Jeffrey Weber on Real Music Production, Sustainable Careers & Why Music Still Needs Soul

Grammy-Winning Producer Jeffrey Weber on Capturing the Moment, Serving the Artist, and Building a Career That Lasts

Interview Transcript:

Florentino: Welcome to TCU Magazine. My name is Florentino Buenaventura, and we are brought to you by Tone Culture United.

TCU Magazine is all about giving artists, musicians, producers, creators, and industry professionals real information on how to build sustainable careers in the music industry. This business can be a challenge, and our goal is to bring you insight, wisdom, and practical ideas from people who have lived it, shaped it, and continue to contribute to it.

Today, I have a very special guest. He is a Grammy-winning, Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum producer. He is an author, an industry voice, and someone who has worked with artists including Michael McDonald, Nancy Wilson, Pat Boone, and many others. He is also a regular speaker at NAMM, and his sessions are always packed.

Jeffrey Weber, welcome to TCU Magazine.

Jeffrey Weber: Thank you very much, Tino. It is always a pleasure to be with you on these things. I love them.

What Does a Producer Actually Do?

Florentino: We have talked a lot over the years about different parts of the music industry and your role in it. Let me start with something simple, because I think there is a lot of confusion around this: what is a music producer?

Jeffrey Weber: That is a great question, and the reason it is a great question is because in the music business today there are a series of what I call producer hyphenates.

There are engineer-producers, songwriting producers, musician-producers, arranger-producers, and each one of those hyphenates has to serve two different masters.

If you are a songwriting producer, you want to make sure your song is seen in the best possible light so that someone else might cover it. That can create an additional revenue stream, but you also have to pay attention to the artist.

If you are a recording engineer-producer, you have to pay attention to all the sonics that go into making a recording: microphone placement, the technical details, and everything that supports a successful recording. But again, you also have to pay attention to the artist.

So your attention is always split in some way.

I am of the mind that a producer serves the artist exclusively and serves the artist's music exclusively. If you need the other components, and of course you do, then you hire people who are better than you in those areas. I want to be the weakest link in the room.

If I do my job right in the pre-production process, the producer has already established and enhanced the vision of the artist. The role is to establish the vision and the trust between the artist and the producer so the artist does not fear failure.

Failure is our greatest weapon, actually. As long as the producer-artist relationship is solid, there is no fear of failure, especially in an industry that is 100 percent judgmental, 100 percent of the time.

That bond between the artist and the producer is unique, and the relationship does not happen in the recording studio. It happens everywhere else. It happens during late night phone calls, early dinners, disagreements, constant contact, revisions of music, exploring ideas and options, and, of course, laughter. We need lots of laughter. Laughter is medicine.

If we do our job right in pre-production, the tone, the atmosphere, and the creative process have already begun before we ever walk into the studio. There is a certain flexibility and freedom I want in my recordings that nurtures the artist and everyone around the artist. The atmosphere and culture of a recording session are very important to me.

Florentino: You absolutely answered it. A lot of people today think of producers as beat makers. They think, I made a beat, so I am a producer. There can be a part of that in production, but it is not the same thing.

Jeffrey Weber: I forgot about the beat maker-producer. In my opinion, that person is not really a producer. That person is what I would call a programmer.

I have been in recording sessions where a singer sings, the engineer starts the computer, and the producer says, "Okay, that is okay. Let's do another one." Then he says the same thing five times in a row.

If I were that singer, I would be thinking, "What was wrong with the third take? How should I make this better? What am I doing wrong?" Those are the questions every singer needs answered.

If the producer just keeps saying, "Let's do it again," there is no comfort and no understanding of what the producer is after. The singer is completely flummoxed. They have nowhere to go.

The worst thing a producer can say is, "Do not worry, we will do a comp." That says, in effect, "You did poorly, and now we have to pick out words and phrases and piece together a vocal track based on your insecurities."

Capturing Performance Instead of Manufacturing It

Florentino: That is true, and quite often that is how records are being made today. I want to jump into your process because the way you make records is a lost art. There are only a handful of people who work the way you do.

