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Who knows best what 'sound' will make a hit record - Record Producer or A&R manager?
What makes a hit record? Sometimes it's the song, sometimes it's the sound. But who decides whether a certain 'sound' will sell?
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Question from a RecordProducer.com visitor...
Hi, I'm Enrico from Italy. I've heard that a great Record Producer know the right "Sound" for a song, so this song will be an HIT Single. Is it right? I mean, a song won't be great for the idea of the author, but for the SOUND the Record Producer know is the best to create an HIT Single. Is it true?
Thanks a lot.
Have a nice day.
Enrico
David Mellor replies...
You have hit the nail on the head here. Knowing what makes the 'sound' for a hit single is exactly the job of a Record Producer.
However there is someone for who this is even more important...
The record label's A&R Manager!
The A&R Manager's job is to find new talent and by whatever means get them to make a record that will sell.
Suppose that an act he or she has signed has just finished a recording. The A&R Manager listens to it. What they are thinking about above all else is whether the record will sell.
There are four possibilities...
- The record will probably sell.
- The record probably will not sell.
- The record probably will sell, if remixed.
- The A&R Manager doesn't really know and is only guessing.
Believe it or not, the last option is more common than you would think. However, the powerful marketing techniques of the record industry, coupled to the fact that pretty much the whole of the industry is owned by only four companies, means that the A&R Manager can get away with the occasional mistake, as long as they have a good track record of recent successes.
So the A&R Manager doesn't need any musical talent or production skills. He or she merely needs to know whether a record will sell.
However, to be successful, a Record Producer has to be able to create a record that will sell. And that is in addition to the song itself. The dividing line between the song and the sound has become blurred, but the deciding factor is whether or not the public will buy in sufficient quantity to pay back the marketing budget and make a profit.
Naturally that involves a knowledge of the sounds that are currently selling, and the instinct to be able to provide just the right amount of novelty in a record that will catch the public's attention.
How easy is it to become a successful Record Producer?
If you work in a musical style that uses samples, then often you can ride on the back of your samples and produce a sound that is marketable without actually having all that much of your own knowledge of how to create sounds that sell. It's then down to luck.
Outside of that however it is extremely difficult to become a successful Record Producer. So better get ready for the long haul and learn your trade from the ground up thoroughly.
It won't happen by accident!
Publication date Monday April 19, 2010
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Discussion on this article's topic...
Dotchild, Lagos, Nigeria
Good songs need good beat and instrumentations. Good producer should know that, songs with good rhythmic chorus would make a hit if he/she (producer) is versatile enough to make or cook a melodious beat.
Saturday May 15, 2010
Girlfish, Montevideo, Uruguay
A bad production will affect a good song but if the song is not good enough producers can't do miracles.
Anyway there are a lot of succesfull bad songs, with nothing special when it comes to sound or production. So, I think the success of a song depends more on the promotion than on the quality. Now and then a good song is succesfull just because it is good, then 30 other garbage songs copy that style and sound. They have the promotion, the big company and the money, so they become a hit. To me in music is more about opportunity than talent or skills.
Anyway there are a lot of succesfull bad songs, with nothing special when it comes to sound or production. So, I think the success of a song depends more on the promotion than on the quality. Now and then a good song is succesfull just because it is good, then 30 other garbage songs copy that style and sound. They have the promotion, the big company and the money, so they become a hit. To me in music is more about opportunity than talent or skills.
Wednesday May 12, 2010
Sean, Portland, USA
Obviously, Nipper knows best!
Wednesday May 05, 2010
Anonymous, USA
What the h#$% is that guy from GA talking about?
Thursday April 22, 2010
Anonymous, Los Angeles, USA
Wow what a interesting topic.this is what's reflective of our time we are livivng in this music business.As a record producer who has learned to use my ears from producers like Bert Reid back in the day.Music has changed production wise drasticly because of technology we have a new generation of so called musicians who push buttons and spin turn tables to make music.Sometimes this works but not all the time.Quincy Jones did'nt become successful with Michael Jackson over night,he evolved to be the best in different styles by first becoming a musician.So it really does'nt matter how many clowns claim to be this or that.what matters in hit music is who's going to be blessed enough to go for the long run and develope all the skills needed to effectively handle any producer job in or out of the studio and the industry can't help but respect this kind of professional person.
Monday April 19, 2010
Mark Van Allen, Loganville, Ga, USA
Good points, all. As an aside, how many people realize that iconic representation of Nipper listening to "His Master's Voice" shows him having jumped up on the coffin where they placed the phonograph at the funeral? Must have been some good production on that one...
Sunday April 18, 2010
Lanny Papp, East Haven, U.s.a.
