Kevin Gani Speaks with Time Bulletin on Collaboration In The Music Industry

Collaboration within the music industry is not a new concept, with talented musicians throughout the decades pairing up to harness their creativity and combine their skills to develop musical masterpieces. Over the past 20 years, the way that we interact with music has changed significantly. We no longer buy physical CDs or even download MP3s; instead, we rely on streaming services and find new artists via social media. The demand for new, fresh content on streaming and social media services has meant that collaboration has grown in importance in the digital era.

Kevin Gani is an international multi-genre music producer currently in Kansas and has excellent experience collaborating with some of the world’s most experienced musicians, major and up-and-coming artists. Recently, he has worked with Bugsy Malone on his highly anticipated album and is one to watch in the future. He sat down with here at Time Bulletin  to discuss why he believes music collaboration is vital for progression within the music industry and gave us his opinion on some of the best collaborating artists of all time.

What Are The Benefits Of Music Collaboration?

Music collaboration comes with its many advantages – both in a creative sense and a business one.

One of the most obvious advantages of musical collaboration is the sharing of different skills and ideas. The music industry is full of talented people with different skill sets, and one of the best ways you can learn from them is through collaboration.

During our discussion, Gani described his collaborative process, saying “when working as a producer, I collaborate with singers, rappers, musicians and sound engineers to create the final product – bringing all their talents together to create a track that listeners will love. Working alongside others allows artists to hone their skills and develop their craft. It can also help increase productivity as collaboration can help combat writer’s block by sharing ideas”.  He went on to say “the ideas can come from anyone of us in the room, with no creative limits or boundaries… if it sounds good, then it sounds good”

Collaborating with others allows artists/producers to learn new techniques by working with others outside of their own speciality or even genre. Kevin Gani has been known to collaborate on projects across various genres from pop, house, to rap, indie and more. He states that “this has allowed me to not only foster partnerships with many talented musicians but has also developed my experience in several areas, making me a better version of myself”.  

Additionally, collaboration facilitates a platform for constructive criticism and feedback on an artist’s work, which will, in turn, aid their development as an artist. Gani describes that “artists can become so focused on their tracks that they often lose objectivity and find it hard to identify ways to improve it”. He believes that feedback from others working on the track gives artists the perspective that they need to perfect their music.

Finally, Gani believes that collaboration can grow an artists or producers fan base and network connections. It allows artists to meet other musicians and producers which they may want to work with again in the future and can lead to fans of one artist then following the music or collaborations of an artist that they have worked with. This can lead to more promotional work, gig opportunities, future collaborations, and music label recognition – not to mention popularity on those vital streaming services. Kevin Gani sees this as the biggest advantage of music collaboration;

“Even top music producer Boi-1 da was introduced to Drake through his connection to another producer, D10. Due to this connection, Boi-1 da went on to collaborate with Drake on many tracks, including God’s Plan, which spent 11 weeks at the Billboard Number One Spot. Swiss producer Oz also rose to fame due to connections that he fostered throughout his career, gaining Meek Mill’s email address from a producer”

His examples reveal that both of these producers collaborate with many worldwide artists, and their success is down to these collaborations as it has helped them develop their skills and connections.

Collaboration ultimately comes down to connection and creativity, and in this increasingly digital and stimulated world, it is only going to become more important.

Find out more about Kevin Gani by visiting her website here and following his Instagram here