Professional Studies 1: Working in the Creative Industries (SHR4C007R~001)
You are to write a 2000-word portfolio OR a record 10-minute video portfolio that explores an area of the creative industries you are interested in. You must choose a music related profession and explore the following questions:
For my portfolio I will be writing about being a Music Producer as it is the profession I am most interested in.
What are the (academic and professional) qualifications and/or experience required to enter the profession?
When looking for work, a good CV can be the difference between being hired and not. Part of having good portfolios and CVs is having qualifications and experience in the field. In music production, having a lot of experience is especially important as the creative industry is always changing.
Academic Qualifications
An example of academic qualifications that apply to the profession would be a degree or master’s certificate in a Music Engineering or Production course, such as Leeds Conservatoire’s, BA Music Production. Having academic qualifications can show employers and bands that there’s a guaranteed level of understanding about the technology and industry. If the artist has confidence in your ability, it can sway decisions and have a positive influence on the artists own confidence.
Professional Experience
An example of professional experience could be a full portfolio of completed work and artists who you have worked with before. This list can show a potential band or record label that you are competent and well connected in the music industry. Having professional experience is important as a producer for a wide range of applicable knowledge.
What knowledge, skills and personal qualities/attributes are needed for success within the profession?
In music production, certain skills and attributes are necessary, such as time management, technical knowledge, and good communication. To succeed as a professional producer, you need efficiency and experience in many different technical setups (able to use different desks and equipment) and in to be able to work with different genres. As a producer, being able to work with different equipment is important. If you are working with a label, you may be visiting different studios to record in, meaning you won’t have the familiarity of just one mixing desk or setup.
Marketing, Promotion and Networking
For producers marketing, self-promotion, and networking are significant parts of the profession; to maintain a steady wage producers must find work or advertise their skills to bands, artists, and even labels. Networking is more important than most aspects of self-promotion as it can create opportunities and opens doors to new connections. It can give a producer a useful list of contacts to work with, which is crucial when working with musicians to create a finished product. An important aspect of marketing is having a professional social media or website to present and promote to others. This may cost time and money to create, but once a social media / website is professionally formatted it rarely needs to be updated. Having a professional website will mean that potential clients can find you faster and contact you quickly and easily, you can also show photos of past work and even link to upcoming or finished work. I talk more in depth about this topic later, under another question.
Efficiency and Timekeeping
Efficiency and timekeeping are very important for music producers; an efficient use of time and scheduling are vital. To complete work by given dates, schedule jobs, and manage work-life balance you must use prioritisation and plan efficiently.
Producers associated with a label may have different timescales for work than a self-employed producer. A producer who is mixing and mastering the music as well as recording it will need a lot more time than one who is just tracking / recording the band initially.
For example, if a producer (who is label associated) is given 2 months to record 4 songs, they could communicate with the musicians and label to book recording sessions with engineers which would fit all their schedules. If the timescale is set by the label, it is something the producer must not break and needs to complete the recordings by.
However, if a self-employed producer who owns a studio had a band to record, mix, and master, the timescale may not be as set as 2 months but perhaps based on the bands budget instead. There may be less pressure to complete work over the 2-month period and more pressure to record as much as possible in a single session, which may affect the quality of recording if not planned carefully.
For a recording or mixing job, a producer may be given an expected date which they must complete the song(s) by. Using this they can figure out a time scale and finance management to work by, for example, if the pay is per song, then the producer should budget their money over the period they’re working on the song(s).
Confidence in self
Part of producing is telling musicians and artists what their music could sound like, along with supporting them to improve their songwriting. Without the confidence in your own creative choices and ears (listening ability) you cannot make the changes the music needs to become better or communicate effectively. Confidence also aids decision-making in the studio, which is necessary for an efficient use of the time provided (which can often be short as studio hours are expensive). Many bands lack the ability to structure songs effectively, so the producer must be self-confident and assertive in sharing their knowledge and experience in this field.
Communication
To convey the changes needed and to talk to the artists, producers must be efficient communicators and able to not only describe their ideas clearly but also comprehend artists and other colleagues’ points and ideas. Effective communication in and out of the studio ensures that everyone is on the same page and the work gets done. Effective communication also requires technical and musical knowledge, such as song structure and production techniques. A part of communication is also developing a relationship with the musicians.
Communication is important as to help the artist/band develop their ideas into a fully-fledged product. It can often be difficult to describe an idea accurately so the producer must make the artist comfortable and able to perform their ideas.
Technical and Musical knowledge
The role of producer may span a few aspects of recording and song production, meaning for a producer to be involved with all aspects, they must have a wide range of experience and knowledge in the musical and technical side of music. It is vital that a producer has technical skills, such as micing techniques and how to record in a variety of spaces and studios, to cater to different genres and bands. It’s also just as important to be able to understand the music being played from a performer’s perspective and from the theory side as well to improve on the music itself.
