Do you think you could do this full-time?

Making beats for a living is the most overrated creativity blocker there is, unless you're lucky enough to produce shit you love and it's in demand. When I had my little production company many years ago, one day I would be producing funky loops for websites and presentations, the next I would be creating death metal ringtones (I kid you not!) for $10 a pop. There's no consistency... that's the problem.

I'll never forget the $1000 job I did for the Fox website... from the initial call to completion it took 3 hours! Now that was a nice payday, but only came along once in a blue moon.

Explicit- wrote:Sometimes stepping away from my MPC for about 2 or 3 days cuz of school & work when I get back on my MPC Im so excited that I noticed thats when my best beats are made. When Im heavily stressed and I just want to vent and drop it all on the MPC.

thats exactly how i be feelin too. my best beats are made when i havent been on the mp for ages and its like some sort of creativity builds up inside me during that time. if i make beats all the time, i struggle to find new inspiration and creativity, its like i gotta have a break and do something completely unrelated and wait till that creativity and inspiration builds again.

it actually works out perfect for those with a 9-5 or studying, because its the ideal balance. you work to get your money, and then as a break you make music... i can see myself doing this for the rest of my life. i dont think i ever plan to drop everything and make music 24/7... there was roughly 2 years when i did live off welfare and concentrate solely on mc'ing, but most of the time i was just sleeping and smoking pot

Sinamatik wrote:
it actually works out perfect for those with a 9-5 or studying, because its the ideal balance. you work to get your money, and then as a break you make music... i can see myself doing this for the rest of my life. i dont think i ever plan to drop everything and make music 24/7...

Yup same here...
I think Im going to live the rest of my life like this. I honestly dont ever plan on selling a beat. I dont want to either...
Who knows though that could change but I would never do music full time.

The entertainment industry is a joke.

I don't see any harm in selling something you made just cause you wanted to, the way YOU wanted to, and someone offered you some dough for it! If it's just sitting around and the artist can do some good on it, why not? Nothing wrong with some beer money

^ thats true.. but i think what ex was hinting at was how some producers get paid to make a beat that 'sounds like this or sounds like that'. for example, the cats before saying how they might get paid to make a deathmetal ringtone or something... nah f* that. thats why im determined to get my degree, so i get a job thats not related to music - thats how i will pay my bills. therefore, my music will never be compromised in order to make money. I will never have to make a 'snap yo fangaz' beat for some crunked out pimp for a couple dollars. I never want to have to make music I dont already wanna make, even if its gonna get me some money.

I mean if i WANT to make a 'snap yo fangaz' beat.. then thats a different story - cos I would want to do that feel me. but like you said, none of us would complain about getting paid to do what we already doing. Who knows man... someday i might or we all might be doing this for a living, and it could be great. BUT I AINT HOLDIN MY BREATH... hahahaha

I see what you mean- but I think if you do what you feel and it's different enough, once you put it out there you'll have like minded people come across your music that will want to work with YOU, not cause you're making music that sounds like the next man, but sounds like your own. That's what I enjoy about it...

Yup you guys hit on point.
Thats exactly how I feel.

Well, fellas I may get to try my hand at it after all seeing as I got fired this afternoon.
I still have my sound job at the church, but that only brings in a grand a month...
Maybe I can find some suckers that will actually pay for this drivel

jbraudio wrote:Well, fellas I may get to try my hand at it after all seeing as I got fired this afternoon.
I still have my sound job at the church, but that only brings in a grand a month...
Maybe I can find some suckers that will actually pay for this drivel

Damn... Im sorry to hear.
Keep your head up and get paid my dude!!!

Take it as an opportunity. And remember not to limit yourself. The guys who try to stay "real" stay broke. I just booked a gig a couple weeks ago to do the all the voice prompts for the Quest Diagnostics phone systems. Its nothing more than reading a paper and recording. Doing minor editing and naming regions. But its a corporate gig so the payout will be $$$. I also been selling a lot of package deals with beats included. Factor in the straight recording time and anything else I can make money on and it adds up. Fast! Bottom line...there are DEFINITELY people out there ready to spend. Its all about who is going to try to catch that money!

Pound, I know what you mean about the corporate spots...I was give a chance to place a bid to record the avr's for a local cell provider. My guy that I knew that worked there, said "don't sell yourself short, they got money!"
So I was like "uuuuuuhhhh, $3200??"
And they paid it! I hired two vocal actors (one was my girlfriend so she was cheap ha ha ) and it was some of the easiest money I've made yet.
All in all, it was something like 128 recordings, but it didn't take too long once I got my system down.
I found out later that what I charged was less than HALF what they were paying before, so I was kicking myself for not charging more, but didn't want to get greedy.

Same here. For the promts Im working on now they needed a spanish translator and spanish vocal talent so natually I hired my wife for the project. Nothing like sitting in the living room chilling with the family getting vaporized and getting paid out the ass... I dont turn ANY project down that got some cha ching attached to it

Thats a nice way to make money.

Keep doing your thing guys.
Peace

I'm 24. I've been producing since I was 17. Only recently got into producing Hip Hop when I got my MPD 32 (now own the 2500). Being in the UK makes it harder to sell beats, but on the other hand, there is a deep UK Hip Hop underground with rappers willing to take fresh beats of your hands. The scene is young and there are few decent producers.

I'm looking to take this end of the market. The UK Hip Hop stuff taking influences from the USA.

I could do it full time. I used to teach music production in a youth center and it was amazing being able to do what I love 24/7. I'm at uni doing Software Engineering, I'd give that up in a flash to sit in my bedroom producing.

Just a few weeks since I posted in this thread.

But maaaan this is hard work sometimes.
Still working on my first big project (14 beats, created arranged and mixed by me), but since I stepped in this game I'm getting sucked into it. Last month got in contact with a few (semi) professional producers, had to come by in studio's and stuff, got asked for a few gigs.
Took a break of music last week cuz I hadn't been able to spend some quality times with friends the last few weeks.
But still I'm lovin it.