Want to be a Music Producer?

We hear the great music on our devices and think to ourselves “I can make music and I can produce my own CD”. Some of us even take a bigger leap and say I can be a music producer. Really? Are you really prepared for all aspects of the music industry? Let’s see, a music producer must oversee and manage the recording i.e. production of an artist's music. The producer must have the capability to create ideas for the project, select songs and/or musicians, coach the artist and musicians in the studio, control the recording sessions and supervise the entire process through mixing and mastering and then take on the roles for the budget, schedules, contracts and negotiations.

There are two distinct types of producers: executive producer and music producer. The executive producer oversees a project's finances and ensures that the overall project will market well and be profitable. The music producer oversees the creation of the music by creating, shaping, and molding a piece of music into a work of art that the listeners will be excited to hear and purchase. That music producer must be a competent arranger, composer, musician or songwriter who can bring fresh ideas to a project and bring together the crew that can make a vision into a reality. So you still think you want to be a producer, join us for this enlightening discussion.

Episode Segments:

A Sharpe Outlook: The Music Industry Music producer Jack McGhee takes us inside his profession to explain what it takes to break in to and be successful in the music industry
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Guest(s) Appearing on this Episode

Jack McGhee Jack McGhee has been in the music business since he sang on radio at the age of five. This was the beginning of a long career in the music industry. He performed on local Saturday television music shows and began taking music lessons for guitar, steel guitar and tenor saxophone. Jack took piano lessons and played for local jazz gigs but his love for music took him to the bass guitar. Jack started working as a studio musician and began to arrange, read charts and studio protocol. He took a record engineering course to further his knowledge of record production. As a bass guitarist, McGhee played with performers like B.J. Thomas, Winn Stewart, Merle Haggard, Ray Price and he played with the original Platters in Las Vegas. As a musician, Jack realized there is another side of the music business that is crucial to understand. He returned to school and studied business and eventually owned a tax and accounting business, Mortgage Company and then started learning the banking system. McGhee and his business partner Pat McManus started WindDancer Productions Int’l , a new Indie music label located in Nashville, TN. It provides a format for new and established artist to enter or return to the music business to produce quality music. WindDancer is contracted to do the sound track for an upcoming SyFy trilogy film to be released in 2015. They do other outside music projects and are affiliated with ASCAP. Jack is in partnership with Eagle Entertainment Int’l LLC, which produces feature films, videos, documentaries and co-production. WindDancer will provide sound tracks for these productions. Jack is a father and grandfather and resides in Nashville, TN.