Music Industry : The Business Side Q&A

[stillwaterla]

What's up NT?
Been a long time NT'r, kind of stepped away from following shoes fiendishly to pursue a career in music a couple years ago.  NT has always been a great resource for me when it came to stepping up my kick game, and I thought it'd only be appropriate to give back to the board.

I'm a music producer now, by no means am I at the top of the game, but I am established and experienced enough to help out those who may have any questions.   Whether you're enduring a career in the biz as a songwriter, producer, artist, or even as a manager, I'll do my best to help to assist you with any questions you might have.

I know from personal experience, that one of the most difficult things in this business is just getting some straight answers from people.  I don't have all the answers and NO I can't make you a star!  Just here to help!

- John 

 

[Original Playa Records]

What are some things beginner producers should avoid doing?

 

[stillwaterla]

Originally Posted by H TOWN HUSTLER

What are some things beginner producers should avoid doing?

One of the most common things I think that hinders a lot of people starting out, is spending time being worried about getting their beats jacked and not getting a fair shake.  Let me reiterate this key point, DO NOT waste your time/energy worrying about that!
One of the keys to becoming good at anything, is to not be afraid to make mistakes.   And as unfortunate as that may sound, it is the only way you'll gain a sense of what to stand clear of.  

Keep everything simple and focus on the task at hand (perfecting your craft) and everything else will fall into place accordingly.  Work until every track of yours becomes a banger, then you'll never worry about a beat getting jacked, because you have a million more where those came from.

 

[much respected]

I've worked in the music industry for a while as well. DJing for 8 years, worked at independent labels, music promotion companies, marketing companies. A lot of the positions I've held and projects I've worked on are music-related. I can help to give input from a non-traditional perspective. So feel free to use me as a resource as well.

 

[pj and bompton]

I will definitely get back into this post with the promoters view very soon...

 

[ajeezy08]

Im am an up-and-coming record producer myself, what are some good ways to obtain exposure and push your musiuc out there?

BTW good thread so far...

 

[illphillip]

I always thought about doing an official Music INDUSTRY thread. I just assumed it would not end well as it seems some folks will not understand the true nature of business until they actually have to work.

But I commend you for putting this up. Anyone who's hit me up, particularly in PM's has gotten my help. Help understanding the labels, publishing, radio/promotion etc. Getting internships.

There's a few other cats on the board who work in entertainment. Hopefully they'll come through for a well rounded view of the business.

 

[incredibleev]

ive worked for a bunch of small publishers and just recently finished a temp job working for Sony Music in copyright. Currently looking for a job but I have some experience with a lot of background stuff, plus my pop works in the industry. Feel free to ask me questions and I'll check back for this thread

 

[illfrozn]

So, let's say I want to get involved with music video production? I'm preparing to enter film school, but I don't want to direct; I'd actually like to write treatments and develop concepts for an artist. Anyone currently in this field that could provide me with some direction? Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[bboy1827]

Man I'm graduating in May with a B.a in Philosophy and a B.a in Political Science. I'm trying to get a job in the industry in New York, it doesn't matter what I'll be doing. Where should I start, I check "entertainmentjobs.com" everyday. I was wondering where should I be applying and how hard are these jobs to come by?

 

[illphillip]

Originally Posted by bboy1827

Man I'm graduating in May with a B.a in Philosophy and a B.a in Political Science. I'm trying to get a job in the industry in New York, it doesn't matter what I'll be doing. Where should I start, I check "entertainmentjobs.com" everyday. I was wondering where should I be applying and how hard are these jobs to come by?

Your best bet would have been to intern while your were in college. Get on the inside for free so you learn and they get to know you, then when something opens up, you're already in the door. There are some folks who graduated already  that are interning where I work just because the paid gigs are few and far between. 

Do the basic resume send to HR. Make mad followup calls and emails. Don't let the silence/rejection stop you. They're busy too. And there just may not be anything available. But if you stay on them, you just may wind up calling the week something pops up. 

You should try to pinpoint a field. Promotion, marketing, sales, A+R, New Media. Try to do as much legwork as you can on the people who work in those fields. Who's the VP of A+R? SR. VP or Promo etc. Send them your paperwork as well. 

Learn the fine line between persistent and annoying, and followup. They like aggressive. If you're aggressive in trying to get the job, they know you'll be aggressive when you have the job. 

 

[zsong]

::


Yo that Michelle Williams "Til The End of the World" been my joint

Nice!!


::

 

[mr fizzy womack]

My dream job is to be an engineer, but I never really pursued it much past getting some info from Full Sail and this other school in NY.

But now, I'm not happy with my current job and I think it's time for a change, so I'm looking at this engineering thing again.

I'm not high on going back to school, but I'm not completely dropping that option.

Any other way to get some experience?

 

[overgrinding]

Originally Posted by Mr Fizzy Womack

My dream job is to be an engineer, but I never really pursued it much past getting some info from Full Sail and this other school in NY.

But now, I'm not happy with my current job and I think it's time for a change, so I'm looking at this engineering thing again.

I'm not high on going back to school, but I'm not completely dropping that option.

Any other way to get some experience?

yea any engineer can teach u how to engineer... do u know ANYTHING about it?

if not id suggest downloading a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) to get familiar with... they all pretty much operate the same so u can learn the basic functions no matter which one u use...

learning how to use the programs/hardware is like 1/4th... everything else relies on ur ear and some basic principles...

