ENTREVISTA A Sarah J (manager de productores)

Buenos días!

Si los implicados me lo permiten, voy a contactar con figuras de la industria americana, sobre todo managers y A&R y les voy a hacer este mismo cuestionario a ver qué nos pueden contar sobre el estado del mundo de la producción y el beatmaking en USA. Es muy interesante sobre todo para los que intentamos mover nuestra música al otro lado del charco.


Abre esta tanda de entrevistas, Sarah J, una conocida manager de productores, que tiene bastante actividad en twitter, asi como es corporate account manager de la comunidad de productores PMPWorldwide.com. Ha encajado beats en proyectos de Lloyd Banks, Jim Jones, Gucci Mane, T.I o Masspike Miles entre otros.

Para los que vayais cortitos de ingles vais a tener que tirar de traductor amigos.

1. First of all, thanks for your time. In this time we live, internet gives facilities to every beatmaker/producer worldwide. What should be the hungry upcoming producer's golden rules be?

Thanks for reaching out! Sarah J Producer manager. Also Corporate Account Manager over at PMPWorldwide.com. Make sure you check out the PMP. Its the largest online producer community for producers to market themselves as well as get placements with major artists!

Up & coming producers should make sure that all of their material is copy written through the Library of Congress. They shouldn't be afraid of circulating their beats throughout the industry. Getting on some of these mixtapes are ideal ! It actually brings you more work, because people want to know "who the producer is" if its hot! Its important to build your network with dope song writers, A&Rs and directly through the artist.

2. Here in Spain, the sampling issues are less restrictive than US market. Sampling is part of hip hop roots but nowadays it seems like samples are only allowed for the one who can afford them. What do you think about it?

You definetly want to get your samples cleared. Try not to use a big icon if you're sampling. Replay the music or chop it up. Labels will go research who owns the original records where the sample came from & contact all parties that have publishing. Whoever owns the pub may charge a fee & get a % of the new record u produced. The other downside is, you can end up owning less of the song, meaning less pub money for you. Sampling is great and its a part of hiphop, but it can def work against you if you're not careful!

3. With the worldwide recession, the financial crisis and the impact of the new technologies over the music industry, I know the budgets are going down low. Do you think it is possible to a non-us resident producer/beatmaker to make a full time job working on make music for US market? Have you worked with any overseas producer?

Yes, the budgets have def changed over the last 10 years. Certain producers are still eating well though through their publishing. Yes, its def possible for over seas producers to make a living producing. I would make sure that you are marketing yourselves properly. Producer sites such as PMPWorldwide.com are KEY for producers over seas. Its a way for you to brand your production company & have a huge impact in the U.S. Otherwise how do people know that your production exists???? Sending mass emails, blindly to A&Rs in hopes of them opening it is dead! Its also a waste of time if there is no solid relationship with them. I also recommend traveling to the US to meet with different artists & A&Rs to develop those relationships, that down the line can turn into a check for you! Yes, I have worked with a bunch of overseas producers. I always appreciate their sound & their genuine love for music. Many of them can play live instruments I noticed. Very dope!

4. I know you probably listen to tons of beats every day. In a constantly changing scene, is there any secret formula to get that sticky beat?

Yes, I listen and send out beats everyday! I've been doing this for years. Production that stands out to me are beats that have a lot of breaks and transitions in them. Its boring to listen to the same loop over & over with no switch up. I like really hard drums and a lot of melodies. Beats that sound big & universal!

5. Imagine this scenario. You're listening a great beat but the producer put his tag in the first 4 bars. Would you contact with the producer or pass him by? What do you think about this "tag controversy"?

I'm not a fan of tagging beats. I think 1 tag in the front is cool. That way it has your signature mark, and we know who to reach out to. Tagging a track all the way through sounds immature to me. You WANT to get your music out there , in hopes of an artist mixtaping it. If there's a tag, they can't drop their verses and their not going to take the time to contact you, when there are a million other beats to choose from. If you want to protect yourself, get your music copywritten and encode your mp3s with all of your contact info, that way you feel comfortable.

6. The competivity level is becoming harder and harder. What things do the producers must avoid?

Yes , since we are in the computer age, its so easy for producers to get software and protools and create music! I would say you def want to bring a unique sound to the game. Something that hasn't been done before. It will bring more attention to you. As opposed to copying what u hear on the radio. You also don't want to bite other producers sounds or styles. That won't get you anywhere. Keep perfecting your craft, learn how to play real instruments. Get together with dope songwriters who can bring your tracks to life! The labels look for fully references records these days. So constantly build your catalog up with that kind of material!

7. Did we forget something? Give us the last words for this interview.

Big shout out to everyone pursuing the music! Keep pushing your brand out there & trying different networking approaches! Remember it doesn't happen over night. So keep going! Holla at me if you're interested in a PMPWorldwide.com page. Also my Twitter is @Sjmanager I drop daily knowledge for Producers and Artists everyday!

Espero que os haya parecido tan interesante como a mi.
Saludos!
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