Legendary producer Timbaland is coming in with a lesson about self-worth for aspiring creatives.

The Virginia native opened up about the current climate of producers in the industry, noting that he believes young creatives aren’t placing enough value on their artistry, thus their pay is reflecting it.

At one point, Timbaland even revealed that he was making up to $500,000 per song at the height of his career, creating classics alongside fellow icons like Jay-Z, Missy Elliott, Aaliyah, Ludacris, and more.

 

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TImbaland Knows His Worth

“I used to get like $300[k], $500[k],” said the 50-year-old producer during an appearance on ProducerGrind. “Producing ain’t always just making music. It’s about producing a great atmosphere.”

Furthermore, he also revealed how the industry has shifted.

 

“The producer was respected way more,” he continued. “You needed a dope producer as an artist. You needed that, and now you got YouTube…it’s just not the same.”

He added, “It’s just like Wild Wild West out there.”

His Love For Music

During the conversation, he even opened up about his love for the craft, honing in on why he got started in the first place.

“I take music seriously,” said Timbaland on ProducerGrind.

 

And, although he made a good chunk of change from the music, the money seems to just be a plus.

“The music I’ve just loved it. It made me feel rich,” he said. “So, I gotta be consistent because I feel like I was making a million dollars every day when I wasn’t — because the music made me feel like a million bucks.”

Introducing Beatclub

As previously reported by AfroTech, Timbaland has never shied away from being a mentor and OG to up-and-coming producers.

As AfroTech previously reported, he even launched Beatclub — a platform that connects fellow music creators with major record labels, publishers, TV Shows, films, and more. Today, he says his focus is to continue opening doors for the next generation.

Paving The Way For Others

“It’s really like a high-end concierge service,” Timbaland explained. “Telling producers how to charge, don’t charge, you would not be making no money. We show you how to get to the money.”