Eventually, all music producers reach a point in their career when they think they have learned it all, experienced it all, and have the knowledge they need to continually produce incredible music. 

But, that's just not true. 

Could it be that you're just stubborn? Yes. It could be that. Or, it could be that you refuse to recognize that EDM is a real genre of music, or that music is being created differently now than it was even 10 years ago. 

Whatever the reason may be, established music producers tend to be stubborn and wouldn't ever dream of changing the way they run their studio. However, the cold hard truth is that if you aren't open to learning new things, you will fail as a music producer. 

Your music will become a thing of the past if you aren't always learning the new trends and ways that music is being created and distributed. But maybe you don't know why you are so stuck in your old ways. It can be hard to try new things!

Well, let's dive into the psychology of change that makes trying new things hard. 

3 Reasons Why You are Opposed to Trying New Things

1. Rationale for Resistance

The rationale for resistance is often just a way for people to justify their actions. There can be many reasons a music producer is opposed to change, bu the most common reason may be they are comfortable where they are. The current state of their career is how they identify themselves. If they take that away and change, they might feel like they've lost their identity to something new. 

The other reason is that music producers see the notion of sunken costs. The rationale behind not changing is because they have invested heavily into their studio and career, and the though of going back to the drawing board is, frankly, just scary! Altering the workflow, producing differently, and learning new music trends can mean a lot of change all at once for a producer if they haven't been constantly keeping up with the trends and updates in the music industry. 

2. Confirmation Bias

The confirmation bias is the direct influence of beliefs. When people want a certain concept to be true, they end up believing it is true. It's kind of like wishful thinking. Humans form an ideology and embrace information that confirms that view, and pushing aside anything that may contradict that notion or jeopardize the validity of our ideas. 

However, for music producers, this is where they get stuck in a rut. They ignore everything that might change the way they believe music ought to be produced, completely closing them off to new ideas and methods of production. 

3. Threats to the 'Self'

Change always presents itself as a psychological threat to the 'self.' Without going into the nitty-gritty detail of Freud's theories of the human psyche and the unconscious mind, let's unpack that idea a little. 

Any change (whether disruptive or not) triggers an inner alarm that arouses the motive to reaffirm the self. Because humans have a positive image of ourselves, any threat to that causes us to react. Usually negatively. Anyone that objects to the view we have of ourselves is taking a blow to the ego. No matter what we think, it is human nature to seek social justification. So when we don't get that, our self-esteem is affected. 

For producers, the threat to the ‘self’ might seem abstract, but if music and the art behind producing is a representation of the soul, our 'self' will take any change or negative reaction rather personally. Not getting social confirmation that we are being successful can have a serious impact to the ego and the 'self.' The idea of losing absolute control of your environment because of welcoming new ideas can also seem very threatening and trigger defense mechanisms, like closing yourself off to new ideas and change. 

How music is expressed and created is essentially an expression of the 'self' and shame on anyone for telling you how to do it differently... right?

Not really. You need to get over this and have an open mind! It's the only way you'll continue to be a successful music producer. 

Learn to be Open to New Ideas

The art of being open to new ideas correlates with the art of learning. Learning doesn't take away from the 'self.' It simply enhances the 'self' and can give a deeper meaning to your identity. See, change isn't always a bad thing. 

Music producers generally have very distinct styles of production methods and that is what sets them apart from the rest - they are unique and possess individuality. Implementing new ideas isn't taking away from your uniqueness. It's making it better. 

Start by learning a few new trends and ways to produce music differently, and slowly start figuring out how to incorporate that into your studio's process for production. All ideas and music trends can be morphed and manipulated to fit your certain style and personality and art form, but you need to try a few before you'll really know what works best for you and your clients. 

Learning should be a way of life for music producers. It should be continual and as a music producer, you should look forward to learning new ways to better your craft. If you approach change as doing your craft differently, then you are going to have a negative bias. But if you look at is as better your career, it will be much more enjoyable!

How to Grow as a Music Producer

Learning doesn't mean going back to school and relearning how to use a soundboard and how to mix music. Just staying up-to-date on all the music industry trends is enough to spark creativity that can make your production process even more successful. 

Reading blogs (like this one!), attending conferences, and joining networks and societies of other music producers is a really good way to start getting yourself out there and open to learning new ways to produce music. Attending workshops is also a great way to get more hands-on experience with new production methods and a good way to learn from other professionals in your field. 

Take it from the professionals who know! The producers at Sheffield are also integrated with their education program - and their education staff are working professionals in the world of production! There is a direct correlation between education and production that is tied together in a nice little package by the crew at Sheffield.