Today we’d like to introduce you to Andy Wildrick.
Hi Andy, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
So, I have pursued music for as long as I can remember. It seemed like the only career choice that made sense to me. I didn’t want to work in a field where it’s all about beating the competition and making deals… or gaming the stock market. Music has purity to it. Humans don’t need music to survive yet none of us can imagine a world without music. It’s one of the greatest gifts humanity has brought to the world. It fascinates me how humans are naturally drawn toward the enjoyment of music. It’s enchanting and magical.
I’ve noticed this more recently with my two-year-old daughter. I didn’t teach her to like music. I simply introduced music to her, and she can’t get enough. Since she could walk, she loves playing her songs and dancing. Evolutionarily speaking, this is super interesting to me. Music doesn’t help with any survival skills so why is this tiny human so naturally drawn to hearing songs? She knows how to tell Alexa to play Baby Shark 1000 times in a row. It never gets old to her.
I pursued music mainly as a guitarist and bassist with The Junior Varsity, The Dear Hunter, David Cook, and Leah Turner from 2002-2016. During the process, I worked with a number of successful music producers and fell in love with the art of crafting records. I loved touring and have performed at some incredible venues across the globe. My bands sold around 40-50,000 records apiece but that’s not quite enough to build a thriving business. That was ultimately the dream. Start a band that was successful enough to support a family. I couldn’t get that to materialize so I went back to school and got the degrees that allow me to teach music production and audio at the college level. I love my job as a music producer and as the audio program chair at SAE Institute Nashville.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Definitely not a smooth road. I came into the game when people still bought records. I grew up buying records. In the mid-2000s, music started to become free through streaming services and music piracy. This changed everything and the music industry still isn’t what it used to be. Now that Spotify and Youtube have taken over as the top mediums for listening to music, there is no going back to the old model. Music is essentially free now. So, you have to keep that in mind when considering a career in music. The product that you labor over, cannot be sold for money. You have to work outside deals with synchronization licenses to earn income from your recorded music. Streaming pays a disgustingly low amount, unfortunately.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am most proud of the productions on my website. As a music producer, my goal is to make sure the last project I worked on is the best-sounding thing I’ve ever done. Interestingly, I get quite a bit of business for my vocal production work. I love helping vocalists get every phrase just right. I like to point out adjustments that will make the arrangement airtight. I often write the harmonies as well. I think my music theory background lends itself well to vocal production. It’s fascinating because I’m not a very good singer myself!
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
I’m just a music lover that has carved out a career as a music producer and music educator. Living and working in Nashville has helped me learn how good you really have to be to excel. The music professionals in this town are disciplined, driven, ambitious, and super talented. It takes a combination of those traits to succeed.
Contact Info:
- Email: andy@wildricksound.com
- Website: www.wildricksound.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildricksound
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wildricksound/