Your psychological approach as a producer is core to the process, but from a technical and artistic standpoint, tell us how you approach making records.

Jeffrey Weber: The main philosophy of my process is to capture performance rather than manufacture one.

Most of my records are done live to two tracks, with no mixing, no editing, no overdubbing, no Auto-Tune, nothing. If we have three guitar parts, we have three guitar players. Everyone is in the same room. Yes, there is isolation, but everyone is together.

There is a combustive energy that occurs in that environment that cannot be achieved the same way with multitrack recording. When people of the finest caliber see other people of the finest caliber, there is a lift. There is a collective tension in the room that says everybody has to be on their A-game.

It is magical. Even the mistakes are magical.

At the end of a great take, there is complete silence because nobody understands what just happened. It will never happen again exactly like that. Then there is an exhale and everybody says, "Wow, we have to hear that."

Sometimes we record live to multitrack, especially to give a vocalist some flexibility to examine or repair a vocal. But generally, this is the way I like to record music because it is sonically superior, emotionally more satisfying, and financially feasible.

Most of my records are done quickly once we get into the studio. If we are doing live to two tracks, I will generally do four songs with each artist and we are done in a day. If we do eight or twelve songs, it might be two or three days. Then you have something you can sell. Not even I can mess with it.

Given today's habit of listening to music on computers, tablets, and earbuds, I still do not believe in dumbing music down for those platforms. If someone wants to hear good music, all they have to do is find a good system and they will be amazed by the nuances, the intricacies, and the call and response between players.

That is the music I like to make.

I will be honest: it is increasingly difficult to do because more musicians and singers are not as developed in their craft as they believe they are. I tell artists that if they can understand how much sacrifice, practice, money, stress, and rejection it takes just to be really awful, they might begin to understand what it takes to be good.

If sitting alone in a room for six hours practicing your instrument feels like a vacation, you win. If it feels like torture or jail, there will be other things for you to do, but it probably will not be music.

The true practitioners of music are so superb. It may be a far-fetched comparison, but they are the brain surgeons of their field. When I walk in as a producer and sit among these amazing players I have recruited, I sometimes lose the fact that I am the producer and become a fan. That is a wonderful transition for me.

The heavy lifting of the entire record is done in pre-production. One of my records might take one day, two days, or seven days maximum in the studio, but pre-production can take 12 to 36 months. We microscopically tear everything apart, put it back together, and see if it works long before we walk into the studio.

The songs, the arrangements, the artist, the preparation, and the engineering plan are all worked through in advance. So when we finally get to the studio, the artist may be nervous at first, but once the music starts, the artist retreats into their comfort zone and they kill it.

Records That Capture That Philosophy

Florentino: People need to hear some of the albums you have done. Give us a couple of records that resonate with you and show how that process comes through.

Jeffrey Weber: I will give you a few.

One is Diane Schuur with the Count Basie Orchestra. We went to A&M Studios in Hollywood and brought in the entire Count Basie band. Diane came in and performed a set. There was no "let's hear it again" or "let's do it again" in the usual way. She performed a 45 or 50 minute set twice, and that was the record.

It was live, as you might imagine. It spent a year at number one and won two Grammys. It was done in one day. Yes, we did some fixes, but I was very lucky to produce that record with Morgan Ames, who is a brilliant, brilliant woman. We had tremendous success.

All the David Benoit records I did, including Linus and Lucy, were done live to two tracks with no mixing, editing, or overdubbing.

You mentioned Pat Boone. That one was a hybrid. We had a large ensemble and did everything live to two tracks except Pat's vocal because we did not want to put that much pressure on him.

Toni Tennille was live to two tracks: 22 songs in 11 hours. It was an amazing recording. She wept after it was done and told me that finally she had done something she felt was worthy.

These recordings are cathartic in many ways. There is an immediacy that happens in a two-track or live recording that you do not feel in a multitrack session where everything is stacked, taken apart, and rebuilt into a three-dimensional stage. We do the mixing in front. The whole process of recording is reversed.

