Haters gunna hate.

The world is full of hate... and it's something that you can't really escape. When you put your music out to the world, you're inviting hate to come knocking. I'm sure that anyone reading this has experienced it, at least to a certain extent.

I want to give you some advice for how you/your band should internalize it, and how you should deal with it.


First and foremost, realize that everyone in the world has the RIGHT to say whatever they feel... and the internet has opened up the floodgates, and turned off the censors (unless you're in China) ... so it can get pretty brutal. The sooner you realize this fact, the sooner you can realize that just because you're band is experiencing negative comments on Facebook or YouTube does not necessarily mean that you're doing anything wrong.  In fact, most of the time, the bands that draw the most haters are the ones that also manage to sell the most records. (most of the time, hate is just a form of jealousy or envy).


It's how your band deals with this crap that can make you or break you.


Rule #1: Don't feed it.  ... don't comment back from your band's account, and don't log in to your personal accounts to fight back (usually, this is very easily detectable, and kind of a "rookie mistake"). Let your fans fight for you. Let your music speak for itself.


Rule #2: Don't change what you're doing because of "haters" or "trolls" ... bands often let this kind of thing get to them, become self-conscious about what they're putting out, and completely alter their sound and identity to appease the few assholes that have nothing better to do than talk shit.


Rule #3: Learn to tell the difference between "haters" and people who are genuinely giving constructive criticism (especially if these people are reputable). This is important, because a lot of bands get a really headstrong attitude after listening to "haters" ... and then they miss out on some really valuable advice/critiques from people that have a lot to offer them.


At the end of the day, the music you and your band create is for you and the people that appreciate it... not the ones that don't like it. Stop trying to win those people over. Not everyone has to like your music, and if you start trying to write stuff that everyone will like, you'll just turn into Coldplay or some shit. No one wants that.


-Ryan