What $500 Can Get You in the Music Industry: The Production Process

Making a record seems like a fun and exciting process.  While creatively it might be, unfortunately, your wallet will not agree. For most independent artists, money is not readily available.  Most artists are forced to work at least one other job just to survive.  Between studio time and marketing, releasing a single can cost an artist at least $500. So where exactly does all that money go?


While writing lyrics may be free of charge, the instrumental for a track is not. Unless you can create your own beats, you are stuck paying someone else.  While some of the greats like Timbaland and Pharrell can cost thousands and thousands of dollars, producers just starting out can run up to $500 for licensing of their track.   That is for the non-exclusive rights to beat meaning no more than 2,000 songs can be sold for profit.  The price jumps up for exclusive rights to a beat, but there are no restrictions on distributing it. 

A look at a recording studio in Brooklyn, NY that allows for live music as well as vocals to be recorded which allows for a wide array of music to be recorded here.  (Photo Taken: 11/1/2014)

Once you have your beat picked out and lyrics written down it is time to get in the studio! This is where all the fun begins.  Unfortunately, four hours in a studio will set you back around $200.  Hip-hop artist Ralph Burg uses Grammy Award winning producer Steve Sola when he is looking to record.  “Getting the chance to work with someone that has worked with P. Diddy and Wu-Tang it’s pretty cool.  It’s worth the money to work with someone with his experience.  I feel like I'm actually paying to pick his brain,” Burg said. 

One of producer Steve Sola's many platinum records proudly displayed in his studio.   (Photo Takes: 11/1/2014)

So now that you already a few hundred dollars out, it is time to start making money back!  Brooklyn-based hip-hop manager Floyd Hayes said, “We currently record, do minimal editing, and then send it to someone we know can mix and master.  If we own all the rights to the song, then after production is complete, we can jump straight to distribution”.  If you go that route as an independent artist, then your recorded track can be placed on various websites including Amazon, TuneCore, and iTunes.  

Ralph Burg performing last night in Brooklyn, NY.  One of the key ways to grow a following is to get on stage.  (Photo Taken 11/1/2014)

Don’t expect the money to start flowing in right away.  This is where the hard work starts.  Promoting your song is so important to success.  Making people care about what you have to say is the hardest part of the entire process because you cannot force people to like you and your music.  Brooklyn artist HZ the Forsaken explains how she promotes her material, “Shows of course are number one, but the internet is everything nowadays.  Everyone is always on one of their social media accounts and that’s how you attack the masses.”  Live showcases are another expense for artists looking to build their following.