Rule #1: Donāt piss off your music producer
If youāre an amateur and you have no idea how music works, you better leave that over to the professionals and trust the process. However, you know a friend who has some serious production-chops, but you want to get away with the lowest price possible. Let me tell you how this is all going to work and let me guide you through the things I found important while working with others who possess less skills in the world of āwritingā music.
Learn about simple music theory, to the context that you understand what an intro is, a verse, a chorus, a bridge... and the idea behind a pre-chorus if such is a requirement of the song.Ā
The verses are where youāre able to free-play and experiment with your skill as a word-smith, however, Choruses is absolutely the place where repetition is king, where the listener can follow you once you return to it.Ā
The point of the Chorus is, if it's easy to remember the first time Ā you hear it, when it comes back the 2nd time youāve invited the audience to sing along to it.Ā
If you fail at this step, this is not a chorus but an extended rondo of a never ending poem that keeps changing when you come to it, leaving the audience confused. This is where I, as a music producer will tell you to STOP and RECONSIDER what the chorus is really about.
You will feel hurt because if your only contribution is lyrics and perhaps a melody. It all needs to make sense to the listener. Music-producers have, for a long time, left their own emotions behind and now thinking from the outside perspective of what the listener wants to hear.Ā
If the lyrics are deeply personal for you, maybe not use that material for the album, keep it at a jam-session where Blues Jams takes place.Ā
Pop music is about inclusion of the lowest denominator of listeners. A good melody is the core principle of what makes pop such a genre where people would be able to just whistle the melody once the 2nd verse begins.Ā
All we want to do is to bring out the best in you and what people wants to hear. If this is yet another artsy project, your ego is all that matters for your ācreative visionā,well, in the indie-bin you go with very little chance to get heard. Thatās not my problem.
Producing music with only money on your mind
If that is your final goal, to make money out of āyourĀ musicā without putting the effort in, when you are using the talents of other people to first write the tunes, without any input or with minimal guidance, youāre in shallow waters believing that music that has been created is all yours, youāre sorely mistaken.
If you expect that the money will come raking in from streams and turn you into a multimillionaire, again the reality is as harsh as follows: An average stream produces only 0.00023% in revenue for the artists/producer. 10 thousand streams later, youāre able to pay for your coffee at Starbucks ($1). 100 Thousand streams will get you 10 bucks. Also remember that these rations are equal for all artists, maybe a slight change in percentages depending on the streaming platform.Ā
This is where I find the conceptĀ āWriting where the money isā is a dead concept. Ā Just because it worked for that artist, why do you think itāll work for you? The reference artists is in his mid 20ā²s, youāre in your late 50ā²s and slightly more out of shape than the dude youāre trying to emulate, and you want it to be a new original piece?
A producer is there to bring out the best, even out of horrible out of tune people, to make a case for them to get a record deal or a chance at an idol-show. What happens with the artist after that is no longer my concern.Ā
The key to make money as an artist is to GO OUT AND PERFORM, another problem for some people, in this case, who hates their own voice, was to create this album, believing that Iām automatically part of theirĀ ābandā, once again thinking Iāll be saving their ass. Thatās not my problem.Ā
Donāt blame the producer for your own failures
So, youāve spent 4k of your own money to have the songs produced for your Vanity Project, and now wanting the producer to be a part of yourĀ ābandā (-No thanks! Other people need me!), just because you think 4k gives you power over me? It give you 2, very basic months of my services.Ā
When the artist is too emotionally engaged in music that youāve written, claiming it now to be THEIR SONG, they feel that just because they have paid money for your services, they have the right to control every aspect of the art they donāt understand.Ā
You try to reason with them, explain to them why these choices were made and how it all works on a musicology level. Theyāll be angry and in frustration, throw their hands in the air, acting like a prima-donna, wasting your time in the process in the studio that took you 2.5hrs to get to and another 30 minutes to setup the mic and levels and they decide to leave after 20 minutes on that session youāve booked in because your constructive criticism felt like an attack on their āartisticā-integrity.
Is that Ā how they should treat you?Ā In the end youāll just give up, give them what they want and let go. Or so, thatās how I approach it. With the prerequisite that Iāll never work with them again.
