We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Michael Zucker a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Michael, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

So this is a complicated one for me, because I have a “regular” job! I use quotes because being a scientist in a research group is maybe not everyone’s idea of a “regular” job, but it is my day job while making records I always refer to as my night job. I remember in college my bandmates, and other musicians in the local scene, putting most of all of their efforts into music, while I always had a passion for math and physics. I wanted to pursue those interests in tandem, which meant quite a lot of work at the time.
I never gave up pursuing a career making original music, but always saw both science, as well as making covers, as a way to supplement my original compositions. That way I could continue to make the records that I really want to make without worrying whether or not they would be able to put food on the table.
Later on I started making more money doing covers of retro video game songs. That along with the money I earned doing science work was more than enough to keep my studio running and producing albums for myself and other artists that I work with

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’ve always wanted to make records ever since I can remember going back to early childhood. I remember my mother buying me a small tape cassette player that ran on batteries that I would carry around the house listening to music. But it also has a tiny microphone so you could record your own cassettes. So I was maybe about four years old when I started singing, humming, beat boxing, basically trying to make my own tapes with whatever I could. Flash forward to high school and I have a local rock band and was making our records on a four track cassette. Other bands in the area liked the recordings enough that I started getting asked for advice, and to help make records for other local bands. Eventually I upgraded to a Korg D1600, which kept me making albums all through college.
In 2011 I decided to officially open a production company and record label. I built a high end recording studio into my home outside of Denver, and the rest is history!
I haven’t pursued signing new artists in several years so the record label itself essentially went defunct. However, the production house remains and I continue to do record/mixing and mostly mastering for all kinds of incredible artists around the world. In the last few years I’ve found a bit of a niche doing mastering for vinyl records, as they continue to increase in popularity, and I have always been a notorious fan of the format.
Along the way I’ve played with numerous groups. The most notable of which would include This Place is Haunted (video game cover band) and Musuji (Denver based punk/prog). I’m also currently playing with the jazz lineup Witch Baby and folk group Living Easy as well as continuing to make original (and cover) records under my own name.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

There’s this quote from one of my favorite guitarists Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, “Whatever I have to do to keep the playground open.” And he’s referring to bands and records that he has made and sold, and bigger labels he had signed with, but all at the pursuit of providing stability so that he can play all he wants with his music. I couldn’t identify more with this sentiment. I remember when basically none of my records were selling I started building studio gear (mic preamps and EQs etc) to keep the lights on. I often still feel this way when I directly channel resources from my career in science to find music projects. You have to keep that faith alive and keep making the records that you want to make, and find ways to perpetuate that until something hits. Back in 2020 I got my first real “hit” with a cover of the soundtrack to the Super Mario Bros. 3 video game. It was only available via Bandcamp but it sold far beyond my expectations. The vinyl record for that album toppled the Bandcamp charts for the entire state of Colorado, shooting immediately to #1 upon release. The record shot up to #6 worldwide for Bandcamp vinyl sales just behind Sigur Ros.
I often think, had I not continued to push through tough times and continue to make records that often seems too far of a stretch, or too silly of niche, that album certainly wouldn’t have been made. And it’s a lesson I continue to tell myself every time I second guess making a record that I really want to make. I tell myself, “Who knows! This one might be your next hit!”

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I think this is such an important question, not only for artists themselves, but for their audience and music lovers everywhere. It’s why I rarely go to see huge international music acts these days. Not that there is anything wrong with spending hundreds to go see a great show! But if you think that’s what being a music fan is I think you are seriously missing out on the majority of the picture. Those artists don’t really need your support, and it’s a gamble if they will even work hard to retain it. Some of my absolute favorite artists are ones I just happens to catch as an opener, or happen to be playing at a local hangout or with a local band. The acts at the “up and coming” level just always seem to work the hardest and out on the best shows. And they absolutely need our support! The connections you make a smaller local shows are typically far deeper and longer lasting, and those musically like minded people can also become your gateway to new artists that you’ve never heard of, perhaps right in your back yard! Aside from going to shows and getting more involved in your local music scene, buying an artists records and merch is really the only substantial way you can support them. From a user standpoint I love Spotify and music streaming services. They make life so much easier. But they aren’t structured to support artists. It isn’t even really greed, as some like to scapegoat, as much as there simply isn’t enough money in that pay structure to go around. So actually buying merch (directly if you can) is the best way to show your support and encourage these artists to continue to make the music that you love

Contact Info:

• Website: http://differential-productions.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/michael_zucker?igshid=MmIzYWVlNDQ5Yg==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michael.zucker?mibextid=b06tZ0
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@michaelzucker7011
• Other: https://michaelzucker.bandcamp.com/

Image Credits
Jesse Hassler Charla Harvey Photography