Recording - December 2010 - 72

Guest editorial by Frank Gryner

Becoming the “Pro” in “Producer”
Anyone can call himself a producer. How do you make the title mean something?
Editor’s Note: In the midst of the end-ofyear celebrations, we ask you to put down the bubbly and egg nog and take off the rose-colored glasses while you read what L.A.-based producer Frank Gryner has to say about the sometimes harsh realities of becoming a producer. Ready? Rolling... mythological measure of unrealistic success, then there can be a lot of fulfillment in the producer’s chair—even if it is a vicarious consolation prize for a failed attempt as a recording artist. As long as you acknowledge the difference between whatever you used to do with all that gear and the purpose it needs to serve now: to facilitate the vision of the band that just hired you. You may have initially got into music so you could do your own thing. So what was once your oasis from your parents, siblings, teachers or boss will

Getting a toehold in the music business is less about actual music-making skill and more about fostering the relationships that become the stepping stones to bigger and better things.
Almost anyone can be a producer. A producer is just a guy with a big fat opinion... and some idea of how to get the music to the finish line. Starting out, the trick is to get people to listen to you... and hopefully hire you. You need to be bringing something to the party. Whether it is some combination of credibility that you’ve already attained (or had them believe you’ve attained) and recording equipment/studio, chances are that you got the gig because the guy they really wanted wouldn’t work that cheap. Getting a toehold in the music business is less about actual music-making skill and more about fostering the relationships that become the stepping stones to bigger and better things. It’s inching your way forward as you pick up the run-off of picked-over projects from the backs of the guys who are only slightly more experienced than you. Having said that, if your choice to get into music production doesn’t hinge on a
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now be invaded by a musically-mediocre band of slackers, who, ironically, don’t take direction well because, like you, they got into a band to avoid being told what to do. Oh yeah, and as if that wasn’t pride-swallowing enough, be sure to brace yourself for the inevitable reality: no matter how stellar you are, or how many miracles you pull off, if the band gets an opportunity to work with someone with bigger credits, they will most certainly do so. Should you look to get paid in points or negotiate a flat fee? Ultimately, points on an album are only as good as the label promising to pay them out. Labels know that an up-and-coming producer usually won’t fire up the attorney to audit them if s/he suspects that there is money owing, so securing any kind of point structure can mean very little. On top of that, the likelihood of an act (no matter how good they are) actually recouping the cost of their record and turning a profit that would trickle down to you is pretty low. Get what you can up front; if you can help it, don’t buy into someone else’s dream, especially when its fate rests in the hands of the incompetent or, worse yet, the unethical. All I’m trying to say here is if you create music for the right reasons, then you’re less likely to be disenchanted by all the things that go wrong in this dysfunctional industry. Frank Gryner (gryner@recordingmag.com) is a freelance producer/mixer and co-founder of ThePublicRecord.com, a website that allows musicians to contribute to their favorite artists’ recordings.

http://www.ThePublicRecord.com

Recording - December 2010

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