Give the artist what they want

As a music producer, the most crucial skill you can have (and, in my opinion, more important than the craft itself) is the ability to understand and cater to the vision of the artist you're working with. It's the sole purpose of your job.

Otherwise, why work with artists at all? It’s a delicate dance of interpretation, collaboration, and creative compromise. Here's a breakdown of how to give the artist what they want while maintaining your own artistic integrity:

How to Interpret The Artist’s Intentions 

Interpreting an artist's intent and vision requires a bit of intuition and experience. This is where we need to listen closely to their ideas, and try pay special attention to what they're not saying. What’s in between their words and explanations? Sometimes, like we all do, artists struggle to articulate their vision clearly, so it's up to us to crack the code and offer suggestions that align with their overall goal. Our goal here is to compliment what they see and want, and suggest things which are going to be helpful in getting them there. We’re not here to take away from their vision - remember, they’re coming to US to be vulnerable and share their story, life experiences, artist intimacy or whatever it may be.

Finding Common Ground

Every producer has their own taste and style, but it's essential to find where your preferences intersect with those of the artist. This does NOT mean sacrificing your artistic identity. Rather, it's about finding a middle ground where both parties feel satisfied with the direction of the project. How can your taste compliment theirs? How can their taste compliment yours? It’s a choreography of ideas and the execution of those ideas, finding what works and what doesn’t. Remember, it’s about serving the song, not about putting what you like in place of what they like, so you will have to learn how to compromise.

Checking Your Ego

It's easy to get caught up in your own ideas or get over excited about your newfound vision for their song, but remember that the spotlight should always be on the artist. They are the client, afterall, and they are the ones representing the song in their releases and live performances. Put your ego aside and focus on serving their needs and elevating their music. It's not about you; it's about creating something that resonates with the artist and their audience.

Surviving Demoitis

You'll nearly always have demo recordings or pre-existing material of each song or project. Your job is to discern what elements are worth keeping and what needs to be replaced or reworked. Demoitis can be a real thing. When we make that first version of something, the emotions are heightened, the product is raw, we feel it very deeply - and so we naturally can get very attached to that. This is a common thing that happens with artists and songwriters, so it’s something to be navigated with care. Also, know that sometimes certain things can’t be recreated with the same emotional energy because it’s a different day, environment, etc. 

In these cases, sometimes it’s better to actually just use certain original vocal takes, guitar takes, drum parts, or whatever else. Trust your instincts and prioritize the elements that best serve the song's overall vision, even if it means keeping some of the old recorded material, or starting from scratch in some areas. Whatever works best for the song and you can both be happy with. 

Preserving the Essence

Continuing on from the previous points: one of the most nuanced challenges as a producer is to elevate the song without losing its essence. Staying true to the core emotions and themes of the music, while experimenting with sounds and arrangements, is definitely a challenge. And, to get good at this just takes practice and repeatedly working with clients over and over again. This also plays into your tastes and musical experience. If you have a lot of experience with a certain genre, you may naturally know what is required to preserve the essence of that type of song. 

Side note… One thing that I feel is really important for this point is: how well suited you are to working either with this artist in general, or on a song specifically. Sometimes we’re the perfect person for the job, and sometimes we’re absolutely not the right person to take on a song (and that's okay!). This partly comes down to whether or not a song vibes with you - so if you feel like you’re not going to do the song justice or you aren’t “getting the assignment”, then maybe it’s the right opportunity for you to graciously bow out and suggest another person.

Validating the Artist

Above all, make the artist feel validated and respected as the songwriter. Encourage open communication, listen properly to their ideas, and be flexible and open-minded throughout the creative process. Sometimes (and I do this too), we fall into the habit of dismissing ideas way too quickly, or taking a stance against an idea without even trying it. 

This is a fast way to burn your relationship with the artist and to knock their confidence. That is NOT what we should be trying to do. 

Our role is to support and empower the artist in bringing their vision to life, so, be their cheerleader, hype man, support, whatever! They’ll appreciate it in a huge way, and it’ll only make your relationship with them better. 

Wrapping Up

Mastering the art of giving artists what they want is a lifelong journey, and I learn something new every time I work on a song - whether it’s someone I’ve worked with before, or someone new. 

These ideas are very simple, but incredibly powerful. So, give them a go! 

Let me know what you think, and if you’ve had improved results with your clients by trying some of these things out. Comment on the blog below, send me a message on my website, or a DM on IG at @goodboy.music 

Peace x