An Ear for Music

• The tone deaf need not apply in this field. A worker in music production must have a good ear for sound as well as a full understanding of the components of musical pieces, such as melody, tone and pitch. She must know how musical pieces and songs are created from scratch. She must also understand how the instruments being used are supposed to sound on a recording.
  
  

Education

• A music producer will be expected to have a degree or at least a certificate to find a position in the industry. You can get a certificate at some small community colleges in music production, but you will be more impressive to potential employers if you have a full B.A. or M.A. from a well-respected program.
  
  

Technical Skills

• The degree alone is not enough to keep a job in music production, even if you get one because of it. While the producer may or may not be the one actually operating the equipment, you must also fully understand how it all works, if only to properly manage the people working under you. Although some studios still have older mixing boards, many are switching to the use of computer programs that reduce costs while offering more options. You will need to understand both old and new technologies.
  
  

The Business Side

• Aside from the process of making, recording and editing music, a music producer is also involved in the complex process of promoting the music. For this requirement, it helps if you have taken at least rudimentary business management course. Some advanced courses in marketing, advertising, finance and business law would also be useful.