Download ArticleDownload ArticleThis article was co-authored by Timothy Linetsky. Timothy Linetsky is a DJ, producer, YouTuber, and music educator based in San Francisco, California. He has been making music for over 15 years, and is known for his YouTube channel You Suck at Producing, in which he does music production tutorials for over 330,000 YouTube subscribers. In addition to teaching music production, he releases his own music as Underbelly. He has taught at schools such as Beat Lab Academy and Pyramind. He is also an Ableton Certified Trainer, and has worked closely with the company to produce tutorial videos and educational content. His original productions have garnered millions of plays on Spotify, and in 2020, he released his debut album Machine Yearning as Underbelly to critical acclaim.
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Music producers oversee the entire production process of a single song or an entire record. If you’re an artist looking for a producer to work with to record a track or album, there are several ways you can find a producer. Search your local music scene and personal networks to find local producers in your area or look farther afield using the Internet. Once you find a producer or several that you might want to work with, get to know them a bit in order to choose the best producer for your musical style and goals.
Steps
Tell your family and friends that you’re looking for a producer. Make sure that everyone in your personal network knows you are interested in finding a producer to record with. You never know who might have a connection to a producer and be able to put you in contact with them.[1]- Even if your immediate friends and family don’t know any producers, ask them if they at least know other local musicians or artists that they could put you in touch with. You might be able to find producers locally through them.
Inquire at local colleges and universities that have music programs. Look online to get the contact info for the music departments at nearby colleges and universities. Reach out to them via phone or email and ask if they have producers who work as professors there.[2]- You could also check if local music programs have any events like concerts or networking events that are open to the public that you could attend to try and meet people in the local music scene.
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Find out what producers other artists you know or admire use. Ask any other local artists you know what producers they use or if they can put you in touch with some producers they know of that match your style. Check the production credits for albums or songs you like and try to find the contact info for the producers.[3]- Keep in mind that the bigger the artists, the more busy and expensive their producers are likely to be. You probably have a better chance of getting in touch with a producer that works with a singer you personally know than one who worked on the latest #1 single on the radio.
Ask local recording studios what producers work there. Call or email local recording studios and inquire whether they have in-house producers that you could potentially work with. Some studios offer production services in addition to renting studio time.[4]- If a local recording studio doesn’t have any regular producers that work there, you could also ask about some of the artists that have recorded there. You could then try to find out what producers those artists worked with locally either by asking them or looking at the production credits for their songs.
Tip: If you live in a city with a big music scene, you might be able to find studios that offer demo services to help artists record their first professional demos. For example, Nashville, Tennessee, has studios for recording country music demos.
Contact producers through Instagram. Go to the search bar in Instagram and search for hashtags like #need beats, #send beats, and #beat video to pull up some profiles of producers. Check out some profiles and listen to their music to find a potential match, then send a direct message saying you like their sound and might be interested in working with them.[5]- For example, a message you send might say something like this: “Hey Miami Beatz, I really like your sound. I’m an artist looking for a producer to build with. Let’s work!”
- You can look around at different producers’ profiles and see what other hashtags they are tagging posts with, then search using a bigger variety of beat-related hashtags.
Tip: Once you’re able to start a conversation with a producer via Instagram, find out what way they prefer to work. For instance, some producers just want to sell beats and make money, whereas others might be more into collaborating with an artist they really like and then making money together when a song blows up.
Look for producers on YouTube. Enter search terms like “beats” or “type beat” to pull up videos of instrumentals and beats uploaded by producers. Listen to some until you find something you like, then follow the links in the video description to the producer’s social media profiles to get in touch with them.[6]- If you’re just looking to purchase a one-off beat or instrumental from a producer, many beat videos on YouTube have links in the descriptions to where you can directly buy the beat from.
Browse SoundCloud to find producers. SoundCloud is another platform where producers of all calibers upload their beats, instrumentals, and tracks they’ve produced. Browse different profiles and listen to lots of music to find someone with a sound you like, then message them and ask if they would be interested in working with you.[7]- You can also post in the SoundCloud forums that you are looking for a producer or look for threads posted by producers looking for artists to work with.
Search online directories of producers for producers in your area. Type in a search term like “directory of music producers” in a search engine to pull up lots of directories that you can look in. Browse some different directories and look for producers in your area or that produce the type of music you want to make, then find their contact details and reach out about working together.[8]- For example, if you live in the U.K. you could check out the Music Producers Guild directory at: https://mpg.org.uk/members-directory/. Songwriter Universe also has a list of producers and studios in various regions across the U.S., Canada, Europe, and the U.K. here: https://www.songwriteruniverse.com/producerstudiolist.htm.
Post online to try and get producers to reach out to you. Look for music production forums or pages on social media. Make posts in these types of online communities introducing yourself and saying that you are looking for a music producer to work with.- If you already have music you've made somewhere online, include links to it so producers can listen to it and evaluate whether you're an artist they might want to work with.
Listen to work the producer has done to decide if they match your style. Listen to instrumentals as well as any fully-produced tracks that a producer you are interested in working with has made. This will help you determine whether you think they are right for the type of music that you want to make.[9]- You can check their online profiles on Instagram, YouTube, SoundCloud, and anywhere else you can find to listen to a variety of work. You can also find published music of theirs on a platform like Spotify.
- For instance, if you want to record rap songs, you might be better off finding a producer who has made types of beats similar to your style, rather than a producer who produces electronic music.
- Keep in mind that some producers can handle many different styles of music, so this is just one factor to consider.
Tip: Finding a music producer is kind of like finding a partner for a relationship. You need to find someone you click with, who not only has technical skills but also understands you and your music and is committed to helping you record the best tracks you can.
Ask questions about the producer’s workspace and capabilities. Call the producer up or meet them in person to conduct a casual interview. Ask about the studio they work in, the equipment they use, any special capabilities or limitations they have, and anything else relevant to the type of music you want to record.[10]- For example, if you want to record songs with a lot of different live instruments, ask the producer if they have space in their studio for a full band or at least a full drum set. Ask if they have any instruments there to use or have contacts who can come play instruments for recording.
- Though the gear a producer has is an important factor, don’t rule someone out based on what they have or don’t have. Many producers can make world-class music with very limited equipment. There are also work-arounds for certain things like getting live drums or other parts of a track recorded elsewhere and sent over.
Choose a producer that is located nearby if you want to record a lot with them. The location of a producer matters most if you plan on building a lasting relationship with them or if you have a limited budget. Pick a producer that has a studio within a reasonable commute of where you’re based if this is the case.[11]- For example, if you live in Seattle and are an artist just starting out with a limited budget, it probably doesn’t make sense to choose a producer located in New York.
- This isn’t as important if you are just looking for beats and instrumentals from a producer and plan on recording over them on your own or elsewhere. You can buy beats and instrumentals from producers located anywhere in the world.
Expert Q&A
Tips
References
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTWdMea1Vuo&feature=youtu.be&t=44
- ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/soldonsong/guide/studio_find.shtml
- ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/soldonsong/guide/studio_find.shtml
- ↑ https://mysongcoach.com/music-producers/
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTWdMea1Vuo&feature=youtu.be&t=82
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTWdMea1Vuo&feature=youtu.be&t=209
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lwFlVsyfvk&feature=youtu.be&t=144
- ↑ https://mysongcoach.com/music-producers/
- ↑ https://drummingreview.com/music-producers/
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