barely any money and no contacts, I think that’ll just end up with me like it did for my friend (homeless for three months, painting sidewalks in LA for a living) so I need some kind of plan or at least a friendly face when I get there…
I’ve never been to the states so I don’t really know what my options are but I’ve heard good things (music and culture-wise) about Philly, SF, Chicago… NY? I really don’t know for sure but I’m hoping this post could help me in my decision making, I just know that I don’t want this cold ass weather we right now over in scandinavia
The reason I’m even considering moving is simple; there’s practically no electronic music scene in Sweden and imo, people are overall reluctant to anything that’s not guitars - I think a fresh start in a new city with a vibrant culture scene and friends who can musically inspire me is exactly what I need. As it is right now I’m basically plucking along alone in my 18 square meter apt (imperial system will come later) and while I’m trying to find people to brainstorm and work with, I think it’s too much of an uphill battle to stay in this city.
So if anyone’s read this far, would someone want to help a lone Swede out in what I see as “everything I’ve ever seen on TV”-land?
There are tons of places all throughout this massive country that have VERY different music scenes, not to mention stuff in Canada, as you can see from the posters here.
NYC is brutal. Brooklyn and Queens and Jersey are a LOT more manageable, but the competition is unending, the cost is abhorrent, etc. etc.
I hate Philly, but I know lots of people that enjoy that city.
There’s also DC, Miami, Atlanta, Boston… all have EDM scenes. Even smaller cities have things that are rather surprising.
Really, to avoid the situation your friend got into, you need to get yourself some sort of job ahead of time. Be it a work share, or some sort of connections. The market for jobs in the states if fucking terrible in every way, shape, and form. I mean, I have friends who have been trying to find jobs that pay more than $9 and hour for YEARS. I count my blessing every day for the job I have.
Moving cold to another city, with very few connections and opportunities, is going to be a very uphill battle. It also depends on the kind of music your looking at. For example, NYC is VERY electro and indie, and drum and bass and dubstep are almost non-existant.
Yeah I know what you’re saying about the jobs man, situation is fubar over here as well so I’m feeling that when I’m at a breaking point in my life like right now, might as well go for it somewhere else. But since I basically don’t have any contacts over there, this is a small way for me to get in touch with people who could help out (and plus, people who share my love for music)
Of course I’d love to come to a city with a big electro scene, NYC sounds great, but I don’t think I can be picky right now. I know there’s plenty of competition so if I could catch a break anywhere decent, I’m up for the experience.
My dad moved to Sweden when he was 20 years old so I think I got it in me
you may want to consider an area with a budding music scene, as opposed to an area with a huge music scene already in action, for the same reasons as dvls stated above: competition. if you want to get gigs, la, nyc, sf, miami, etc already have huge djs playing there nearly everynight, so getting gigs will be extremely tough. take a city with a young, yet growing electronic music scene, portland, oregon or austin, texas for example, and you can very easily be one of the names rising to the top.
Yeah, it might be a good idea to look at secondary markets around the areas. I mean, NYC, Miami, Chicago, LA all strike me as primary markets. Portland would be a good example of a secondary market. It’s much less expensive to live, there are opportunities, and you can try and pick up side gigs in the process. And always look at the surrounding areas of the city when considering if mass transit is an option. Big cities are VERY risky (but sometimes worth it), and can completely ruin you. They can also make you huge. But te percentage of actors who make it is very small, the percentage of DJs who make it is miniscule.
For example, in NYC, 2/3 of the bars have DJs on any night of the week (random guess). Even of that number, the amount of them making something resembling a living wage is laughable. Then the guys who are really supporting themselves you can probably fit in a large room.
But there are TONS of people begging. This is the downside of a large city, and why you should take it as an option after you’ve made yourself known. Though, looking in the surrounding area like Brooklyn/Queens/Jersey might be a good secondary market.
Weird, my wife and I are totally the opposite, we want to leave Canada to move to Europe, we hate the music scene here, everyone we want to see only tours in Europe! Quite a few of them are from Sweden as well: Cell, Solar Fields, CBL, etc.
Yeah, keep that in mind. A LOT of the artists that are around Europe never come to the states to play because it is so god awful expensive and tedious to get the visas.
have u thought about leaving sweden for another european country…like france, spain, germany? i can totally understand u with saying sweden is all about nonelectronic music, but in my eyes europe has a lot to offer when it comes down to different style of edm…i mean u have england, belgium and whatnot with a huge d&b and dubstep scene. france, spain,germany…with a shitload of techno, mnml, electro stuff. and the countries are really close. so there is no problem by leaving the country.
the other fact u should think about is the jobsituation here in europe must be by far better than in the states, health insurance blablabla…
give europe a chance
Yes we have some of the toughest entry laws around i think. Also NZ is tiny all our best bands and djs are over in oz or europe, e.g Pitch Black, SoM etc
I hear you man and I’ve been considering mainly France and Germany in that case, but apart from me being generally curious and interested in the states I think the language in those countries could become an issue… but hey, I’m up for change and if you know some people in Berlin I’d definitely want to get in touch with them
I moved to the US from the UK and my advice is this: get a job first.
Without a job you won’t get a Social Security Number, and without an SSN you can’t open a bank account or do anything that involves transfer of money, like renting apartments. Either get the Green Card through your country’s lottery, get a work permit through a specific kind of Visa and whatever you do, get your SSN the day you land. The bureaucracy is brutal in the US as immigrants don’t vote, so why bother improving things for them?
Go for the emerging markets. Portland, Seattle, Austin, but be aware that dance music is a minority sport in the US compared to Europe. You’ll be fighting locals for the crowds unless you’re here to create the next big thing - Electro House is on the way down, time to find the next thing, either that or be the original that’s impossible to describe.
immigrating is your biggest concern. getting into the states legally is getting harder and harder. call up the local US embassy and talk with them about what you want to do.
I’m aware that the grass is always greener but I need a change from this scene and while I’m sure lots of European countries could be good places to go, I know english but not german… language barrier’s a bitch
Depends on where you are. In central Florida (Tampa/Orlando), Dubstep is not even a blip. Not here and not welcome. Both have somewhat of a DnB scene with Orlando being smaller but a little more on the regular side. Both have a Goth/Industrial/EBM scene that is of a good size but impossible to break into as a dj. House and Breaks always have a new night but it never lasts. And last but not least we have indie dance/electro. Between the two scenes there is at least 1 thriving night every day of the week, if not more. Its huge and pretty much controlled by about 10 djs total. There are chances here for sure, but its going to be something you have to build, for sure nothing in Central Florida gets handed to you.
our scene is kinda weak here… not a lot in the way of techno, or minimal… That being said, most of my gigs are traveling outside the US, i play here in the states as little as I can since it is quite unpredictable…
