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#1
11-28-2005, 04:31 PM
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music production
I was talking to a friend last night about our jobs, typical bs, and she mentioned that she thinks I'd enjoy and would be good as a producer of some sort. I don't know much about the field as far as what is required, what to expect, etc, and I know we have some video production experience here...anyone get into production on the music end of things? I'm interested, but also realize this is probably one of those jobs that people fantasize about without realizing the hard reality beyond the "cool" mental image.
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#2
11-28-2005, 05:04 PM
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Re: music production
I have some friends who do this, some more prestigiously than others...
Like most jobs in the music business (not as musicians) there are two routes...There are independent people who scrape by doing what they love and mostly being unrecognized for it, and the corporate button pushers, who at least make a decent salary. So like you say, it is mostly a fantasy job, and the day-to-day work is somewhat less glamorous. It's also very very technical and requires you to have a TON more musical talent than most performers (if you're going to do it right, I've certainly met plenty of hacks that still make a living.) On the positive side, it is 100% possible to educate yourself in the methods and technology, buy some equipment, and just start producing your friends' albums in your basement. This is a recent development and it rules. So try it out. Also: you must live in NY or LA if you want to make a lot of money and wear white suits with little gold spoon necklaces dangling in your chest hair. Sorry...
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#3
11-28-2005, 05:22 PM
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Re: music production
[ QUOTE ]
Also: you must live in NY or LA if you want to make a lot of money and wear white suits with little gold spoon necklaces dangling in your chest hair. Sorry... [/ QUOTE ] Dammit....no chance for white suits with gaudy jewelry in say Boston?
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#4
11-28-2005, 05:25 PM
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Re: music production
Not unless you supplement your income with selling commemorative Red Sox china, or snow shoes, or whatever you NE dudes make money on... [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]
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#5
11-28-2005, 05:26 PM
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Re: music production
The problem with music production is that unless you're really, really good and people will sleep with you to get you to produce their single, there's always someone just as good who'll do it basically for free because he's a sad loser who thinks he's just one single away from breaking through.
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#6
11-28-2005, 05:30 PM
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Re: music production
[ QUOTE ]
I was talking to a friend last night about our jobs, typical bs, and she mentioned that she thinks I'd enjoy and would be good as a producer of some sort. I don't know much about the field as far as what is required, what to expect, etc, and I know we have some video production experience here...anyone get into production on the music end of things? I'm interested, but also realize this is probably one of those jobs that people fantasize about without realizing the hard reality beyond the "cool" mental image. [/ QUOTE ] evan, I came to New York either to be in finance or go broke doing music production. I ended up in finace but I spent a lot of hours during high school and college recording my friends and generally giving opinions (read, produce) on their acts. So I took an intern as a studio manager (no production but making sure things are run smoothly for the bands renting studio space) in exchange for cheaper studio time for my band that I was trying to get off the ground. To put it basically a typical recording session goes like this: Studio manger sets up mics, wires, software and tape. Engineer comes in and checks levels, lines up reels. Producer comes in and looks over everything and starts getting things lined up for the takes, usually talks about what they want to record, what tracks are working out so far, what needs work, basically getting a handle of things before the artists come in. If the artists are around, they'll kind of brainstorm on ideas and do all of this together. talk about this [censored] until artists feels like they're ready to lay down tracks. Some artists come in meticulously prepared, some artists have no idea what they will play. they lay down multiple tracks, listen to them and artists leave. producer sticks around and works on the tracks w/engineer and usually talks business w/A&R people if they are around. Band manager is usually gone by now and the band is off to do their thing. I'd start at your college music department to see if they have a program to work w/music production. See if the music department has a studio for you to work in, and somebody to hold your hand. Anyway, the perks was being around music 24/7 and doing something creative and making something out of nothing and when a band/artist is just flowing and laying down retarded tracks, it's a great [censored] high. The shitiest part of all of this is working w/no talent hacks where every track is a grind. There's no money unless you're talented, lucky, and most of all can look through the being broke part of doing something you love. Somedays I wish I worked on my production skills cuz it's worth it when you make something that shits on everything else. You don't need super music skills to be a good producer, that's what musicians are for. You'll need a great ear, solid knowledge of music, instruments, and equipment, and social skill to get ideas down on tape.
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#7
11-28-2005, 05:32 PM
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Re: music production
If you're really serious about it, then the best advice I can give is to practice for a few years and get good. If you're interested in the producing side, I hope you're a damn good musician. If it's the engineering side, being a good musician would be advantageous, but not mandatory. Either way, get a fairly cheap computer-based recording setup, and record religiously. The more you do this, the more you'll actually be able to gauge what potential you have. If you want to do it professionally, you don't HAVE to live in LA or NY (or Nashville if that's your thing), but it certainly helps.
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#8
11-28-2005, 05:32 PM
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Re: music production
Well, I am a record producer...currently I live in Dallas and do okay at it...though I am moving to Nashville (which is another place you can make a lot of money producing records -- also London is good).
I agree that there are two routes to success as a record producer, but I would differ slightly in what I tell you those routes are. There is the "musician" route -- where by having played a lot, recorded a lot as a musician you realize you have the creative knack for helping cultivate the best out of other musicians in a studio setting. There is also the "engineer" route -- where you obtain a masterful understanding of the technical side of recording music and parlay that knowledge into a role actually being the producer of different projects. Also included as a prerequisite for either route is a solid grasp on budgets, negotiation, and business in general. As the producer of a record, you must be willing and able to provide artists and labels with detailed budgets outlining what you will need to be able to deliver masters to them...you will need to be able to negotiate with studios, engineers, programmers, musicians, airlines, hotels, equipment rental services, logistics providers, and other necessary vendors of goods and services for favorable prices that will help lower the overall costs of recording albums. You also will need to cultivate an understanding of how you get paid, how labels and artists and managers make money -- in short, you do need to know a good deal about the industry itself. When you're there on all these fronts, you will then need to network the crap out of yourself, develop a resume of tracks for demonstrating your work, and hope to get lucky with some good artists/songs to the point where you become a respected name in the industry that people seeking production will come to for their pending projects. If you hit it as a record producer, it's not at all unheard of to make 10k/track as a recoupable advance plus 4 points once the advance has been recouped. Record 5 albums per year (usually at 15 tracks per album, because not all of the recorded tracks make each territory's final album release) at that price and you're looking at 750k/year before any of your albums even make enough money to get you into recoupable territory. However, this is rare -- and getting there is hard work. I'm certainly not at that level, but hope to be within a few years time. If you do not have a big background in either music or engineering...you either need to get one fast or find another line of work to pursue.
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