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Mentor Joshua Whitmore
Q: What specifically does a producer do? What should I expect from a producer that I hire? How do they charge for their services? Do they own the rights to my music in anyway if they have produced it? This is all so confusing!
A. Yes, you are right...it is confusing. I will give it a go, as these are viable questions. But promise me, members, that you will e-mail me if you need a more specific answer! With that said, here goes.
First, what does a producer do? Well, in general, a Producer manages the studio project(s) of an artist. This includes choosing and hiring the musicians, choosing and booking the studio time (in most cases), budgeting the project (in some cases), rehearsing with the artist and/or musicians if that is needed, and working hand-in-hand with the recording engineer to bring home a terrific project for the artist. Once inside the studio, the producer is the person "in charge"; questions from the musicians, engineer, and artist are generally directed to the producer. The producer's goal is to record a great project, of course, but also to keep the session "rolling along" and keep it from getting bogged down. Although some producers do not agree with me, I also feel that a prime duty of the producer is to be deeply involved in the mixdown of the project, AS WELL AS the mastering. I would never turn those duties over to a second party. Those steps are the actual "making" of the record, and are important to my artist.
Now, the second parts of this question are a little trickier. What should you expect from a producer you hire? The very least you should expect is sincere and genuine love and enthusiasm for your music! A lukewarm producer is worse than NO producer........OK, maybe not worse. But you get my point. A few interviews with a prospective producer should give you a sense of how he/she feels about your music. Equally important, you should choose a producer with whom you sense a good PERSONAL compatibility! You will be spending a lot of time together, and if you do not "get along," it could be a long project! I have described the ideal producer/artist relationship as a "short-term marriage;" and I don't think that is exaggerating. There should be a closeness, a certain comfortablity with your producer. You don't have to be Shania Twain/Mutt Lange or Patty Loveless/Emory Gordy (i.e., they are married)......but you should find your producer easy to talk to, easy to disagree with, and receptive to your ideas. Doesn't hurt if he/she has a sense of humor, too.......And finally, you have every right to expect a producer to he honest. Don't be afraid to "check him/her out." NO reputable producer will ever take offense.
How does a Producer charge for services? Again, the ways and prices charged are SO disparate in our business. I can only give you some common scenarios, and a "beware of." Independent producers (i.e., those not exclusively signed to a record label) generally charge a fee "per song," ranging from $300.00 to as high as $3,000 per song. (Remember...this is for the PRODUCER'S services, and does not include studio time, musicians, etc.) For this fee, the producer takes your song from tracking all the way through mastering, ensuring that the song is "ready to press." Some producers charge a lesser fee, plus "points," which is a percentage of the impending record's retail sales. Anywhere from 1 to 7 points (per cent). Naturally, a producer will usually offer this arrangement only if you can show that you are capable of selling many records. Still other producers (mostly at record labels) receive a flat fee to produce the project ($10,000-$50,000). PLUS points assigned by that artist's contract. (This is a can of worms we could talk about for two issues of JPNOTES, so I will leave it there.)
From a personal point of view, as a producer I generally charge a flat fee per song. And that fee includes the complete budgeting and booking of the project sessions, and carrying the project UP TO the pressing and printing. I usually defer that to the artist.
BEWARE! If a prospective producer says to you, "I can record the entire CD for you, including pressing and graphics, for $ xxx thousand," and he does NOT present you with a budget breakdown, then I would run like hell. See, without giving you a budget breakdown, you have NO idea how much of that 20,000.00 or 30,000.00 or 40,000.00 is going toward the recording of the project and how much is going to the producer! ALWAYS know exactly how your money is being spent.
And finally, I can think of no reasonable scenario wherein a producer owns the rights to your songs which he produces, unless he publishes those songs as well. He may, in some circumstances, own his arrangements, but not the rights to your songs or project.