What are the duties and responsibilities of the profession – what does a typical day’s work involve?
As a producer you may have responsibility for the environment you’re working in, ensuring mics and cables are setup safely and out of the way is necessary to avoid injuries you may be legally responsible for. One thing to consider is public liability insurance. Another responsibility producers have is contracts and agreements with labels and artists. Contracts being signed and agreed upon means everyone who works on the song is paid fairly and by the contract, and it may be the producer’s job to ensure every musician and engineer in the session signs the agreement.
In a day’s recording session, the producer could be tasked with tracking / recording the band’s songs. While doing this, the producer must work with the musicians, applying the knowledge the musician may lack, to improve the music or band itself to make it more commercially viable. This is done through analysis of the performing, songwriting, and even things like band image. As part of this, the producer would need to speak to the band / artists about the changes they want to make, or what their goals are for the music itself and to work with them collaboratively.
What are the main financial and legal issues that impact on this profession?
Because being a music producer may involve self-employment, there is a big focus on finance and budget. Without the security of a consistent, scheduled wage, you must be careful with the money you earn as to manage bills and expenses to make enough money. Unfortunately, self-employment means a lot of important legal and business responsibilities too, such as taxes and business insurance. A couple of examples of legal responsibilities include public liability insurance and contracts with artists and labels for rights to music. Public liability insurance financially covers you and your business for injury, damaged equipment, and claims made against the business/producer. This is important in a professional setting as without public liability insurance, unexpected accidents with equipment or your colleagues could leave you in debt possibly bankrupting your business with legal and repair fees. One of the biggest issues self-employment faces, is the tax side of finance. Being self-employed means that you must either hire an accountant, or do your own taxes, which is a lot of work and would only take time away from working. Unlike public liability insurance, your taxes area a legal requirement and, running a business especially, cannot be avoided. Part of the responsibility of taxes is business expenses such as travelling and equipment, this is where having a business (regardless of being a sole trader or limited company) becomes beneficial. By justifying a purchase such as music equipment, or even a company car for travel, you can make things your business has purchased, tax deductible. You can also get VAT discount if your business makes over 90 thousand pounds a year (well that’d be nice).
What would the potential marketing and promotional aspects of this profession look like?
A professional producer would have a collection of different sites for someone to visit to see their work and photos, for example social media and websites. Having well-presented social media can reach the audience of younger bands or be located easily on search engines. It is also a good way to visually demonstrate the kind of studios and bands you are working with regularly. A website has the advantage of displaying a wide variety of formats, which can be useful for information such as contacts, photos and evidence of work, lessons, embedded songs and links. They are also ideal for showing up first on search engines, increasing the chance of someone being interested in and resulting in potential work.
What are the intellectual and personal challenges presented by the profession and how might these be dealt with?
Working as a producer means to work in a profession which, for most, has no guarantee of work and pay. Most producers and engineers are technically self-employed, meaning they are a sole trader or run a limited company and do more than just one thing. For example, most people working in the music industry today are able to do many jobs such as mixing, recording, and live sound to earn more money. This is necessary for most people to fill the gaps in work or to earn more money.
From a self-employed viewpoint it is important to maintain a good level of mental health. This is personal challenge for self-employed individuals, as working alone or heavily can impact mental health severely.
What career-progression/development opportunities are available within the profession?
In production work, you meet a lot of new people and make many connections such as artists/bands, Studio owners, label executives, R&D. This can present all kinds of opportunities. It can additionally further develop the producers’ technical skills, like knowledge on microphone technique, or even skills like studio etiquette and communication. Gaining contacts with studios and labels would both help toward career progression with the possibility of new, possibly higher up work.
In the music industry there are a lot of conventions and networking events which people can attend at any level, these are perfect for producers to meet people who may work as part of labels, advertising companies, or in R&D. Having more contacts and experience networking can directly benefit producers’ work, professional portfolio, and even confidence.
Working self employed
Working as a producer in the music industry at a professional level can be difficult because of the lack of consistent work. Because of this, most people in the industry now must be multi skilled and able to pick up multiple jobs. For example, working mainly as a producer may also mean working in live sound, or engineering roles, and any other music related profession. Musicians, engineers, producers, all must do jobs as well as their main passion to fill gaps in their schedule and bring enough money in to make a living, one popular example of this is teaching, as it ensures a consistent wage.
Bibliography
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GOV.UK (2023). Expenses If you’re self-employed. [online] GOV.UK. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/expenses-if-youre-self-employed.
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