Arranger’s Evolution into Modern Producers
Music producers and the responsibilities associated with it evolved from what was originally called a musical arranger. During an Interview with Matthew E. White, White discussed arrangers and the jobs evolution during the early 1900s. Prior to recording music, arrangers were responsible for adapting and changing previously composed works to accompany individual performances. As there was no recording, arrangers worked almost exclusively with the sheet music of original works. White being a jazz artist discusses how arrangers are often associated with the jazz genre. With Improvisation being a fundamental aspect of jazz, arrangers needed to adapt common jazz pieces so that they would continuously be new to the audience.
As the ability record music increased, arrangers began to evolve into the producer. Rather than working with sheet music, producers almost exclusively worked with the “mix.” While artists recorded sections of songs in a studio, producers were responsible for piecing together the sections.
As technology surrounding music grew, so too did the responsibilities of the producer. Often producers would place effects on the tracks of music, such as reverb or delay. With each advance in technology, the role and power of the producer grew tremendously. During the 1960s, producers had reached a point where their creativity as individual artists was able to express itself. During this time, producers like Phil Spector and George Martin emerged. These two producers established what White calls “the ethos of 60’s production.” Where music is created with a “studio band” or in-house musicians.
Interesting Discussion Points
“To fully understand an artist’s sound and production style I found it apparent to analyze the roots of White’s creativity. Thus, when interviewing White, I begin by asking about his “creative roots”. White credits a large amount of his sound and artistic approach to “friend and mentor” Steven Bernstein. ” – Excerpt from White Interview
“To close our interview, I wanted to hear Whites perspective on my thesis, which claims producers are the most influential actors in defining the sonic landscape of eras. I specifically asked whether he viewed producers as facilitators or assistant. He views that producers can be the facilitator or assistant; it simply depends on the situation. He uses Adele as an artist that is facilitated by a producer. He claims that Adele’s success is largely dependent on the producer she has used for years. He furthers this notion by discussing young producers posting beats to YouTube or sound cloud and having young rappers use their productions to create hit records. He accredits most of these young rapper’s success to the producers more so the artist. As rarely an artist is able to follow up a hit record with another. While producers are often able to amass multiple hit records over the years. In short, he puts the question on a case by case basis, depending on the artist and producer.”- Excerpt from White Interview
“Another large point of controversy within the music industry revolves around giving appropriate credit to all parties involved in the creation process. I asked White how involved he was in the song writing process as a producer and he was quick to say, “I am not involved.” He clarifies that he is a song writer, but the role of producer and song writer are rarely ever combined on a single track. He explained that it is inappropriate for a producer to change the lyrics to a song, as the contracts for the song’s lyrics are often already created. If a producer were to change the lyrics, the contracts and the subsequent revenue streams would need to be altered.”- Excerpt from White Interview
“The “formula” White uses in production demonstrates the importance of a healthy relationship between artist and producer. Prompting me to ask him to explain the “human” elements involved with production and what they specifically entail. White credited me for identifying this aspect as important. White has found that in the initial discussions of working together both sides (artist and producer) must establish “expectations” that are reasonable. This creates a layer of clarity for all parties involved and helps to keep everyone happy. White also finds it important that he create a clear schedule for all of the studio musicians to follow. A schedule that establishes exactly when and for how long the musicians are needed. White stresses the importance of this to me because musicians enjoy having the flexibility to grab a coffee or go home, knowing that they have the time to do so.”- Excerpt from White Interview