This blog is the final in this series. If you missed part 12, jump back here, or head back to part 1 to start from the beginning.

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Yesterday as I finished up the part 12 blog, I sent a final e-mail to the producer. In their previous e-mail to me, they stated they were going to copy my agency on their e-mail as well as the mix to get the agency’s take on the finished product.

Which is fine, but sort of implies that the two of them would go ahead and release it anyway despite my own feelings on it all.

In any case, I never heard from the agency and since the producer’s final e-mail to me told me to just “think about it,” he was waiting for my to have a change of heart.

Obviously while writing the blog for further clarity, I couldn’t see any way I’d have a change of heart on this.

People can be very charming the first time you meet them. Even the first few times. But if you give them enough time they generally show you who they are. Time after time, the producer showed me that he just didn’t really care about this project, whether it was because he doesn’t care for the work itself, the song, or just had too many things on the go at once (all those times he seemed to forget our conversations) to be present. Beyond that, he also just didn’t seem to have the right tools for the job he implied he could do.

That’s not to say the guy’s a bad producer. I’m sure there are genres and projects where he really shines, but this wasn’t one of them.

In my e-mail I reiterated a lot of what I said here calmly, using examples of things that happened and didn’t happen along the way as my reasoning for why I did not believe we could proceed further on this. I explained my immense disappointment and wished him the best. The silver lining to this project is it really did help me see that I am doing a lot better than I give myself credit for, so I’ll hang on to that and keep demo-ing from my silly little bedroom studio-that’s-not-really-a-studio and start taking myself to pro studios to achieve higher quality recordings.

So, was it a scam?

I know musicians love to think of seemingly every part of this industry as a scam which is why I included this in the Am I Being Scammed? series, but, this wasn’t really a scam. It was a piss poor effort, no doubt, but not a scam. There was a finished project, it just didn’t meet artist expectations. It’s important to note that distinction otherwise if we all keep throwing the word scam around, it loses all meaning.

What happens if the agency and producer release the song anyway?

Gosh, I really don’t know. I suppose it gets buried in the sea of songs that are released to streaming platforms every single day and doesn’t gain much traction because I can’t see them putting any real marketing dollars towards this.

As soon as I’m done my current project, I’ll work on recording Something in the Way properly to my own taste and get that out when it seems appropriate and this story will become a funny footnote to the process.

In the meantime, here are some things you might want to keep in mind before your next collaboration with a producer, especially if that exchange involves money.

What have they worked on?

Even if you’ve done your due dilligence and looked up their credit roll on the internet and heard songs attached to their name, ask them what they’ve worked on and what their role was on that song.

You can get a credit on a track for doing pretty little, so while “works with *your favourite artist* looks impressive, it’s a little less impressive and less useful to you as an artist if all they did was grab coffee for them.

Have they worked on music in your preferred genre?

Make sure they have some experience in what you’re looking for. Producing hip hop is a lot different than rock – truly great producers can do it all, but most people get comfortable in their own niche and stick there.

In my case, Something in the Way started out of a pop-folk-rock track, but I chose this producer because of their experience in pop specifically. I wouldn’t expect him to know how to produce a Mumford and Sons song so if that’s the direction I wanted to take this, I wouldn’t have chosen him to begin with.

Don’t forget to get samples of their work in that space as well. It’s easy to say you can do something, but they should be able to back up those claims.

What will they be using?

You’ll recall I didn’t press this producer for details about his studio space. If I had, it would have raised a red flag. As soon as he said he was using an Apollo twin, I would’ve been out of there because I wasn’t looking for the same experience I could give myself. I went ahead with it anyway to see what he does differently from me, but you read how that played out. Imagine if he had told me he only had one stereo pair of micorphones and no D.I, nevermind any other gear? I’d be out the door so fast.

Get the full scoop and a studio tour if you can, too. Any reputable place will let you tour the space first and that’s the best way to get a sense of what your experience will be like.

A great studio space can and (to me) often is the major difference that creates a true pro experience for any artist, even if it’s your first recording. I know we all love to talk about how much can be done at home and it’s a great place to start or to chop demo’s, but I really vouch for great studios and the teams that work in them.

If I could, I would always choose to work at a pro studio.

How big is the team?

Is this a stand-alone operation where you’re working one-on-one with the producer on everything? Will there be outside engineers? Do they send the track to a mixer or mastering engineer after the recording stage is complete?

These questions will also tell you a lot about the operation you’re opting into. If they work with others, they should also be able to tell you a bit about those players. “My engineer is great, she’s worked with x, y, z on these projects,” or “After we mix, I sent it off to Jao Carvalho for mastering – he’s one of the best in the game.”

It’s also important to note that when you’re working with a newer engineer, they might be inclined to offer that they can mix or master your track, but they shouldn’t be married to the idea of it. It’s a generally good sign if your engineer is happy to pass off the mix to a second set of ears for the final polish.

As I mentioned, people that dedicate themselves to mastering will hear things differently and know more about what can be done to ensure a high quality master, just as someone who almost exclsuively mixes will be better than the new engineer who is still figuring out what’s useful about polar patterns on microphones. Let people play to their strengths and you’ll be much happier with the end result.

How many hours or sessions will this project require?

I did ask this, but it was clear early on that the producer wasn’t going to follow the timeline they initially told me.

A single shouldn’t take 7 months or even 4 months. A single is a weekend at best, split to your taste. That’s not to say you should rush your work, but a lot of full albums are complete in a week or two of tracking if you’re going into the studio with prepared songs and that still gives times for experminting with sounds and ideas.

This question is particulary important if you’ll be paying hourly as is the case with most pro-studios.

After my experience, I’d also argue that’s a better practice instead of commiting a larger sum of money to someone up-front.

I mentioned that my agency split the payments into 5, and it wasn’t until the producer got the 5th payment that we were actually moving beyong the acoustic guitar tracking stage of it all – part of me wonders if that was why he kept pushing me and my sessions off so long.

If I had commited instead to say a 8-hour day rate at a pro studio I’m more familair with and determined at the end of that session that I didn’t care for the engineer or the way the project was being handled, I could have simply requested a new engineer or just took the work we did to another space and saved myself the headache that transpired here.

What happens if they don’t complete the work?

There should be a clause in your contract if your producer/engineer takes off leaving you high and dry without a completed project or without giving you your master files.

In this case I don’t want the master files because they’re rubbish, but in most cases you do and it’s not a good sign if the preson you’re hiring wants to hoard them.

And if you get ghosted for some reason, especially if you choose to work with someone remotely, you’ll want something to fall back on in case you want to take any legal recourse.

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I think that’s probably enough to chew on for now, though we could be here all day thinking of differnt scenarios and best practices I’m sure I can save those for other blogs down the line.

If there’s something in particular you want to see on the blog, feel free to let me know in the comments.