Ā I donāt get upset over it, but knowing I could have done something a lot better than what theyāve got, is not my problem. Iāve detached myself from the project with the only priority of rowing it all to the goal, no matter how much water has leaked into the ship. Theyāre like a gremlin, no matter how much they cry, do not ever feed them any more ideas to make your job harder, and NEVER EVER give them the right to free, unlimited revisions.Ā
You have fulfilled your obligations, the guy starts boosting about his latest (unmixed album mind you) on social media streams, giving himself credits asĀ āmusic & lyrics by Mr. XXXXXā and you yourself are only credited withĀ āSynthesizers: Daniel Lindholmā. When I saw that, I was likeĀ āI donāt really care at this point.ā Give him the dog-biscuit and let him be. My work is done.Ā
THE SUPER DISCOUNT ALBUM, NEVER AGAIN
Mixing was something I left to my dear colleague who has tons of more experience in that field, more than I do, when it comes to vocal processing. He almost worked for free, but I handed off some of my money over to him so he could at least do something to the extent of mixing an album to a quality WAY ABOVE THE PAY LEVEL that the guy has paid for.
Plus, having the choice to have his album mastered by of the best ears in the industry, Mr. Mike Marsh, forking up another 2.3k to get his 10 tracks mastered. He went for it, money not aimed towards us, but for him to have an album that sounds radio-ready.
The problem is that the guy believe just because he paid this sum of 4k total for music and mixing is that he think he can do one more album again for the same price.Ā
The false savior and the Paradox of success
The guy told me once: -āDaniel, I want you to work full-time in music, seriously, because I donāt want to hear your excuses that youāre busy teaching all the time.ā
But the truth is that I am teaching all the time to stay afloat, paying my bills, repairs to the house, car-inspection and car-tax, health-insurance and city-tax. If he can pay up that level of money and offering me a job, being my manager, have a studio, Iād gladly do it. But no, he wants to eat the cake and keep it at all costs. So I think Iāll keep going with what works and I feel very happy about it to be honest.Ā
But last week, a couple of things happened: Even though Iāve finished my part of the project, there are still things needed to be cleared up, assisting my mixing partner, this guy calls me up during lunch on a Sunday while Iām sitting in a family restaurant, trying to hear him through all the noise. He has a new project, and if it could be conducted as before (Waving those 3kās again in my face) if I could produce 10 songs before August 16, just because a hot-shot singer is coming to visit him in Tokyo (World Famous one), I donāt get the idea. If the singer has heard our (āYOUR WORKā, right?) work, before mastering and is still intrigued, why should I spend my time writing music for an artists that may or may not like what is being presented to him. Even so, having music ready for 3k is extremely cheap for an artist of that range. We are talking about a WORLD TOURING SINGER, with serious cred, making an album for 3k? It would net him a few slice-loops, put together by themselves on their laptop with ease. But a full custom production, he should invest in it himself. Iām actually totally against taking the 3k deal because it might as well be a waste of my time. And heād be wasting his money in the process and blame me for it all. 2 days later something else happened.
Through my dear colleague, he had managed to secure ourselves a Manager, who is a true believer in our skills and resources of being truly creative in the field of music and sound-design. He knows this stuff, the business side, the music-technological side. Heās just perfect for us. Iām about to take the step into a serious world of the music industry, something that myĀ ābuddyā wouldnāt even be able to do. However, I relayed these news to him saying: -āYou told me I should be more serious about music, just want to tell you now that Iāve just got a manager. I want you to be aware of this that the project you pitched me last weekend, might need to be reconsidered. I hope thatās cool with you.ā He replied with: -āCongratulations pal, I knew you could do it.ā And we ended the conversation of what I believed to be on a positive note.Ā
For me, it would mean that money/tax/project things now would be up for discussion with my manager.Ā
When music gets serious, the guy who has paid for the project (My part is finished, so Iām walking away), feels like he has lost control over me. I think its good that he feels that way, because in all reality, being abused by someone who doesnāt understand, and then get yelled at for giving him some pointers about music and his only retort is: -āIāve won music awards!ā, doesnāt really go over well with me, because I donāt believe in music as competition. Now the question again is:-Why does he need me for? The answer is simple, he knows jack-shit about music production.Ā
And now that Iāve goneĀ āseriousā on my venture as a professional music-producer, with a manager, I know that the feeling must be for him that I amĀ āunobtainableā, which in reality I am not. I just want to concentrate on the music and let my talentedĀ ābusiness-brain/negotiatorā do the talking for me, because he knows myĀ ātrue valueā and donāt want me to sell myself short again. All in all, the album has been at an 80% discount previously. He thought that it would buy him my loyalty, but instead it was the bare minimum just to cover my everyday expenses, including food and all the rest. For 2 months. Heās no sugar-daddy, thatās for sure. So I feel no guilt, getting paid for my work. I just moved on.
