Eric Barone (aka ConcernedApe) also ran into a problem that can affect a lot of people.

Barone should be happy, by the way, because his game Stardew Valley got a soundtrack gig, and here he had a little onstage speech in New York City as he toured some venues with the Festival of Seasons tour. He thanked the audience for coming, and his opening speech was posted on Twitter by Aftermath co-founder Nathan Grayson. It was quite heartbreaking what Barone said:

“Thank you all so much, this is my first time in New York City, so I appreciate the warm welcome. You know, growing up, I always wanted to be a composer, but no one would listen to my music. So, after many years of failure, I finally discovered the secret: all I had to do was create an entire video game from scratch, and then you guys would finally listen to my music,” Barone told the crowd.

His work has garnered some serious attention, as the Festival of Seasons is almost completely sold out, even though he will be performing in other international venues than originally planned. For example, he will be performing the game’s iconic soundtrack in Australia, Thailand, Italy, and Singapore. It features quiet, nostalgic melodies that seem to evoke a lost childhood.

But the story of Stardew Valley shows that even if someone is talented at what they love to do (especially if it’s audiovisual or art related), they are often simply overlooked, not even given a chance, but left behind by an audience that seeks out established, known content, even if it neglects quality, which can be detrimental to the underappreciated talent. Maybe they need to come up with something extra to get their original work noticed?

In any case, Barone’s story also encourages us to never give up, because life cannot be so unfair that the public ignores the work that has been honestly created. Barone didn’t give up either, and that’s how he made it…

Source: PCGamer

went to tonight’s stardew valley concert in nyc, and @ConcernedApe gave a short speech about making music: “no one ever wanted to listen to my music. so after many years of failure, I’ve finally discovered the secret: all I had to do was develop an entire video game from scratch” pic.twitter.com/EBQYa5zMLF

— Nathan Grayson (@Vahn16) March 1, 2024