Why you need a music producer

Key takeaways

• I share some common challenges that artists experience in the studio, some cautionary tales, why things go wrong, and ultimately why you need a music producer.
• Whether pursuing a music career as an indie artist, or aiming to win a record deal, young artists must make outstanding music to succeed.
• It’s a false economy to not build a relationship with a music producer. Without one, artists will show their ignorance in the studio, make many more mistakes and develop less musically.
• A recording studio engineer has a significantly different skillset compared to a music producer. Relying only on an engineer for your music recording can leave you open to disappointment.
• A producer’s reputation is important, but you must find a music producer whom you can communicate openly with, and who cares for your music, otherwise you can get badly treated.

A music industry that cares little for artist development, but expects a lot from artists

The last 25 years in the music industry have been revolutionary. Through digital music and streaming, anyone can create a recording and publish it.

It’s a triumph of technology that’s also been hugely disruptive. Records that cost thousands to make are sold for less than a penny per play. Big tech players – Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal etc. – and large record labels – Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and Warner Music Group – and publishers, dominate the commercial market. Whereas only a small percentage of money from music sales reaches artists.

Consequently, record labels have evolved into specialist marketers of digital music and are much more cautious about investing in new artists, at least until they can prove they are a good investment. And yet, because new artists are not developed under the wing of a record label producer, they have to prove their potential by themselves.

Young artists who want to pursue a career in music must decide if they want to woo a record label, or go it alone as an indie artist. Whatever they choose, they are expected to master many marketing skills to get noticed, including:

• build a fanbase,
• grow a social media presence on multiple platforms,
• book and play live shows,
• create and sell merchandising,
• and get PR and coverage in music media.

Even if they do all this, they absolutely need  to create music to an outstanding level.

For this they need knowledge and skills to succeed: including understanding the processes of arranging, recording, mixing, mastering, publishing, licencing, distribution and royalties.

It’s no surprise that this leaves musical development last on the list.

How can music artists invest in their art when they’re covering so many bases, and don’t have an on-hand team of experienced professionals including managers, music producers or stylists to guide them?

Crucially, without a music producer, artists have less chance of developing musically!

The consequence is that young musicians struggle to fulfil their potential; they need experienced and skilled music producers to guide them and their musical output, which most can barely afford. Without a music producer, most young artists create low-grade recordings that die on Spotify with fewer than 50 monthly listeners. And since April 2024, artists with less an 1000 streams per year on Spotify will literally earn nothing from their efforts.

The false economy of not building a relationship with a music producer

Many acts I work with begin the music-making process with little idea of how much is involved in making their records sound commercial and competitive.

Budgets are often very limited, aspirations disproportionally idealistic, and we nearly always require more time than they envisaged.

Because they don’t have experienced mentors or managers guiding them, their tight budgets are easily and unknowingly misspent. They only realise things have gone wrong when the results of their recording sessions don’t match their expectations.

Money spent but product not what you wanted?

I have many examples of clients who came to me with a project in need of rescue. No names, but here are a couple of scenarios.

1. “The mix is not good! It sounds way too reverby and not cool”.
   A group of singers booked a recording session, but no producer. The engineer used a microphone placement that would create a typical ensemble ambient recording, but the client actually wanted a close-up tight recording. The engineer prepared for a choral sound, whereas the client expected a close-up vocal sound. The client thought the mix was wrong, but it was actually the recording.

How to avoid this

A producer in this situation would have had a discussion with the client at the pre-production phase to understand the musical goals of the project, listen to reference tracks and agree what was needed from preparation stage to mixing the tracks. They would have ensured that the right mic set-up was used in the studio, been the ears in the control room to help improve any performance weaknesses, and ensure the recording met the client’s requirements.

How we fixed this

I spent two days with the client editing the stems of the recordings to produce the dry, crisp, close-up mic sound that the client really wanted. Needless to say, this was laborious and an unwanted cost to the project.