What you get is a memory that will not go away. The musicians and singers become a family. We may not see each other for five or ten years, but when we do, it is like we never left each other on that day.

That is why we got into music. It is not contrived. It is not, "If I do this at this BPM for this amount of time, I will capture the pop market." It is sophisticatedly raw, if that makes any sense.

Florentino: It does.

Jeffrey Weber: It really is magical.

What often happens is the artist performs above and beyond their own expectations. They do not know how. A recent example is a record I did with a saxophone player from Jamaica. He came in, and I asked him, "What is the most difficult song?"

He said it was a cover of Billy Preston's "Nothing from Nothing." He knew the arrangement and had practiced it, but he told me, "Jeff, I do not know what I am going to do. I am very afraid."

Then he went into the studio. The red light went on, the music started, and he was no longer with us in the ordinary sense. He was in a completely different zone and he played his heart out.

When it finished, everyone looked around and blinked a few times. We all knew we did not have to do that again. I asked him how he felt, and he said, "I do not know where that came from. I released myself and I have no idea what happened."

That is the magic of those sessions. It does not happen often, but when it does, you smile for the rest of your life.

Florentino: It is like when the musician finally hits that mark and a bell goes off.

Jeffrey Weber: There is something tragic about a guitar player having to do 10, 12, 14, or 16 takes on an eight-bar guitar solo. That is a more difficult component of making music.

The best example on the other side might be how Steely Dan made records. They came out spectacularly well because they had a great idea of what they wanted, and they kept doing things over and over, even auditioning fantastic drummers repeatedly. It is exhausting in a way, but that was their process and they were great at it.

That does not work for my process because we do not have that kind of money.

Florentino: That was the era when it was common to spend a million dollars making a record, and first-call players were rewarded more than they are now. When I say first-call players, I am talking about the players you hear on record after record because they always bring it. People like Nathan East, John Robinson, JR Robinson, and many others. I am giving you bassists and drummers because I am a bassist by nature.

Jeffrey Weber: Speaking of drummers, Vinnie Colaiuta is one of the top drummers on the planet. I called him a year in advance for one of these sessions. He is stunning. I have also worked with Nathan, JR, and many others. These players make your jaw drop.

They are household names in our world, but not necessarily in every world. You see them and hear them, but you may not know their names.

I asked Vinnie a year in advance, and he said, "Why are you asking me a year in advance?" I said, "If I called you six months in advance, would you be available?"

Building a Sustainable Music Career

Florentino: That is the truth. These players are still incredibly active, and we are fortunate to know many of them. We are going to bring more of them into this series.

We recently interviewed Tris Imboden, who played with Chicago for nearly 30 years and is connected to so much great music. We also have Larry Dunn, a great friend who helped change the face of music with Earth, Wind & Fire. We are blessed to have Jeff Weber as our producer voice on how this industry can be shaped.

At Tone Culture United, we believe we have to do this together. We need a stronger community so that we do not see the extinction of the professional musician. There is great young talent out there, but many artists do not yet know how to build a sustainable career. They get the million views and realize the money is not what they thought it would be.

So here is the big question: how do you have a sustainable career in this music industry? You speak on this often, including at NAMM. I know it is a giant can of worms, but how would you put it in a bite-sized version?

Jeffrey Weber: My thought process is called the Connective Tissue Theory of Maintaining Relevance, which is another way of talking about sustainability.

It is the mindset that whatever you do in your career has to be connected to something else that will elevate your career, even if only in very small amounts.

Take a regular gig. You should never do a gig unless two things are available to you.

First, you have to have something to sell. You cannot do a gig in a vacuum. If you excite the audience, they will want to take something home as a memory. It could be an old-fashioned CD, a hat, a jersey, or any kind of merch. You have to have something to sell.

Second, you must collect the data. Someone on your team, and if you do not have a team, get a team, needs to collect names and email addresses from the audience.

The next day, every person who was at that show should get a personal email from the artist. Something like, "I know you attended my show last night, and I was not able to connect with you in person. I want you to know how valuable you are to my continued success. I am coming back to the same venue in about 12 weeks, and I would love for you to come again so I can meet you, shake your hand, and thank you."

