Ghost Production is killing EDM!

A heavily contested practice in the EDM community, ghost producing is argued by some to enable obscure producers to earn income and advance their industry notoriety, but the reality is that they may actually be doing their careers more harm than good.
Ghost production is one of the most hotly debated subjects in electronic music. People who support ghost producing argue that the long-term value of a superstar is more important than the music the star performs. Detractors argue that ghost producing ruins the spirit of music, tricking listeners into thinking their favorite artists are fully responsible for the music they release. Like many things in music and life, however, the situation is much more grey than it is black and white.
We often listen that ghost producing is a widespread practice that’s hurting producers, writers, artists, and fans. Producers do not need to resort to edm ghost production to have a successful career as a producer or DJ, and that ghost production oftentimes can hurt more than it can help.
But not every talanted musician has been as lucky as famouse DJs-producers, and many creators in the dance music space go quietly uncredited. At the same time artists who can’t even operate a DAW (digital audio workstation) to create original music even if they wanted to, yet they “release” a steady stream of records each year to throngs of hungry listeners. Some of producers have had their creative work played on Top 40 radio around the world without even being named in the title or credits of the records they’ve created.

This is a paradox and exactly this fact is annoying a lot of people. But on the other side we should think deeper. Is it so bad? The situation is dictated by the listeners. And the constant recharge of new music, which is performed by all the same beloved artists. This is what the viewer and the artist both need, so as long as possible to be popular and earn. Accordingly, the producers will have an income too. The only difference is that there will be more producers, or they will even change. All this is for getting fresh ideas and views on sound. Everything in the world is moving and developing, and it also happens with music.
The most important thing to understand about the ghost producing phenomenon is that it is rooted in distribution. The current landscape of electronic music is as saturated as it’s ever been, with more and more musicians making and releasing content today than any other time in history. This has created a variety of consequences, the most pertinent one being: it is harder than ever before to cut through the noise as an electronic artist.
The problem with this mentality is that by ghost producing for more established artists, newer artists are actually reducing their odds of cutting through the noise even further. With each new hit an older DJ/producer releases, the expiration date on his/her career gets delayed. This means that instead of becoming outdated, older DJs will actually remain on the festival bills for a few more years than they would have otherwise. Ghost production allows the more established artists to have a steady stream of new, relevant music, which helps them to avoid one of the most common pitfalls any musician faces historically: an eventual change in consumer listening tastes.

By allowing artists to persist through ghost production, the more established acts will consistently have a new, fresh sound to keep up with the times, which keeps them relevant for far longer than they could remain otherwise. With the headliners never truly retiring from the scene, more pressure and crowding occurs at the lower levels of the festival bill, making those slots even more precious and sought after. This makes the competition within dance music even more fierce, and the DJs who tend to succeed overwhelmingly in today’s saturated market are increasingly the ones who have mastered the art of marketing.
It’s our reality. Many talented creators never achieve their own dreams, spending years in the shadows of others. But due to “ghost production” these people have the opportunity to earn staying in background. Otherwise they have neither earnings nor a fame.
Anyway nobody prohibit accomplish personal goals. For example, Kygo began as a bedroom producer in Norway, and now he plays massive sold out shows worldwide on an incredible scale (he also secured support from Diplo early on in his career). Flume opted for a new style of R&B and electronic fusion, and it has carried him to brilliant heights he might not have reached if he’d opted for the ghost producing approach. Each musician must make their own choices, but it’s important to understand how those choices might affect an artist’s future—and the future of the dance community as a whole.

Sources : edm ghost production