2. “It just doesn’t really sound like us! Maybe it’s a bit loose, and the guitar sound is too distorted”.
   A band booked a studio to record a single, but without a producer. They expected the engineer alone to be able to record them as they wanted. But the engineer presumed they knew what he was doing and they assumed the engineer would know what they wanted. Neither actually communicated a specific vision. As a result, the recording didn’t satisy their ideas, and needed to be re-recorded. But it wasn’t either’s fault. You can’t blame the engineer, because they’re just engineering, and you can’t blame the band, because they don’t know what they don’t know.

How to avoid this

A producer in this case would have got to know the band’s sound, their strengths and weaknesses and prepared them for the session. He would have helped them tighten up, where they were too loose, and given ideas for their arrangements. And in the studio ensured that the recordings captured the sound they needed for mixing. The producer and engineer work together to get the right sound.

How we fixed this

In the studio I re-recorded and re-amped the guitars and worked hard to get the live energy that the band was looking for. Again this was quite a laborious task and certainly not perfect. We’ve since booked in two days production to work the song arrangements through and create some recordings that will better reflect their feel.

A studio engineer is the builder, a music producer is the architect

A producer doesn’t always know what an engineer knows. An engineer doesn’t know what a producer knows. Creating a record is a construction process. Both an architect and builder, plans and practical implementation are required.

The engineer works to your spec. In a way the engineer is without opinion. He will ask, “What do you want to do?” And his opinion will be on how to record the group with microphones, cables and technical set up, but not necessarily on how to produce a record.

Another analogy is a photographer who knows how to take a fashion photo but won’t have an input on hair, clothes, styling etc. The problem comes when the engineer assumes you know what you need and you don’t know that he doesn’t know that you need more than just a straightforward recording.

Communication is the foundation of success in music production

At the heart, a music producer is there is bring your ideas to life. Artists, especially artists at the beginning or formative part of their career cannot be expected to know even a fraction of what makes a record sound good, let alone explain to an engineer what you want to happen in the studio.

Legengary music producer, Rick Rubin, speaks and writes about developing your artistry but also says he doesn’t know anything about music. His strength as a producer, he says, is having faith in his own taste and being open to creativity and learning, testing ideas and knowing when something sounds good.

This kind of open-ended, creative approach sounds wonderful, but it requires a well-funded budget to do that. Without one, you need to be sensible and find a producer who can interpret your ideas, help you flourish creatively and who cares about what you want within the boundaries you set or can afford.

Find a producer who cares about your music

To complicate matters a little, not all producers really care abour your music.

Another cautionary tale.

I was asked to produce an act after they had a horrible, demoralising experience with another producer. They had taken a recommendation from a trusted source, a lot of money changed hands, but the resulting recordings were poor.

What went wrong?

Unfortunately, again it was naivety. They didn’t do their research and accepted the recommendation because he was being sold as a big shot. This producer used his reputation as a barrier. He booked a rehearsal time but then didn’t show up as planned. He refused to let the client into the control room to listen back to the recordings during or after the session. Moreover, he had very little interpersonal skill, spoke down to the client, responded badly to questions and was generally rude. It became clear afterward that he didn’t have any experience recording their type of music. 

How to avoid this.

Always, always, always take the time to talk. I cannot emphasise this enough. You need to be able to have ‘meaty’ conversations with your producer on a level, to be free to ask all the questions you want and not feel awkward about it. If you feel at all patronised or unable to speak, walk away and find someone you can trust and feel at ease with.

How we fixed this.

Firstly, the job was to untangle what had happened and to reset the client’s expectations of what is normal and acceptable in the studio working environment. They didn’t know what to expect and had a rough experience. Thankfully the act was able to negotiate a replacement recording session at the studio because of the negative experience. In fact the studio engineers expressed afterwards how embarrassed they had felt about the way the producer spoke to the client. I went and led the second session, ensuring that they got to hear the recordings on the day, and produced the final mixes to the client’s relief and satisfaction!

In summary

• Don’t expect to be able to create exceptional commercial records without a music producer, unless you have spent years on your craft and have gained your own first-hand experience.
• Do talk to different producers to get ideas and find the best fit for you and your music.
• Be realistic about what you can achieve with your budget. It’s so much better to put your money into pre-production and go into your studio sessions ready, then to skimp that stage and overestimate what you can do in your studio time.
• Look for a producer you can work with over time, who will get to know you and your sound, and who cares about your musical development and success.