You have so much faith in someone's track that you invest thousands on studio time, a sound engineer, and work for free, waiting for that sweet day when it's published and you can rake in all those royalties. That day comes and nobody cares about the genius you created. You're in debt. Bummer.

You produce music for the fee of a Panera soup and sandwich deal and live off the royalties of the marginal profits of a couple albums. At the very least, you can enjoy the albums you've produced. You do not, however, enjoy the part-time job at Long John Silvers.

You've devoted yourself to the freelance music production world. You never have incredibly steady work, but you can always find a gig or an artist you can get behind—though finding sleep is a little bit harder. You have a few regular clients and, while you can't afford to pop champagne every time you have success, your weekly budget allows for at least a couple burritos out on the town. Living large.

You're signed to a record label and you have an office with a view…of the bricks of the next building, but that's not important. The production expenses are covered by the label and not your moth-chewed pockets (though now you've upgraded to business casual khakis). If you mess up once or twice, you aren't ruined. You're actually pretty loaded. But don't slip up again, bucko, you're on thin ice.

You discovered a band that's kinda like Rihanna mixed with Justin Bieber and sprinkled with the artist formerly known as Prince that has the same international appeal as K-pop with the homegrown American feel of Gavin DeGraw. Everyone now wants you to produce their wannabe-summer-anthem. You've produced half of the current Billboard Hits. And when you get as sick as the tracks you produce, you wipe your nose with twenties.