Do you have what it takes to be a producer?

Today there are many types of producers and each of them are in charge of different roles. People often assume that all producers do the same thing, WRONG!. The word “Producer” has evolved throughout the years and has become a popular career in the audio industry. Producers like Quincy Jones (Michael Jackson), George Martin (The Beatles), Jerry Fin (Blink 182), and etc. are examples of some of the best producers. I often like to compare “Rock” producers to “Hip-Hop” producers because they both play a similar role but their job description can be different from each other.

Back in the 40’s, 50’s, and early 60’s, the term “producer” referred to as someone who would basically oversee a song or an album. Overall the producer’s job is to keep the band on schedule. There are producers who act as the eyes and ears for the record company, and sometimes they would also act as cheerleaders, making sure the band was comfortable. Other producers who had developed connections with record executives expanded their jobs to include finding new talent and shopping record deals. These individuals called themselves, “record producers”.

The goal in music production normally is to produce quality music that will either become a hit or change the world. Today’s producers have become one of the main factors in ensuring an album’s success. Their job is to make sure that a song, album, or artist becomes a huge success. Besides overseeing the quality of every component, today’s producers often come up with the music. Mostly importantly, they provide an overall energy or vibe to the whole project. This is important because it could affect the completion of the project and as well put an artist in a difficult situation.

Once the producer is a hit, any artist that attaches himself or herself to that producer is likely to be a hit in today’s market place. Dr. Dre is a great example of someone who has mastered the concept and formula in order to keep making “hits”. I believe that he is able to deliver because of the certain energy Dre carries with him either inside the studio or outside the studio.

Now I would like to talk about the different producers and what each of them do.

1. Executive Producer

2. Music Producer

3. Engineering Producer

4. Associate Producer

5. Assistant Producer

Executive Producer- The executive producer (EP) will be responsible for funding, and may even be responsible for organizing the project. They might even be responsible for hiring a music or engineering producer for the project. The EP is convinced that the artist and product are worthy of investing time and money into to, with the sole purpose of reaping the benefits of lucrative record sales and a healthy return on his or her investment. Make no mistake, this is a business! The EP may also handle budgets and schedules.

Music Producer- Music producers spend most of their time focusing on the music, arrangement, and execution. A music producer arranges the music and often helps the artist write some of the parts. Some music producers start out as songwriters who have studied music theory and end up with degrees in music or theory. The music producer needs to know how to work with musicians who have different levels of expertise. One of the key things to being a great producer is having the ability to change someone’s music and not upset the artist. Most artists are touchy about their music, especially when someone is rewriting or reworking it.

Engineering Producer- The engineering producer’s main job is to monitor the quality of every aspect of the project and make sure it comes out as good as possible. The engineering producer typically starts out as a recording engineer, and then moves on to actual producing for a project. They also help organize the project.

Associate Producer- An associate producer is an associate of the executive producer and is there to act as the eyes, ears, and mouth of the EP in his absence.

Assistant Producer- An assistant producer is typically hired by a producer to all types of tasks, which could include many of the administrative jobs often done by an executive producer. The assistant will sometimes make progress reports to the record company. Most importantly, the assistant producer has the capability of taking over the project incase there is an emergency with the main producer.

After reading this article I hope you are able to understand the different roles of producers. They all do different things within different genres so don’t get them confused. Do you have what it takes to be a producer in the recording industry??

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