I’ve been doing music production professionally for 15 years. Apparently, that is quite some feat.
Times have changed massively in those years, and through that time I’ve managed to get through Covid, the AI bubble, the increasing devaluation of music, the rise in home recording (which I personally think is great) and countless other things.
All that time, I’ve been quietly sitting here, getting on with whatever I’m working on at the time. Honestly, I’ve no idea how much music I’ve worked on, but between songs I’ve produced for artists and library music, it’s definitely in the thousands of songs.
Some of it has been remarkably successful, some of it has sunk into obscurity. But every single thing I work on, I do to the best of my ability. I’ve never once said, “sod it, that will do”. It’s got to be the very best.
I don’t tend to shout about what I’ve been doing; I generally prefer to be a “background guy” and let my work do the talking, but I’m in reflective mood, and there are some quite impressive stats:
Songs I’ve produced have:
• individually gained multiple millions of streams
• been played on BBC Radio 1, Radio 2 and 6 Music
• won awards
• been recreated live in clubs, arenas and festivals
I’ve had a big hand in getting a small number of quite well-known artists from start to finish. I’ve done some ghost mixing for a singer you’ve most almost definitely heard of.
There are been some huge highlights which I will write about one day – there are too many to mention in this short blog. (There are also downsides – like any job there are things that can downright piss you off.)
Some things have changed along the way.
I started in my poky attic with just one electric guitar. I now work from a custom-built studio room, surrounded by frankly way too many electric guitars! I was originally going to work just with East Midlands based artists, but now work with artists from all over the UK, and beyond.
It’s still a pleasure to hear someone’s song for the first time. Often, I’m the first person to hear their song, and it can be like they’re showing me their diary. What a privilege!
I definitely don’t update social media as much as I used to. That’s just because I honestly don’t have as much to say as I used to, so I’d rather just crack on with my increasingly busy workload!
I’m aiming for a few changes in the new year; a new website, a new pricing structure, more live drums and extra musicians. More on those when I actually get chance to sort them!
But for now, I just wanted to say a huge thank you to anyone that has worked with me, or supported me or in any way.
Here’s to many more!
By the way, on my 10th anniversary, I wrote a five-part blog about how to become a music producer, for anyone that wants to know. I”m always happy to chat if anyone has any questions.