Anything that happens has to move the needle. Doing a gig by itself does not move the needle unless you take advantage of what is possible. To do nothing is to stand still. To take every opportunity and connect it to the next level gives you a way to sustain yourself.

Every performance should increase the number of people you can talk to directly. Since they have seen you before, they may want to come back.

That connective tissue mindset is very important to sustainability in my world.

I also cannot emphasize this enough: be good at your craft. It does not matter whether it is songwriting, performing, or singing. That is first and foremost. The next part is strategy.

Social platforms can be propellers. TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms can push your music to people who may come see a show or buy something from you. Subscription-based services can also be valuable, but you need a strong network for that.

Social media matters, but it is a full-time job. You need to show up regularly without becoming annoying. People are bombarded by advertisements, spam, marketing calls, and nonsense every day. You have to find a way through that noise.

If someone is better than you at social media, get that person to help. You cannot sit there all day putting things up. It is difficult.

Florentino: That is the chicken-and-egg problem. A lot of young artists ask, "How do I get likes and follows?" But the better question is, "How do I truly own my craft?"

One challenge is that so many artists are creating alone through social media, YouTube, or TikTok, and the collaboration piece gets lost. Artists still need to make musician friends, perform with other people, jam in the garage like we used to do, and play gigs as part of a group.

Another takeaway is not to assume that followers equal connection. There is always a gatekeeper on the other end of those platforms deciding who sees your post and who does not. If a post is considered interesting and relevant, it may get shared. If it is too promotional, the platform may restrict how many people see it.

That is why I agree with you about email addresses. With email, you have a direct line to your audience. Not everyone will open it, but at least you know you sent it directly to 100, 1,000, or 10,000 people.

Jeffrey Weber: Getting together in a garage, coming up with material, performing at graduations, dances, corporate gigs, or whatever you can get, all of those jobs are good for more than the job itself.

You are doing the job, but you are also learning each other.

A musician has to listen. The art of listening to other musicians is the same art a background vocalist needs when singing with other singers. The art of listening is followed closely by the art of collaboration, and then by the art of creativity.

When those things come together, you get better as a bandmate, your band gets better, and opportunities, even low-paying ones at first, become more evident. That is how you learn.

You have to do it because you love it, not because you want to have a career. Music has to be something you cannot not do.

I was a musician before I became a producer, but I was a horrible musician. I realized at an early age that I was terrible. Then I realized the band had not fired me because we were rehearsing at my parents' place, so I had a get-out-of-jail-free card.

I did not have the desire to practice endlessly. Taking lessons was one thing, but sitting at home doing paradiddles for 20 minutes did not work for me. In a way, my career was based on accident.

But everything you said is right. You have to love what you are doing. You have to love being in the band. You have to love rehearsing, performing, and creating. That is the gasoline that propels you.

If you understand what a song is, and if you understand that we relate to songs through shared lyrical experience and rhythm, then you begin to understand the craft. You need a compelling melody and lyrics that are unique without being so unique that you are too hip for the room.

That passion does not start the day you pick up an instrument. It starts earlier, listening to your parents' music, listening to what your friends are listening to, falling in love with a genre or an artist, and realizing, "I want to do that. How do I do that?"

I have a grandson who sings all by himself just to sing. He does not know anything about the music industry, revenue streams, touring, or copyright. He just sings because he likes to do it. If that continues, that is the love.

Advice for Established Players in a New Climate

Florentino: That passion piece is important because people get into this business thinking they are going to become millionaires overnight. They think it is the path to the pot of gold.

I have been blessed to be connected with people from Earth, Wind & Fire, and one thing that stands out is that even at the height of massive success, the money does not always set you up for life the way people imagine. That is why the passion has to be there. You sacrifice for this.

That brings me to the players who have been doing this for years. They may have recorded with great groups, had hits, or been relevant in the jazz world or other scenes, but now they are facing a new generation, content creation, social media, chasing likes and follows, and fewer easy places to play. What advice do you have for those established artists?

