Since the evolution of hip hop, producers have been taking pre-recorded music & ‘sampling’ it to make their own new sounds. This can include anything from taking the original sample of the music & adding drums &/or bass, all the way to ‘flipping’ the original sample, completely repurposing it into something completely unrecognizable. But in the midst of this practice lies the question;

“Is it actually better to make your own sounds from scratch so that you can be truly original?”

In short, not necessarily! Most people truly don't care if you make your own sounds & loops, they just care about one thing: does it sound good?

Loops are a tool & you should use them when you believe it sounds right to do so. No one is looking over your shoulder to say "You didn't make this yourself, what a fraud!" because loops are, quite literally, made for YOU to use! No one expects you to be an expert in Latin percussion technique & play your...

As musicians we often think the path to success is simple; we just have to be better than the other person, better than the other people in line, better than the rest of the choices, and we'll make it. The truth, though it's uncomfortable, is that the less-talented guitar player is going to get hired for the session sometimes and the less-talented vocalist will get that cut.

The thing that separates you from the crowd isn't always going to be talent. Being good at your craft is a prerequisite nowadays and the way to get ahead is to put yourself out there effectively and to take control of the business that is YOU.

The people hiring musicians for remote sessions don't want an artist who needs their handheld when sending .wav files and they won't sign a contract with someone who doesn't know what a PRO is. They're going to choose the musician who has their act together!

The good news is, it's easier than ever to OWN our businesses and treat them like one! Learn what's going on behind...

I've had so many people in my life, along with some producer friends, EVEN BOYFRIENDS, tell me I'd never been a "real" producer. They told me to just stick to what I was good at, songwriting. Had I listened to them, if I had given in and believed them, I would never have had the confidence to put my own music out there and see what I could truly be! The truth is we have to stop letting other peoples’ opinions define us. Most of the time these people, these producers, aren't really talking about you, they're projecting their own insecurities on you to feel better about themselves. So don't take it personally and most importantly KEEP WORKING!

In this blog, I want to talk about how you can push through the fear of caring what these other ‘producers’ think!

You can do it, I believe in you!

The other day I got a DM from a fellow up-and-coming female producer. My heart ached as I read her words as they echoed my own from not long ago. She told me she wanted to be a...

Ok, I am so pumped because today is the final day of the Boss Producer Business Series!! I’ve put this series together especially for my aspiring producers, and if you haven’t checked out the first four blogs of this series I want you to go and read them now!  Just head to: www.producelikebosspodcast.com/business  

Also, as promised, I’m going to give you access to the entire workbook for this series which includes recaps & exercises to help you get your business started! Once again that link is: www.producelikebosspodcast.com/business 

OK, let’s jump in!

Boss Producer Business

Part 5: Secrets To Selling Your Services Like A Boss

First, let’s recap what we’ve covered in the first four episodes: 

• In episode 1, we acknowledged what starving artist traits we need to shed in order to become a boss producer. 
• In episode 2, we talked about how making great music is just the beginning and that being a generalist can...

Have you ever caught yourself ‘white-knuckling’ your way through life trying to make things happen a certain way? Don’t worry, we’ve all been there, especially in the music biz. I used to think the only way for me to ‘make it’ was to get a major pub deal or record deal & if I wasn’t “Beyonce Big” then I had failed. Boy was I wrong! Do you know how much money is floating around for creatives to make money outside of the “music industry?”

The truth is, I just wanted to make a great living with my music & I wanted to make an impact. Once I realized that I didn’t need to define the how or what was going to get me there, I discovered a whole new world. That world was music production & custom songwriting! What started off as a necessity because I couldn’t afford to hire producers soon became an obsession & a passion!

Learning how to produce opened doors I could have never imagined, it created...