This comparison is an absolute cause for debate. It's a very interesting animal to dissect, so let's get right to it.
To me, a "beat maker" is someone who creates "beats". Nowadays, it's usually done on some type of computer. A beat machine (like an MPC or sampling keyboard) is the same thing. They are just pieces of hardware with their own internal CPU systems. So for the sake of argument, let's just say that 99% of modern music is done on a system that contains an internal CPU (yes, the Game Of Thrones intro theme song was entirely done on a computer. Crazy, huh?)
So what exactly does it mean to "make beats"? Believe it or not, most non-music-making people still don't quite understand what it is, which is totally ok. Here's a brief explanation of what "making beats" means: Think of it like a "one man band". The "beat maker" is literally composing a full piece of music. They are "playing" the drums (or "programming"), keyboards, instruments, various sounds, percussion, you name it. Sometimes, they take other pieces of music that already exist and "manipulate" them into brand new beats (in other words, "sampling"). All of this is done on a computer (most of the time, with just a keyboard hooked up to it).
Making beats is awesome. It's a skill. It's addicting. There's so many ways to express yourself. So many palettes, colors, sounds to choose from. It's like being a modern day classical composer, minus the paper, sheet music and feather tipped ink pen. It's 2016. We use computers. And software programs. Lot's of them. Almost too many to choose from. It's a skill that requires creativity AND technical know-how.
Ok. Cool.
So, what is a "music producer" then?
Well, in my opinion, a "music producer" is someone who produces music (surprise!). The definition of "produce" is to "make or manufacture from components or raw materials". In this case, our components are music chords, drums, instrument riffs and anything we can manipulate to produce "sound", which ultimately we like to call a "song", or "music".
So the argument becomes "Well, if I make beats, aren't I 'producing music'? And doesn't that qualify me to be considered a 'music producer'?".
In 2016, the answer is yes.
Why is the answer yes? Because music is different now. The music consuming public loves anything that's good. A lot of good music nowadays doesn't necessarily have to contain vocals. There are pieces of music out there that were created with a laptop and headphones by people who are simply "making beats". It's 2016. Sh!t is different now.
I think the true argument here is the argument of "What else can you do beyond just making a beat?". Can you write lyrics? Can you compose vocal melodies? Can you play any instruments? Can you manifest song concepts and give purpose to a song? Do you have the skills to commit to the totality of creating a full song, with other people involved (vocalists, musicians, other composers, etc). Are you a leader? Do you know how to inspire other creatives while collaborating?
All of these questions have to do with one thing, and one thing only. The production of a song. Taking raw material and producing an audible collection of sound that provides satisfaction to the human being listening to it, usually lasting a few minutes, with hopes that they will love it, play it over and over, become inspired by it and hopefully remember that very moment in their life when they first heard it.
That's all this stuff really is at the end of the day.
Making beats is awesome. Producing music is awesome. It's all labels that either offend you, or stroke your ego. Having the skill set to do more or less is entirely up to you. Your process of how you "produce music" is also entirely up to you. Who gives a sh!t anyway.
You produce stuff. From scratch. For the world to consume. That idea alone is pretty damn cool if you ask me.
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I’m new to this so excuse the newbie question – When you sell a beat with samples, do you have to pay the people you sample from or is it considered artistic appropriation if the beat maker is chopping and tweaking the sample enough? For example, I found a great sample from an old funky soundtrack and chopped it up and it sounds triply and groovy as hell but it’s really not my music – just a newly imagined, chopped up, jumbled, and mixed up version of the original. Thanks
Nice, detailed and clearly written. I’ve been a beat maker for a long while now, yet I’m unable to find interest in producing complete music. I just love to make sounds and leave the rest to others. I make beats and share them for free here: https://www.freebeats.com.ng
Quick question ❓ let’s say a beat maker does the beat and gives the beat to an artist then the artist comes to a studio where she lays the vocals and after that you have arrange the song mix and mastering, so my question is where do engineers get the credit from the song… Coz in this generation people say the song is been produced by whom has made the beat so what about the one who spend their time recording the vocals and editing plus mixing and mastering the song.
This debate wouldn’t be so confusing, if the men and women in classical, film, tv and jazz, video game music world, release the term Composer over to the popular music genre. This is why in hip hop and electronic music, we fish around for what it is that we do, by terms. Writers of music, (no matter the idiom or genre), are called composers. If your composing music from the ground up. What else would you call yourself. If you chop samples and that’s all you do. You don’t write anything. Then that’s another story. Producer. The music producer is the person who is responsible for how that composition sounds, sonically! Again! Sonically. A producer is going to take the composition or as we call it, BEAT! And mix every element of the composers arrangement, effects, automation and etc. It’s very common in this day in time, for a composer to be the producer and engineer. I play these parts myself all the time. So the question of what’s the difference of a composer and producer is like asking the difference of a writer and director of a film. We don’t see credits for movies where a certain director did it and think, man! He wrote a good film. Unless if it states that. Once we hip hop heads throw this beat maker title away, then terms will make sense again. But in reality, the so called beatmakers who compose from the ground up, are simply Composers.