 

[lesfamilia]

I've been writing on music and had a few pieces published here and there since high school, so I can give feedback on the journalism and public relations side of things.  Like the OP, I'm an aspiring producer and writer willing to soak up any tidbits of knowledge that might end up in this thread.

 

[mr fizzy womack]

Good looking out

But those "basic principles".....

Any help? link?

 

[overgrinding]

Originally Posted by Mr Fizzy Womack

Good looking out

But those "basic principles".....

Any help? link?

youtube... futureproducers.com

learn about reverb, delay, compression (very important!), EQ, and other essential effects... learn when to apply them for both vocals and instruments... the +$%% gets kinda deep but just start by learning what they do... if u get a DAW it should come with plugins for those effects and u can use em to #!!+ around with until u get further into it...

if ur on a pc download reaper from reaper.fm (free)

on a mac... ummm im pretty sure they all come wit a trial of garageband u can #!!+ around with...

 

[stillwaterla]

Originally Posted by ajeezy08

Im am an up-and-coming record producer myself, what are some good ways to obtain exposure and push your musiuc out there?

BTW good thread so far...

The best way to obtain exposure is attaching yourself to a "vehicle."  Obviously, networking is one of the key tenants to being successful in any industry, and music is no exception.  
A vehicle could be someone like a songwriter or an artist. Just think, any person you collaborate with that loves your work, becomes new walking promotion for you.  Even if it's one person at a time, trust me when I tell you it makes a difference.

Now of course, you need to be selective in who the vehicles are.  Do they have outlets that you don't have?  Can they be trusted?   Do they improve your tracks or make it worse?  As long as it's positive overall, you crank out great songs with the person, someone will notice you for your skills.

The vehicle can either take you down the street, or into the city.  God forbid it goes backwards.

But remember, none of this matters if you aren't putting in the time to make great music!

To give you a clear idea, this is an extremely condensed version of my path: (STILL WORKING ON IT!)

Who I worked with - Underground Rapper in LA from Project Blowed (did a whole album for him that went nowhere, a bunch of BS) -> Met Ras Kass through other producer working on Underground rapper's project -> Worked with Ras's project, met my first manager who was employee of Def Jam - > Def Jam sent me to watch a beat battle where I met next manager who was J.R. Rotem's and Hi-Tek's manager at the time - >  This new manager worked me to death, forcing me to improve my tracks and introduced the concept of producing songs, instead of just beat building.

Soon however, I left that situation because I was young and impatient (thought I had hit the jackpot, and was mad that I wasn't super ballin).  I made a poor decision and to figure out where to go from there without any help.  I took what I learned from the manager, and began developing my song catalog.

From previous relationships made, I started to get in with new songwriters.  Some of them like James Fauntleroy and Cristyle, didn't have any hits yet but they were incredibly talented.  Then one thing lead to another, they get big...suddenly I have songs with hit-writers in my catalog.  From that, I was able to get attention from A&R's and other executives...everything got bigger from that point on.

Now I have to mention that that was a very condensed version, there was a whole lot of failing in between that.  But being persistent, and always being open to improving yourself is a key to moving up the ranks.

That's a pretty long rant I left up there and I apologize if I just bored the board to death.  

  PM me or ask on here if you have any other specific questions. 

 

[stillwaterla]

Originally Posted by illfrozn

So, let's say I want to get involved with music video production? I'm preparing to enter film school, but I don't want to direct; I'd actually like to write treatments and develop concepts for an artist. Anyone currently in this field that could provide me with some direction? Any help is greatly appreciated.

Go to school, get your chops up!  After it's all said and done, build a portfolio with actual material pertaining to music videos.  This could mean a lot of pro-bono work, long hours etc.
After you have all your material, you will have to begin the arduous task of networking.  Schools generally provide great outlets to get you some gigs.  But the more great work you put out, the more someone will notice.

I'm sorry I can't be a little more specific, not exactly my field!

 

[rhymesik]

Originally Posted by Mr Fizzy Womack

My dream job is to be an engineer, but I never really pursued it much past getting some info from Full Sail and this other school in NY.

But now, I'm not happy with my current job and I think it's time for a change, so I'm looking at this engineering thing again.

I'm not high on going back to school, but I'm not completely dropping that option.

Any other way to get some experience?

Is the other school of choice IAR by any chance? I graduated from there in '05. Good school too.

 

[stillwaterla]

Guys a lot of people ask me how they can get started in this business. Simply put, you just DO IT. You have to take the initiative yourself, learn as much as you can on your own, before you can make the decision if this is something you want to be serious about. Get the programs, make beats for friends, buy the books, meet people etc.

Having the steps laid out is fine and dandy, but if you don't know what it takes to get to each one, you're SOL. Scared money don't make none!

 

[notoriuswes]

what would u say for someone tryin to get into the marketing aspect

 

[tune205]

Originally Posted by notoriusWES

what would u say for someone tryin to get into the marketing aspect

Put in work by yourself. Push artist you have a genuine interest in. Be creative with your campaigns and pretty soon people will find you. After you've established a name you have more leverage if you want to get an interview with a label. 
     

 

[finessesosa]

Honestly.I learned its all about connects at the end of the day.

 

[pj and bompton]

Originally Posted by FinesseSosa

Honestly.I learned its all about connects at the end of the day.