No artist does everything alone for long. Sooner or later you need someone to mix your songs, design your covers and shoot your videos. Building that small team well, with the right people, in the right order and on fair terms, is one of the best investments you can make in your music.
Who you need first
Start with what affects every release and what you can't yet do well yourself.
- Sound usually comes first. A mixing or mastering engineer touches every song, and the song is what people come back for. A strong cover can't rescue a weak mix.
- A designer comes next. Your cover art shows up everywhere, from playlists to search results to video thumbnails, and a simple visual identity makes every release look like it belongs to you.
- A videographer can often wait. Full music videos are usually the biggest single cost, and most of the time you need short clips more than finished videos. Many artists start with a friend and a good phone, then bring in a videographer for the focus track.
Be honest about your own gaps. If you're a producer who mixes well, your first hire might be a designer. If you design for a living, you'll want an engineer.
Where to find the right people
- Credits of releases you like, especially local artists at a similar stage to you.
- Your own scene. Who mixes the artists you share stages with? Who shot the video everyone was sharing last month?
- Art, design and film schools. Students and recent graduates are often looking for real projects for their portfolios.
- Other artists. Ask not only how good the result was, but what the person was like to work with: deadlines, communication, revisions.
Look at recent work in or near your genre. Then start small: one single cover, one short clip, one mix. A small job shows you how the collaboration feels before you commit an entire album to it.
Write a brief they can work with
A clear brief saves both sides time and money. It doesn't need to be long, but it should answer the questions they would otherwise have to ask.
For a designer: the song and its mood, two or three reference images with a note on what you like about each, and anything you don't want. The exact text for the cover, usually just the artist name and title, spelled correctly. The technical format: distributors typically need a square image, and CULT, for example, asks for a JPG of exactly 3000 × 3000 pixels. Any extra sizes, such as a vertical story version or a YouTube thumbnail. The deadline and how many rounds of changes are included.
For a videographer: the idea in a few sentences, the locations, who appears in it and how long it should be. The deliverables: a horizontal video, vertical cuts, maybe behind-the-scenes clips. The shooting dates, and who arranges permission for each location.
For an engineer: the rough mix, stems or multitracks with clear names, one or two references, notes on what you love and what bothers you, the deadline and which files you need back, such as the main mix, an instrumental and an a cappella.
Paying fairly
- Agree on price and scope before work starts, in writing. Scope means what's included: revisions, versions, formats.
- Don't offer "exposure" instead of money. If your budget is small, reduce the scope, not the respect: one cover instead of three, one location instead of four.
- A deposit up front and the rest on delivery is common and fair to both sides.
- Extra rounds cost extra. If you change direction after the agreed revisions, expect to pay for it.
- Pay on time. Nothing builds loyalty like paying on the day you promised.
- Get the rights you need. Make sure the agreement lets you use the cover on all platforms, in promotion and on merch if you plan any. The same goes for video footage, fonts and stock material.
Some engineers and producers work for a share of income instead of a fee. That can be fair too, as long as the split is written down before the release.
Credits matter as much as money
For creative people, credits are a portfolio and the way they get their next job. List engineers and producers in the release credits. When you submit a release in the CULT portal, you add artist details and credits along with the audio and artwork, so collect everyone's names, spellings and roles in advance. Tag designers and videographers in your posts and video descriptions as well.
Keeping a good team together
Give clear feedback quickly, and gather your comments in one message instead of ten. Bring the same people back for the next release, because a steady team gives you a steady sound and look.
A made-up singer, Mara Vale, worked with the same engineer on three singles, found her designer at a graduate art show and met her videographer when he filmed one of her rehearsals on his phone. As her budgets grew, she brought them along. Three years later they still work together, and her releases look and sound like one artist.