All of your favourite artists? At one point, they probably had the thought, âYeah, Iâm doing this music producer thing, for real.â Maybe it wasnât as defined as that, but at some point, they realised that they wanted to be a musician, and put their mind to it. They changed their mindset from a music fan, to a music maker. Regardless of style or sector, music makers are set on creating experiences through sound for others, and getting their music out to the world. This transition isnât exactly one you can complete overnight, and thereâs no defined path on how to do so â especially if youâve never picked up an instrument, or even know what âDAWâ stands for.
If youâve started the process of learning to be a music producer, youâre probably already looking towards the process of technically improving to your best ability. Amongst that, youâll want to do things like mastering creativity, getting a grasp on your particular industriesâ norms, figuring out where you stand in your market, and everything else that comes with taking your music career seriously. And alongside it, you need to do everything you already do as a human, like making money, studying, or full time work. Phew.
So right here, weâre going to tell the stories of some of Australiaâs most recent success stories â but with all the bumps in the road you wonât normally get a glimpse of. Things like missing huge opportunities because of uni exams, or when your big break doesnât actually turn out to be your big break â and more importantly, the aftermath. In the music industry, these things are bound to happen whilst you find your feet, and your career wonât look the same as anyone elseâs. But there are some overall lessons to be learned from what many musicians go through on their way up. Letâs dive in
Find your feet
In the beginning, just focus on finding the musical path that lights up your soul a whole lot.
As of the now, KLP is a singer, songwriter, DJ, and host on Triple J. But sheâs actually been kicking around the entertainment industry for a while now. While not knowing her true direction until a bit later in life, she grew up around music, with a full-time musician as a father.
âI fell into it because I was just obsessed with music and I kind of taught myself how to play, and then started getting gigs straight away. I didnât quite know what I wanted to do in music when I was younger, I just wanted to be a part of it in any way possible. I went for auditions everywhere, sang in so many different bands â anything at all to do with music you would find me doing it.â says KLP.
As a youngenâ, she tried out plenty of musical and entertainment avenues before narrowing down her stream of skills â sheâs definitely still a slashie, but a focused one. Her work across so many sectors of the industry led her to some interesting experiences and opportunities while she was finding her way â and she reflects that where she started is nowhere near where she ended up.
âI never sought out to do radio, but I guess years of experience with DJing, acting and general performing meant that when they found me through Triple J Unearthed and asked me to host âHouse Partyâ, I had the skills to say yes. I would like to think that that kind of open door opportunity will keep coming somehow⊠and I hope that when it does next time, I have the right skills to walk through and nail it!â
When it comes to being a music producer, having a few top-notch skills will always help you out in the long run, both financially, and in your career overall. This way, you can gig and hone your craft, even if itâs outside of your artist project. From producers who do corporate DJ-ing on the side, to top-liners who sing at weddings or play in bands â as your career progresses, itâs a great feeling to start earning your living purely from your musical skills. Even if it wonât be something youâre posting all over your socials, the practice, networks, and experience youâll gain are unparalleled. And when the big opportunities come knowing, ala KLP â youâll definitely have the means to show yourself off.
Resilience, humbleness, and constant learning
One of the experiences that shaped KLPâs mindset towards becoming a professional musician is something unexpected to most of her listeners nowadays. In the 90âs, she was a member of a full-blown girl-band named Real Blondes, at the age of 13. They signed to Sony Music, went on national tours â and at the time, KLP saw it as her big break. While she looks back on it with a bit of a sense of humour, she also acknowledges it as gifting her one of the defining lessons of her career; that when failure comes about, you need to use it as fuel for your fire.
âIt taught me to have a super hard work ethic. It also taught me to be resilient as f*ck as from such a young ageâŠâ
â⊠I had the girl band end, and I needed to pick myself and figure out what to do next. I thought âthatâ was my ticket to success and it didnât work out, so although hard at the time, it was a really valuable lesson to learn and period to go through. I think every hard time is a golden opportunity to grow and learn,â she says.
Young Franco is the name on everyoneâsâ lips when it comes to whoâs coming out of Australia in electronic music. But heâs also been chugging along on his grind long before the world took notice. In our chat, he reflected on the unpredictability of creative careers â and thatâs not just in regards to finances. In industries like music, itâs difficult to predict and gauge where public interest sits, or even if the interest will continue to sit there for much longer.
âCreative pursuits are sometimes so temperamental, you can be âhotâ one moment and no one cares the next. I think itâs about realising that these highs and lows are part of being an artist,â â Young Franco.
When we asked KLP if after over a decade in the field she thinks she has the music industry figured out, she says, âI donât think that ever happens. Iâm constantly just figuring it out as I go. Sometimes itâs not up to you either â the industry changes or technology changes. I think itâs important to always be learning and to be critical of yourself. Iâm always trying to gain more knowledge or do things better the next time around.â
When it comes to âindustryâ things, talk with trusted friends who are where you want to be, and donât be afraid to ask questions. Thereâs no real handbook for how to navigate things like âHow can I get the world to notice me?â or âHow can I launch a single successfully?â (Although weâve done our best to break topics like this down on this blog, so take a binge read.) Most of your knowledge will come from lessons learnt through what the people around you know.
Learn to balance music with responsibilities, time, and money
The number one thing you need to make it in music is time, in two senses. Firstly, you wonât make the jump from fan to musical freak overnight â itâs going to take a while to get good. And secondly, across the long term, in order to get good, you need to take the time to practice each day, and get good. Balancing your dedication to pursuing music around your ongoing needs and responsibilities is the tricky part. Young Franco experienced this first hand. For majority of his come up, he was balancing full-time university with an increasingly booming music career. When it came to the tipping point, he knew what he had to choose.
âI was at the point where I was getting show bookings domestic and abroad that clashed directly with my exams. I waited until the point it was overwhelming for me to do both. It was getting to the point where I was missing out on big opportunities to study something I didnât enjoy. So I took a leap, and I didnât really look back.â
He shows understanding that he is in a less than common case â after years of hard work, he was able to support himself financially through music, making the leap from a âtraditionalâ life timeline to music more stable than it may be for most.
âAdmittedly, I was able to support myself through music at this time.  Personally, I think money problems/stress and creativity are worst enemies. Even if you need to support yourself by working at a cafe or whatever while making music thatâs okay, itâs better than starving.â
Ultimately, your path might look exactly, or nothing like Young Francosâ â perhaps you love what youâre studying and are looking forward to wrapping up your studies before diving properly into becoming a music producer. Maybe youâre in a full-time job that you dig, and are hustling after business hours on your artist project. Maybe you know that music is the one and only path for you, and youâre ready to sacrifice some stability to free up more time to advance your music career. Whatever your life looks like at the moment, make sure you dedicate yourself to fitting your musical development and projects around it where you can, and always look to improve.
And although itâs hard to earn your full time living off music, itâs definitely not impossible â but find yourself musically a bit. Try out different things, keep some and ditch others. It sounds wafty, but youâll know what you want when it comes around.
âAt the end of the day, only you know whatâs best for yourself and your career. Itâs important to have a support group and people working with/for you, but if you truly believe in an idea or a direction you need to back yourself. I self-manage, which is sometimes really tough, but also extremely rewarding when you reach goals you set out to do.â closes Young Franco.
You too can make the jump from music fan to music producer, check out our âProduce Musicâ course now.
Both Young Franco and KLP have released some incredible new music recently. Check out KLPâs latest dance tune, âVenus x Marsâ, and Young Francoâs groovy number with feature vocalist Maribelle, âGirls Donât Cryâ.