Editing, sound design and ghost production, often taking recorded stems and reworking them.Facilitating the creative process by providing crucial input on songwriting and production decisions.guest musicians, mixing and mastering engineers) and managing the recording budget. Picking the album tracklist from initial demos of songs.Some have a more hands-off approach, others are auteurs who apply their distinctive methods and hacks to each project they touch.įrom the creation of the music, polishing it into its final form and even being hands-on with the creative it gets released with, a producer can be involved in every aspect of the making of a single or record from pre-production, recording, mixing, mastering and post-production. There are many different types of music producers, but all essentially orient themselves around ‘making it happen’. So unless you love music, the technical aspects, recording and working with a variety of people, it may not be the right career for you to pursue. Ask any producer – they don’t get to where they are without being driven and constantly curious to learn and develop their skills. Above all, it's important to love what you do over making lots of money. There is absolutely no guarantee you’ll be raking it in one day either.

Producing can be hugely rewarding not only in a financial sense, but also in getting to work closely with artists and engineers you greatly admire. But, like anything, hard work will pay off eventually – if you are constantly looking for opportunities whilst remaining passionate and on the ball, people will take notice. It can be a real grind when you’re starting out, earning little-to-no money producing small unheard of acts, and you’ll need to keep up the day job while you build the skills and reputation required to land jobs on lucrative projects. Breaking into the business of being a producer is no different, a discipline which takes patience, dedication and dealing with uncertainty in order to make a name for yourself. Navigating your way through the music industry can be tough – it’s competitive, awash with egos and progress can feel slow at times. And those who go on to reach the top of their game can earn themselves a generous living.Ĭhallenges and opportunities in the music production industry But whilst there is no set route to becoming a music producer, there is nothing stopping anyone with passion and determination from becoming one. Some start as studio engineers, some as label execs or in the sales and marketing department for a big distributor, others from making wicked beats in their own bedrooms. The path to becoming a music producer isn’t a clear one.

This is the first bullet point in a music producer’s job description, a role that is somewhat shrouded in mystery and can take many forms. Take the work of Sir George Henry Martin, who is sometimes referred to as the ‘fifth Beatle’ – often, these figures don’t share the limelight in the same way that artists do, working behind the scenes to help realise a creative vision. Key to the success of pretty much every great album is a music producer. Learn what a music producer does and the skills required to make it your career. Discover the challenges and opportunities of music production in our guide to becoming a music producer.

Music production career