Not every DJ wants to be a producer, and not every producer wants to be a DJ. This is where a thing called “ghost producing” comes in handy. Ghost producing is a huge thing with most of the biggest artists in the world of any genre. However, there is a slightly different attitude towards the ghost production industry in the world of electronic music.
Why is the debate only prevalent in electronic music? Because most DJs are considered tech savvy people, they should know how to both DJ and produce music right? Maybe in some cases, but not all. Most ghost producers simply don’t want to be in the spotlight for their music. However, no matter the reason for the ghost producer to stay behind the scenes, it takes more than a talented producer to make a hit.
Behind every hit is not only an artist, but that artist has most likely built a brand, style, and name for themselves on a label that is dedicated to promoting them. Ghost producing is perfect for someone that can’t produce something they think is quality, right? Some feel indifferent about this. Because most electronic artists play their songs through mixing, this means they don’t have to have the same musical ability as the one who made the song. So, does this mean people treat electronic music differently because they will never have to have skills to perform the song as someone from another genre who simply had a song written for them?
In my opinion, I see why people use ghost producing in electronic music, but it’s really not fair for an artist to fully claim the song as their own if they did absolutely nothing to make it and simply have to mix it into their sets for everyone to think they are a musical genius. Maybe ghost producing should be used more if there is a vocal on top that the artist can claim as their own, or at least using the service to help finish a song that they’ve already worked hard on. What do you think?