Is it possible not to laugh when someone says calls them self a "producer"?

[vurt]

get one of them inflatable cushions for piles

[Mushy Mushy]

who are those people?
is that from seinfeld?
(i recognise the woman)
if that's soup guy, i know a funny real life story about him

Yep Seinfeld. Not the soup nazi episode though.

[vurt]

ah well, in that case, i don't have a story

[toonertik]

Long long time ago...
I was with a band.. we rehearsed a lot.. decided to go and record it...
I was playing conga but was also known as an engineer etc...
we got to the studio and the engineer asked if we had a producer...
the main man in the band pointed at me and said..
yeah, for sure...

WE ALL LAUGHED...
So answer to OP... NOT possible not to laugh...
unless working with someone like Quincy Jones

[Jace-BeOS]

I find it eye-roll inducing. A producer is a specific role in music production. I think most people ... Well...

“You keep using that word; I do not think it means what you think it means”.

I’m a musician. Even that label feels presumptuous, since I can’t actually play any instruments properly. I do create music, though. When I can get myself motivated...

[Touch The Universe]

That's the traditional word, so what? I see music production classes where people bang out club tracks with vstis, term is used in computer music alot. Seems not everyone got the memo.


Who cares!

[Jace-BeOS]

As I stated in many posts in past, the term "producer" changed with the collapse of the old music industry.

The one that's been growing constantly since 2012, and makes about as much now per annum as it did in the 70's?

I don't believe the Internet media hype. Nobody I know buys music.

There are WAY more people out there than the ones you know. I buy music, for example.

[BONES]

Yeah, I don't get it. That's how I describe myself. Rather than "multi-instrumentalist, singer and sound-engineer", it's easier to just say "producer".

I just say "I make music". It's a simple statement of fact that isn't really up for interpretation. If they ask what kind of music, I say "really loud music". If they ask what instrument I play, I say "laptop, mostly". If they persist after that I point over their shoulder and say "did you see that!?!" and run away as soon as they turn their head.

[Jace-BeOS]

I think many of you guys are falling in a misconception and misinterpreted term

Or, perhaps its the other way round.

Given that historically 'producer' (as in 'record producer') was a pretty specific role in the process of creating recordings of music (and not one which necessarily meant any involvement in the writing or performance of said music) then appropriating that term for a writer/performer/whatever who doesnt necessarily have the same skills or focus that that role historically required may be seen as the misinterpretation or misconception.
In fact it may be seen as someone elevating themselves into a job title they dont necessarily deserve, like calling yourself 'business management' just because you manage to do some work at a business.

The above is my preferred response.

I tend to like when definitions are maintained or shifted only for practical reasons, not just because a bunch of people outside the relevant context suddenly got into a thing and arbitrarily chose a word they liked (this likely happens organically, not as a conscious effort). What it says on the liner notes of CDs... the credits of who did what... “Producer” or “Produced by” tends to have a rather specific meaning and I don’t see why we should dilute that meaning.

Language changes, yes, but this is technical language, which generally needs to be more precise and consistent...

[kmonkey]

You will laugh if you call yourself "producer" when you are not one. That's normal.

You would knew by now if you are producer. And you wouldn't laugh.

[jancivil]

Well, to be honest I see it in the context of a place like here where there are teh computer music people, it's supposed to signify you made the beats, in place of 'composed', in place of 'musician' as well and it's ahistorical, it was a term to indicate someone strategically located between the artist and "A & R", the bossman, as a buffer.
It could be project management combined with engineering, and musicianship, but it def was a job designed to be at a distance from the artist, with a necessary detachment to make decisions the artist is too precious to be trusted with, if you get my drift.

So the use of it in the context where a similar if not self-same person also likes "DJ My Name" for it, it is kind of a joke.

[BONES]

For me, you are a producer if you produce someone else's music. If the music you are producing is your own music, you are not a producer, even though you definitely earn the credit "produced by ..." on your output. I've always figured the reason many dance music people call themselves "producers" is that they have nothing else to hang their hats on. i.e. They aren't musicians, they aren't entertainers or performers and they aren't exactly song writers, either, in many cases. So what's left is "producer". Rather than laughing at them, perhaps we should feel sorry for their lack of skills and/or talent?

[an-electric-heart]

Yeah, I don't get it. That's how I describe myself. Rather than "multi-instrumentalist, singer and sound-engineer", it's easier to just say "producer".

I just say "I make music". It's a simple statement of fact that isn't really up for interpretation. If they ask what kind of music, I say "really loud music". If they ask what instrument I play, I say "laptop, mostly". If they persist after that I point over their shoulder and say "did you see that!?!" and run away as soon as they turn their head.

Actually, the conversation goes something like this; Someone hears that I'm a musician from somebody else (normally this conversation takes place with someone I don't know while I'm at work), they say "I hear you're a musician?", I say "Yes, that's correct". They say "What do you play?", I say "I'm mostly a singer, but I can play guitar, keys and drums." Then they say "Are you in band?", Then, I say "No, I'm more of a producer, I make records at home by myself, I have a small home studio"... but at that point you've lost them and they don't know what you're talking about... and that's why they're asking me, rather than me telling them. It's quite a niche subject, I'd talk about it with musicians, but I don't really like talking about it with non-musicians. And to my musician friends I don't need to describe myself as anything.

That scenario probably all sounds quite arrogant... but yeah, I've had that conversation pretty much word for word more times than I count. In the end it's just like "Trust me... you don't really want me to talk to you about this stuff... for you it'll be boring".

[Acid Mitch]

I think my point is, from what I can see at least, people don't blink an eye when spending $10 at Starbucks, or $1000 on an iPhone and the teenagers seem to have no issues with $3000 gaming laptops, which I think all are insanely high priced products -- but none of them think about buying music..

That’s only because music is so easy to get without paying.

Once upon a time we had this thing called 'radio'. People could listen to music all day, and not pay anything to do so. A lot of people who listened to radio had no issue spending lots of money on all sorts of other things, but didnt think about buying music.
That must mean no-one ever bought music back then, right? One really wonders how the 'old' music industry survived back when all that music was available for free.

Radio used to promote stuff by playing mostly singles. If you were lucky it was from bands/artists you liked and you went and bought the albums, etc because the radio wasn’t playing enough of what you wanted to hear.
When downloading got popular you could get most of your favourite bands and artists entire back catalogues for the price of your internet connection. What radio stations were making your favourite bands and artists entire back catalogues available on demand for free ?
Why else do you think many of the people who previously listened to radio and bought stuff switched to downloading ?

[FrankMorrisLegend]

i'm always call myself producer, just because i literally can produce noise, in a toilet for example.
and i really enjoy to bring lough from someone who cant produce anything like that