Verdict Records

In the present landscape of pop music we have seen many transitions in the way this music is presented to the public.  Internet technology in particular has made music of all kinds much more accessible to the consumer.  Likewise this same technology has made it easier for the independent creators of music, singers, songwriters, bands, groups, to find and develop their own audiences without relying on or being at the mercy of a record label to expose and publicize their work. While these are new and innovative times for independent artists to carve their own niche, as the artist it is still important to ask yourself some very good and basic questions as you prepare to record your music. 
1. What songs do I choose to put on my CD? 
2. Where or how will I get these songs recorded? 
3. What instruments should be used for each song according to my music style? 
4. What specifically is my music style? 
5. Who will arrange the instrumental and vocal parts for ?each song? 
6. What musicians and background vocalists should be used for each song? 
7. Who will guide both background and lead vocalists and musicians during sessions so that everything is sung and played the way it should be? 
8. Who will mix the songs? 
9. Who will master the songs? 

Asking yourself these and other questions like them will quickly help you determine whether or not you need a producer? What exactly does a music producer do?  Whenever I am asked that question, and I have been asked that many times throughout my twenty years producing music, I give a quick response.  A producer is to music what a director is to film.  When you are watching a movie you are seeing the efforts of many people from the actors to set designers, makeup artists, screen writers, costume designers, music score writers, and so on.  However, the way that you see all these elements in the movie is determined primarily by one person, the director.  The movie is the director's visions of artistically how all those elements come together to tell the story.  A music producer has the same responsibilities in a recording project? When I produce a CD for an artist, I first help the artist choose the songs they want to record.  Going song by song I ask for a rough version of each song and, after getting a sense of the artist's vision for each song, I determine what instruments need to be used to put the song across.  I produced and co-wrote a CD for my wife, singer/songwriter, Leslie Clemmons, called “Stop the World”.  After hearing her melody and lyrics of one of the songs, Interpret The Sky, I decided that the instruments that would best serve her emotional and artistic performance of the song would be drums, bass, acoustic guitars, electric distortion guitars, clean electric guitar, electric rhythm guitar, Mandolin, organ, and harmonica.  Then I created the arrangements for these instruments, or in other words, what each instrument would play.  Once the instruments were recorded, I gave the track to Leslie to live with until she was ready to record the lead vocal.  After her lead vocal was done I created harmony vocals for the choruses, and I also asked her to double her lead vocal in the chorus to make her melody in the chorus stand out from the verse melody.  After all those tracks were done, I mixed the song, taking all of these elements and balancing them together, and determining what effects should be used, such as reverbs, delays, etc.  Once every song on the CD was done in the same way, I went to a mastering studio and worked with an engineer to give it the final touches so that it can be released to consumers, radio, television, and other media.  The producer handles all these responsibilities so that the artist can focus on what they do best performing the song.

Like myself there are many singers and singer/songwriters who are also very skilled musically and have a rigorously trained understanding of instrumentation (which refers to the choice of instruments used in a song), arranging (which refers to what the instruments play), and harmonic structure (which is important to the entire song, but particularly important to background vocal arrangements). On the other hand I'm sure that there are just as many singers and singer/songwriters who are excellent vocalists and write great melodies and lyrics and who may even play an instrument very well, but do not have the skill to artistically oversee an entire music production. These particular artists benefit greatly by using a producer to help put their projects together.
How do you choose a producer?  One of the first things you want to do in selecting a producer is to find out if the producer has ever worked with your style of music.  There are some producers who are limited to one or two styles of music, while others, depending on their musical training, are able to work with many music styles.  Neither scenario is right or wrong, good or bad.  As the artist preparing to spend hard earned dollars to hire a producer, you want to be able to listen to some of the producer's work to be sure that he or she can communicate your style of music. You also want to get a sense of the producer's personality.  While musical and technical expertise is of primary importance, it is also very important for producer and artist to get along.  This can have a great impact on your project.  The artist needs to feel musically protected, nurtured, and nourished by the producer.  Mutual trust and consistent communication are also vital to the successful outcome of your project.
©2007 

Rod Clemmons
Music Producer  
President
Verdict Entertainment
www.verdictentertainment.com

Rod Clemmons’ company, Verdict Entertainment, is a music production company, producing Demos, EP’s, Albums, and new music for independent artists and labels. Verdict is also an independent record label becoming a visible force in the pop music industry. We have adopted the slogan “Verdict…Music That Speaks” to create an environment where music that has integrity of lyric content and style can compete in the current climate of instability that now defines the music industry. With more than 20 years of experience producing Demos, EP’s and Albums for up and coming artists and independent labels veteran producer Rod Clemmons specializes in shaping your music to create a distinct sound individual to the artist.