Dear Future producer:

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SFTRAXX

SFTRAXX

West Coast Rap Producer
Griffin Avid said:
1,000 are going to find their own Soulja Boy or Waka Flocka and just build their own thing slowly and that's where the next Drake, J. Cole, Wale will come from. Those people will be on some 9th and LB stuff without the drama. Some Snoop and Dre Batman and Robin type vibe... not just random people with $20 on their stuff.

I don't get you BigRome. You keep claiming to be lightly involved or uninterested in production and yet you have some of the keenest insight. What's your deal?

I only see two angles here.
Dudes that want a placement.
Dudes that want a Place-that-Meant something.

You watch 8 million youtube videos and read 8 million interviews and still the big picture seems lost on everyone. A few "insiders" say it's about RELATIONSHIPS and everyone takes that cliche phrase and runs with it.

The relationship isn't calling the same A&R week after week to see if anything is poppin or emailing all your contacts once a week to see what's hood.

All the producers with solid careers that have lasted built themselves off an artist(s) that started on their level and they GREW TOGETHER. Pete Rock, Preem, Heatmakerz, Collipark, Timbo, Neps-

Most cats are looking for a big $ale to make it all happen off one beat.
One sale with G-Unit and they good money.
One head nod from Juelz Santanna and they in for life.
Oh, if Rick Ross heard this...
Etc...

A Placement is a single check. Not actually worth very much compared to how much time you invest in gear and time making beats and that's compared to a straight nine-to-five [with college or without college].


It's 2010 and the magic trick has been revealed. Hot beats are a dime a dozen. It takes a bit of work to find a good source, but still they're out here in numbers.

A Producer is STILL hard to find. What do I get for working with you? Only the chance to rhyme over a nice track? I can get that anywhere. I don't even NEED YOU- JUST YOUR BEATS. How about help with my hook? How about help with my image? How about free studio time while I grind away at a day job -just like you. You get free raps to promote your beats and I get free beats to promote my raps. Fair exchange.

We're a team. If I make it, you make it. OUR RELATIONSHIP isn't me buying a $20 dollar beat off your soundclick. It's YOU Producing ME. It's US as a group. Remember. "He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper"
Same thing in 2010.

And no, 20 million followers on twitter or facebook or soundick or whatever isn't the answer. It's a few partners that are reliable that will build your future. So yes to the OP, a lot of cats are dreaming way past their reality. And many of us who dream won't be the next [insert whoever you wish you were].

Better to see reality as is.
You're a cat who works a nine-to-five with dreams of making it big.
Rewind and repeat.

That doesn't make you a loser.

You'd be a loser if you believed in your dreams in place of reality and really thought "This year is it!, Drake is gonna buy some of my beats and I'll be Livin Large in no time!"

Or had some wacky mathematics...X beats sold a week at X dollars = livin la Vida loca.

The market isn't saturated.
The world isn't looking for beatmakers or just hot beats.
The world is STILL looking for producers.

Test my theory.

If Oprah or Vibe or Prince or Super-Duper-Rapper or anybody with enough clout to spark genuine interest showed up and presented a really sick opportunity that involved producing a viable record- but only to those that were really, really ready to take advantage of it and carry out the responsibility from A to Z, most of you/us could name maybe ten producers that would really get it done. And we'd all name roughly the same ten. That's horrible for a site with so many so called future producers. Sure lots of cats that really aren't ready would post and cause a clog...There might be a few that come out the woodwork to represent... but you get the idea.

You can't be a Super-Producer until you're a producer first. You can't be a producer until you produce somebody first.

You can always claim any beat you sold as a production credit. That still won't make you a producer.

Trying to make a living off selling beats (especially on the internet) is a wild adventure.

If you want to make a living off being a producer then you'd better start producing somebody. Anybody. There isn't a profession or industry that you just start off at the top end on your first day. You'd better expect to work for free for a minute.

Your value isn't what your talent is worth.
Your value isn't what your talent is worth.
Your value isn't what your talent is worth.

Your value is what you can make somebody el$e.
When your beats can make money for somebody else, then you'll know what to charge for your talent/time and you'll actually know what your worth is to the industry and demand exactly that.

So the fantasy stops when you realize that you think you're a producer and you haven't produced anybody. When you think a placement/beat-sold makes you a producer. When you think being a salesman of something (beats) with low value and a million similar products on the market is a good longshot to bank on.


