Artist/Producer Workload split

  • Thread starter Thread starter tone_aot
  • Start date Start date
tone_aot

tone_aot

Owner of ToneJonez.com
Alright folks here's the deal. I've been working with a female artist for about 1 year and were just about to finish 1 album! :D Besides that fact, she has a great voice, alot of drive and is very goal oriented. I think she has the potential to make it in the music industry. The only problem i'm having with her is, she has the mindset that i should come into the studio with the music/lyrics/and melodies for lead and background vocals and that she should just do what i tell her to do. She says that that's how the superproducers work. I was wondering if there is any truth to that? Most times, we'll get into the studio and she doesn't know what to do. I'm like, if she wants me to produce her, she needs to have full songs written for me to work with. In my opinion, it doesn't seem fair for me to have to come up with all the music, lyrics, melodies, record, mix, and have her just sing. Were about to start the second album and i do not want this situation again. Help?
 
Forgot to add also, i have to use her dads gear at his house(triton le, yamaha workstation) and it's hard for me to draw upon inspiration in that environment with that gear like i can with my own rig.(even tho i also have the triton) Any tips to make the recording sessions more fun/inspiring?
 
No, while a producer is often expected to write the hook, the whole song is usually left for the songwriter [whoever that may be].

It is not fair that you'd have to come up with basically everything but today's artists are not good about that. That is why I like producers like Kwame and Hi-Tek, who will only work with an artist that brings their own ideas to the table.

Make it clear to her that the end product will be MUCH better with her cooperation.

The studio thing, I don't know. What in particular inspires you at your home studio? Think about it; once you have the answer to that, you'll know.
 
Thats so fricken true Jib...But tone you also have to know, if she makes it "Tone" wont be the only producer she works with...ya dig. Thats ur style not to write the whole 9 yards, she may run into someone who does. But I dont think its fair only because its out of ur comfort zone...but as long as ur having fun its all good
 
tone_aot said:
Alright folks here's the deal. I've been working with a female artist for about 1 year and were just about to finish 1 album! :D Besides that fact, she has a great voice, alot of drive and is very goal oriented. I think she has the potential to make it in the music industry. The only problem i'm having with her is, she has the mindset that i should come into the studio with the music/lyrics/and melodies for lead and background vocals and that she should just do what i tell her to do. She says that that's how the superproducers work. I was wondering if there is any truth to that? Most times, we'll get into the studio and she doesn't know what to do. I'm like, if she wants me to produce her, she needs to have full songs written for me to work with. In my opinion, it doesn't seem fair for me to have to come up with all the music, lyrics, melodies, record, mix, and have her just sing. Were about to start the second album and i do not want this situation again. Help?
Click to expand...

She just got her Mind Set!

It's somewhat the truth, but I'll say half the artists out there don't like to have their product written & would fight for this... BUT in the industry, good isn't good enough, it has to be great. I myself, would never let someone write the lyrics for me. Which means I probably won't make it as an artist... The producer does what he can to make the artist sound like a million bucks. If that's to hire in another songwriter, to either do the whole track, or help write with the artist/producer, than so be it. If it's to bring in another producer to help along, then it will happen. If your the producer, she follows your judgement. Just like a lot of other artists in the industry, she just knows it... Well usually, you wouldn't have the task of recording & mix... That would be the engineer's job, but if your the main dude who IS doing the mixing/recording, than well... that's part of your job as the producer in this case lol.
 
Tone,

I may be able to help you with songwriting though. I'm a proficient MC and I can craft soul lyrics well [not showing off].

Drop me an e-mail with the details of her style, and send me the beats if you need to.

E-mail is jibran (at) gmail (dot) com
 
I thank all of yall for your input. I just wanted to distinguish what was right and wrong as far as the workload. I understand now. In a way, it might be more fun for me. I could just go in the studio, tell her what to sing, and be done alot faster. I could really produce the way i wanted to if already have the whole song layed out and that would save alot of idle time that we sit around coming up with a song. For instance, yesterday i had been to church, went thru a really long choir practice right after church, and had collectively an hour afterwards to eat and rest before studio time. After talking for a while about a few things concerning the cd, she asked me could i come up with something on the spot. No lyrics wrote, no inspiration(dead tired), other folks in the house talking and stuff, Triton Le, and her sitting right there staring at me. It took everything in me to make something but i managed to, only by GOD!! I came up with a fairly decent chorus and little bit of a verse too. I decided, i don't ever want that to happen again. Thanks everyone for your responses. Guess it's time for me to make it happen!!
 
jibran said:
Tone,

I may be able to help you with songwriting though. I'm a proficient MC and I can craft soul lyrics well [not showing off].

Drop me an e-mail with the details of her style, and send me the beats if you need to.

E-mail is jibran (at) gmail (dot) com
Click to expand...

See that's the problem. I'm not quite sure of what kind of style she has yet. Thanks for your help. I'll deff drop a email if i get stuck trying to write. I need all the help i can get. I'm a decent writer i just gotta get more proficient in it. It's now or never.
 
im sorta on the opposite side of this problem lol...... i work with a female singer also but she also produces and writes so i dont have this problem when we collab its crazy....... see my track Our Time........

but yea I kno i wouldn't like that situation if i was you...... i think i need to start pushing her toward writing her own songs i mean if nothing else it makes her look better to companies if she can write songs along with singing well.
 
Hey fyre, i forgot your soundclick address. Post it so i can hear that track you talkin about.
 
Is it still in the development stage? The thing is that an artist may have tons of talent, but may not know how to write songs and such. That's why there are songwriters and A&Rs in a label. But, for you to do everything that would normally take 3 people to do is a lot. You are the producer, songwriter and manager to tell the direction the project should go.

Like said on here, a producer will come up with ideas for a hook, but the verses and such should be from the artist. Unless, a label takes all control and does the entire project form start to finish.

It should be a merge with the producer and artist to make a song. It's the vibe and chemical reaction of production that makes a hit song. The 2 vibe off eachother and you can hear it in the track. Otherwise you'd just have a instrumental and vocals doing nothing together...

I think you should challenge her to write and add her input. Make an exercise to write a short poem about her like or something. Then show how to change it into lyrics in the song...

Sometimes, an artisr just needs a little push. :rolleyes:
 
Just let me know what genre she sings and I'll get on it right away.

Anyways, here's an idea for a method that I think would be highly successful.

Why don't you lay down the base beat and save it.

Then, write lyrics that you think would work with that simple foundation.

After that, carry over the beat to her father's Triton and record her singing what you wrote with that beat skeleton and then build the rest of the beat around her vocals, consulting her and getting her to make suggestions as well.

Do you get what I'm saying? From there, she'll get more comfortable working with you and you guys might have a great working relationship coming.

If you put a basic beat together, just send me the audio and I'll write to it if you need me to, fam is fam.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top