Jeffrey Weber: If you do not live in Los Angeles, that can be a plus. You do not need to live in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles is a pay-for-play city. A club may sell you 50 tickets at $10 each, and you can sell them for whatever you want. But if you do not have a network in Los Angeles, who are you going to sell them to?

Anytime you can live outside of Los Angeles, you may find that you can be more creative with less stress. You can still come to Los Angeles to record or play if you have the funds, but you need to think about how you will get people to that show. How will you prove to a promoter or venue operator that you can put 50 to 100 people in seats?

I feel strongly that you do not need to be in New York, Miami, Nashville, or Los Angeles. If you go to Nashville as a songwriter because you think Nashville is the place, maybe it is, but there are also many people just like you there. By moving there, you may marginalize yourself.

Start where you are. Be the big fish in your own pond. There are fewer people doing exactly what you do, and you are surrounded by friends and family who want to see you succeed.

And please, in the beginning, you do not need a manager. A lot of new artists ask, "How do I get a manager?" I ask them, "What is there to manage? Are you overburdened with opportunity?" If the answer is no, you do not need a manager yet.

At that stage, a manager can only do reactive things, not proactive things. That is another story, but it matters.

Florentino: You may not need a manager at the beginning, but it is good to have a mentor. You need someone who can advise you, because as an artist, it is personal. Sometimes you think something will work one way, but the business works differently.

Jeffrey Weber: I love the idea of a mentor. I wish I had one myself. I did not, but I want to be a mentor. I am a mentor.

I want people to know everything I know. I do not want there to be hidden secrets. I want to explain how to do it right because there are so many ways people are doing it wrong.

A lot of younger artists see people making music in bedrooms on gear they barely understand, with modest credibility as musicians or vocalists, and they short-circuit the process. In doing so, they become limited editions, which means their lifespan in the industry may be limited.

I want to make myself available to people who are serious and understand that they cannot do anything else. Those people need a mentor. That is not what a manager does. A manager is there to help manage business and revenue. A mentor helps shape the person and the path.

Florentino: Managers can give advice when they are the right people and have the right insights and connections, but until you are at the point where management is relevant, you are right. Mentors are needed from the beginning.

Jeffrey Weber: People like me rely on records and consultations. I do multi-hour consultations where we talk about career paths and how to establish a foundation you can grow on.

I take this very seriously. Someone may say, "Could you listen to my song and tell me what you think?" I now ask, "Do you want me to flatter you, or do you want me to tell you the truth?"

If you want the truth, you have to understand that I listen to a song six or eight times, and each time I am listening for something different. I listen once for the overall audience vibe. I listen for composition, lyric content, melody, arrangement, and sonics. I may spend 30, 40, or 50 minutes on one song.

So the answer is not simply, "Sure, I will listen and tell you what I think." I have spent 45 years listening to songs and working on them. If I give you advice, you make the change, and the song takes off, what are the odds that you are coming back with a check to say thank you? We both know the odds.

This work matters to me. Every time someone comes to me with a song, it is important, and I need them to realize it is important too.

AI, Soul, and the Journey

Florentino: As we come toward the close of this session, we are going to have more conversations with you on different topics. I think the next one will be AI. What did we decide on, Jeff?

Jeffrey Weber: AI is the 800-pound gorilla. We can spend a lot of time on it: how it manifests in the creative process, whether artists should be afraid of it, whether it is a death blow, or whether they should embrace it and move to the next level with it.

There are things AI can do and things AI cannot do. Right now, AI does not have soul. It does not have commitment. So there is still room.

Florentino: That connects to something you touched on earlier. People are so quick to get to the end result that they forget the real treasure comes from the journey: how you get there and what you do to get there.

People are always looking for the shortcut. What I have learned from you, and what I apply in what I do, is that you have to enjoy the journey. Those 12 months of preparation for seven days in the studio are part of the soul of the project. If you shortcut that, you lose part of the soul, or maybe all of it.

Jeffrey Weber: You lose it.

How many people can say they are making music because it is something they love? Many people work to live. In our business, whenever we get to make music, we are gratified and grateful that we can do it. We do not always think about the financial outcome because that is often outside our control.

