My Worst Decisions As A Producer (Don't Make The Same Mistakes)

Summary

The video focuses on a music producer's six-year journey, highlighting both costly mistakes and valuable lessons. One major regret was paying for a BeatStars subscription for years without using it, wasting $700. Another error was lacking a consistent brand sound, which hindered career growth. On the positive side, the producer shares three smart decisions: starting a type beat channel, investing in premium email marketing via MailChimp, and buying high-quality plugins, which boosted creativity and success. The video aims to help viewers avoid similar pitfalls and level up their music careers.

Takeaways

• 💸 Avoid unnecessary expenses by canceling subscriptions to services like BeatStars when not actively using them to prevent wasting money.
• 🎵 Focus on mastering a specific sound or genre to establish a strong brand identity and attract a consistent audience.
• 📈 Start a type beat channel to generate income and opportunities in music production, as it can lead to collaborations with artists and producers.
• 💌 Invest in a premium MailChimp account for email marketing to reach a larger audience and enhance business growth.
• 🔌 Spend money on quality plugins that can boost creativity and improve the production quality, as they are often worth the investment.
• 📝 Learn from the mistakes of others to save time and resources in your music production journey.
• 🚫 Do not try to mimic every trending album or artist immediately, as it can dilute your personal brand and make it hard for people to identify your unique sound.
• 🔄 Regularly send out loops and work on their quality to create opportunities and get noticed by other producers in your niche.
• 📈 The decision to start a type beat channel marked a new chapter in the creator's career, shifting the channel's focus to more personal content.
• ⏰ Timing is crucial; starting to focus on loop creation and quality late in the career was identified as a missed opportunity for earlier growth and networking.

Q & A

How long has the speaker been producing music?

The speaker has been producing music for over 6 years.

What was one of the costly mistakes the speaker made in their music career?

One costly mistake was paying for a beatstars subscription for almost 3 years without posting any beats, which cost them around $700.

Why did the speaker consider their beatstars subscription a bad decision?

The speaker considered it a bad decision because they were not utilizing the service by posting any content on beatstars during that period.

What is the importance of having a specific sound when building a music producer's brand?

Having a specific sound is crucial for building a brand as it helps producers become known for a particular style, making it easier for other artists to seek them out for collaborations.

What was the impact of the speaker not having a consistent sound on their YouTube channel?

The lack of a consistent sound led to viewers not returning to the channel for similar content, as they were not known for a specific type of music production.

What is the significance of starting a type channel for a music producer?

Starting a type channel is significant because it can provide a platform for producers to sell their beats, gain exposure, and potentially work with artists and other producers.

Why did the speaker decide to switch the concept of their YouTube channel?

The speaker switched the concept of their channel to focus more on personal content, which they found more enjoyable than just posting tutorials.

What benefits did the speaker experience from investing in a premium MailChimp account?

Investing in a premium MailChimp account allowed the speaker to send out an unlimited number of emails to a growing list, which can significantly enhance email marketing efforts for their business.

How does the speaker feel about spending money on plugins?

The speaker feels that spending money on plugins gives them a creative boost and leads to increased productivity in making music.

What advice does the speaker give regarding the selection of plugins for music production?

The speaker advises that it's beneficial to invest in popular, high-quality plugins, as they are widely recognized and appreciated in the industry.

Why did the speaker consider their late start in sending out loops and focusing on loop quality a bad decision?

The speaker considers it a bad decision because mastering loops and sending them out frequently is an effective way to create opportunities and get noticed in the music production industry.

Outlines

00:00

💸 Learning from Financial Mistakes in Music Production

The speaker reflects on their 6-year journey in music production, highlighting costly mistakes that impacted their career's progress. They recount a significant financial error where they paid a $700 subscription for a service they didn't use for nearly three years. This service was for posting beats on a platform where they ceased activity for a long period. The speaker emphasizes the importance of canceling unused subscriptions to avoid unnecessary expenses. They also discuss the detrimental effects of not maintaining a consistent brand identity by frequently switching between music styles, which confused their audience and hindered their growth. The speaker concludes by inviting viewers to share their own costly mistakes and to subscribe for more insights.

05:02

🚀 Maximizing Productivity and Creativity in Music Production

The speaker shares their positive experiences with strategic investments that boosted their music production career. They discuss the benefits of a premium MailChimp account for email marketing, which allowed them to reach a broader audience and enhance their business capabilities. They also talk about the creative boost they received from investing in high-quality plugins, which not only improved their music production but also motivated them to experiment and create more. The speaker advocates for using well-known plugins, arguing that their popularity is a testament to their quality. They conclude by emphasizing the importance of mastering one sound and creating high-quality loops as a means to establish a niche and create opportunities in the music industry.

Keywords

💡Type Channel

A 'Type Channel' refers to a YouTube channel where a music producer posts 'type beats'—instrumental tracks that mimic the style of popular artists or genres. The speaker mentions this as one of their best decisions, explaining how starting a Type Channel helped them generate income and opened up opportunities to collaborate with other artists and producers.