Stop selling beats. Nobody wants them. Start selling yourself. You could be unique and special, but as long as a "hot beat" is all you present, we'll never know if there's more behind the head nod.


-Drew Spence logged on as Griffin Avid
Thanks Griff.
Click to expand...

Since this post was so epic I didn't want to see it lost.

someone sticky this.

Future producers, produce somebody today.
 
Useful info. I've produced 30-40 tracks recorded by me with my artists. The beat selling is just on the side.

Awesome stuff.
 
nice post! thats what im talking bout dudes need to quit tryna get rich and do some work everything comes with time? i produce myself lol
 
i thought this was a really good read. good to see that amidst the sea of bs threads floating around on fp there is still the occasional little gem of insight. thanks man

met this girl at school recently and i think she has huge amounts of potential, shes in my music composition class but shes also an aspiring vocalist. were the same age and have real simliar taste in music, so we decided to hook up and form a producer/artist duo, weve yet to record anything though because were both really new to this but this post really was that swift kick in the ass i needed to go and work on some material with her.

fp needs more quality posts like this. i think what fp has become (despite its intentions) to all these aspiring producers, is one big DISTRACTION. its almost as bad as television, or porn.
 
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People won't produce that artist (whomever "that" artist is)... because that artist won't pay for beats.

They'd rather get that $20 than a collection of completed songs that they can sell themselves and make more than $20.

How many people outside of "beat makers" get excited by listening to instrumentals... and I only want to hear 45 seconds of 'em at the most.

Embrace the beat maker title... if theirs nobody performing on your songs... you just made a beat = beat maker.

Not trying to be rude, mean or anything... (I would like to produce someone for a whole project but ... )

ehhh... guess I'll do the songs myself.
 
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Very good post. People need to understand there is a big difference between 'producer' and 'beat-maker'. My guess is most beat makers did producing too nowadays not so much and the title never transitioned.
 
Bentley said:
Very good post. People need to understand there is a big difference between 'producer' and 'beat-maker'. My guess is most beat makers did producing too nowadays not so much and the title never transitioned.
Click to expand...


The title doesn't just "transition".... :confused:

Fact: Sometimes the producer doesn't make the beat at all.
 
I had to read it over a few times. At first i thought it was a long jab at BiggRome but it's some beatmaker vs. producer ish. After the first couple of paragraphs it's knowledge.
As for me, I never liked dealing with other people and I realized I'm not gonna change. Beatmaker for life!!!!
 
I'm actually getting there, well sort of.

Forming a team, we're gonna be working in conjunction with a few rappers and an up and coming clothing label.
 
I've been told this quite a few times. My issue is that I did this about 7 years ago. I worked with 4 different artists (3 of which also had a group together), compiled enough material for about 5 albums, and nothing came from it. Nothing was ever released, mixed, nada. Ive thought about collaborating with a different artist but how do I know im not wasting my time and hard drive space?
 
icu said:
I've been told this quite a few times. My issue is that I did this about 7 years ago. I worked with 4 different artists (3 of which also had a group together), compiled enough material for about 5 albums, and nothing came from it. Nothing was ever released, mixed, nada. Ive thought about collaborating with a different artist but how do I know im not wasting my time and hard drive space?
Click to expand...

If you believe in the potential of the project but the artist/group lacks drive, then its up to you to take the rock and run with it. Have them sign over the rights to the material (as stated by J.troup in the original post) so you can shop the finished material.

Isn't that what a producer's job is?
 
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Interesting.... any way of figuring out what kind of artist to work with? So I dont waste my time again.
 
icu said:
Interesting.... any way of figuring out what kind of artist to work with? So I dont waste my time again.
Click to expand...


Where is the completed material now?
Still on your hard drive?
 
I started out singing, wrote songs, wrote bars, started making beats, started producing.

You can be a great writer and a decent beat maker and your SONGS still won't "cut thru". You can make great beats and help out with the writing, but if the artist can't take over the beat......you can produce, hear a song and track and know immediately what's lacking to get "that sound", but if you can't finish it or have people who can do it for you.......the result is the result is the result.
In the end, you press play and what happened before that, doesn't really matter. What matters is, if you can make "that" happen.
 
great read. thanks for this thread. A lot of people need to read this.
 
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