We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Adam “Wyshmaster” Cherrington a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Adam “Wyshmaster”, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

I have created my own career as a music Producer, which I support myself and my Family. This did not happen overnight and has taken many years of hard work and sacrifice to get to where I am. We can start at where I grew up, the Mecca of House Music, Sweet Home, Chicago. Out in the burbs and not much to do music was a big part of our lifestyle. I used my Dad’s record player as turntables and started spinning records and making mix tapes and CD’s. As a way to make money I would DJ at house parties and charge a cover for the night. One really great time I rented a clubhouse and my girlfriend (who later becomes my wife) collected an entry fee at the door and I DJ’d all night and made a nice chunk of change. The entrepreneur in me I would ask my Brother’s to sell my mixtapes at school and I would cut them a piece of the profit. Music kept me out of trouble. I continued a habit of doing music instead of running around the streets. Music became an outlet for me to work through feelings and dream big. So, I got my first keyboard, a Korg Triton and tooling around with making beats and was heavily influenced by Hip Hop. My Parent’s were fully supportive of my new direction in music and built me an actual music studio in their basement. My Friends and I would make songs in my basement and invited anyone that wanted to sing or rap debut on my tracks. I came up with the Producer name, Wyshmaster after a movie. I’m a horror fanatic and just in as the movie, “Wishmaster,” I can grant wishes. So, I used that but changed the “i” to a “y” for copyright reasons. As people came and went I stayed focused on making beats and wanting to do something with all the music I made. I would just zone out and make up to 20 beats a day but didn’t know what to do with them so I began searching online for outlets. When websites such as mp3.com and Soundclick began I jumped right into it. I had hundreds of beats that I was able to upload and sell and lease, it was the start to something bigger than I imagined. I am known as one of the original producers that started leasing beats online. From there I started getting contacted to work on other projects like video games. My first big job was with Midway Sports and they contacted me about producing the music for a game called NBA Ballers which was one of a kind. What’s better than getting paid to make music with your Friends and submit it for a video game for the world to play. As my audience and clientele grew and I was working with bigger artists, my wife and I decided ot pack up from the Chicago burbs and move to St. Louis where I was given the opportunity to work with super artist Nelly and other St. Louis artists such as Chingy, St. Lunatics, etc. Over the years I worked tirelessly for hours, no sleep, in the studio or at home just grinding out music. The single, “I’m on a Boat,” I created with The Lonely Island and T-Pain debuted on SNL and had a lot of people coming at me that wanted to “manage,” my career. Once again, my wife packed up and moved to Los Angeles and I continued to just crank out beats and hop into any studio session I could. The more I worked with industry artists the more I got away from online work which was a big mistake on my part. As a young artist myself I had to go through the “industry” up and downs, listening to people who weren’t the talent telling me what I needed to do in order to be successful. My wife was a constant support who believed in me and my abilities. We moved back to St. Louis where I created the first beat production courses at Nelly’s music school as I built back a new website and my online business. For a few years I was just working nonstop and trying to balance an online beat business, studio sessions and the school. Then, I was offered my own music school here in Nashville. My wife and I packed up again, this time with our young Daughter and moved to Nashville four years ago. During Covid I had to make the choice to stick with my music career full time. The opportunities to work with independent artists, mainstream artists, sell my music online, is at an all time high in demand.

Online music was new when I started and I listened to other people that tried to tell me what I should be doing with my talent. How crazy is that? I’ve learned that people who are working hard and making moves don’t have time to critique others. Know that you are unique and your story won’t look like mine and vise versa. Stay true to yourself. If you’re still looking for your path just do what makes you feel good. Do it with pride and keep yourself surrounded by positive people.

Adam “Wyshmaster”, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I got into the music industry through being a DJ based out of Chicago. I then decided that I wanted to be a producer and make my own beats/music. I then started licensing beats to independent artists online who couldn’t afford to by beats exclusively. I was able to solve their budget problems by providing high quality production at affordable prices. When I started doing that I was able to reach the world and became one of the top music producers online. I’m proud that I’m able to still do this for artists today and help them build their careers. Artists are getting beats from a grammy nominated producer for very low prices. I provide a lot of value over just asking for sales. It’s my passion and not just my living.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

A lesson that I had to unlearn which is still a big misconception for a lot of people coming into the music industry is that you have to get a record deal to make it. This is completely false and I’ve learned through experience that you can turn your music into a business by learning how to brand and market yourself. I actually was able to work with labels, major artist, video games, etc. because I started my own business and they were able to find me online. There’s a huge variety of outlets now for artists, producers & engineers to be able to make themselves known and also make an income independently.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Social media was not easy when I first started. I thought it was just sharing your music and random things I was doing in my life. I then learned social media is more about sharing your story, giving advice, and sharing your journey in life. When I started implementing that strategy, my social media accounts began taking off & growing followers. I believe in giving value before asking anyone to do something for me. When I changed my mindframe from sell, sell, sell, to give, give, give, my business began booming and keeps growing today. I also advise other to educate themselves on branding and marketing. That is where a lot of artists lack in the music business and think it’s only about talent.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.wyshmasterbeats.com
• Instagram: wyshmasterbeats
• Facebook: wyshmasterbeats
• Linkedin: wyshmasterbeats
• Twitter: wyshmasterbeats
• Youtube: wyshmasterbeats