Music production keeps you poor – Mix Master Garzy

Ghanaian music producer and sound engineer, Benjamin Garzy Mensah popularly known as Mix Master Garzy has revealed that music production does not pay like many think.
According to him, before one can earn an income from music production, he or she will first have to produce for free. “Also, your relationship with whoever you’re producing for will determine the charges”.
In an interview with Nana Quasi-Wusu (PM) on Y97.9FM’s Dryve of Your Lyfe Show, he said, “There are two ways to go about music production. The first, being keeping strict business relationships with clients and the other being having a relationship and business dealings with them. But in the latter, whether there’s business or not, we still have a good relationship”.
Going into details, he mentioned that based on his relationship with some musicians, he is unable to charge them when producing their music.
Citing Captain Planet of 4×4 fame as an example he said, “Captain and I have been friends since I was young and was still in school. Our relationship grew from friendship to us becoming business partners. So with someone like him, I can give him a free beat to record on and also produce the song for him. Because I know he will definitely come back to appreciate me when the songs make waves because the relationship is there”.
He went on to say that, if the relationship between the two parties is strictly business, “then I just go straight to tell you how much I charge and my percentage of the royalties. If you’re interested, then we go ahead and do business”.
The award winning producer believes that if other producers build a solid relationship with artistes, they will continually get their business. “This can fetch them money and also a good working relationship from which both parties can benefit”, he disclosed.
By: Gyamfuah Owusu-Ackom