MY ANSWERS to the 6 Questions to ask a Music Producer (besides price)

As I was writing the blog 6 Questions to Ask a Music Producer (besides price), I found myself wanting to answer the questions, as if I was the one being interviewed. Which gave me the idea to go ahead and answer these questions so that you, my readers, can get to know me better as a producer.

So, I’ll post the questions and my commentary to the question, and then I’ll answer the question as if you were interviewing me to be your next music producer. This should be fun, eh??

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?

Commentary: 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. 

My answer: When working with an artist I’ve never worked with before, I ask them a LOT of questions. If they’ve already released music with other producers, we talk about what they do and don’t like about those previous releases. If they’ve never released music, I have them create a playlist of their favorite music that, generally speaking, sounds like what they want their music to sound like. In short, I spend a lot of time trying to interpret and analyze what each artist's music should sound like. It needs to reflect who they are, their aesthetic, their vibe and hopefully, something unique to them. After we’ve worked on a few songs together, it is so fun to see/hear their own unique vibe starting to bubble up. In a nutshell, my production approach is always focused on that individual artist and their style, not my own. If there is a really specific production technique or style they want, I can dial that in but I always encourage artists to find their own language with their music.

A lot of my “unofficial training” as a producer came from recreating music productions to sound as close to the original song as possible, which meant I had a specific sound to create that was someone else’s creation. I guess you could compare it to accurately sketching out a landscape or a figure in front of you, versus painting your own image out of your imagination. But, I’m also a creative person. When someone sends me a demo that has just a vocal and a guitar, I can imagine in my mind what the finished production could potentially sound like. My approach is always whatever the artist is asking of me. Most of the time, the artist has a very general idea of what they want, so I add my own creativity to it, making sure the sounds are inline with their general direction. Once in a while, an artist points me to a specific sound. At that point, I feel like I’m in that “recreate” mode. What this all means is that I tend to be more transparent. 

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? 

Commentary: 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.

My answer: Some may say my “people-pleasing” tendencies are a negative characteristic (my therapist did, for sure), but I’ve found that as a music producer, if I’m producing someone else’s music, I’m not happy unless that person is happy! And I honestly can’t understand how a producer could be satisfied in their career path unless their artists were truly happy. Which is why I just can’t bear to say “only 3 revisions per mix”. But I also do NOT like to be in the situation where I am chasing sounds or starting a production over because an artist doesn’t know what they want. So, my approach is to ask as many questions of the artist as I can, get as many reference songs as we can, and have them create that playlist that reflects where their music would belong. If we find ourselves having to make too many revisions, it means we need to have more conversations. Or it could mean that the artist needs to sit next to me as we try out some different sounds or parts until we get some things figured out.

I put this video, “What Artists Need to Know About Music Production” together just for this reason. If you are an artist who doesn’t play an instrument and has never been through the process of creating a song from scratch before, it’s possible to feel really out of your depth when trying to communicate with your producer. Just understanding the basics will help you recognize the basic elements that go into typical pop songs (all genres, from hard rock to R&B).

Another point that is really important for artists to understand is that the sounds you are hearing right now will be out of date in a year or two. The top artists and top producers that are making tomorrow’s hits are focused on being creative. New, independent artists have a tendency to want their music to sound “safe”; never deviating from what they have already heard. Never trying out some new, unique production or mixing approach. Playing it safe is…safe. The ones who hit the music scene with a splash (think Billie Eilish, Lorde or Jon Bellion) make a splash because they’ve put out something that is new and fresh sounding. Not regurgitated or rehashed. There, I said it.

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?

Commentary: 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.

My answer: If you know me at all, you know that I am a very honest, ethical person but also really passionate about making sure artists understand the nuts and bolts of the music business #knowyourbiz. This is your best protection! If you understand the way things work, you will know when what someone is saying doesn’t add up. This is more and more important every day as new scams and schemes emerge on the regular. Just the other day I got an email from an executive at a major record label (I checked and the person is a real person who does in fact work for that record label) who says my music (huh?) has great potential and, for a submission fee of only $300, they will take it into consideration for a future release. If I didn’t know that this is not at all how record labels operate, I might be tempted. Always be suspicious (I hate saying that but it’s the MO for survival in this industry, unfortunately). If it’s too good to be true, it probably is. Oh, and always get it in writing. 

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

Commentary: 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. 

My answer: I mentioned I’m a people-pleaser, right? Being a people-pleaser means we don’t like contention and we want everyone to love us. Haha. The only scenarios that make me wanna quit being a music producer is when people aren’t happy or say they are happy but thought it would cost less (aka, take less time). Because I run my own business, I have the freedom to charge what and however works best for me, right? But since I’m a people-pleaser, I will always err on the side of giving folks more for their money. To make this happen, I’ve found that giving folks one price that “includes everything” makes us ALL happy. Did I have to raise my price? Yes. But believe me, when artists are being nickel-and-dimed to death, they are happy to simply KNOW what something is going to cost when everything is all said and done. So, I almost always send a proposal to artists that are a flat fee per song, that includes all production, all recording, all musicians, all mixing and final mastering. Most artists are happy to say, “No surprise bill at the end? Yes, please!” Which makes me happy, too.

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

Commentary: 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.

My answer: My strongest quality as a producer? I’m a people-pleaser. I’m not happy until you are happy. Biggest weakness? I’m a people-pleaser. I’m not happy until you are happy. Ok, this is sort of joking but, it’s true that this is a strength and a weakness. I’ve learned (see my answer to question #2 above) how to use this as a strength. 

If we are talking simply about technical or musical know-how, I think my greatest strength is arranging and producing vocals. This makes sense since this is where it all started for me. I was “arranging” harmony parts when I was just old enough to figure out how to multi-track my voice with two tape recorders (yes - this all happened long before youtube or GarageBand or even the internet was a thing). I always paid special attention to the way vocals were mixed, even before I knew what that even meant. I noticed there was a weird effect that made the singer sound like they were in a different space. I always noticed the harmonies and where they were placed in the sonic space. Vocals are the first thing I hear and think of and it will probably always be that way. My greatest weakness is probably not a weakness, just a reality of the process of learning to produce. Since I have done so many “recreation” productions, thinking of something new; a new sound, a unique production approach is always a little hard for me. I’m a creative person but I have to shift my mindset and give myself permission to go there. There is always the caveat that the artist I am creating this new idea for may completely reject it, which can put a damper on the creative flow state. About 50% of the time, those unique, creative ideas are rejected so my brain wants to shut down the creativity. I’m still working on this!

Another weakness is, since vocals are the main focus for me, I really have a hard time creating a complete instrumental track until I have the vocals in the mix. Even if it’s a scratch vocal, I can get much further along, perhaps even to 90% there. But I can never get it to 100% until all of the building blocks are in place. Then it’s magic time!

I’m still working on all of my skills as a producer and a mix engineer. So, I won’t say that the fact that I’m still working on getting better is a weakness. Let’s call it a strength! ;-)

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

Commentary: 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?”  

My answer: This answer is easy since it’s just a link to some of the music I’ve produced. I hope you enjoy!

If you interested in working with me, please fill out the artist application and tell me more about yourself.