Should songwriters learn to produce?
Should songwriters learn to produce? The answer varies it’s honestly your choice.
Producing is a skill that many songwriters don’t have or don’t need to have it’s completely your choice whether you want to learn or not. It takes time to learn so don’t think that you will be a genius in a few months, it’s constant learning of different sounds that you can incorporate to make your beats better. Even experienced Producers are constantly learning because music is evolving there are so many influencers that you need to be aware of. As the music progresses you need to figure out a way to keep a young engaged audience on your art.
1 If you can’t afford to pay a producer, producing might be your answer making beats is not easy and making it yourself is not easy it’s an extreme sport to have it takes so much work, so don’t underestimate the price because producers work really hard to make these beats.
These beats contain so much passion the prices can vary and in this day in age, it’s important to have good beats in order to do well in the music industry. Many songwriters don’t realize that they need to invest in their craft in order to get the returns to think outside of the box.
2 Are you ready to learn the thought of saving money to make your own beats sound exciting but there is a process you won’t be Timbaland in 3 months there is a process, many producers will suggest learning from the greats like Timbaland, Swizz Beatz, or Teddy Riley learn their craft how they put their beats together and put your spin on it. It will pay off in the future, each of these producers has a unique sound. They have a signature sound that makes them stand out.
Websites
3 BeatStars | World’s #1 Music Marketplace to Buy & Sell Beats This website can help you buy the cheapest beats that have already been copyrighted by the owner of the song. Understand if you buy beats from this website you don’t have ownership. If the song blows up unless there is a partnership and understanding as Lil Nas did. Lil Nas X bought the beat used in ‘Old Town Road’ for $30 on BeatStars (cnbc.com) it became a hit song with millions of listeners from all over the world, imagine buying a beat from a website for 30 dollars and it becomes a hit only some would relate.
4 Fiverr – Freelance Services Marketplace for Businesses and Upwork | The World’s Work Marketplace for Freelancing you can find quality producers that might be able to do it at an affordable rate because there are freelancers that are also working hard to get noticed in the music industry. The beauty of these websites is you don’t need to travel. Technology has advanced so much to the point that you can use facetime to record. You can have a good music relationship with your producer from different countries that could create a unique sound.
Songwriters and Musicians
5 Nija Charles is a songwriter originally she wanted to become a producer and taught herself how to make beats from a young age, she was discovered on Instagram by singing on beats she produced and from then on she was writing lyrics for big musicians like Beyonce.
Nija took the leap of faith and taught herself production it has benefitted her to create a brand for herself s a songwriter. Will she have been discovered if she didn’t learn to price and post it on the internet? She placed herself in the right corners smart move publishers and A&R are always looking for new talent.
6 Chloe Bailey is a singer and songwriter who also learned to produce from the age of 17. Songwriters having a say on their sound is important. It helps to stand out among their peers. When you go to school depending on your career might pursue your master’s or PhD. And there is a respect factor with that title and it’s the same with being a producer . People respect you more because you’re doing one of the hardest things in the music industry. Many songwriters that learn production will reap the benefits later in life because of the influence.
7 Where should beginner producers start especially for songwriters. The DAW Every Music Producer Loves | FL Studio (image-line.com) it’s a great software for beginners. On Youtube, there are many great producers that can teach you the basics of this software.
Understand it takes time to learn this software many producers brag about how long it took to learn to produce but the average producer could take really long time.
Don’t compare yourself to anyone when it comes to your journey of production. There are some that are able to learn within a short amount of years cause they maybe know how to play an instrument.
School
8 As a beginner songwriter should you go to school to learn production. There are benefits in going to school to learn if you find it difficult to teach yourself production. Having a professor guide you will make it easier and maybe even more fun. The idea is to always enjoy the journey.
In conclusion, it is your choice whether you want to learn or not. Make sure that you’re doing it for yourself and not for anyone else.
The journey is a learning process there is so much to unpack especially s a beginner you may even need guidance. For the beginners who didn’t learn an instrument, I would advise learning it will improve your melodies. It will also help to stand out among the ones who don’t know how to play an instrument. Dr Dre has a course at USC about production it teaches the game bout production.
College can help improve your production ability to a whole other level if you network properly. Networking can help you be ahead shorter than if you were learning on Youtube. The answer is your choice make sure you do your research before doing this. Songwriters have a lot of influence on their producers.
Timbaland actually started making beats from his mouth that then transition to full-on production. By doing that you could get credit for producing.
Songwriters contribute a lot to producers if you create the lyric first you’re giving an idea of how the song should sound.
