Music producer (record producer or music producer) is an emerging profession that emerged in the 1990s. Music production here refers to composition, lyrics, arrangement, recording, mixing, A series of creative work such as mastering and post-production, formerly known as music editing, mainly engaged in the creation and production of music. Basic introduction Chinese name: Music Producer Record Producer Foreign name: Music Producer Type: Occupation Category: Music Design Object: Singer, singer, performer Record function: One of the souls of music. What: Music writing/arranging/mixing/mastering? Representative figures: Jay Chou, Luo Dayou, Li Zongsheng? Occupation profile, historical evolution, career requirements, career status, career profile In the record industry, music producer (Record Producer, also known as "Record producer", "album producer") is a very important role in shaping music and art. His tasks include controlling the scheduling of recording projects, training and mentoring new musicians, organizing production budgets and resources, overseeing the recording process, mixing and mastering. In some respects, a music producer is like a director. His task is to produce, design and produce songs that fit the style of the entire album. The difference is that album producers are rarely responsible for raising funds and are instead delegated by those who have funds. Someone is hired (usually a record publishing company or the singer himself). Beginning in the second half of the 20th century, music producers also began to engage in broader, creative work. Due to the marketization and industrialization of music, the requirements for music producers have gradually become more demanding. In addition to being able to produce good enough music, they must also have a keen insight into market changes to guide the songwriters and arrangers of records. Composers, recording engineers, and mixers adjust the changes in records according to changes in the market to meet the needs of the market. Historical evolution When musicians broke away from the traditional industrial system and established commercial music studios, a new generation of entrepreneurial producers—many of whom were employees of previous record companies—were able to build a community that was involved in the music production process. , new roles that are more direct and complex. Parallel to the growth of the recording industry was the emergence of videotapes, the creation of independent television companies such as Desi Road Television and 1950s superstar Lucille Ball and her husband Desi Arnaz , all caused the television industry to undergo rapid changes at the same time. A producer usually handles all the duties, including selecting and arranging tracks, overseeing the recording process, and even participating in the composition. Independent music production companies quickly occupied a place in the pop music world, and producers soon became important intermediaries between singers and record labels: they signed new singers, recorded them, and then obtained publishing permission for them. , and publish, promote and sell. One of the best examples is the well-known British producer George Martin. After working as a producer and new talent discovery manager (A&R[2]manager) at EMI Records for many years, he established his own company and became a A very successful independent producer. Produced 12 official Beatles albums. As a result of these changes, music producers have begun to exert a strong influence on their personal careers and the pop music industry. Phil Spector is an important example. His productions of The Rotes, The Crystals, Darlene Love, The Righteous Brothers and The Paris Sisters established the legacy of Elvis and Phoebe. The line between the top soldiers (1958-1964).
In addition, the Wall of Sound (Wall of Sound) [3] production technology used by Specter continued to be used after its era. Some producers have also become "essentially" "recording artists," recording for unknown artists and releasing them, often under pseudonyms. Examples include The Archies, a virtual band produced by Don Kirshner, and Josie & The Pussycats, released by Danny Jason. Jeff Barry and Andy Kim are also "recording artists" participating in the Flak Choir. In Japan, since the 1960s, such figures have been mainly responsible for the commercial aspects of the music industry, such as the dispatch of funds and logistics, and are not involved in the creation of the music itself. But the emergence of Tetsuya Komuro in the 1990s brought about major changes in the role of Japanese music producers. Komatsu allowed the influence of music producers to shift from the commercial level to the level of dominating the ontology of music. To this day, Japanese music producers still occupy a very important position in the recording industry. Since Tetsuya Komuro's music craze subsided, Junjun's Morning Family influence has swept the Japanese music scene, including the training and training of singers. Junjun's momentum has surpassed Tetsuya Komuro, who is known as the "godfather of music". From Minsei Okuda, Takeshi Kobayashi, In the hands of the "Big Three" producers, Tetsuya Komuro has won the title of the No. 1 music producer in the Japanese music industry. Occupational Requirements: Be keenly familiar with the performance capabilities and playing methods of various musical instruments, and have a good sense of music (the grasp of the musical style portrayed by the music rhythm). Have good control over the optimal combination of musical forms and musical paragraph structures, and have the ability to appreciate music theory, basic harmony, and Chinese and foreign famous music. Have good composition and orchestration (arranging) abilities. Can play one or more musical instruments. Have an accurate grasp of market needs and directions. Master the style of singers and works and express them well. Occupational status In China, when it comes to music producers, they are still a very mysterious role. Many people do not know their jobs and functions. Due to the uneven regional development of music in China, in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, the division of labor among musicians is relatively detailed. In mainland China, With the development in recent years, a group of backbone producers have grown up. The work scope of a music producer is broadly defined. Generally speaking, it is people-oriented, market positioning, songwriting, arranging, recording, mixing, mastering, and then The tasks of packaging singers and placing them in the market can be completed by producers, or can be subdivided according to work expertise, but generally speaking, producers must have solid music skills, good music production standards, and good cultural literacy. , and a forward-looking view of music. Here, arranger is also called music production, but arranger is not the same as music producer, but music producer must arrange music very accurately. In general, "music producer" Started out working in music production, but broadly aims to win in both art and business. Due to the rapid development of the mainland's economy, the old music management system is increasingly unable to meet the needs of the development of the times. With the advent of the information digitization era, online music has become increasingly widespread and vulgar, with low production quality and low investment, which is also a problem for music. One of the main problems for producers is that due to the rapid development of world music, domestic music producers are also looking for a path in line with the development of music with Chinese characteristics. "Chinese style" has gone out of the country and gone to the world, and Chinese musicians have also Striving to catch up with the development of world music, innovation and development are issues that musicians explore together. Due to the downturn in the mainland music industry, many music producers are also producing their own music. Switching between behind the scenes and in front of the stage is nothing new. But the role of the producer has become precarious. In recent years, the Chinese pop music market has only focused on harvesting, not sowing. Firstly, the lack of originality has led to a shortage of talents and works; secondly, round after round of talent shows have reduced music to entertainment, confusing young people's concept of success and the public's aesthetics.
The exploration and development of originality is either stagnant or cautious and lacks new ideas. In the abnormal state where mainland TV shows dominate the music benchmark, they quickly catch the audience's attention during high-density time periods and win the favor of advertisers. Covers of old songs are their If you can choose the safest and lowest-cost path, then this will be a "twice-cooked pork" style obliteration for the original music and music producer industries. The roots of the music industry are the works created by songwriters, but sadly they are at the bottom of the chain. With the development of digital music, music producers who traditionally rely on CDs to survive are increasingly facing difficulties. With the failure of copyright management in the mainland, the living situation of music producers is not optimistic. Most of the new generation of music producers are generalists, integrating creation, singing, There are more and more producers who combine production and performance. Producers in China have a clear trend of developing into "independent music producers". However, in other regions with higher economic levels in the world, there are already very complete music management systems. system, there are fewer “independent music producers” than in mainland China. Combating piracy, improving the copyright management system, establishing copyright profit standards, and reforming music copyright institutions have become urgent needs for musicians in Greater China to develop music in mainland China. Voice!