The actual creation of music, the turn of phrase you did not know you could create, that is the thing. Songwriters keep a pad and pen next to their bed because they never know where inspiration will come from. A sentence or phrase can become the basis of a song.

A song can remind you of growing up, your first kiss, your first car, your first breakup. That is what matters. There is nothing like it.

If you carry that with you, you will be fulfilled. Hopefully the finances will come, but writing a great song, which is very difficult, is an incredible achievement.

As a producer, when I hear something in my head from an artist, I am always trying to capture it. I am not always successful. Most of the time, maybe I am not. But I hear what it could be, what I want it to be, what it should be. That is where pre-production comes in, along with creating a culture of flexibility and freedom in the recording studio.

The Weber Report and Industry Truths

Florentino: You heard it right there. This first conversation covered a lot: what a producer really does, how that differs from what many people think production is today, and how artists can think about sustaining a career.

Jeffrey Weber: I write about these journeys on Substack. The publication is called The Weber Report: The Music Industry Without the Bull.

It is a free subscription. If anyone is interested in my wonderfully jaded perspective, I write about things like what a manager actually manages, what a producer really is, and some of the outrageous truths in the music business.

For example, I have an article where I say that if you sign a major label recording contract, your career may be over, and I can prove it.

These are things nobody talks about, but they exist in our business every day. Recording contracts can include clauses stating that the record company does not have to release your product, regardless of how much money they give you.

You do not always know why they signed you. They may say they love you, but that does not necessarily mean anything. You could be a tax write-off. They may have signed another artist and spent a ton of money on them, then heard you and realized you were better. One way to eliminate the competition is to buy it.

They can sign you, pay you a lot of money, lock you into exclusivity, and put your product on a shelf because they spent more money on someone else. What happens then? Your career is over. You cannot go anywhere. End of story.

Florentino: With that said, let me close with one last question. For the people tuning in, what is the one thing you want them to leave with from this conversation?

We will have many more of these talks. Make sure to connect with Jeff's Substack, and if you are at NAMM, make sure you attend his presentation.

Jeffrey Weber: My topic for NAMM 2027 is AI as it affects producers, engineers, and studio operators. Up to this point, the conversation has been mostly about musicians, songwriters, and creative people. But how is AI affecting the people behind the glass?

Florentino: That is perfect. We have many more conversations coming. You can sign up for the email list at ToneCultureUnited.com. So, Jeff, what do you want people to leave with?

Jeffrey Weber: If you are passionate and committed, do not give up. You cannot give up.

This is incredibly rewarding. If you strip away the periphery and get to the purity of making music, you cannot be disappointed at any level.

Making music is magical. It is medicine. It is everything you want it to be as part of a fulfilling life.

If you understand music, then you understand technology, fashion, food, and everything about life, because that is what music is. Music is life.

Closing Thought

Florentino: I would add this: do not half-step it. If you are going to do it, do it right. Give 100 percent.

A lot of people treat music like a job and think, "I am only getting paid this much, so I will only give this much." But if you do not give 100 percent, you are going to find that it becomes a lost cause.

Work with people who have the same commitment. When you give 100 percent and others give 80 or 90 percent, that missing 10 percent becomes hesitation. When it is time to jump the chasm or make the big leap, that hesitation can pull everything back.

Jeffrey Weber: If you do not bring it 100 percent of the time for every opportunity, you are exactly right. You never know who is listening.

Whether it is a birthday party or an auditorium filled with 75,000 people, you have to bring it every time to the best of your ability because you never know who is out there.

Florentino: Thank you for tuning in to TCU Magazine. This was more than an interview. Jeff and I have great conversations, and we have been great friends for years.

At Tone Culture United, we are here to support the musician from gear to career. We want artists to build sustainable careers, find real education, connect with community, and eventually access new opportunities to generate revenue.

Make sure to follow Tone Culture United on social media, connect with Jeff on Substack, and tune in for the next conversation.

Jeffrey Weber: Thank you, Tino. I appreciate you. Thanks, everyone.