I understand the need for a company to make a profit, but these people are responsible for the garbage that's been forced down the brainwashed consumers' throats, and the proliferation of the "shoot 'em up" mentality in Hip Hop. Producers and A & R people have the power to determine what music is released to the public - in other words, they are the people who decide what evolutionary course (or in my opinion de-evolutionary course) the "art" of music will take. Being purely money driven, they've obviously chosen quantity over quality. It makes more sense money-wise to take a bunch of colorful and controversial characters who claim to be "musicians", and mold them into what the industry needs to make money. There are far more of these "characters" out there than there are quality "real" musicians with true talent. The sheer numbers of these "artists" have enabled the industry to reap obscene profits - and at the same time stagnate the medium with mediocre posers who keep on getting into trouble and ending up in the tabloids. Just look at the behavior of some of the "new stars" of music - it's clear that their exploits speak as loud (if not louder) than their music.
It's all fine and dandy - everyone needs a little on-the-edge entertain-
ment sometime. But did the industry have to bury every form of quality music to acheive their bottom line?
I'd like to see the return of REAL music to the airwaves. It's hurting, but not dead. There are a lot of talented people out there who can only stand by and watch the current rubbish that has polluted our ears trample all over their quality compositions, thanks to an industry that has chosen to steer the art of music directly into the toilet in the name of the almighty dollar.
It's all fine and dandy - everyone needs a little on-the-edge entertain-
ment sometime. But did the industry have to bury every form of quality music to acheive their bottom line?
I'd like to see the return of REAL music to the airwaves. It's hurting, but not dead. There are a lot of talented people out there who can only stand by and watch the current rubbish that has polluted our ears trample all over their quality compositions, thanks to an industry that has chosen to steer the art of music directly into the toilet in the name of the almighty dollar.
Sunday April 18, 2010
Dabat, London, UK
Don’t even get me started on this one.
Yes Enrico, a great producer can make a good song sound even greater. He could also ruin your song. But whether it’s a HIT SINGLE or not, does not stop there.
Without giving my age away, in days gone by an A&R man was an integral part of a record company. His job was to go out and talent scout for new talent. Once he found someone he would listen to his or her repertoire. If he thought they didn’t have a hit he would find a song, find an arranger, find a producer. He would basically be the visionary in the equation. He would instigate a hit because he saw the true talent in the artist that no one else could, he new what an artist could become. The A&R man lived up to his name, Artist and Repertoire.
In present times it is the producers who find most artists, and cultivate their songs, create sounds. As this has become more apparent over the years, the job of an A&R man has changed. He sits in an office listening to near finished productions and then decides if HE thinks this could be a hit. Most A&R men of present day are failed producers, singers, songwriters, publishers and artists themselves. I am of course generalising, there are still some true A&R men in the industry, and some of whom have escalated to higher positions such as MDs or CEOs of record companies.
IN answer to your question, how can anyone know what a hit is. I often say to people I work with, if I could listen to a song and say that is a definite number one, then I would charge a million pounds for the service each time. Ask yourself this; if you are a songwriter or an artist or producer, have you ever worked on anything that wasn’t going to be the best song ever? I have never worked on a medium song, or a not so strong one, or one without a great hook. We always strive for the top in every track we do, don’t we?
As I see it, a producer with the artist go with their gut feeling of what a hit record is and what it should sound like. Then an A&R man decides whether it will see the light of day. Then the roulette begins. There are so many other factors after that point. What is the video like? Is the promotion strong? Has the marketing been done right and on time? Do we have a good plugger? Are we getting airplay? The list goes on.
Yes Enrico, a great producer can make a good song sound even greater. He could also ruin your song. But whether it’s a HIT SINGLE or not, does not stop there.
Without giving my age away, in days gone by an A&R man was an integral part of a record company. His job was to go out and talent scout for new talent. Once he found someone he would listen to his or her repertoire. If he thought they didn’t have a hit he would find a song, find an arranger, find a producer. He would basically be the visionary in the equation. He would instigate a hit because he saw the true talent in the artist that no one else could, he new what an artist could become. The A&R man lived up to his name, Artist and Repertoire.
In present times it is the producers who find most artists, and cultivate their songs, create sounds. As this has become more apparent over the years, the job of an A&R man has changed. He sits in an office listening to near finished productions and then decides if HE thinks this could be a hit. Most A&R men of present day are failed producers, singers, songwriters, publishers and artists themselves. I am of course generalising, there are still some true A&R men in the industry, and some of whom have escalated to higher positions such as MDs or CEOs of record companies.
IN answer to your question, how can anyone know what a hit is. I often say to people I work with, if I could listen to a song and say that is a definite number one, then I would charge a million pounds for the service each time. Ask yourself this; if you are a songwriter or an artist or producer, have you ever worked on anything that wasn’t going to be the best song ever? I have never worked on a medium song, or a not so strong one, or one without a great hook. We always strive for the top in every track we do, don’t we?
As I see it, a producer with the artist go with their gut feeling of what a hit record is and what it should sound like. Then an A&R man decides whether it will see the light of day. Then the roulette begins. There are so many other factors after that point. What is the video like? Is the promotion strong? Has the marketing been done right and on time? Do we have a good plugger? Are we getting airplay? The list goes on.
Sunday April 18, 2010
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