The Producer Files Issue #15
Read time: 5 minutes
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In this issue (#15) of The Producer Files:
ϟ Discussion: How to choose your ‘circle’ as a music producer (its important as hell that you choose wisely)
ϟ Quick Tip: Use the “I got spots” email to kick up new projects (if you have a mailing list)
ϟ Highlight: DL inks consulting deal with Bryson Tiller “Don’t” producer Epikh Pro
ϟ Plus our recs (recommendations) of the week!
Discussion: How to choose your ‘circle’ as a music producer (its important as hell that you choose wisely)
This week in Dark Label, we had a thread going about how to choose your circle: The people around you. I shared a very simple framework that I use which has served me well over the years.
I simply ask myself…
“Does this person (or group) spend more time in the problem or more time in the solution?”
A bit more practically...
- Complaining vs problem solving
- Making excuses vs creating new ways to do things
- Only reminiscing about the "old days" vs building for the future
- Hiding out vs showing up
- Stubborn opinions vs entertaining new takes
It doesn't matter who they are or what they have achieved. It's especially easy to assume that we have a “good circle" when all of the people around us have credits and accolades. But, that's not always the case.
I don't expect any of us to be all ‘sunshine and rainbows’ all of the time, but use the question above and trust your gut.
This isn't meant to be a judgmental thing. I use this framework to ‘check’ myself on an almost daily basis too.
This circle doesn't have to only be made up of other music creators either. I've met incredible people that I'm honored to have in my ‘circle’ in local sobriety communities, other industries, and online (generally in paid communities that are vetted).
For me, having a good circle brings me joy and keeps my head in the game.
I understand that building a career in this business is tough, and as time goes on I notice that music creators at EVERY level seem to have a harder time finding the ‘joy in their journey’.
If you feel that way then try making some tweaks to your circle and see if that helps. It's worked well for me.
QUICK TIP: Use the “I got spots” email to kick up new projects (if you have a mailing list)
This was inspired by a client we helped generate $20k of production/mixing work from one email a few years back…
If you have an email list and wanna kick up some new work then try this out.
We're working with a few notable music YouTubers right now who both have email lists and want to generate some conversations for a new offer.
One of them is starting to take on more production clients and the other is looking to take on a few students to develop.
Here's the framework…
Subject line is just: I've got spots
It piques curiosity because it's sort of weird. Double meaning. Of course what we are referring to is… You have ‘spots’ opening up to work with new people.
The body of the email is very straight forward:
“ Hey. I've got a few spots open to __________ (what you do) this month."
Then be very specific as to who is a fit for said offer.
"I'm looking for someone who fits the following:
1. ___________ (has 3 releases out)
2. ___________ (is this genre)
3. ___________ (struggling with X and wants Y)"
List out traits, desires/problems, parameters, etc. I just put the ones above as examples. You don't have to copy those exact ones.
Call to action: “Just reply to this email and let me know if that's you."
Short, simple, and direct.
Don't do this too often. It's just a cool way to occasionally kick up some convos if you are trying something new or if you haven't made a direct offer to your audience in a while.
It's a framework, so build on it or change things if you would like to.
A similar approach could also be used for communities i.e. Discord, FB group, etc. (Given that it is YOUR community. I wouldn't take this approach in someone else's). It can also work well for Instagram stories
HIGHLIGHT: Dark Label inks consulting deal with Bryson Tiller “Don’t” producer Epikh Pro
This week we're excited to welcome GRAMMY nominated, Atlanta-based record producer Epikh Pro into our community. Epikh Pro is best known for his 6X platinum hit “Don't” by Bryson Tiller which has racked up over 1B streams on Spotify alone. We're excited to help him leverage his success to create additional income generating projects for long-term wealth.
Recs of the week
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Recs of the week 〰️
That's all folks! Thanks for reading The Producer Files and when you're ready, feel free to reach out to us…
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