As a person that has dabbled in the music industry since my university days (aka being in the back of a psychology lecture), I have really progressed with my own purpose in the music industry. At first, my ambitions of being a music producer was to have a supercar, a studio filled with all of my favorite artists, and a young pretty little thang to go with me…. These were not goals but DREAMS… Later on I learned being in a studio is the last thing I want to do with a bunch of grown men rapping on the same verse for 3 hours then getting pissed at you for not recording it well enough…… If you can relate this please comment! I believe this to be a common goal with most people in the music industry and then truth sets in with more experience.
Later on in life as I matured and grew more experienced in life, I learned improvement and goal setting are the real keys to success. To do that, I needed to understand my purpose in the industry. For myself, it was to make good music that could evoke emotions, side income, and make hilarious songs with my friends. This set me down the path of making realistic approaches as to where I could hone in on my own sound, strengths, and weaknesses to find the most effective approach.
How to know where to start? Obviously, if you are reading this post you may somewhere deep down think you have the ability to be one of the greatest producers/beat makers since Timbaland. Having self-belief is key but it should also be checked with humility. The first thing I would recommend is getting around some very truthful friends. These are not your friends you go to the bar with every weekend. These are not your friends that want to hop in your newest car in the neighborhood. These are your friends that have your best interest and a good musical taste. I’d strongly recommend taking this approach in life in general. This will help figure out where you stand but take it with a grain of salt. Not all feedback is coming from a place of best interest.. You do not want people around you that will gas you up but at the same time you don’t want to be around people that are overly critical because maybe they aren’t where they want to be in life yet. Typically I’d suggest someone with some moderate success and has no real interest in what you are creating. Play some of your top tunes and some tunes you know suck and then genuinely ask where the strengths and weaknesses are.
From my own personal musical journey path, I learned one of my areas I can improve is in properly filling out tracks and creating diverse musical arrangements. I still struggle to this day as I am writing this post but it does give me a goal that I think is attainable. Most things in life that are on the brink of being successful you only have to focus on the details and it can make all the difference. You never know how close you may be and no one is going to hold your hands. I learned I can make up a lot of ground in my personal areas of improvement by learning how to play a variety of instruments teaching me better intuition with how to properly make music.
Everyone's music journey is different. Hopefully, this might be a spark to send you in the right direction in your music journey!
