I've known my boyfriend for about 6 years and he is an amazing pianist. He composes his own work and anyone that has ever hear it cannot believe that he's not a famous composer. Everyone (friends, family, and strangers alike) think he is the next Mozart. I believe it too, and I know that if he sent even one demo into a company that his musical career would take off. However, he has a HUGE mental block about it. So much so that he really doesn't believe that he's a good composer and that every single person who says so is 'just being nice.' He isn't doing anything else that leads to a career and now he's thinking of giving up his pursuit of a musical career (even though it hasn't really begun). It's like he lives by the whole, 'you can't fail if you don't try' mentality. How do I get him to have confidence in himself and to actually start sending some of his music into record companies?

PLEASE HELP!

Your boyfriend may be afraid of rejection. Right now, everyone tells him that they love his music. If he makes a demo and sends it in to a music company and they end up giving him negative feed back about his work, he might feel humiliated. Does he have any work recorded? If so, maybe you should send it in. If positive feed back - tell him what you did ; If negative feed back - keep it to yourself. Maybe that will work.
-Kae

He may need to do some self confidence study, read on it.
The music business takes a large ego the size of a mac truck, he will get rejected dozens of times before he can ever get anything recorded.

There are many areas to help build him up, open mike nights and other places he can perform normally for free to get used to playing and to get experience.

But he will have to want it, you can not want it for him enough to make it work, If you do get him to perhaps perform at some local nursing homes, at some meetings and the such.

So all I can say is that you have to keep re-inforcing how much everyone likes his music. ( i.e. on a starting musican, he will need another job for a while since most musicians don't make a living for years if they ever do.

Hi,
As others have said, are there any "open mic" clubs, or organizations in your local area? Anywhere you could take him so he could play for others?
I agree with the answer about sending a tape of his music to a publisher. If the answer is good, tell him about it. If not, then don't.
I do wish you the best of luck.

KAE, I tried commenting, but you know that ugly saying that keeps popping up need to spread some more reputation. You have some very excellent suggestions for this person. I hope they follow through with that plan of action. You gave me personally some ideas myself. My wife is very artistic and she is always doing art but she never tries to show it to anybody and she never personally tries to get herself out there. Even with my encouragement. So maybe I will do the same thing. Try to get some of her art together and show it around. Then maybe she will get recognized and hopefully she will understand why I did it without her knowing.

Joe

Do it for him.

I know were your coming from my boyfriend is an artist with no motivation I had to send away his forms to art colleges to let him see he is good enough to be excepted.. send his demo to any and every organization you can find get his friends and family involved to help maybe once he sees the offers coming in and how much you all believed him it will encourage him to follow his talent... some men need that extra push!

Some women need that extra push too.

Does he only do this with his music?

That is, is he focused and together in other areas of his life?