Record Producer Jobs

About This Music Career

The Record Producer works towards producing an album, hoping for a successful, chart-topping album. With this goal, there are many things for which the Producer is responsible. First, the Producer helps an artist select the song to be recorded, and then finds a studio, and arranges for studio or recording time. From there, the Producer chooses an Arranger and Engineer, and reaches out to a Contractor to find Background Vocalists for the song.

Then, when in the studio, the Producer works hand in hand with the Engineer, advising them of the specific sounds and/or feelings they are trying to portray through the song. This happens for the entire studio session, as the Producer adds their opinions and personal touches to each recording.

With all of this, it is the Producers responsibility to remain within budget, making sure not go over, which could result in increased costs for the label or artist in the form of thousands of extra dollars.

Once a song has been recorded, the Producer is then the one who will mix the song into its final version. Sometimes, as is the case when special engineers or mixers are hired, the Producer does not always undertake the mixing. However, they do always supervise the process, regardless of who is mixing. This is because mixing is a crucial step towards completing an album.

From there, even once the mixing is completed, the Producer still has work to do. Many times, when an album is being recorded, songs are completed that will not make the final cut on to the released album. The Producer may help choose certain songs, and also determine the order they play on a CD. He or she might also choose which songs will be promoted as singles.

As you can tell, the Producer is involved with entirely every step of CD creation. At this time, even though the creative process is nearing its end, the Producer still has more work to do. He or she must work on licensing, making sure all copyrights are taken care of, and providing artist, engineer, photographer consent forms and releases (pretty much from anyone who will receive credit for a portion of the album). It is at this point that the Producer submits receipts and pay bills to the record label.

Some Producers work on Staff for record labels, and they report to the A&R Department Head, while some are independent freelancers working for the artist or the label, depending on the arrangements made

Salaries
If on staff at a record company, the Producer may earn a base salary, along with royalties from the records they have produced. The label pays freelancers a fee for the producing services, and always paid royalties on the songs they produce. It makes sense that those Producers with a proven track record can negotiate for larger royalty payments, and this money is often advanced beforehand.

Staff Record Producers may earn anywhere from $27,000 to $75,000 plus per year, while very successful independent Producers may earn up to $1,000,000 or more annually.

Employment
Every single album sold has a producer, but sometimes it is a member of the music group who produces, or the staff engineer. Some albums even use more than one single Producer. Because of all of this, there are quite a few possibilities for employment in this field, but of course, you must get your foot in the door first.

Advancement
Advancement for a Producer is having the ability to produce hit records, and then eventually moving on to work with prestigious artists. This can lead to a position at a bigger label, giving the Producer the ability to demand more money for their services, and so on.

Education and Training

While many Producers posses college or music school degrees, obtaining a college or music school degree and then spending thousands on mfa programs is not really a perquisite to becoming a Producer. Some choose to attend sound recording school in order to learn more about the entire recording process. For an aspiring Producer, it is useful to have knowledge of the music business. This knowledge can be obtained from experience, or formally through education.

Experience, Skills, and Personality
The most important skill a Producer can possess is the ability to select hit records. Once they begin to establish themselves, the more popular they'll become with more prestigious acts. In order to do this, the Producer must have an advance interest in music and an "ear" for something special. This is more difficult than you might think, as most of what the Producer is listening to is raw talent without professional production.

Unions and Associations
Record Producers can become members of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS), which is the association that gives out Grammy awards each year. The Country Music Association (CMA) and the Gospel Music Association (GMA) are other music associations Record Producers might also belong to.

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