I sat down with Gabe Shadid on the Epic Score podcast and we went deep. We talked about how I got started with guitar at 14, moved to LA at 23 to study music, ended up in a band with a BMG record deal, and eventually shifted into composing for trailers and video games. One of the highlights: how I ended up singing as the German evil guys in all three Wolfenstein games after Mick Gordon reached out looking for someone who could sing in a rough German voice. The whole MachineGames team ended up phonetically recreating my vocals for a pub scene. That story alone is worth the listen. We also got into the realities of breaking into the industry, why most demo reels fail (stop sending SoundCloud links), and how AI fits into the picture for composers right now. If you want to hear the full journey and some unfiltered thoughts on where this industry is headed, check it out. https://youtu.be/E3-jRcCaP0g?si=l1-s5_XkKoRdQNIM

Hey everyone, I need to address something that's been happening lately. We've been getting hit with spam accounts, AI bots, and people sneaking in just to promote their own services. It's been frustrating watching the quality of our community get diluted by freeloaders who don't actually care about growing as composers. Here's the thing - I spend a lot of time creating videos, tutorials, and answering private message questions entirely for free. And I'll continue doing that because I genuinely want to help you succeed. But to compensate for that time investment and keep this community sustainable, I'm introducing some changes: PLEASE READ CAREFULLY! ⚠️ For EVERYONE ALREADY HERE: If you joined for free, you're staying free. Forever. You're grandfathered in. NOTHING changes for you. ⚠️ ⚠️ If you purchased courses before, they are STAYING YOURS. If you joined the premium tier, EVERYTHING STAYS THE SAME ⚠️ For New Members (as of today, 22th Nov. 2025): - Standard Tier: $7/month or $70/year - Full community access, tutorials, partner deals, and networking resources - Premium Tier: $27/month or $270/year - Everything in Standard PLUS access to ALL courses on the platform (Trailer Music Trailblazers I & II, Game Music Conquerors, etc.) This isn't about making money. It's about protecting what we've built here and ensuring I can keep dedicating time to creating valuable content for you. A small barrier filters out the noise and keeps this community focused on what actually matters - helping serious composers build real careers. You'll see me sharing more valuable content, more actionable strategies, and less tolerance for BS moving forward. Questions? Drop them below. Cheerio, Alex

Hey! Welcome to the Audio Artist Rise Community! This community helps music composers improve, optimize, and inspire themselves as they enter or progress in the audio industry. Step #01: Introduce yourself in THIS thread below! (✄ copy/paste template 👇) What are your goals? What is your current demo reel? What immediate help do you need? **Please DO NOT make a new post, as those clog up the feed (they will be removed). ------------------------------------------------------------------ Best practices in this community: • Level up by posting insights and thoughtful comments. • Help others level up by liking 👍 good posts and comments. • Be kind • If you want to reply to a post, make sure to use REPLY instead of creating a new post • If you need quick help, you can also ask the community 🤝