💡BeatStars

BeatStars is an online platform where producers can sell beats, loops, and sound kits. In the script, the producer reflects on a bad decision of maintaining a BeatStars subscription for almost three years without uploading or selling any beats, resulting in a $700 loss. This highlights a mistake related to not maximizing the use of paid services.

💡Niche

A niche in this context refers to a specific style or sound a producer specializes in. The producer emphasizes the importance of finding a niche, such as mastering a particular type of beat, to build a recognizable brand. By not focusing on a niche early in their career, they felt it slowed their progress. The producer later corrected this by specializing in one sound.

💡Loops

Loops are short, repeatable sections of a track that producers can use in their compositions. The speaker admits they started sending out loops and working on their quality too late in their career, recognizing loops as one of the easiest ways to break into the music industry and create collaborative opportunities with other producers.

💡Email Marketing

Email marketing refers to using email to promote one's music, beats, or content to a growing audience. The producer describes their decision to invest in a premium MailChimp account, allowing them to send unlimited emails, as a good investment that helped them expand their reach and connect with both artists and other producers.

💡Plugins

Plugins are software tools used in music production to enhance sound quality or add effects. The producer mentions investing in high-quality plugins like Keyscape, Kontakt, and Soundtoys, which have consistently improved their creative output. They argue that popular plugins are well-known for a reason and that investing in good tools can inspire more creative work.

💡Brand

A producer’s brand is their unique identity in the music industry, shaped by their sound and how they market themselves. The producer discusses the importance of having a clear, recognizable sound for building a successful brand. Early in their career, they struggled with branding by producing various types of beats, leading to a lack of consistency.

💡Consistency

Consistency, in this case, refers to regularly producing and uploading music in a specific style or format. The producer emphasizes that maintaining consistency in posting beats or content on platforms like YouTube and BeatStars is key to growing a music career. A lack of consistency in their early years delayed their progress.

💡Sound Kits

Sound kits are collections of sounds, samples, or loops that producers can use to create beats. The producer mentions missing out on opportunities by not creating or selling sound kits early in their career. This is highlighted as one of the lost revenue streams due to inactivity on BeatStars and poor utilization of their resources.

💡Creative Boost

A creative boost refers to an increase in inspiration or motivation to create music. The producer notes that purchasing new plugins often gives them a creative boost, leading to higher productivity and better-quality music. They discuss how investing in creative tools can spark new ideas and enhance a producer’s workflow.

Highlights

The speaker has been producing music for over 6 years and has made costly mistakes that have impacted their career progress.

One major mistake was the unnecessary expenditure of $700 due to a single poor decision.

The speaker initially posted type beats on their main YouTube channel before switching to tutorials and cookups.

Despite not posting beats for an extended period, the speaker continued to pay for a beatStars subscription, leading to wasted money.

The speaker emphasizes the importance of canceling unused subscriptions to avoid unnecessary costs.

The speaker discusses the negative impact of not having a consistent sound, which hindered their brand and skill development.

Focusing on one specific sound and mastering it can create more opportunities in music production.

The speaker shares that they started a type channel, which has been a significant positive decision for their career.

A type channel can provide financial benefits and opportunities to work with artists and other producers.

The speaker recommends starting a type channel as a way to make money and gain exposure as a producer.

Investing in a premium MailChimp account for email marketing has been beneficial for the speaker's business.

The speaker suggests that spending money on plugins can provide a creative boost and improve music production.

The speaker advises against overthinking the popularity of plugins, arguing that their fame often indicates quality.

The speaker regrets not starting to send out loops and focusing on their quality earlier in their career.

Mastering one sound and creating loops in that niche is recommended for new producers to create opportunities.

The speaker invites viewers to share their most costly or regrettable decisions in their music production careers.

The speaker encourages viewers to subscribe to their channel for more insights and advice.

