Ghost Producing (Part 1)
Ghost Producing (Part 1)
I honestly don’t know where to begin with this one. Maybe because I
have such mixed feelings about it but let me just jump into the
definition and let it fly from there. Ok… Ghost producing is pretty
much when one producer (usually uknown to the masses) works under a
big name producer. The name producer would take beats from his ghost
producer(s) and shop them or get them placed as his own on projects.
Name producer of course will get full credit for producing the track
and the unknown producer would get percent of the advance money and
all of his publishing (depending on what kind of deal you make cause
some name producers may want in on that too being it’s a lot of
money).
Now this tactic isn’t really knew, it’s been around for quite awhile.
Just think about Dr Dre and his team of producers, including Scott
Storch at one time….oh wait hold on…lol..you thought Dre produced
those Chronic albums himself? Lol Your sadly mistaken, time for a wake
up call. To be honest, most of the big name producers we give praise
to have some producers under them working in the lab 24/7 while they
are out shaking hands, meeting other celebs, getting interviews, write
ups, awards, endorsement deals, downing bottles at the club, f*kn bad
b*tches , lol..etc.. ok u get the point. Maybe it’s not exactly like
that…….but then again…..maybe it is. Hmmm
Ok now you may ask why would the name producer have ghost producers?
Doesn’t he have talent? Didn’t he get to where he is today by doing
beats?
Well yeah, but what happens is its pretty difficult as solo producer
with a big name to keep up with the demand. How is he suppose to be at
every function, work on 10 different artist tracks, oversee his homies
album, be in 3 cities, be at a photo shoot, make a video appearance
and be home in time to drive little Jr. to school and tweet about it?
Even Arkatech Beatz, a production duo…2 people is difficult still…I
wont front. (Like how do I even find time to type this, I need to be
making a beat……but anyway). So what the name producer does is get some
producers under him to give him some breathing room so he can do all
the other things. Not saying the name producer does nothing, it just
gives him some room so he doesn’t have to make a beat every day. Not
to mention it gets hard to get in your creative modes at time so it’s
cool to have that support system when your creativeness is on hiatus
as well as some fresh ears, ideas and other talent to feed off of.
Here is a quick break down of pros & cons for a name producer who has
a ghost producer(s) working for them.
Pros
- Able to pump out more music for more projects
- Able to feed off ghost producers ideas and influence
- Able to offer a wider variety of music (Hip Hop, R&B, Pop, etc)
- Able to land more various deals because of all the work that’s being put out.
- Name recognition, adding worth to the brand
- Don’t have to be in the studio everyday working on a beat (honestly
I don’t mind working on a beat everyday but you do need your days or
rest. Even God chilled one day)
Cons
- You may not have actually produced the record, so you don’t own any
part of record including publishing (depending on deal that is made)
- If you don’t own any publishing, you cant make a good publishing
deal..and that’s where the real money is at.
- If word gets out too fast that you don’t make your beats, rarely but
it is possible that your brand can be damaged.
- Loss of respect (if that even bothers you)
I’m sure there are more pros and cons…but basically everything is
depending on the type of deal and what you agree to.
Next article we’ll talk about ghost producing from the unknown
producer who takes the deal, being exclusive, gag orders, pros and
cons and what else to expect. Lol..maaaan Its about to get real
interesting so stay tuned.
Mike “Trauma” D twitter.com/arkatechbeatz
Protect Your Brand: Damage Control
Protect Your Brand : Damage Control
Lately a lot of producers just aren’t getting the respect they deserve
in the game. Producers are either getting jacked for their beats,
promo deals(no pay) or just not being credited at all. Especially now
in the mixtape game the rules differ with every project. What ever
situation you work out with the artist one thing for sure needs to be
in stone. Your credit!! Your credit is everything…its your brand, your
name. Your name alone will get you opportunities where money alone
just can’t buy. Not to mention your credit helps build your resume,
portfolio, your stock…it gives you some clout and the ability to
demand a few things..(especially financially) later down the line.
Just today I was listening to a major mixtape and a few people I was
listening with asked..”yo who did that track?? It’s banging!” I said
“I don’t know” looking at the track listing and noticing no producer
credit. I said “It sounds like (Producer A) “, so we ran with that.
Come to my realization days later, I was wrong. It wasn’t (Producer A)
it was another producer,(Producer B)
Now I’m thinking damn this kid probably just missed out on a few
opportunities because folks thought it was (Producer A). (Producer A)
probably getting new calls based on a record (Producer B) did. I tell
yall to tell you this….
1)Tag your beats! Tag your beats loud and clear! A sound effect alone
right now just aint gonna do it being we can all find the effect or
just sample it from a record. You need something that says it’s you
“Producer B On The F*kn Beat!!!!” something!
2)Promote the record wit your production credit via twitter, myspace,
facebook, youtube, etc…every social network you can. So when someone
googles the track , Pow!! your name comes up with it.
3)Work on getting a little publicity, small interviews, write ups,
blogs,..whatever in addition to helping get the word out.
Bottom line, your brand is your name and name means everything.
Protect your brand by all costs cause on the real others don’t have
your interest at heart. Tell em I said that!
Good luck out there!
Mike Trauma D on the F*kn article!!!!!
Top 10 Producer Tips
Here are 10 production tips that can help you tighten up your overall production game.
10) If you sample, name the sounds after your sample source so you won't forget what record you sampled from when needed.
9) Mix track, listen to song the next day and see if your happy with mix. If not, mix it again. Can be the difference to selling a track or even a track becoming a hit.
8) Sequence track so a rapper/singer can do there thing. Have it as ready as possible.
7) Be realistic with your tracks.. A/B compare it to what's currently on the market.
Why We Love The MPC5000!
