Explore Arnon's journey in the Music Industry

Thank you very much for having me, it’s a real pleasure to be here, to talk with you today and I’m really looking forward to answering everything you’d like me to.

Well, technology has made everything so easy nowadays and one mistake that everyone makes in the beginning is thinking that you need a lot of gear and invest a lot of money in order to make music. I started doing the first remixes only using a basic laptop and ear buds back then.

Claiming that equipment is preventing you from making good music is a mistake. There are people who have done great records in simple studios using just a laptop. That’s how Martin Garrix started. Skrillex won a Grammy for a song he produced using cheap speakers and just a laptop so anything is possible.

I didn’t make a big investment in the beginning in terms of money. I didn’t have a fancy studio or something like that but I started working at a friend’s studio, which later on became the label that we call “Undefined Entertainment. At that time we had a basic studio setup, just a simple mic, a simple audio interface a computer and that was it.

They are affordable and it’s not a big investment. Basically, time and dedication were the biggest investments. – Arnon

It actually happened spontaneously because in the beginning I was just listening to electronic music and was really inspired by names like Aciivi or Daft Punk. I really enjoyed listening to their music at first and then I discovered that they were making music using basic computer software.

At that time, I thought that maybe I could give it a try and create something just for fun, so I downloaded the same software and immediately got hooked on them.

I started spending a lot of hours every day getting better and better until I realized that I could make some real music and that is how everything started. Back then, I was fifteen years old when I downloaded the first software and I had no musical skills, didn’t know to play any instruments.

I started from scratch, just trying to make something for fun, as a hobby and then it turned to something that I could invest more time in.

I think it was when I entered university. I was eighteen years old and by that time I had already made some remixes and had uploaded them on Soundcloud.

Around that time, I made my first original track with a really talented singer, Jonisa, who was a friend of mine and the track got a lot of recognition in local radio stations, we made TV shows appearances. That’s when I thought that maybe I could get more serious about music and become a music producer.  – Arnon

I think it depends on when you want to start producing music. If someone has some musical background like playing an instrument or something similar, it may be easier for him to get hands on around the software and make real music faster but for me it was a whole new world.

I had to learn music theory while on the other hand had to learn to play music instruments like the guitar and the piano and I was really dedicated. I was obsessed and was practicing for more than ten hours a day.

Getting really professional and making a living out of it came really naturally to me because I was just focusing on the essential part of what I was doing, the music, making it as better as I could. I got my first record deal via email after I released my hit single ‘Te Molla’ on Sound Cloud as an indie (independent) artist and after that everything started building itself.

You become adept at dealing with the music industry at a more professional level and then you get used to record deals, to how contracts work, how touring, publishing works,etc. So, I think the moment I definitely became the full time music producer ‘Arnon’ was when I released my single ‘Te Molla’ which was my breakthrough in the music industry.

Well, I started with zero musical skills, not knowing anything related to music and even though it may have been a hidden talent of mine, I started completely from scratch. Never in my life before I was fifteen years old had I thought that one day I would be making music. I had completely other intentions before, I dreamed of becoming a computer engineer. – Arnon

Most people know of “Te molla” but the first song I produced was actually called “For you” and it was a collaboration with Jonisa.

I wish I knew that equipment isn’t that important. At first I thought that I couldn’t make the kind of sound or beats I wanted because I didn’t have a proper studio but now that I got access to one, I have realized that it doesn’t amount to a big improvement.

If you want to do it, you can do it everywhere with the most basic setup. Thinking you should have equipment or great gear to get started is a mistake everyone makes in the beginning. I know a lot of people quit because they think they should invest a lot of money in order to get good sound in their music or track but it’s not true, all you need is to really want to make it happen. 

I’ve been building connections with talented musicians and artists since the beginning of my career. Jonisa, the vocalist with whom I made the first track ‘For you’ and later on ‘Te Molla’ is one of them. I used her vocals in that song and if it wasn’t for her maybe ‘Te Molla’ wouldn’t go as big as it did because her voice is amazing.

I’ve always had her accompanying me in my career and I’ve supported her career because I was producing her songs, it was a symbiotic relationship. Later on, we met other people with the same vision and the same passion for music. If you want to make it in any kind of career field, it’s essential to be around people with the same passion, dedication and the same vision as you.  – Arnon

The first experience I had with being signed by a big record label like ‘Warner Music’ was when I released ‘Te Molla’ and that was when I was introduced with how labels work. If you have your song signed by a big label they are going to take care of everything, from promotions to making sure your music is heard everywhere.

However, it depends on the quality of the music. If they believe in your song’s potential, they’re going to sign it and they’re going to promote it everywhere possible. When I released ‘Te Molla’, I didn’t know it was going to get signed so I just put it out on SoundCloud and Spotify, same as I had done with previous projects. The only difference was that this time we had a music video for it. That’s pretty much how I went for publishing ‘Te Molla’.