Transcripts

I've been producing for over 6 years now

and I've made some really bad decisions

those decisions did not only cost me a

lot of money but also slow down the

overall progress of my music career one

of those mistakes that I've made cost me

about $700 with one bad decision I want

you to save all the time and money and

don't make the same mistakes that's why

in this video I will not only tell you

my worst decisions over those last years

but also let you know three of my best

decisions that I've made which were

life-changing for my producer career and

which can level up yours as well well

let's start with one of the worst

decisions that I've made which until

this day I can't believe that I was that

freaking dumb I've always told you guys

that the type Channel that I started at

the beginning of this year was my first

type Channel and that is technically not

correct cuz when I started this channel

my main YouTube channel where I'm

posting content now I posted type beats

for around 3 months before I started to

switch to tutorials and cookups and I

also created a beat Stars account at

that time and I started to post like

around three or four beats per week on

my YouTube channel and on my beat Star

account for the span of those 3 months

or whatever span it was after I switched

to posting tutorials and cookups I

literally posted no beats on YouTube

anymore but I still uploaded a couple of

Beats here and there on my beatsource

account for maybe a year or something

but it's important to keep in mind that

I'm producing for over 6 years now and

this was right at the beginning when I

started like after 6 to 12 months I

wasn't sending out Loops at that time

either so I was getting no collapse hes

too and here comes the bad decision that

I've made during a span of 4 years where

I was not doing sound kits not posting

beats not sending out Loops I didn't

cancel my beat Star subscription so I

paid the $18 subscription per month for

a span for almost 3 years where I was

posting nothing on beatstars and wasted

around $700 without selling a beat

selling a sound kit or whatever

businesses love when you pay for their

service but never use it the best gym

member from a gym owner perspective is

one who never shows up to the gym and

that's what I did if you see like you

don't use an arcade for 2 months I will

cancel it and sign up for it again if I

need it before I will tell you about the

next stupid decision that I've made let

me know which decision that you have

made cost you the most money or was the

most stupid decision that you have made

during your producer career if you

haven't subscribed to my channel yet I

know which decision it is and I hit that

subscribe button now another super bad

decision that I've made didn't cost me

money directly but it's one that slowed

down my overall progress with my brand

and my skills cuz when I posted

tutorials I tried to write every wave

when a new Future album came out I was

doing a future cook up tutorial for that

album once a new ye album dropped I was

doing a ye type bead tutorial when

doniver dropped I was doing a doniver

type beat video and so on I was doing

mainly dark trap Beats at that time when

I didn't post a video but you couldn't

tell based on my YouTube channel and

there was the problem people didn't know

me for a specific sound which is one of

the most important aspects when it comes

to building a brand as a producer and

and I'm heavily into that I think

placing yourself in one Niche and one

aspect getting a master at one sound

like one specific sound creates so much

more opportunities for you cuz once

another producer needs that specific

sound and you have crazy Loops they will

come to you get those loops and you will

get the opportunities that come with it

even though my tutorials got a decent

amount of views at that time people

didn't come back to watch another one

which makes sense if you want to see a

video on how to make beats for yeat then

you are probably less interested in how

to make pop P pun Beats for MGK once I

started to just focus on one sound and

getting better at one specific sound

once I did that I got way better with my

own music and it was also way easier to

make good connections before I get into

the last bad decision that I've made

which is an absolute Game Changer let's

get over the good decisions that I've

made the first one is a pretty obvious

one it's that I started a type Channel

at the beginning of the year I think a

typy channel is the perfect way to get

started with making money as the

producer since if you're good at it and

you're sound is good you will

automatically get sales and make your

first money as a producer and it's one

of the best decisions that I've made for

many reasons as I told you some obvious

ones are the money but also and that's

the main cool thing about it the

opportunities that you can get through a

typ b Channel working with cool artists

working with cool producers those are

the things that I think are on the

upside of creating a type Channel and

the money is just the Sherry on top but

the main reason for me personally why it

was one of the best decisions is cuz I

started a new chapter on this channel

cuz with the type channel series on my

channel where I documented the whole

process of growing the channel I started

to switch up the whole concept of my

channel and more personal content which

is more fun to me than posting tutorials

another good decision was signing up for

premium MailChimp account email

marketing can bring your business to a

whole another level I've decided to make

the investment into a premium MailChimp

account a couple months ago and I don't

regret it at all cuz if you have one of

these free accounts you can just send

out a limited amount of emails to a

limited amount of people and I want to

send out as many emails as I want to cuz

I do not only send out emails to artists

I also send out emails to producers and

my email list is getting bigger and

bigger and I need that extra capacities

the last good investment that I've made

was spending money on plugins I don't

know if you know the feeling but

spending money on a new plug-in somehow

gives me a creative boost that I want to

do something with it and experiment with

it and all of a sudden I make more be

that I would usually make I don't have

many plugins but I have never bought a

plugin that I regret some of the best

plugins that I've bought are keyscape

contact of course especially the

electric Sunburst Deluxe Bank Vintage

verb then I've got some guitar AMS some

tape simulation effect plugins sound

toise plugins I've got no secret plugins

that you have never heard of and that I

could gatekeep now but I always think we

are doing such a niche thing if a

plug-in is famous is famous for a reason

another good good example to maybe

describe it a little bit better is books

the vast majority of people don't read

books so if you start reading books you

don't need to look for books that nobody

has ever heard of or nobody has ever

read you can go with the ones that are

famous already and the same goes for

plugins I think producing is such a

niche thing the plugins that are popular

are the good ones I think that your

friends that don't have anything to do

with music could never tell the

difference between a keys Gap piano and

a contact Alisha Keys piano as long as

you have high quality plugins it doesn't

really matter if they are overused by

producers that's also a part where

overthinking starts if you struggle with

that feel free to check out my last

video where I talked about that exact

topic but let's get into the last bad

decision that I've made I've started to

send out Loops frequently and work on

the quality of my Loops very late in my

producer career and even though I've

always knew that making loops and

getting good at Loops is the easiest way

to get your foot into the door and to

create opportunities for yourself I

started pretty late with and as I said

at the beginning I recommend to Master

One sound get good at it create dope

Loops in that Niche and send them out

every week to produces in your Niche and

getting good at Loops is one of the most

important skills but if you say hey I

want to start with the typy channel

since you spring you said typy channel

is a good idea it is if you want to know

what mistakes you should avoid and what

ruins your typy channel then check out

this video