How to Become an Independent Music Producer
If you're passionate about music, becoming an independent producer can be an exciting and rewarding career. You will spend your days in the studio with talented and creative people who love music just as much as you do. It's a challenging time, though: The music industry is undergoing continual changes in this digital age, and the competition is fierce. One way to break into a production career is by becoming an independent producer, with neither the benefit nor the hindrance of having a major label attached to you.
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Things You'll Need
- Recording software
- MP3 player
- Variety of music to tune your ear
- Friends/acquaintances who play music
Instructions
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Becoming an Independent Music Producer
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Listen to a varied range of music styles. Learn the market and know what music is popular with current tastes. Listen to how instruments are used to produce different sounds depending on the genre of music. Familiarize yourself with the work of producers you admire. Whether it's country, jazz, fusion, techno, rock or a combination of the above, it's as important to "tune your ears" as anything else.
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Get an internship at a music studio or recording company. The experience of interning with people in the field will help you put what you hear when you listen to music into practice. There are also many good music production schools available that you could attend to receive a degree in music production. If this is not practical, read books on the subject. Go to live music shows and make friends with the sound engineer. Learn as much as you can about what makes a good-sounding recording.
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3
Set up a home recording studio. If you can't afford to go out and buy all of the microphones, cables, mixing boards, monitors and other equipment a full studio requires, today's sophisticated music editing software makes a personal computer a great alternative. You can begin with a computer, some software and a pair of headphones. Once you have familiarized yourself with the software, call your friends in a band and see if they will let you practice editing, mixing and producing their music. It could be beneficial to you both since they will end up with a great-sounding recording and you will have gotten some valuable experience.
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Create samples of your work by burning CDs of music you've produced and give them to musicians, professionals in the field and anyone else you think could help you. Be sure the CD has a mixture of different sounds and types of music. You want to showcase your diverse musical vision.
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Advertise your services by building a website and through social networking sites. These are great ways to increasse the chance that when someone searches the Internet for music producers, your name will come up. There are also good online networking sites like ComputerProducer.com that are specifically designed for music producers. You should also always carry business cards and even demo CDs with samples of your work. You never know when the person at the table is going to be a music executive who needs a producer.
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Tips & Warnings
Music production is a rewarding career, but it's a very competitive field. Be prepared to earn a meager salary for a few years while you work your way up the food chain.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit home recording studio/mixer image by DWP from Fotolia.com