Being under management, there are some doās and donāts. Of course if I get an email addressed directly to me from the guy, Iām just forwarding those over to the manager. Seems cold, but if weāre talking business, it needs to be kept at that level. Informing this to him, from now on, āplease send your questions, concerns and requests to our managerā,Ā hasnāt helped.Ā
Instead, he is sending me all these threats on how he think Iām the only one making money on this project (Youāve paid for 2 months of services to craft 10 songs, and then record you in a super-expensive studio at an 80% discount mind you...), trying to guild-trip me into believing that Iām doing something wrong, when Iām already done and out from the previous project. Iāve delivered my part of the agreement. He tries to bait me emotionally because he has spent over 6k now at this point (2.3k of those were of his own choice to have it sent and mastered in England.), telling me heās not getting a return on his investment (he hasnāt even planned out howĀ āhis musicā will generate money to him, he doesnāt even have a PRO! (Publishing Rights Organization), so how this would be MY FAULT is beyond reason and logic at this point. My problem is how HE CAN SLEEP well to know he underpaid me and now trying the same tactic again is way beyond reason.Ā
The lies and Delusion of Grandeur
At this point in the story, he has a chance to write to my manager, concocting a story of how he met me, how we have been working, trying to tell the story that we are aĀ ātightā unit (far beyond the truth), how Iāve scored his movies (indie-movies, not big features), how he has changed his story with his involvement in big film-productions set here in Japan and New Zealand. To me he said he was a liaison between the principle-cast and the Japanese extras, but he has toned down his story now for only working with the Japanese/American crew on the B-Unit.
This is another thing I really enjoy studying psychology, you can spot the narcissist just by this behavior alone; constantly changing their story. Liars canāt say theĀ āsame truthā twice.Ā
He portrays us as Lennon/McCartney, but no, this was our firstĀ ājointā songwriting project. We donāt know each other that well to begin with. I was introduced to him through a mutual friend. But for him to think it was friendship, for me it was a networking meeting for finding creatives to work with, at a professional rates, not giving away freebies, that he constantly surfs for. Iām way too kind for all this.
The psychological trait is what we hobby-psychologist calls: The Delusion of Grandeur. The mindset that the person believe he is the achiever, the person who makes things happen with the classical setup of:Ā āIF it wasnāt for me, youād never have this career...ā all that nonsense bullshit, trying to paint himself as the hero, saving you from a financial problem, (You paid for a service!) Ā and all the talents that youāve yourself spent the last 30 years, developing and perfecting to become a natural part of your creative process, IS ALL BECAUSE OF HIM, while he can barely strum an E minor chord on a guitar. Not putting in the work and still believe they are above you.Ā
Iāve seen this type of personality too many times and once I see that, doesnāt really inspire you to be part of theĀ ābandā or any project he might propose. And the only thing he has now is this World Singer, trying to use that as leverage for us in the team.Ā
Thatās not a threat - This is a fact
Our manager is handling all this in a perfect professional manner while the client (my guy obviously from above) freaks out, cursing, behaving irrational and hoping that it would somehow make the situation better without understanding why the manager is there in the first place. Heās threatening of blocking us off from meeting that Artist, and our response have been:-āWell, since it looks like wishful thinking to us right now, and you donāt have that one in the bag just yet, we just put all that on hold for now.ā In reality this could just be a waste of time for all of us involved and a waste of money on his half. He NEEDS to understand that way of thinking. Itās not like in the moviesĀ āBuild it and they will comeā approach never happens. This is the REAL WORLD. Accept that I look at each scenario at 8 different outcomes instead of a binary with a YES or NO.Ā
Here are the things I consider when something is whishy-washy in its presentation. Letās use the World Artist as an example. Here is how my brainwork:
Situation 1: The artist arrive and the guy plays the 10 newly crafted songs telling him: - āThis is all made for you.ā -āWhat do you mean, all for Me?ā .... awkward silence. He wasnāt expecting to be pitched a project on his day off. He might get angry because he wants to relax and not think about music for a while.
Situation 2: The artist arrive and you play the music from your Vanity project, now it its final form: -āThis is how it sounds now after MasteringĀ and I only spent 6k doing itā,Ā ā6k, huh, how?āĀ ā-I did the music by myself, got myself into a studio and recorded it.āĀ āInteresting. Do you have the original files on your computer back home for me to look at it?āĀ āeehhhh........ā DOA for not being truthful. Not acknowledging the original music-creators.
Situation 3: The artist arrives, he plays the 10 newly crafted songs. The world artist goes: -āI donāt like any of these songs. I thought you said it was special. I donāt hear it. Sounds like other pieces of music Iāve heard over and over again.ā (The usage of reference tracks are strong here, due to the direction of the client.) -āIām not interested, not on my day off. I rather not think about business while on holiday.ā
Situation 4: The artist arrives, he plays the album and the Artist goes wild! āThis is some of the best things Iāve ever heard! Itās original, it something Iāve never heard before! I told you I liked what Iāve heard before, but this is on a different planet man! Do you think we could do something like this?ā -āSureā our guy says,Ā āYou did all of this?ā -āYes, these are all my lyrics and melodies.ā -āYou wrote on FB that you also did the music.ā -āYes, thatās rightā. -āOk, let me call my manager and letās get started then!ā / Project falls due to not having the appropriate skills just by lying, but at this point the manager and World Artist have spent so much money that it turned out to be a scam in the end.
