Hey, it's Alan, and I just wanted to let you know that you can now listen to the ongoing history of new music early and ad-free on Amazon music, included with Prime.

We've all been to the movie, so we have an idea of what a director does.

He or she works with the actors and the editors and the makeup and costuming people and the special effects guys and everyone else to make a script come alive.

He or she tells everyone what to do and how to do it.

So what we see on the screen is the director's vision.

All right.

So what does a movie producer do?

He or she is the deal maker and the money person and the guy who does all the hiring.

In other words, the producer is the director's boss.

Okay.

So what does a record producer do? Well, a record

producer is kind of like a movie director, except that he's not, because ultimately it's the

band that's responsible for the music and the final product. And, well, let's just say it's a

tough gig, because you have to be both hands-on and hands-off

at the same time you have to coach teach encourage get mean pamper manipulate tolerate

communicate articulate whatever it takes to coax the best performance out of a band and the best

out of the available music.

And you have to keep everything on time and on budget, too.

It takes a special kind of person to be a record producer.

And for whatever reason, some of the biggest and most successful producers of the rock era are Canadian.

The Canadian producers.

Billions and billions served.

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