Career Builder Show Archives - Unstoppable Recording Machine

Do you get the credit you deserve?? [ The Career Builder Show ]

How to get your name in the credits

Your credits are EVERYTHING in this industry! What you’ve done and who you’ve done it for define who you are, so it’s absolutely essential that you get the credit you deserve– but as some of you have probably found out, that’s not always easy… whether it’s clients with big egos, difficult labels, or a simple miscommunication, it can be an uphill battle to get properly credited for the work you’ve done.

In this episode of The Career Builder Show, Joey Sturgis dishes out some practical advice on how to get the credit you deserve and see your name in the liner notes of an album.

Get the album credits you DESERVE! [ THE CAREER BUILDER SHOW ]

Your credits are EVERYTHING in this industry! What you’ve done and who you’ve done it for define who you are, so it’s absolutely essential that you get the credit you deserve– but as some of you have probably found out, that’s not always easy… Joey Sturgis explains how to make it happen on YOUR next session!

The first thing you’ll need to understand is what you actually did: were you the engineer, the mixer, the producer, all of the above, or some combination of them?

Why does this matter? Because this is one of the most important ways that people will discover you. Think about it: how many times have you heard a slamming mix, said “Holy crap, who did this?!” and instantly looked it up on AllMusic? Every band, label and manager does this just like you do, and you want YOUR name to be the thing they are looking up.

Once you have a handle on that, you’ll need to practice the fine art of negotiation to make sure your name actually ends up in the credits (properly spelled!) Because the unfortunate reality is that nobody really cares about you and your credits, so you have to be your own advocate.

This is a delicate balance: you’ve got to push hard enough to make yourself heard and get what you deserve, but at the same time understand that there are times when it’s better to let it go for the sake of preserving your industry relationships– and as Joey explains, it’s not always easy to know which is the right course of action.

There’s a ton more to be said on this topic, but hopefully this gets the gears turning in your head- and the sooner you start thinking about this stuff, the sooner you’ll see your name in the liner notes!

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Why most people will NEVER achieve their dreams [ The Career Builder Show ]

You say you want it… but do you really??

Here’s the cold truth: making a living off of music is hard. There are a lot of talented, hungry people competing for what is honestly a pretty small number of slots in this industry, which means the battle gets fierce.

We’re saying this not to discourage you from pursuing your dreams — in fact, quite the opposite. We’re saying this because we want you to SUCCEED. And because we want you to understand that if you have an extraordinary goal like becoming an A-list producer who works with the best artists on the planet, you’re going to need to put in an extraordinary amount of effort to make it happen.

Why most people will NEVER achieve their goals [ THE CAREER BUILDER SHOW ]

The cold truth is that if you have extraordinary goals, you’re gonna have to go to extraordinary lengths to reach them. So if you’ve got a big dream like a record deal or an A-list production career, ask yourself one question: how bad do you REALLY want it?

Would YOU be willing to do the crazy stuff Eyal talks about in this video??

In this episode of The Career Builder Show, Eyal talks about the borderline insane lengths he went to getting his band Daath signed to Century Media and Roadrunner – countless sleepless nights burning and handing out over 10,000 CD demos; long, lonely drives to go to a show where he knew he’d run into the important people… literally WHATEVER IT TOOK to make it happen. For years and years, until finally (as it ALWAYS does), the hard work paid off.

Just to be clear, we aren’t trying to tell you what your goals should be. Only YOU can decide that. We aren’t telling you that you should strive to be an A-list producer, a signed musician, or anything else — our point is simply that your actions should reflect what you’ve said your goals are.

And we’re saying this not to bum you out or lecture you, but because we want you to succeed! We want you to achieve every single goal you’ve laid out for yourself– so take a minute to look in the mirror and ask yourself, are my actions and my words saying the same thing? If they are, give yourself a high five… and if they’re not, you know what to do: stop reading this, and get to work! 🙂

The key to a long career in music [The Career Builder Show]

You don’t have to like the trends…

But you DO have to understand them– because the music industry is constantly changing, and if you can’t stay on top of the trends, then your clients will have no choice but to work with someone who DOES!

The KEY to a long career in music [ THE CAREER BUILDER SHOW ]

You don’t have to LIKE every new trend that comes along in music, but you better UNDERSTAND them if you want to stick around – because if you don’t, your clients will be forced to work with someone who does!

Here’s the truth: your long-term success as a producer depends on your ability to reinvent yourself, to stay relevant no matter which way the wind is blowing. And that starts by being curious and open-minded, always searching out what’s new and (even if you don’t like it at first) understanding why people love it.

So make it a habit to take a big step outside of your comfort zone, and if you don’t get it, figure it out FAST!