Situation 5: The Artist arrives, our guy plays the 10 new song he spent 3k on, the artist freaks out how awesome it is. Our guy acknowledges who the original team is, gets in touch with my manager. They talk, everything looks good only for everything to breakdown at the other end. The Artistās manager says NO. The record label says NO. 10 tracks made and wasted from our Guys pocket. This is RISKY as far as this situation goes. Everything looks great until the very last link and as a result we have wasted our time on a pipe-dream.
Situation 6: The wish of our guy goes all the way, pays 3k, gets the 10 songs, plays the 10 new song, everything has been acknowledged (doubtful at this point), The artists gets his manager involved, their manager talk to our manager, the record label agree that money will be funneled into the project. It turns successful, our guy becomes theĀ āleadā-producer on this project, but the way he has treated us before, this is still something weād leave with someone else. He could be the lyricist and melody maker, but I believe the Music-producer would lead the project into a direction that is more of a reality. Our guy leaves in frustration of not having control over the project, but his lyrics and melodies (although slightly altered to fit the songs in general, maybe the melody is not moving enough, too monotone, needs to be done. The Producer is the king of this.) Leaving the team and the artist in limbo, however through creative thinking of the team, we create something new from scratch with the input from the artist himself. The money is being spent where it matters without fights in the studio.
Situation 7: The Artist himself is very invested starting this project himself, using our guy as an entry-point to gain access to the team without our guy wasting anything from his own pocket. He has heard the vanity-project album as was very happy with the results and have his manager engage with our manager. Ā Then meeting the team, we discuss what this new album will be all about. He goes back to L.A, I begin work on the ideas, the sonic picture. Our guy still wants to write lyrics, but I favor doing all of it alone, he could be just the overseer at this point. The way he writes lyrics and melodies just aren't hitting the western audiences because of his minimalistic approach and monotonous-melodies. We end up doing 2 versions of each song instead to double our chances of the artist choosing the one with the better melody. As a team I am willing to create options. But the artist needs to be the final judge, picking the version he likes the best. Our guy gets upset when his lyrics/melody isnāt picked, acting up as a 5-year old, leaves the studio, thinking he has wasted time in the project, but I would say we spent equal amount of the time and the choice is nothing personal.Ā
Situation 8: The artist is impressed by the production, asks for who created the album, gets in touch with our manager and handles it all from there without the involvement of the guy at all. Deal will be signed with the record-label. He is happy that he has found us and that we could sit down and discuss more in detail of his dreams and hopes about this solo album. He jumps into a demo-session for us to Jam out ideas from scratch, to see how we work, he goes back to L.A leaving all the creative process to me and my team-mate and we get to work, designing musical narratives and sound-scapes. Project is a success without any fights or interference. But this situation will not really be a reality.
As you can see, I consider many different WHAT IFās if things arenāt going the way as it was planned out, just considering that 2 out 8 situations is not a high-success rate for it to beĀ āin the bagā, releasing us clear from doubt. Our success rate is only 25%. Far beyond clear and reasonable reason to do it before he arrives. It would be smarter to do and discuss with him WHEN he arrives in Japan. But that gamble is still only a 10% chance, when he is on vacation, I do not believe he wants to talk about work AT ALL. That leaves us for surprise situation number 9 below:
Situation number 9: I write 10 pieces of music, 2k has been wired, another 1k is sent while completing all 10 songs. He shows it to the Artist claiming he has written all the music, he calls and say: He WILL DO IT! -āWhat about the additional production costs? Did you talk to him about mixing and mastering? And no, this project is not going to cost 6k like before. 3k gives you the demoās at a presentable stage for The Artist. 6k will not cover the rest. The rest is production of the songs, Stereo-file for remote-recording, additional music sessions for completing other musical ideas after the voice have been recorded, POST-Processing for Mixing and yet another 10 tracks to be sent in to MASTERING...āĀ āI thought we could do it for 6k, just like before.ā -āYou werenāt listening to what my manager told you? 6k is not covering the rest of the costs. Are you gonna pay for all this or is the artist going to invest?ā -āI will cover the costs.... if itās 6kā, and here we are in this circle of circular reasoning, avoiding to answer questions and things left out of their meeting. Again we are in a wishy-washy situation where nothing is clear and my finger is hovering over the command+backspace button to delete the data.Ā
This is not a threat, this is a fact. Whatever you do, trust the process and most of all, donāt piss off your Music-Producer.