Timbaland is obviously one of the most legendary producers in hip hop history. He's been a part of a plethora of iconic songs, and he continues to make beats for some of the biggest names in the music industry.
In a recent conversation with ProducerGrind, Timbaland revealed his beat price at the height of his career. The producer also discussed why he thinks that number has since gone down.
According to Timbo, he once made as much as $500,000 for each beat he made. Back then, he was making tracks for Missy Elliott, Aaliya, Jay-Z, Ludacris, Genuwine, and more.
Additionally, Timberland highlighted the differences between today's process and the early aughts. "I usually get like $300, $500K back in the day," he explained. "We ain’t come from a world where you send beats; we come from when that b***h was tailor-made, you understand?"
Furthermore, he claims, now no one values the producer as much. "The producer was respected way more. You needed a dope producer as an artist," he said. "You needed that, and now you got YouTube. People putting beats, it’s just not the same. It’s just like Wild Wild West out there."
He also said that he's worried about the future of hip hop production, saying that AI technology is gaining more and more traction. "I knew this guy, one of my homeboys, he was working on this whole program that while the computer’s asleep, it’s generating sounds. And when he opens up it take white noise and make kicks the dopest snares while he sleeps," Timbaland detailed. "He working on this for years, and I’m sure he mastered it now. The computer makes his kits, he don’t get drum kits from people. Make samples while he sleeps."
Timbo also discussed his Beatclub platform, which he hopes will help young producers get the money they deserve for their work. "It’s really like a high-end concierge service. Telling producers how to charge, don’t charge, you would not be making no money," he described. "We show you how to get to the money."
[via]