Production Coordinators & Production Managers
Collecting assets for new releases and scheduling them for delivery by street date.
The role of the production department in a major label is to plan releases, meaning they coordinate and collect assets for digital and physical releases. Assets include cover images/artwork, credits, lyrics, legal lines, BA clearances, music masters, and metadata.
Their strict timelines are based on when the assets are due; for digital releases, this is 2 weeks before the music goes live, and for physical releases, 6 weeks before the music goes live. While they shoot for these deadlines, there are often problems to troubleshoot and navigate that create a rush. They work closely with Marketing and A&R to make sure that everyone is on the same page and schedule for pre-release promotions. They also work with the sales/revenue team, to keep track of the stock and production data, and business affairs, to ensure everything for the release is cleared legally and ready for delivery.
The production team is also responsible for making sure that the artist’s record will be done in time and that they can collect assets, such as the master, lyrics, credits, etc., from their management, A&R, etc. In addition to their jobs of gathering assets, working with the system (product building, scheduling, shipping), and managing release schedules, their main goal is to corral the departments they work with well enough that the release will be successful.
!! LABEL VS RECORD COMPANY !!
They make sure the record has been distributed to DSPs around the world; Spotify, Apple Music but also Gaana and Jioaavn (India), KuGou and QQ (China), etc.
*sometimes the part of the international sales is centralized for all labels under one group* For example, Sony's Global Digital Business & US Sales record division deals with international sales for all Sony Labels (RCA, Arista, Columbia, etc.)
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Follow through on everything. Do not ever take for granted that someone is going to do what they tell you they're going to do. That's huge. Never take anything for granted. Until you see it live, it's not done.
We do digital and physical production, so it's really about corralling all of the different departments we work with... We start our timeline in terms of when all of our assets are due. We basically collect all of the assets that have to do with getting a release live and published on aDSP. When we're setting up digital products we have to set up the parent UPC (that is the product) and we have to attach to that product any of the tracks that go on them which all have their own ISRC codes.All of that setup... if we're rushing it, it can be done in a day, but we have 50 releases a week. We cannot get everything the day before and expect to get all of them out at the same time. There's a lot of chaos. There are a lot of last-minute frantic emails. Physical releases take a lot longer because they have to be actually manufactured. Right now, vinyl is huge, it sells a lot. Every label in the world is competing for vinyl capacity because it's that hard to get... There's a lot of planning that has to be done between all of the different teams.
Production @ Interscope Records
Who they work with and what they do
MARKETING
- Understand the timeline the marketing team has established for the release
- Coordinate the other departments according to this schedule
- Manage timely delivery of assets through digital and physical supply chains
A&R
- Overall time management of music production
- Communicate and make sure the release is ready in time
- Collect assets (e.g. master, credits, lyrics)
SALES
- Optimize release plans and make sure they make sense
- Keep track of stock and production data for sales records
- Manufacture and package records on a strict timeline
- Source costs, samples, capability, and capacity from manufacturers
BUSINESS AFAIRS
- Ensure all assets of the release are cleared legally (credits, lyrics, cover image, master, etc.)
- Note the legal line for DSPs (includes the year released & source; e.g. the legal line of “Say So” by Doja Cat is ℗2019 Kemosabe Records/RCA Records)
DSP
- Submit all assets for the digital release based on the timeline and in advance of the street date
- Submit to Spotify 1 week before the street date for their pitch tool (for placement on playlists/to be featured)
- Understand the timeline the marketing team has established for the release
- Coordinate the other departments according to this schedule
- Manage timely delivery of assets through digital and physical supply chains
- Submit all assets for the digital release based on the timeline and in advance of the street date
- Submit to Spotify 1 week before the street date for their pitch tool (for placement on playlists/to be featured)
A&R
- Overall time management of music production
- Communicate and make sure the release is ready in time
- Collect assets (e.g. master, credits, lyrics)
SALES
- Optimize release plans and make sure they make sense
- Keep track of stock and production data for sales records
- Manufacture and package records on a strict timeline
- Source costs, samples, capability, and capacity from manufacturers
BUSINESS AFAIRS
- Ensure all assets of the release are cleared legally (credits, lyrics, cover image, master, etc.)
- Note the legal line for DSPs (includes the year released & source; e.g. the legal line of “Say So” by Doja Cat is ℗2019 Kemosabe Records/RCA Records)
- Distribute artists singles & albums to DSPs on time for the release
- Negotiate business partnerships with DSPs -- Examples:
° Reduced royalties rate per stream for artists of a specific label in exchange for free ad credits
° ‘Artist Social Boost’: DSPs are granted advertising access to an artist's Facebook or Instagram to run
ads offering their followers 3 months free premium. In exchange, the label gets a portion of the profit from the fans signing up through the artist's link
- Partner with DSPs for marketing initiatives such as:
° Billboard in Time Square
° Playlist takeovers
° Example: Olivia Rodrigo's Car Wash with Spotify in LA.
- Licence songs before release
- Make sure the metadata is complete (every detail about the song is filled out - producers, singer, date, title, etc.)
- Curate playlists on streaming platforms to promote their artists
- Establish the number of copies of an album that needs to be produced
- Make sure the production and delivery runs smoothly (with Production Dep)
A music supervisor reaches out to the label with interest in a song. They provide 3 elements for a possible contract and give a scene description and information on the use of the song.
With those elements in mind, the Sync Department defines the licensing fees for the use of that song. The amount usually depends mostly on the artist, scene description and length, and part of the song used.
The label asks for the artist's approval; both on the budget and the use of the song (which project it will be featured on).
Important to know: For a song to be used, it needs the approval of both the master recording (label) and the publisher. This means all songwriters have to approve the use of the song too! And if an artist is also a songwriter they need to approve it twice, once through the label and once through the publisher.
ISRC
International Standard Recording Code, the code that identifies an individual track and is attached to a parent UPC.
Once negotiated, the deal has to be sent to the publishers for approval.
This step is necessary legally to ensure that the Most Favored Nation (MFN) clause is respected.
If a music supervisor confirms the use of a song then the license is created.
On their side, they will have to pay a fee for the use of the composition (copyright to the publisher) and a fee for the master (to the label).
“For NY and LA, there is always a member of our team at shows to organize business encounters, escort our partners backstage. It’s kind of a concierge service”
- Tour and Special Events @Interscope
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"When there is no covid I travel a lot so I am divided between being with the artist on tours and promotion - with visits to my offices for strategy and planning meetings around the world and in London with my team on a day-to-day basis when we are not traveling. My boss travels much more than I do so we are used to working remotely and maintaining constant communication."
Is a degree required?
There is no specific degree for production, but a college background is strongly recommended to learn/build crucial skill sets such as problem-solving, time management, etc.
A lot of training is required on the job, so it is very beneficial to begin at an entry-level position in production, such as an internship or as an assistant/coordinator, and advance from there. This grants knowledge of systems used (which vary from company to company), assets, processes, and inputs that are key for working in production. Any background in A&R admin, recording studios, manufacturing plants, etc., and/or a strong foundation of relevant industry basics such as masters, ISRC, UPC, physical manufacturing (CD, Vinyl), etc. will prove useful.
Written by Nikita
Published August 13th 2021
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