10 Things they don’t tell Music Producers…. til it’s too late

Hi Guys & girls,

Here's a new post I wrote that seems to be getting quite a positive response. I originally shared the link just because the post iS kind of long, but I got slapped on the hand for doing that. No worries, I only wanted to make it easy for those who could benefit from this. With that said, I put the whole article below.


Enjoy!

10 Things they don’t tell Music Producers…. til it’s too late


If you are new to music production, or even if you’ve been poking around for a while, there are a number of things that you haven’t been told about making music. Depending on what angle you are taking to get into the music production game, you are likely either over preparing or under preparing for what lies ahead.Sadly, many suffer from what they consider to be complete failure & thus give up. It is my belief that if they had this information ahead of time, they probably wou

9. Time is the only difference from you & those who are now successful

Your musical heroes are not really heroes, they are arrows pointing in the direction of your own potential. Do not allow the thought that “some have it and some don’t”, it’s simply not true. The truth is that some people work for it(unfortunately very few) tirelessly & consistently until they get it. Some of the best artists actually took longer to get there than you would expect.The video below explains this concept better than my own words ever could, so please watch it and let it sink in.If you want to know whether you’ve got it in you or not, look at your daily habits, not your skill level.

10. Everybody steals

So many people are so ****ing paranoid that they just sit there staring at their computer screen like me wandering aimlessly in a supermarket trying to put a meal together. My god, if I couldn’t steal recipes from people much more gifted in cooking than me, I’d be in even more trouble.The truth is, that all of the music you hear is inspired by another musician, artist, poet or some abstract thing someone recognized as having a beauty that others might not have seen from that perspective.That idea you are afraid to borrow was almost certainly inspired someone else, if not completely stolen. Picasso, John Lennon & Steve Jobs, all considered to be creative innovators all are famously quoted for nicking ideas pretty blatantly. You think Led Zeppelin were innovators? I did too & I still love them, but if you do some research, I’m sure you’ll be shocked.Stealing ideas is how artists constantly fuel their own creativity. Letting go of the fear of being completely original will actually set you free & make you more creative, not less. Use samples, presets, loops, quotes, or even steal from your own past ideas. Nothing you can steal will be put back together quite like the source you got it from.We are all human filters. This means that no matter what we borrow or steal, it still has to run through our unique set of parameters before it gets spit back out as our own art. Dro

Take care of some things

CLAPS BACK AT HATERS

Robyn

 
Hi, I am a singer-songwriter and a rapper and I write songs for people using a popular website. If you need me you can check me out following this link:
 
Do you know what else they don't tell new music producers? How little money you'll make, and how expensive marketing was going to be. The music pieces I've produced are literally on every single social media platform, but the traction that I get does not compensate for the immense amount of expenditure I let go. Whether it be apple music, youtube, or spotify–the royalties only make a seasonal amount compared to everything else. The only thing that's keeping me alive right now is my automation system for the merch we sell for every artist we have under our label. That's literally the only thing keeping our production afloat-having a significant amount of income originate from e-commerce stores we've set up for fans.
 
I wish someone had told me how important it was to document everything, keep track of all your legal documents, and that I should've gotten legal advice from a lawyer. Contracts, NDAs, and the like–these are all the behind-the-scenes part of being a producer that doesn't really reach the limelight. Half the time, you're down on your desk, reviewing terms and conditions, updating agreements, and getting things signed with clients. If you were a producer in the early '90s, you'd be familiar with the backaches and migraines these paperworks would cause. But times are different now, we are in an era that's going fully digital and paperless. You can literally sign contracts now without seeing each other. The biggest game-changer for me was automating my NDAs–this has saved me so much time and the updating process is soooo much more seamless. If you're a college student with a goal of being a producer someday, I suggest you take up classes on Economics and Taxes too, it'll help you get accustomed to all of the legalities involved in actually becoming a producer.
 
These are such great tips I definitely feel 7 and 5. I used to think everything I made needed to be musically complex and deep but it got to the point that I wasn’t even expressing myself anymore. It’s really freeing just making shit u like. Also changing ur habits changes ur life for sure. U don’t see it in the moment but time multiplies the power of habits and doing something small everyday helps me look forward to tomorrow bc I know at least I am growing in something. I’m ab to get back on campus and making music religiously so wish me luck on actually applying these rules consistently haha!!
 
I'm a New Producer amongst my many other roles!!! This post is extremely inspiring and enlightening!!!
💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖
Thank You SO MUCH!
#Sharing IS Caring!!!!

...I definitely FEEL the care/love!

I'm also wondering where's the video that was supposed to be "down below"!!!...
I'm VERY MUCH interested!!!

Thank You Again
 
I thought it was refreshing to read something that hasn't been beaten into me. Even though it's a very old post, I still found it helpful.

Thank you!
 
I love this. The 80/20 rule was interesting. For anyone just starting I always recommend they learn theory. Until I learned theory I was just making beats by ear and my stuff just didn’t sound that good. I’m no professional but I think my sound makes more sense melodically. It’s true most the stuff you learn you will forget but if you’re like me you’ll make a beat making checklist for every beat. I refer to it before I master each track to make sure I didn’t forget the basics on everything from production techniques to mixing. It’s really saved my butt when I need to get beats out fast. Happy songwriting girls and boys
 
I love this. The 80/20 rule was interesting. For anyone just starting I always recommend they learn theory. Until I learned theory I was just making beats by ear and my stuff just didn’t sound that good. I’m no professional but I think my sound makes more sense melodically. It’s true most the stuff you learn you will forget but if you’re like me you’ll make a beat making checklist for every beat. I refer to it before I master each track to make sure I didn’t forget the basics on everything from production techniques to mixing. It’s really saved my butt when I need to get beats out fast. Happy songwriting girls and boys

For the new cats reading this: Learning "Theory" is just another way of saying "learning what notes go together to sound 'right' ". And yes, I agree, it's a game changer.
 
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