6 Questions to Ask a Producer (besides price)

6 Questions to ask a Music Producer (besides price) Before Hiring Them

I understand the urge to price-shop when looking for a music producer, believe me. I’m quite sure I would do the same these days. There seem to be a gazillion around. And once you start price shopping, you realize you can get a song produced for anywhere from $100 to $10,000 or more per song. So, there must be a difference between the bottom dollar producer and the top dollar producer, right? Yes, of course. But it may not be the quality of the instrumental track that is reflected in the price. There may be other factors. As a matter of fact, there are many factors to consider when “shopping” for the right producer, besides price.

Do they do “everything” from creating the music, recording vocals, to mixing, to mastering? If not, do they outsource? Are those fees included or not?

How many revisions will they allow?

What’s their typical turnaround time?

Do they have an ego and get offended every time you want to change something?

Do they charge back-end royalties?

Do they expect any ownership of the copyright? Either the song or the master recording?

Do they have a portfolio with samples? What was their scope of work on those songs?

Instead of peppering a producer with yes/no questions like these, I put together some open ended questions that should tell you everything you need to know about a potential producer.

Question #1 - What is your philosophy as a music producer? Do you like to be transparent so that each artist has their own sound or do you have a particular sound that is your signature in all of your productions?

Such an open ended question may surprise your interviewee but give them time to figure out how to answer you. If they haven’t already thought of how to answer this question, it’s time that they do! Some producers have a signature sound (think of Calvin Harris or Zedd or even Mutt Lange from decades past). Artists choose these producers because of their sound. Some producers are more transparent and want their productions to reflect the artist’s unique style. Find out which direction your potential producer usually goes. You may like this producer’s sound which is why you are interested in hiring them, and that’s totally cool. This isn’t a right/wrong type of question but a way for you to know what to expect through the process. 

Question #2 - How would you handle a scenario where I don’t like something? Do you have a set number of revisions we can make? 

You would be surprised how many times I’ve heard from artists how difficult a producer was to deal with because they got offended every time the artist didn’t like something. Most engineers and producers do have a “number of revisions” limit, which I do understand as a producer myself, even though I don’t subscribe to that rule. However, it’s quite common for an artist to be indecisive or not know exactly what they want so we producers end up chasing sounds, changing direction multiple times, which can be really frustrating and a big time waster. The best remedy for this, I have found, is having more conversations with the artist and finding more specific reference songs. Find out the producer's approach to this common issue. If they have a hard and fast “line-in-the-sand” revision count, find out if they’d be willing to have more detailed conversations with you if the production isn’t turning out how you want.

Question #3 - Is this production completely work for hire or do you have additional points or royalties on the back-end you expect to collect?

You really, REALLY need to make sure this is clear upfront and get it in writing; either by email or an actual production agreement. I’ve been witness to a producer holding the finished song as ransom while they tell the artist they want songwriting or publishing royalties. I’ve had artists ask me what it means when the producer asks for producer points on the back-end AFTER the song is finished. This is common but highly unethical. Perhaps not every producer realizes how unethical it is, as maybe they had someone do it to them. But it’s completely unethical to change the terms of an agreement after the fact, in any scenario. Asking for publishing or producer points in itself is NOT unethical. It’s quite common, actually. But the production fee should be lower. For example, the upfront fee for a work for hire production might be $1,500 per song. If the producer sees the potential for this song to make some serious back-end royalties because either the artist already has a great following or the song itself sounds like a hit, the producer might offer a reduced producer fee of $1,000 plus a 3% producer royalty on the master recording, or something of that nature. It’s all negotiable. But just be sure this is all negotiated before you pay any deposit.

Question #4 - Will there be additional costs for other musicians? Mix engineer? Mastering engineer?

Most producers charge a flat producer fee but it will only include certain things. Finding out the scope of what this producer does and what they don’t do will help you keep from being blindsided by additional fees. If the rate they quote is low, be especially curious about what is included and not included. 

Question #5 - What would you say is your strongest quality as a producer? What is your biggest weakness?

Another open ended question that may have them thinking and scratching their head for a minute. That’s ok! Wait for them to answer. Every producer has strengths and weaknesses. If they have the awareness of what those strengths and weaknesses are, that shows a lot about their character. You can consider what they say of course, but to me, this question is more about getting a feel for the kind of person they are; ego-maniac, humble, aggressive or insecure.

Question #6 - Where can I hear samples of songs you have produced?

This might seem obvious but…you’d be surprised how many times I’ve taken on a project for an artist, they’ve even PAID me a deposit, only to find out they hadn’t listened to any of my portfolio. Like…wait, you don’t even know if I’m any good or if you think your music would sound good with my style of production and you just paid me a lot of money. Be sure you listen to the producer's portfolio with the ear of “does this sound like what I hear when I listen to spotify or the radio? Are these productions at least at that level? Does this producer have songs that are somewhat close to my genre?”  

I hope this helps you find the right producer for you! There probably isn’t anyone more important than the producer you choose to create your music, so choose carefully. Remember, also, that you can have a different producer for every song. As you meet and interview potential producers, you may want one for one song and another on another song. That’s totally cool and very common practice. You are the boss!

Do you wanna know MY answers to these questions? Read here!