Anthony King is a music producer in Dallas, TX who produces under the name Anthony King Recordings. He prides himself in composing music that he loves as well as helping other artists to produce their records when they have a song ready to record. “Quality comes first when it comes to my work,” says Anthony. “As a producer, I make a wide range of music. My personal background in music involves marching band, symphonic, classical, pop, rap, electronica, and rock. All of these end up coming through in the music I compose myself. Working with clients, I have helped create many styles of music besides my primary styles. My clients also do country music, eastern Indian Pop music, and I even have done corporate work and helped companies make music for rallies. There’s definitely not one style or type of music that I work on and I have a strong music appreciation so I enjoy most any type of music.”
Many musicians start out in the garage with their friends. Anthony tells us “My first time creating music was with my band when I was 14 years old. We were mostly a cover band and played skating rinks and festivals. We came up with a couple of original songs that we performed only a few times back then. They are really vivid memories though!”
Music has many different meanings to everyone; from the fan to the artist to the producer. “Today as an independent music producer, what I want to convey to listeners depends on the nature of the artist that I’m working with. But in all cases I want the listener to get goosebumps. Achieving that comes from several things; the performance, the sound clarity, the sonic fidelity, and the soul. I try to bring the best out of an artist that I am working with and if they are doing a slow emotional song, I may have them do a part over and will coach them on how to deliver the part in a more emotional way or things like that. I may tell a rap artist to get more crunk on a specific line to emphasize a point. Things of that nature. But at the end of the day, it’s all about capturing the nature of what the song can be at it’s best and helping the artist that I’m working with to bring that out.” Getting started on a track might be a different story though.
The creation process can be quite unique for different producers. Anthony walks us through his own personal methods of creating that perfect track. “When I sit down to create a track I start by sitting in silence and thinking something up in my head. Then I might start to hum it out and do some beatboxing to get a basic beat. I’ll do that until I feel like I’ve caught the basic idea. At that point, I may or may not do a quick voice note recording on my phone of myself doing the beatboxing so that I have it for a quick reference. Then I go ahead and open up my DAW and I start with the drums and bass. Once I have the drums and bass hitting good then I’ll throw in the other sounds such as guitar or percussion instruments.” Getting a song off the ground can be a long journey, so how do you know when you’re done? For Anthony it is when he can play the song from start to finish without stopping to fix something. “It’s good to go.”
Anthony is clearly all-in on music and what it represents. “It’s really hard to name one artist or mentor that I admire because I admire anyone living the life,” says Anthony. “Everyone wants to be a star, but those who go out and actually create music and then get out and perform it are the true heroes. I respect the artists who take music further than the studio.”
It hasn’t been an easy road getting to where he is today. Anthony made a big decision to move to Dallas in order to push his music career to the next level. “The Music Box gave me a place to keep doing freelance production without having to try to get my own commercial building. Being that I’ve been doing music work outside of Dallas and just moved to Dallas in February, I’m starting over with almost no clientele. So renting a space at The Music Box was the perfect solution to be able to move cities, start from nothing, and start building up clients in the area. I’ve been able to come to The Music Box and get in the zone musically and not worry about if the music is too loud and I know I’ll never have to worry about a noise complaint from neighbors. I’m able to crank it up and really feel the music. It helps to make sure the mix is exciting and powerful at all volumes.”
Everyone wants to be a star, but those who go out and actually create music and then get out and perform it are the true heroes. I respect the artists who take music further than the studio.
Anthony King
For Anthony, some of his inspiration comes from his eclectic taste in music. “I listen to a lot of stuff, so I can’t really say I create music I don’t listen to, but I would say that because I have such a wide range of influences my music doesn’t sound exactly like any one thing. I might have 808s and live electric guitar in the same beat if it feels right.” On the future of his music, Anthony says, “I just want to keep producing and helping the artist that I work with on the next step in hopes of getting new music out on digital and terrestrial radio.”
If you’re an emerging artist looking for some words of wisdom, Anthony has this to say. “Don’t get caught up in doing what the masses are doing that doesn’t lead to success. Specifically, don’t put all of your talents into making music that you can’t legally put on the market. There’s nothing wrong with going and finding “free” beats online, but be real with yourself and remember that those songs are demos and not albums. Make the investment to buy exclusive rights to beats so that you can fully, and legally, put those songs out to radio and satellite stations. Remember that anyone and their cat can put a song on iTunes, but to get a song on rotation on Radio stations, you have to do things the way the FCC regulates things to be done. So I guess my advice is two-part. Invest in making music that you actually can legally release, and learn how the business actually works from a legal and regulatory side so that you can also maybe have the next song to hit big on radio.”
Want to know where you can find some music from Anthony King Recordings? “Being that I’m mostly the producer and not the artist, my music is hard to find in one place because it’s normally released by the artist. You can hear some tracks I’ve recorded for my clients on my website at www.MajorMediaStudios.com“
Anthony King Recordings
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I'm the co-owner of The Music Box and a lifelong musician as a euphonium player. The son of a band director, alumnus of the University of Alabama and father of 3, I keep busy on my Peloton and managing multiple businesses.