If you write songs or create anything on your own one thing is for certain: you are only you! Yes we are large and infinite, but if we double ourselves imagine the amount of work, ideas and perspective you’d have. Of course this is the topic of this blog post: “getting help!” Specifically, when writing and recording songs the best help you can get is from a producer who hopefully has way more knowledge and wisdom than you do. Think about Michael Jackson who, without Quincy Jones, would never have made it to where he did or Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard or any other big musician. These producers took their music to a whole new level, where it could really compete at the top.
I can only speak from personal experience as my first two albums were produced 100% by myself, but my third was co-produced by a top notch producer named JB Ekl ( Santana, Ozomatli, etc.). I knew it was a huge difference once the product came out and we sent it to my mastering guy Brad Vance of Red Mastering (he’s mastered thousands of top notch albums mostly for labels). When he finished he called me and said: “This is a big step up for you, its really good.” Of course that wasn’t the end of it, I got tons of praise from everyone I showed it to and perhaps the icing on the cake was Pandora who rejected my previous albums and accepted this one. Now I make money every month on Pandora.
So what did he do to help me and why should you hire a producer?
This goes back to the saying “two minds are better than one.” Basically, he had a whole other set of skills and experience that brought a new dimension to my music and I simply couldn’t have done it alone. Specifically…
- he helped me flesh out my lyrics so they were more meaningful
- he was a ripping guitar player and threw down some of the baddest guitar lines I’ve ever heard
- he helped with the song structure and arrangement of instruments
- he helped hire people like the mixer and other instrumentalists.
Here is the difference:
Song from my self produced Album “Reggae Rock Hop”
Song from co-produced Album “Set Yourself Free”
So how can I find a producer?
First ask around to others you know and respect. Next find some albums you like and see who the producer is. If you’re on a low budget find some albums that are indie and sound great. If you have a decent budget of $10-$20k you can look at some more mainstream producers. Always check their resumes and get references then call those references and ask how it was working with this person. You want to make sure you jibe with them or else you could be in for a lot of pain.
How do I pay for a producer?
This one is doable so don’t fret. If you don’t have a well paying job, a bunch of cash in the bank or a rich uncle you’ll need to be a little crafty here. Kickstarter is a great place to raise funds, but not until you build your fan base up to at least 500-1000 hard core followers. Not just people on your list, but actual fans who respond. Besides Kickstarter, you can also raise money from neighbors and offer them a tax deductible incentive. To find out more about building fans and raising money sign up to be a Beta tester of our step by step video courses on the right >>>>.
What do I pay a producer?
Sky is the limit here and you can negotiate anything from pure equity to pure cash. Lesser known producers will work for as little as $2,000-$5,000 plus 2-5 percentage points of all your sales. Mid teared music producers cost around $10k – $30k with 2-3 percentage points and top tier work for $20k – $100k with 2-5 points. Make sure you get everything in writing and don’t pay everything up-front. Instead try to make 3 payments one up front, one in the middle and one at completion. Lastly, if a producer is completely out of the questions due to price our second best option would be a songwriting partner, although a lot of times the producer will help you with your songwriting as well. Whatever you choose, get help and feedback. They will be the key to really taking your game to the next level.
Any tips on hiring or funding producers please share your comments below.
Chad – MLP staff