Your musical work ethics

[Flandersh]

When not hired for any projects, I seldom collaborate. My own music is for me a way to communicate philosophy and as such not something which at its basic work great with collaboration.

Indeed, but the beauty of collaboration is that it's NOT your music! I find that getting out of my head and collaborating actually fuels my solo music. After a collaborative project, I'm always chomping at the bit to work on some of my own music. Actually, it works both ways for me, kinda like a perpetual motion machine!

Obviously to each their own, but I do love hearing how other artists pursue their art, especially when their approach differs from mine. You can always pick up something from other artists even if you don't collaborate with them!

I absolutely agree with you on the topic of collaboration.

What I was trying to say is that I primary use music as a device of speaking, and the gregorian style of composition where the text controls the melody has been of great inspiration to me. But all my speeches, in both article and musical formats are founded upon a collaboration through reflective dialogues, books etc.

So in the same way as I do not collaborate when writing this forum post, I do not collaborate when using the music as a way to communicate.

[mcatalao]

I love to collaborate with other people.

I always share credit with people i work with, and my only expectation is that one does the same in return. I always credit their work (either as recording artists, writers, composers and so on).

I don't like Discover because this easily gets lost in the path, even if the names of the people involved are in there.

I've earned money with music, I've payed others for their work and I'd like it to stay that way.

My main work Ethics is mutual respect.

[raymondh]

Now it's just pure hobby.  My creativity was starting to stagnate but that changed with I started co-writing virtually every song now with my collaborator (Raymond Hayter).  I think the key is finding the right collaborator.  He gets my style and I think I get his but we're different enough that what we come up with together is more interesting than (I think) would we would come up with on our own.  

The best part about collaborating is learning.  I love seeing how Raymond will put together a chord progression or a bassline, for instance.  I've learned so much that way.

So, I would say, collaborating is best if you find the right collaborator.

Before I started collaborating with Carl, I didn't know anything about song structure, I didn't know what a middle 8 was, I didn't know..... you get the idea! It's funny - Carl would send me a note saying "hey why don't you try doing XYZ" and I'd be straight onto Google to find out what XYZ meant!!
I'd argue I've benefited much more from the collaboration that he has! And it's been hugely fun and inspiring for me. 

A few other thoughts;
- Collaboration is a social experience and you have to remember that at all times. It's not like living 24x7 with a band on the road, but everyone has their needs, aspirations and personal style, and that's part of the fun.
- I think the more we worry about people ripping off our ideas, the more barriers we put up that prevent us spreading our wings and developing. (Unless we think we will only ever have one great song/idea).  
-  Collaborating requires putting aside your ego. If you create a 5 track piece and the other collaborators drop some of your synth lines because they don't think they work, will you understand that's part of the process, or will you be mortified? (I understand this is a common issue that professional mixers and producers have to deal with when they produce a band's material. The cutting room floor is an emotional mess ) 
- Related to the above, but the surprises are good. You might create a bridge for example that your collaborator thinks would make a great chorus, or your intro becomes the outro. I think a lot of good songs result from the journey and experiments and mistakes rather than from the plan at the outset and collaborating is really creative in this way.
- It's difficult collaborating with too many people at the same time. It can become a committee if you're not careful. But if you break into sub groups with only 2 or 3 then you might get some magic there on multiple projects!
- For me, the best collaboration is when you can share project files. e.g. using Dropbox to work on revisions of a .reason file, where you can tweak individual notes, instruments, the mix etc really easily. It's not as hands on (in my experience) when you're sharing audio stems and blocks.

Have fun!

[3rd Floor Sound]

I will say that I have to hear a certain connection to the collab artists, and their level of experience must be close to mine or greater, or it isn't going to work.

Well, at some point you have to become the mentor / teacher, no?

D.

Unless you're Neil Peart - last I knew he was still taking drum lessons

[JNeffLind]

A successful collaboration is like a successful marriage: you have to give as well as take, understand, get through the arguments with amicable solutions, and ultimately have the same goal in mind.  It's very difficult to have nurturing collaborations and remain inspired, much like a marriage, but in the end it can be an incredibly rewarding experience that's ultimately worthwhile.

I had a regular collaboration partner in my younger years (early 20's) but ultimately went solo in my early 30's out of necessity (friend moved away).  While I've been solo ever since, some of my most rewarding experiences have been collaborations - the most recent with someone in this thread.  It's probably one of my proudest works.

I hope to continue to collaborate - it's just hellahard to find that "one" who you click with.

Again, much like marriage.  

I actually had a similar situation. Had a couple cousins I did all my writing with who I thought were super talented and who I somehow got along with on an interpersonal level (enjoying the same drugs helped). Now both are married with kids and music took a backseat. Collaborating with anyone else just seems like a step down, hence the almost exclusively solo work. (Also being 100% sober makes me much less tolerant of spending time with humans.)

[pushedbutton]

Whatever works for you but I think good communication leads to good collaborations, that and knowing your boundaries, oh and being psychic, and having the ideas, and making a crap idea sound good some how...and not getting mad when the other person isn't good at all of the above...and defining your win state clearly. Actually, come to think of it, the more I think about it the more I agree with the original post. Don't collaborate with good musicians, collaborate with good friends because at some point you're going to disagree. If you can't work though a difference of opinion you can't get past that point. My advise, clone yourself.

[Emian]

I used to collaborate only rarely.  In my first band I was kind of like Vince Clarke and did all the music while the singer just sang.  In my second, more electronic rock band, I did most of the writing but we did have a few collaboration songs that kind of sucked.  In my third (most successful) rock band I was kind of meglomaniacal, writing the keyboard parts our keyboardist would play (I sang and played guitar live).


Now it's just pure hobby.  My creativity was starting to stagnate but that changed with I started co-writing virtually every song now with my collaborator (Raymond Hayter).  I think the key is finding the right collaborator.  He gets my style and I think I get his but we're different enough that what we come up with together is more interesting than (I think) would we would come up with on our own.  

The best part about collaborating is learning.  I love seeing how Raymond will put together a chord progression or a bassline, for instance.  I've learned so much that way.

So, I would say, collaborating is best if you find the right collaborator.

 
exactly this ^^ !
 
as an electronic-danceble-music producer; i feel comfortable when writing synthmelodies; bass, lead, pad &/or solo synth.... however, i suck at atmospheric sounds & drumfills (anything besides a kick clap & hat); therefor Emian is a 2-people project from the start (before Reason, with Electribes & Ableton jammin' live).
i love it when i wrote some melodies there is a person who knows exactly what drums are needed to complete the sound, & instantly gives me inspiration to progress the track .
 
i also met someone back on PUF (Peter Lansford) who i like to colaborate with, there's just that click/glue when we make something together
 
But i can understand not everyone can collaborate with everyone

[Melody303]

I did plenty of collaborations in the past, and I've learned plenty from them.
Even when being a total control freak, my methodology when collaborating was almost always totally different from when writing alone, mostly to accommodate my collaborators.
It was always fun, but it also always took a lot longer to do a collaboration than to write solo. That's one reason I stopped doing collabs.
The main reason I stopped is because I don't feel the song is mine to do what I want with once all is said and done. I feel like it wouldn't be right to share songs I've collaborated on at my bandcamp site (where they can be purchased) without the collaborators explicit consent, and I don't much feel like messaging them all asking for that permission, so I just don't share them.
Same goes for remixes of other artists.