Behind all our favourite songs are the music producers – the masterminds that bring the songs to life. But who are the best of the best?
musicMagpie looked at 20 of the most prolific music producers of all time, tracking their impressive careers over the years. Between them they have worked on thousands of records, helping produce some of the most beloved hits of the past 60 years. Arif Mardin takes the top spot as the most prolific producer on our list, with 1,079 production credits to his name, closely followed by Lee “Scratch” Perry with 1018.
Across all 20 producers, the average number of records produced each year was 16. However, the Neptunes and Timbaland far exceed that figure, with an average of 31 and 27 annual production credits respectively. In fact, in their most productive year (2002), the Neptunes worked on an incredible 105 different records!
Arif Mardin also comes out on top as the most diverse producer, working across 13 different genres throughout his career, a feat only matched by George Martin. Despite working across the fewest (six) genres, Lee “Scratch” Perry takes the top spot for the number of different artists worked with, with an impressive 422.
Kanye West comes out on top as the most award-winning producer, taking home 230 music awards in his career so far, followed by Quincy Jones with 33.
