The crappiest part of producing

[cutflow]

When I started there was no such thing as a blogosphere or a beatport, you pretty much had to get signed to a legitimate label to release music. This meant that releasing songs I had made within the first couple years of producing was out of the question because record labels are not going to sign novice producers - period. What I've gained from that old harsh (but realistic) climate is that I've set a personal bench mark for myself which is this; before I try to get signed I must first create a work that not only compares with the top producers, but also competes with the top producers.

how do record labels assume the person is a novice producer? by hearing their projects, right? cause i think thats the only way to determine if this producer is a novice or advanced, by listening to the stranger's sounds.

a 2nd question. how do you approach a record label? (like, i have already in mind what record labels i like) and basically i do it on 1. my favorite dj's/artists and which label gives out the most gigs to their artist.

so i'm a novice producer. and im tryin to create stuff that falls under the same vibe of some of their artists.

3rd question: i believe that a record label will also be interested in the way you spin correct , besides how amazing u are at music? because if your not a good mixer then theres a chance that you wont get much gigs ;\ but the good thing is that other artists under the same label as you, will be playing your songs if they like it.

[photojojo]

not to derail the thread, but today i'd have to say the crappiest part of producing is not having an air conditioned apartment.

The crappiest part of air conditioning is the $400 electric bill I got this month. :eek: That's pretty normal for the next few months as the temp hovers around 100 for most of the day. It'll get back down to the $200 range around October though.

[tpsowden]

c'mon fellas! we all know the crappiest part of producing is when someone tells you to turn the music down!

[Nephew]

Novice or not, a record label know what they are looking for, and if you're not doing it then it doesn't matter if your a novice or a professional.

Just email/snail mail them demo's in all honesty. If you've networked and built up some connections all the better.

A record label doesn't care if you're a good or bad DJ, as long as you're making killer tracks that they want.

how do record labels assume the person is a novice producer? by hearing their projects, right? cause i think thats the only way to determine if this producer is a novice or advanced, by listening to the stranger's sounds.

a 2nd question. how do you approach a record label? (like, i have already in mind what record labels i like) and basically i do it on 1. my favorite dj's/artists and which label gives out the most gigs to their artist.

so i'm a novice producer. and im tryin to create stuff that falls under the same vibe of some of their artists.

3rd question: i believe that a record label will also be interested in the way you spin correct , besides how amazing u are at music? because if your not a good mixer then theres a chance that you wont get much gigs ;\ but the good thing is that other artists under the same label as you, will be playing your songs if they like it.

[Lambox]

how do record labels assume the person is a novice producer? by hearing their projects, right? cause i think thats the only way to determine if this producer is a novice or advanced, by listening to the stranger's sounds.

a 2nd question. how do you approach a record label? (like, i have already in mind what record labels i like) and basically i do it on 1. my favorite dj's/artists and which label gives out the most gigs to their artist.

so i'm a novice producer. and im tryin to create stuff that falls under the same vibe of some of their artists.

3rd question: i believe that a record label will also be interested in the way you spin correct , besides how amazing u are at music? because if your not a good mixer then theres a chance that you wont get much gigs ;\ but the good thing is that other artists under the same label as you, will be playing your songs if they like it.

In my opinion, you really shouldn't be producing just because you want to get signed to a label.

im tryin to create stuff that falls under the same vibe of some of their artists.

You should really work to create your own sound and style, not just imitating other artists, even if they do belong to a label that you like.

Just my opinion.

[ctrld]

every time I upload a track on Soundcloud or anywhere else, a week later I learn something new that could have been useful in that track.

I listen to tracks that I finished two months ago and think to myself "damn, this would have sounded better if I [insert recently learned technique here]."

try looking at it like this: there are others whose goal is to sound "like someone", and once they've reached it, they stop... as long as you find stuff that raises the bar for you and shows you that there's something you can improve on, you'll never stop improving.

I never even thought about this until a track I finished a year ago got relatively popular on the interwebz. By my ability now, I consider that track to be garbage. I even thought about deleting it. Then all of a sudden I see it popping up on blogs and Hype Machine. I reworked the song and did some updating to it. But I realized afterwards that it was kind of pointless.

from my experience, if you're not into mainstream, nothing is more unpredictable than how people will react to a track. the success of a dubstep tune is not as programmable as with, say, a lady gaga track that is entirely based on years of regurgitating the same shit over and over again with slightly different female vocals and more compression.

just do your thing and keep pumping out tunes, in a few years you'll have something to look back on and smile. this is why I always keep around a copy of my earliest stuff... most of it is horrible, of course but there's one or two that I'm sure I will dig up sometime in the future. then I'll rework them and upload both versions just for kicks.

[janzak]

Up until now you've chosen the road of sharing your learning process with your audience, but my advice to you is be mindful of one thing:Guys like me who have hard drives full of "music no one will hear" don't see it that way, what we really have are hard drives full of experiments and lessons leading up to a potential body of work that will one day be the most true representation of our abilities.

[...] but for your situation I think if this problem of yours is a reoccurring one then maybe it's time to realize "hey, i'm still learning SO much right now - maybe i should cool the jets on releasing everything i do for a year or so and just focus on the learning process."

I dunno if I agree man - what you're saying is basically "don't release anything until you're fully learned" but we all know that day is never gonna come so imo you might as well share your learning process and those who think you're headed somewhere good will tag along for the journey!

Like someone said, a lot of people enjoy finding up and coming artists and follow their evolution from bedroom producer to headline act

[wrong chris]

I dunno if I agree man - what you're saying is basically "don't release anything until you're fully learned" but we all know that day is never gonna come so imo you might as well share your learning process and those who think you're headed somewhere good will tag along for the journey!

umm no, i was not suggesting that producers should never release music ever until they know everything there is to know about everything.

please give me atleast a morsel of credit instead of suggesting i'm completely insane/retarded. hahahaha, what a guy. :P

[BradCee]

end of the day, fuck it, if you like it release it. check my Juno link in my sig. plenty of stuff gives me a cringe now

[cielomobile]

not to derail the thread, but today i'd have to say the crappiest part of producing is not having an air conditioned apartment.

holy smokes is it ever hot out, uggghhhh... summer is not a kind season for studio rats lol.

Try having your studio in the storage room above your house, with only one tiny little window (about 2x2)?