Believe it or not, note-taking is still an important part of working as a music production professional. As we’ll learn later in Chapter C-1, What’s the Deal, note-taking can be very important to ensure you capture all the information of a session. Noting such things as who played what and how, what you agreed on with the A&R person and the band, what order the tracks should be as you’re recording them, the mic position on the bass drum, the settings of the Vox AC30 you managed to squeeze that awesome solo from the guitarist from, will help you keep track of what you need to remember.
Notes such as these may be extremely useful as the project goes on. Many people will manage easily to retain the knowledge required to recall the information. Others will get swept away with events and perhaps forget the odd piece of vital information. It is the retention that is the issue. There are so many aspects of the session you may wish to recall later on for historical or nostalgic purposes. How you take notes will be completely up to you. We appreciate that many of us in music production are quite keen on gadgets and may choose to rely on our smartphone, but many would still suggest that pen and paper is the fastest and most creative for getting things down. However, some choose to use their lap- tops or iPads, such as Mat Martin mentioned above.
The most important reason to keep some paper and pen about is for any legal stuff that might be discussed. It would be worth taking anything that is verbally agreed down for reference. You may not be able to enforce any such agreements, but they
will provide you with the notes to follow up on anything at the earliest point, plus allow you a record should you wish to revisit what you thought was agreed.
accounting and bookkeeping
Yes, it can be boring. Being a business, and certainly self-employment, will mean that a lot of the day-to-day bookkeeping, and so on, may fall to you. It’s not rocket science and it is not akin to programming System Exclusive in MIDI, or working out the detailed acoustic solutions to your control room. However, it does take a little organization and diligence to do easily. We’ll cover the accounting bit later on, but here we’ll cover why it’s important to keep on top of things.
Getting used to collecting and gathering what you need to do to file your tax returns takes a little while to grasp. It is perhaps simpler now than it has ever been, especially in the U.K. with a comprehensive online tax return system. What you need is to get organized and manage your papers accordingly, and perhaps even open a separate business bank account to separate your business money from your own, as this can make the accounting side of things a little easier. The country in which you live will have its own peculiar systems and regula- tions and you should, if you’re not already getting on with it, look on your government’s websites for further information. Here in the U.K. we’re expected to report a number of details about what we have earned and what we’ve had to pay out in order to run our business. The online system (of the HM Revenue and Customs people) will calculate the tax you owe based on the figures you give. However, it is very wise to read up on the way in which this works in advance, as this might inform your purchasing for the coming year.
Being self-employed means that you have to purchase your own equipment and tools of the trade in order to provide your services. As such, these tools are tax deductible. Each territory will have its own system by which this works, but many tax regimes can be very generous when you purchase new essential equip- ment, providing tax breaks, and so on. Keeping abreast of the new provisions for this, and perhaps any other tax breaks on offer, may make new ventures or activities possible. So check that site from time to time.
Taking an interest in your business affairs will make life less exciting perhaps, but may allow you to make more informed decisions about the market and the future of your company.
your WIder BusIness and opportunItIes
In this day and age, as we find ourselves in a global financial downturn, pro- fessionals in some sectors are finding their share of the action dwindling. The same is the case in the music industry and many producers are either having to spread their activities a little or are choosing to do so to add new income streams or variety to their work. The portfolio career is becoming widespread and is a method to insure financial security going forward. The reduction of all eggs in one basket is perhaps a wise strategy.
Along these lines, it is not uncommon for producers and other music industry professionals to find new ways of expanding their reach. Activities might include starting a band instead of leading other people’s sessions (this is more likely for personal reasons , such as enjoyment, as in the case of Tommy D’s band Grafitti 6). However, there is a pertinent reason for doing this as you become the songwriter, not just the producer, and as such your share of the finances is increased. Other examples might be writing a book such as this or offering your skills up to education by means of guest lectures or master classes, such as those provided by JAMES (Joint Audio Media Education Services), question and answer ses- sions at stores, product endorsement as in many of the trade magazines, acting as a consultant in studio practice or studio ergonomics and design engineering, even some mastering. There are so many activities you can spread to, especially if you’ve made a name for yourself in production already.
Generating new business is never easy at the best of times, but successful pro- ducers have a track record and this can help their new ventures in many ways. For example, Phil Harding (producer of many hits, such as East 17’s success in the ‘90s) has written a book about his time working at PWL and recording the likes of Kylie Minogue and Rick Astley. Other producers have spent time consid- ering their work and placing this information in books, but there are nowhere near enough and we hope that many producers will spend time to reflect on their expertise and share their experiences in the fullness of time. Phil Harding is an example of a producer who has chosen to also enter both the education field, offering his time to teach students and give guest lectures, in addition to working professionally as a musician recording his own album recently. He has chosen to do both these projects without the backing of labels or publishers.
professional affiliations and networks
We’ve mentioned the benefits of joining professional bodies before. Many of these are listed in Appendix F-1, The Tape Store.
Joining a professional body can be very useful to make new contacts and net- work. Joining an organization such as the Music Producer’s Guild (MPG) or the Association of Professional Recording Services (APRS) in the U.K. or an equiva- lent in the U.S (AES) etc. can provide many opportunities to meet and interact with fellow professionals. Also it is an opportunity to discuss pertinent issues and perhaps raise awareness of the industry at the current time.
As with any professional affiliation, you get out what you put in, and there may be opportunities for you to join the organization and help along the way, open- ing more opportunities to network.
Similarly, there are many online networks such as Gearslutz and ProSoundWeb which provide professionals with connections with many other audio profes- sionals across the globe. These can be a vital source of audio information and tech support should you need it. Take a little time to check these out if you can.
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What is Music Production. DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-240-81126-0.00006-8
© 2011 Russell Hepworth-Sawyer and Craig Golding. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
In Section B we discussed in some depth the idea of becoming a business and formally setting up a company or becoming a sole trader/freelancer and the vari- ous points you should consider and be aware of.
Our intention for this chapter is to raise your awareness of some of the deals that are made. We introduce some pertinent organizations you should be aware of and discuss, as an overview, the deals that most often occur.
We do not claim to be experts in this field and do not intend this chapter to be an in-depth or authoritative reference, as there are many books and websites out there dedicated solely to the legalities in the business, some of which are cited in Appendix F-1, The Tape Store at the end of this book. As a caveat, we would always recommend that you engage the expertise of a music industry lawyer if you are ever uncertain, and perhaps even if you are certain.
Although most people within the music industry don’t just “do it for the money,” it is obviously what keeps the music world turning and certainly you need to be able to earn a living from your work should you choose to fully immerse your- self in this career. As a producer, understanding what your slice of the pie could or should be and how you will receive it is no doubt of definite interest.