The Music Producer
Record producers are hired by artists or A&R departments of recording companies to manage the production of single music tracks or an entire album. Sometimes they are hired by unsigned artists to create a demo. The producer's job is to help artists create a recording that will, they hope, become a big success. The producer has many roles that include coaching the musicians, controlling recording sessions, gathering ideas for the product, and supervising it through mixing and mastering. In recent years, producers have taken on a wider entrepreneurial role--with responsibility of the budget, schedules, and negotiations.
The recording industry has two kinds of producers: executive producer and music producer. While the executive producer has the financial role of the project, the music producer is responsible for the music of the album or project. A music producer could be compared to a film director in that the producer's job is to create, shape and mold a piece of music in accordance with their vision for the recording.
If you would like to become a successful music producer, your name and reputation are everything! Success is really dependent on reputation. The better your work, the more work you'll receive. With a little time, hard work, networking, and patience you can become a successful music producer yourself--but you have to pay your dues!