Hey First name / producers,
Daniel here from Dark Label Music. Took a little content break last week, but we're back in action!
So, I've never made a YouTube video in this style before and I'm pretty pumped to see what you all think about it. The video is called…
Most producers that I speak with ask me about landing major label projects, so I decided to bring in 4 producers from the Dark Label ecosystem to share their stories on how they landed their first major label projects. Then I share my thoughts on whether I think it was just all luck or careful strategy…
But since this is the Producer Files… I want to include a few more points here for you about landing major label projects that aren't discussed in the video. These are based off of questions / discussions I've had many times over the years with different producers…
1) Some producers think that you first have to have some major label credits in order to command a healthy fee for production services. In most cases, this is untrue. 3 out of the 4 producers in this video we're working producers earning a healthy living before they ever got their first major label credit. Think about it… The caliber you have to be to get on major projects typically comes after you've spent years developing your skills and working closely with artists (gaining experience).
2) Just because you have some major label credits… It doesn't mean you are set for life financially. Just like independent work, major label work is also on a sliding scale. You can produce a major label song that “only” generates a few million streams. Although that's an awesome credit, it won't flood your retirement account with income. Most producers with major label credits still want (and do) independent work for steady month-to-month cash flow (and control). In order to solely survive off your catalog, you've got to have an extremely high performing one.
Hope that you find this content helpful!
Produce prosperously,
Dan
PS - Coming up this week I'll be sharing about my “production business remodels” and we have Mark Eckert coming onto the Music Pro Daily podcast to discuss how music is now an investable asset class + new technology he's created to help producers ensure they are getting all of their royalties (even when people steal or misuse their instrumentals). Stay tuned!
