There’s a lot of advice I could give on music producers starting out from scratch today, just based on what I’ve learned throughout years of producing, myself. There’s a ton of ways to get your “foot in the door”, so here’s some guidance I would give to new aspiring producers. First piece of advice would be to focus on the craft at hand before you proceed with anything else, whether you’re making beats, loops/samples, etc. When I was starting out, I made beats every single day, with every chance I got. I know that sounds a little extreme but it’s true. Without obsession and dedication, you’re halting the building blocks of your musical career. It’s important to keep your art in check before you jump start into the industry side of producing, because there’s no reason to have your name as a brand tainted with an inaccurate representation of you through your music before diving head-first into getting placements, etc. For example, if I’m looking through my email for loops to work with, and I click on an email with some extremely high quality loops, I immediately keep a mind-note of that person who sent them to me, so I can always look forward to seeing that name pop up in my email to work with them more in the future. The same analogy goes both ways. However, I wouldn’t be discouraged and hold yourself back to an extreme extent to the point where it prevents you from putting your work out. The overall point here is just make sure you feel comfortable with your music as an art form before you rush into the industry/business side, etc.
The second piece of advice I would give to aspiring producers starting from scratch today would be to make yourself seen in the producer community, & build organic relationships with people at the same level as you, and above. Get in all the producer group chats, all the Discords, interact with people on Instagram, Twitter, comment on other people’s posts, etc… you get the point. Think of it like the high school social dynamic but in the producer community, cause that’s pretty much all it is. Just build your name up in the community to the point where your music backs it up & you stand out as a person, not just an Instagram page. Remember to have fun with it, and build genuine relationships with like-minded people. Understand that we’re all just people at the end of the day & there’s no way of cheating when it comes to networking.
That brings me onto the third piece of advice, which is that there are no shortcuts. That sounds a tiny bit cliche, but it’s probably the most important piece of advice I can provide. You literally cannot go through the music industry thinking there is some form of quick route or detour, you’re only gonna find yourself back at square one. It’s a long game you have to be ready to play, and even though there’s gonna be an endless amount of speed-bumps along the way, you’ll enjoy every part of the process if you take the first piece of advice I gave at the start. There’s no way to cheat yourself into getting placements or anything of credibility. Think of it like a ladder. You go up the ladder step by step, and if you try to rush the ladder, you risk yourself falling off the ladder from how fast you’re trying to climb it. If you apply that analogy onto looking at your position in the music industry, it’ll make sense, no matter what spot you’re in at the current moment. When I started making beats in around early to mid 2021, I had zero focus, (or interest) on getting placements. I was so focused on making the actual music with my friends to the point that I didn’t even spend time thinking of getting any sort of accolade, or even making money off my craft, and that is the primary reason I attracted them. Ultimately, I feel as if you approached getting into producing music from a standpoint built upon the love for music, sincerity, trustworthiness & overall being a genuine person, you will get 100 times farther than somebody only in it for the accolades that come with it, the money, etc. Because at the end of the day, your goal should be to be respected based upon your art, not your accolades.
