Meet Shoyei, Musician and Producer

Shoyei provides royalty-free music for personal and commercial use. Specializing in chill hip-hop and indie, he has had success working with marketing agencies, filmmakers, vloggers, and artists alike. He has been sending out free music on a monthly basis to his subscriber list.

To learn more, check out shoyei.net.

1. How did you first get involved in producing music?

I've played instruments my whole life, but when I got to college, space became an issue. I couldn't set up with a bunch of loud gear to practice, so I resorted to playing around with samples, synthesizers, and drumpads on my computer. Over the years I've had plenty of opportunities to use what I know about producing to help out with some cool projects.

2. What made you decide to create work to share on a royalty-free basis?

I've been in enough situations where quality stock music is required and it ends up being hard to come by. A lot of what you find on the web is very generic or has a "dated" sound. I've always been writing fun beats and hooks, so I saw this need and wanted to contribute.

3. What's your process like when it comes to working with a client on creating a custom track for them?

Good question. First I ask my clients what kind of mood they're looking for and what the big picture is. If they have an example of something that inspired them, I will absolutely work with that. I work mostly with filmmakers, so the vibe is very important. Once I feel like I'm onto something, I send a snippet back to see if it's what they had envisioned. If not, I start again. It normally takes two revisions to get to where both parties are really happy.

4. Could you tell us about some of your favorite projects that you've worked on over the years?

My most challenging request was a full-length documentary that had their original source for the score fall through. They asked me and a close colleague of mine to score the entire film before they were scheduled for their MPAA rating. That happened to be a month away. We wrote and recorded 17 individual pieces for the film. The entire experience stretched me as a musician, but I still feel proud of many of those pieces.

5. When it comes to your royalty-free tracks, what are some of your favorite ways you've seen your work used?

I've seen my tracks used at conferences and film festivals, which is a really great feeling for me. It's also really awesome to hear some of it behind a filmmaker's video reel. It means that they're putting their best foot forward with the best music they could find.

Thanks, Shoyei!