Industry news & advice blog

There was plenty of music industry expertise on show for Pivotal 2019. For its second year, the Birmingham-based music industry conference welcomed a multitude of music organisations including ACM, AWAL, BPI, CMU, FAC, MPG, PPL and PRS (all of the intialisms, basically). Panels and workshops were spread across 5 venues, with industry insiders joined by over 350 attendees for a packed day of discussion and networking.

As a (semi-retired) self-producing artist, I was inclined to brave the Jewellery Quarter rain in a dash over to the opening panel at Giraffe Audio. Thankfully, it was a cosy setting to dry off, as the Music Producer's Guild (MPG) pulled together an impressive bunch of producers and artists to delve into the knotty world of self-production. So, strap yourselves in for some motivational savvy.

C.Brown - DJ, artist manager and founder of Tapes DJ Platform
Dan Cox - Executive Director of MPG, sound engineer, producer and co-owner of Urchin Studios
LANTA - Producer, artist and songwriter, signed to Universal Music Publishing Group 
Tarek Musa - Producer — self-produced material for Spring King and Dead Nature

Has technology made life easier for self-producing artists?

The number of self-producing artists has mushroomed over the past 10 years or so, as technology has reduced the barriers for acts wanting to record their own material. Whilst these new tools have undoubtedly made self-production more accessible and affordable for independent artists, have they necessarily made things easier?

There are obvious benefits to the freedom that a modern production set-up brings, and the panel was in full agreement that the overall effect of technology is positive for new talent. Along with the sonic advantages of high-quality, inexpensive production tools, such technologies also hand more power to an artist looking to self-release. Without the need to go through an external producer or a label, the route to a DIY release is much less daunting. LANTA also highlighted the benefits that self-production brings to bands looking to seek out their own sound in the early stages of their journey. Having a solid picture of how you want your records to sound puts you on a firmer footing when communicating with producers and labels further down the line.

Still, it's not all sunshine and rainbows when you take on the recording responsibilities. As a producer himself, Dan Cox shrewdly pointed out the pitfalls of having such a vast amount of sounds and plug-ins to play with. With modern software, the challenge is to have a clear vision of how you want to sound without getting lost in the available options. Self-producing artists have to do their research and be willing to learn. It is also important to ask yourself the right questions before diving head first into the smaller details. Do you want to work solely on your own unique sound? Or are you looking to explore various techniques and genres before settling on your direction?

Does self-producing make it harder to work with others? 

A lot of acts are starting out as self-producers but this doesn't stop them from collaborating with another producer as they grow. Although it can be difficult to adjust when you're so used to making music in your own idiosyncratic way, getting an outside perspective can be priceless. LANTA has experienced producing alone as a co-producer, and finds that working with others can be a great meeting of minds. Self-doubt often creeps in when working alone, so sharing the load with the right collaborators can help to ease some of that pressure, as well as being a stellar way to learn.

Tarek Musa loves working alone but concedes that it is really important to have the self-discipline to know when to draw a line under a project. Sharing the production duties can sometimes make it easier to know when a song is finished.

Funding tips for self-producing artists

If you're really serious about producing your own music, income streams can be a bit of a worry in the early days. Luckily, there are funding options that exist that don't include maxing out your credit cards; Arts Council England, PRS for Music Foundation, Help Musicians UK and Creative Scotland were all mentioned as organisations that can offer support.

Tarek Musa has received PRS funding in the past and always recommends that emerging producers and songwriters apply for funding. His advice for the application? First, dispel any doubts that you aren't good enough to or don't deserve the funds—you won't know until you've given it a go. Once you've cleared any intrinsic hurdles, make sure that your application is clear but also interesting enough to stand out from the crowd.

C. Brown has also had success in applying for music funding and had some great tips on what the backers are looking for. They'll often be interested on how their support will help an artist on their journey, so be realistic and clear on how you will use the funds and show that you've put a lot of thought into the process.

If you want to find out more about music funding, we've collated our own free extensive guide and Musicians' Union also have a handy funding list on their website.

Final words of advice...

With such a talented and experienced panel, it would be rude not to close with some final insights from each of the speakers. Here are my favourite takeaways from each of the panelists:

LANTA: "There are no rules in the music industry, everyone is making it up as they go along! It isn't the tools you have, it is how you use them."

Tarek Musa: "Push yourself and see how far you can go. If you don't have the money for PR, it isn't the end of the world. Find people that you genuinely admire in the industry, work to seek out your own contacts and develop relationships."

C. Brown: "If you move onto working with another producer, choose your collaborator carefully. Look at the projects that they've worked on in the past and think about how they will complement your sound."

Dan Cox: "We make music for other people as well as ourselves. Make sure that you're showing other people your work during the process. It can really help."