Monday, March 06, 2000

Music Producer as a Project Manager

Music Production has its dry side, too. And I don’t mean searching for that elusive hook. I mean scheduling; renting gear; managing the traffic of elements; et al.

In some ways, if you don’t know how to manage your time, it doesn’t matter how great a composer or conceptualist you are, because you won’t be awarded the job.

Don’t worry if you don’t have all the skills at the outset. You probably won't, if you’re arriving from either an academic or creative background. Only experience will help you gain the requisite ability to:

–Establish and control a budget
–Establish and manage a schedule
–Establish and guide a creative direction
–Perform the multi-directional administration of artistic and technical talent for any given project; indeed for multiple projects being developed on overlapping time frames
–Manage traffic of elements (more complex than it sounds on for even a modest project)
–Keep clients informed of progress
–Arrange and conduct a presentations of works in progress at pre-agreed milestones
–Note revisions and clarify client expectations with client and creative team (make sure everyone is on the same page)
–Supervise integration and testing (of non-broadcast projects)
–Insure final delivery meets technical, artistic and contractual specifications and expectations

In-house, you'll need to:

–Maintain a working understanding of music/studio technology and make recommendations and purchases on behalf of studio
–Keep studio running at maximum efficiency and in a state of readiness for client meetings and presentations
–Keep abreast of union regulations and changes: SAG, AFM, and AFTRA
–Prepare and submit appropriate paperwork to applicable guilds and unions
–Follow Up with Client Experience
–Bill & Collect from client
–Pay talent, vendors and manage expenses
–Manage facility operations and staff

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