Working with top artists and producing platinum music is just as much a science as a math equation.
There is an equation that if done correctly, will provide results for producers and music engineers alike.
There is an art to networking with artists and creating the trust and bond necessary to collaborate and produce the best work.
As the founder of Leave Normal Behind, I am always interested in sharing stories about individuals who are becoming the best version of themselves and creating things that matter.
In this article I will share 3 tips to working with top music artists and producing platinum music by shining a light on Patrizio Pigliapoco aka. Teezio.
Chances are you’ve bumped a song engineered by Patrizio “Teezio” Pigliapoco and you didn’t even know it. Ever heard of Freaky Friday or Go Crazy by Chris Brown? Exactly. Teezio is an expert audio engineer having worked with R&B & Hip-Hop heavyweights like Justin Beiber, Future, Juicy J, Busta Rhymes and Nicki Minaj
The now 30 year old music producer has developed his own equation for building relationships and maximizing those relationships with quality work and integrity.
When he talks about starting in the music business, Teezio attributes much of his work ethic to his father, who from an early age supported Patrizio’s musical passions buying him equipment.
At an early age Teezio played the bass and showed his talent for music, which was molded when he went on to attend the Los Angeles Recording School, whose alumnus have worked with major artists in music like Beyonce, Whitney Houston, and Bruno Mars.
While going to the LA Recording School, he worked with Juicy J as his recording engineer while getting placements on other artists’ songs. At just 18 years old, Teezio had his start with the historic Three 6 Mafia. Teezio went on to be a driving force behind legendary hits on early Juicy J mixtapes like Blue Dream & Lean 2. And since then Teezio has continued to engineer hit-after-hit.
Below I share 3 Tips that you can use to network and collaborate with top music artists to engineer platinum, grammy-nominated music.
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Step 1: Master Your Craft
We all know the famous quoate, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” However, this quote is not entirely true! The truth is that “what you know” leads you to “who you know” because “who you know” does not want to know you unless you “know what you know”.
Simply put, you have to have the skills so that people who can accelerate your life find value in what you have to offer. If you do not master your craft when you are alone, then you will never succeed when you have the opportunity in front of others.
Teezio committed to perfecting his craft and technique. The pace that is needed to work with elite artists is unparalleled. In just a year and a half, Teezio was able to record 250 songs with Chris Brown equating to 2-3 songs completed in a typical recording session. Teezio’s technical skills are most important when arranging and editing beats that sonically fit with Brown’s melodic R&B style. In these moments, Teezio might edit beats or a track’s arrangement to accommodate vocals.
Being able to identify these areas for adjustment on the fly is what allows Teezio to remain an exclusive recording engineer for one of the world’s top artists.
Tip 2: Make People Comfortable, It’ll Bring New Opportunities
When you make people comfortable, you are able to gather the best work from them. In addition, when you are pleasant to be around you’ll be first to recommend to other artists.
No matter what industry you are in, make an effort to always provide more value than you take in payment.
After a few years working with Juicy, he worked with Busta Rhymes and started to get consistent work with other artists, igniting the start to his now cemented legacy.
Relationships make all the difference, and being respected by his fellow musicians always means the most. Now, a 3x Grammy nominated engineer Teezio continues to deliver with the artists he engineers for.
Tip 3: Go The Extra Mile & Stand Out
In highly competitive industries, sometimes the difference between two people is only marginal. You must do whatever you can to separate yourself from others.
Teezio talks about the relationship and administrative work that goes into having success with A-list artists like Chris Brown.
Teezio acknowledges his title as a recording engineer but describes the extra efforts that’s required of him in order to coordinate with producers and record labels to get tracks, beats, and samples cleared for final mixing.
He gladly embraces this project management beyond the studio because as he states, “there are only five or six of the top artists in the world and so in this position there’s not a lot of them. If you’re not willing to go the extra step, there’s ten other people that are.” Teezio knows the game is more than just what you can do in a recording studio.
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These 3 tips can be used regardless of industry, age, gender, skillset, etc. They are timeless truths that you can use to your benefit.
Master your craft so you are in the position to collaborate with others who are on your level and have mastered their craft as well. When you do this you create WIN-WIN scenarios that are great for both parties.
In addition, mastering your craft makes networking so much easier. No one likes to feel taken advantage of and when you bring value to the table it is easy to network with like-minded indiviudals who provide value as well. If you want more opportunities, simply provide value to all those around you and watch what happens.
Lastly, pay attention to your energy and how you project yourself onto others. Does it feel good to be around you? Or do you bring a cloud of negative energy wherever you go. Make sure that you audit your energy and recognize that if you provide good energy to the space around you then you’ll be invited back and recommended to others. Word of mouth is the most powerful form of marketing and nothing is better than being co-signed by an influential individual who can advance your career by introducing you to new people and opportunities.