The Programmer, Huh?

Today the majority of the heavy wait audio professionals would tell you that a guy that makes beats is not a producer. Due to the fact that there is not enough audio professionals that make beats, this idea is widely accepted and rarely challenged through an intricate design of separation. This invisible barrier states that the correct term for a beat maker is not a producer, but a programmer. A programmer huh?

 Most  “Non-Beat makers” in the music industry among others have chosen to focus only on the reason why such a person is not considered a producer. A guess based on personal experience tells me that about 85% of the audio professionals I have heard from lean more towards the programmer concept. Even popular modern day producers like Khalil, which started their career making beats feel this way. That means 15% of the creative people left either have a mixed opinion or focus on the factual and physical conceptual relationship between the idea that a beat producer is in fact still to be recognized as a producer based of the nature of a beats intended lifecycle.  I fall somewhere within that 15%. I’m the guy from the computer age that wonders if the so called ” programmer” who is viewed as a wannabe step child, naturally going to over power and outlive the oppression of the anti-digital musicians.  The question now is, is being called a programmer in a computer world really something an audio professional should use to ostracize the reality of the inevitable?

 With the inevitable idea being that soon technology will have found a way to eliminate the separation between these related roles, I take into consideration that others are starting to consider the martial art of beat making a historical part in the timeline of music. Today at Full Sail University, in celebration of Black History Month, the Black Student Union and the Producers Guild are taking part in a celebration called the Cotton Club that will show case some of the greatest African American musical influences in American history. This event will also be focused on a modern day beat battle. Events such as these strongly support the idea that the programmer is indeed to receive recognition among some as an important piece of history.

With the new changes in the industry underway, it can now be said that a beat maker can not only possibly be viewed as a real producer but can consider being called a programmer a complement in todays audio industry. With these things in mind, my intent is to enter the modern day beat competition in hopes of receiving an opportunity to showcase my best programs. My following blog will discuss the outcome of the event. I would love to hear what you think! See you there!