I didn’t expect a record deal when we released it. It was a game changer. I was twenty years old when that happened. They contacted me by email because they found the song on SoundCloud, where it was the 100th-ranked song, I’m still shocked I was discovered this way. The label wanted to sign my song and make it a global hit and that’s where everything started.

The credibility of my name is mostly related with ‘Te Molla’. That song served me as the ticket to everywhere. Every record you produce contributes to enhancing your credibility. What you need in an industry like this nowadays is just a hit song and then everybody gets to know your name. They will approach you and want to work with you, collaborate and that’s how it goes. 

When I got started, Soundcloud was very popular for uploading new music. I used to upload all my remixes there but after “Te Molla”, all the other platforms like: Spotify, Youtube, Shazam got more user engagement. Radios were really important too because people listen to them a lot while they’re driving. – Arnon

I think it is essential to be yourself with everything you do and especially when it comes to music. I think that if I start distorting my perspective or the motivations I had when I started this journey, I’m probably going to lose fans because the first fans were those who approached me for my music thus I really try to keep my intentions pure so I can always be myself when I’m making music and be unique.

I don’t think they have changed a lot. I still enjoy making music and watching people connect to it. Now I have a bigger platform and a bigger audience so that means more people counting on my music but I think I’m more motivated to keep doing my thing and keep getting the same satisfaction from making music. My main motivation is to just enjoy the process of making music.

Our group is called “Undefined Entertainment” and it is a music label running in Tirana. Our label manages four artists at the moment by releasing their music and promoting it. I expect it to get bigger in the upcoming years because it is probably one of the most unique labels in our country right now. We are trying to bring fresh music in the industry right here, which is really difficult to find because most of the music produced here is repetitive. – Arnon

When I released “Te Molla”, foreign DJs immediately wanted to approach me, collaborate, remix my song or get it played at their gigs so since then I‘ve had it easier to build connections with other DJs or maybe collaborate with them.

Well, I always thought that if someone in the other side of the planet can achieve a certain goal, I could do the same. I figured I could start out by making music on the computer and then possibly go really big and influential.

The odds are equal for everyone, if you really want to do it, you can do it. Also, my focus is always on the music, just enjoying the process and not thinking about how much money I’m going to make or how famous or successful I’m going to get. I think it’s really essential to focus on the music and not on the outcome.

I assume that one of the reasons we have so much quantity and not that much quality when it comes to music nowadays is that people aren’t focusing on the essential part of the music anymore but are more interested on having tracks released regularly and keeping the fans engaged. Furthermore, record labels push artists into this mindset so that they can make more money and the whole thing feels programmed. – Arnon

I’ve made mistakes in the past and one of them was that I was afraid to release music in the beginning because I didn’t know how people were going to react to it. However, when I beat the fear and got my music out there I realized that some people really liked it and I was motivated to try it again. That’s how I overcame my fear. Releasing music in the first steps is a fear that most people can face but it gets easier as time goes by.

Yeah, failures are part of the process and can affect everyone. Nowadays I overthink a lot when it comes to making music and releasing it, I’m a bit of a perfectionist and am just trying to overcome everything. I think being perfectionist is a good thing but if it is not controlled, it may turn into a really bad enemy. The perfect beat is never going to come so you might as well release something you feel good about. – Arnon

Everything is evolving so fast nowadays and I try to stay updated with the new music tastes but I also try to listen to a lot of older music since I think that merging both of them might be the sweet spot that everyone likes. ‘Te Molla’ was the perfect combination. It was a really nice strategy to find an old Albanian folk song and try to mix it with electronic music, something that had never been done here before and it worked really well.

I just want to experience the growth I deserve, based on the work effort I put into my career. I’m always just enjoying the process of making music. If we’re talking about future goals, my desire is to headline some big festivals abroad in two years’ time. That is a goal I want to achieve but if we’re talking numbers, like how many tracks I want to have released etc, I really don’t want to pressure myself, I just want it to happen spontaneously. – Arnon

I think that everyone knows it is ‘Te Molla’ because it really blew up last year. Every local radio station, every bar in the city, every club was playing it. It was even used on TV shows, advertisements. People were also posting videos on social media with ‘Te Molla’ on the background, it was everywhere and that is when I realized that it had finally happened, I had made it.  

Some people say that you need to have musical skills or you need to know how to play a music instrument in order to get started but I don’t think it is true because I started with nothing. It’s all about knowing what practically makes a good song and approaching all those elements together by using the music software you can find on the internet.

Technology has made everything easier today so having a musical background is not a requirement to get started as a music producer anymore. – Arnon

Somehow in the beginning it did, because I was getting obsessed, staying at home, on the computer rather than going out with my friends. However, my family and friends were always so supportive and I was lucky because they motivated me and they are the first people to whom I showed my music.

They encouraged me to keep going and right now I think I’m managing both relationships pretty good. I can say the same about my relationship with my girlfriend, we make music together so it just amplifies our relationship and draws us closer.

I’d like to say: only music. I don’t like making big declarations about the future, I’ll try to make music as I have done in the recent years and I will try to improve so that’s what you can expect from me: only music, better music. – Arnon