Lee High School

What important roles do producers play in the music industry?

A Producers Importance

Javier Chaires

Senior Capstone

B. Cahoon

20 April 2017
 Chaires 1

Javier Chaires

Senior Capstone

B. Cahoon

20 April 2017

A Producers Importance

Well known people such as Timbaland and Dr. Dre are known for their incredible

producing skills, Dr. Dre for producing and rapping for notorious rap group N.W.A on their

many albums such as Straight Outta Compton. Timbaland for rapping and producing his many

albums such as Tim's Bio: Life from da Bassment. These producers helped pave the way for and

influence further generations of producers. If producing wasn't a thing these incredible people

and their work would have never been a thing. Even though some people think producers only

make beats, producers are as important as the artist who is rapping or singing the song,

without producers there wouldnt be any music, also producers create a vibe for the

listeners, and provide backstory to paint a picture of what the artist is trying to say.

A producers role in the music industry are extremely important. Without producers one

of the most popular genres of music, hip-hop would not be a thing. Producers are also important

because they help by working with the artist to critique their work, give the artist advice on what

they can do to make the song better. Michael Raine, a Canadian Musician stated The producer,

is involved with the track or album from start to finish. They exchange ideas with the artists,

often compose the beat, mix and master the track, and are generally the ones steering the process

from beginning to end (Raine, Michael 2013). Advice can be extremely useful to an artist, and
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can be the difference between having a popular song that ends up on the radio and having a

mediocre song. Producers help create some of the most popular music today.

Producers do not get nearly enough credit they deserve. VBulletin Solutions Inc, the

world leader in forum and community publishing software states Ive always founded it a little

strange that producers aren't credited properly. They aren't shown in the video, they don't have

the same image, they aren't out there playing big shows and so on (VBulletin Solutions, Inc

2013). They can create music by putting individual less than a second sounds such as drums,

snares, claps, kicks, etc together. Which is something not everybody has the patience, time, or

skill to do. Producers work very hard. Some projects can take days, weeks, even months to

create. Producers can take this long to make a beat and scrap it and start over if it is not to their

or the artists liking. Joseph Schloss a lecturer in music at Tufts University who also wrote

multiple books about music and making beats states It is also an aesthetics that underlies one of

the most influential and popular musics in the world today: hip-hop (Schloss, Joseph 2005).

Without producers there would be no rappers, which means no rap/hip-hop music. Huge famous

well known rappers such as Tupac, Nas, and Biggie would have never been a thing if producers

were not there to make beats for them and help with the making of their songs/albums.

Every producer has a different work ethic and approach to doing their job. No two

producers are the same. Some have different techniques and styles they use to make a beat, some

prefer to work with people that only make a certain genre of music, but they all help with the

making of music. Producers are very important in the music industry, they help to motivate artist

to do well. By giving advice on what the artist can or should do can help the artist to become a

better artist. A good producer has a wide knowledge of music, which includes knowing about
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things such as music theory(the study of practices and possibilities of music) and can work well

with pretty much any artist as long as they are familiar with their genre of music. Anthony

Gordon an actual producer states Love music and commit yourself to knowing as much as you

can about it. Critically listen to a million records until you understand what makes a song work

and what weakens it (Gordon, Anthony 2016). It is important for them because if they do not

know about it or can not work with different people they most likely will not be good at

producing, and nobody is going to want a bad producer to help with their music. Producers are a

huge part of the reason a song becomes popular and ends up on the radio. They help to create a

vibe for the song, if the artist is talking about something sad the beat and overall mood of the

song will feel sad. If the artist is talking about happy things the beat will be more upbeat and

sound happy. The beat to a song can change the entire vibe a song has.

Producers have a huge role in the music industry, they create beats, give advice and

moral support to the artist. If it wasnt for producers music wouldnt be a thing or as relevant it is

today. Producers have the ability to paint a picture in the listener's head about what the person

rapping or singing that song are talking about. If the artist is talking about something sad the

producer will make a beat that will sound sad or have a sad vibe to it. No two producers are the

same, they all have their unique twist on things and this can be heard in the music they produce.

Making beats and producing is an art form and should be viewed as that by everyone.
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Works Cited

Gordon, Anthony 5 Essential Tips for Becoming a Successful Music Producer. 2017 Avid

Technology, Inc. Google,

http://www.avidblogs.com/5-essential-tips-for-becoming-a-successful-music-producer/.

Accessed 12 Apr. 2017

Katz, Mark. "Making Beats: The Art of Sample-Based Hip-Hop." Notes, vol. 61, no. 4, 2005, p.

1028+. Academic OneFile,

go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&sw=w&u=lom_accessmich&v=2.1&id=GALE%7C

A133706097&it=r. Accessed 28 Mar. 2017

Raine, Michael. "Class & CO: talking hip-hop production & beat making with Classified, Rich

Kidd & Clean Dirt." Canadian Musician, May-June 2013, p. 37+. Academic OneFile,

go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&sw=w&u=lom_accessmich&v=2.1&id=GALE%7C

A337073547&it=r. Accessed 10 Apr. 2017.

VBulletin Solutions. Thread: Hip hop producers don't get enough credit. 2013 DJTechTools.

Google, http://forum.djtechtools.com/showthread.php?t=68354. Accessed 14 Apr. 2017