How To Work In The Music Industry

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    Have A Clear Vision And Something To Say

    How To Get A Job In The Music Industry & Get Hired!

    What kind of music do you want to make? Who is your ideal listener? Succeeding in music isn’t always about who has the best voice or writes the catchiest song. After all, music is an experience, not a product. Make it an authentic experience and you will connect with more fans. What message do you want to give them? If you know what you want to convey to your listeners, you can have a better relationship with them.

    Gain The Appropriate Education Experience And Training

    Most employers seek candidates with at least a bachelor’s degree in graphic design or a related field. Completing an internship with a music company can help you gain professional experience that you can use once you graduate. You may be able to get a job without a degree if you have at least a few years of experience and training in design.

    Lisa Perry Global Marketing Executive

    Image from Bigstock

    If youve been in marketing for a while, you know that marketers constantly reinvent themselves ensuring they are in demand. Here are three marketing skills that are in demand right now:

    Digital Marketing: Half of the top 10 jobs posted on LinkedIn are in the digital space. The existence of digital marketing is focused on company growth which includes driving brand awareness, promoting products/services, creating customer leads, driving conversions, and ensuring ROI.

    Analytical Thinking: Its your ability to use logical reasoning, make informed decisions, and solve problems. Are you able to review the impact of your work, and adjust accordingly? Can you find market trends and translate them into concise, actionable insights?

    Strong Communication Skills: Successful marketing communication requires understanding your audience, communicating in a way that encourages meaningful conversations, and determining the optimal combination of platforms that drives engagement. If done right, your brand could see increased brand awareness, leads, and conversions.

    Lisa Perry helps companies build leadership brands, driving loyal customers & delivering profitability. She does this through a process that builds brands consumers love. Her goal is to help companies develop, monetize, and grow their brands.

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    Top 10 Careers In The Music Business

    When you think of a career in music, you might start with the performers who are center stage. But when you pull back the curtain, youll find people with an array of music business jobs and careers that help make performances possible. You have the people who coordinate and promote the music, the folks in the recording studios and on the soundboard who make the musical act sound topnotch, the writers who compose and arrange the music, and much more.

    Theres more to a career in music than just performance it can involve one or many disciplines. The more versatile you are, the more opportunities you will have to work in the music business.

    Breaking into the music business is harder than other industries. Competition is high, but if you hone your craft, network with the right people, and put in the hard work, here are some music business careers to consider and what compensation you can expect out of them.*

    * Salary information is from the 2016 Edition of Music Careers Dollars and Cents by the Career Development Center at Berklee College of Music

    What Should I Look For In A Modular Synth Vst Plugin

    Is a Degree Mandatory for Music Industry Work?

    Modular synth VST plugins are a blast. Whether you want to craft your own synthesizer sounds from scratch or develop crazy, otherworldly, unique patches, they are up to task. But even if you arent much for patching cords, turning dials, and flipping switches, most plugins come with enough presets to give you a running start .

    The market isnt huge, and there arent a ton of options to choose from, but there are just enough to make the buying process a little tricky.

    Perhaps you have a bit of an idea based on the products weve explored already, but if not, dont sweat it. There are a few factors worth considering if you havent settled on a specific VST plugin yet.

    When considering a modular synthesizer VST plugin, we recommend examining the following factors:

    • Sound quality

    Don’t Miss: What Do Music Producers Do

    Is Not Just Coming On Set Saying Action And Being Surrounded By All These Celebrities All The Time Its Literally Spending 80+ Hours During The Week Before The Shoot Not Sleeping Barely Eating Kajal

    Company: Atlantic Records

    What is often misconstrued about the job?I would say the costsome people have champagne taste with a beer budget. Photographers, illustrators, and designers all have expenses and what they do costs money. A lot of artists assume art is cheap or free, which is not the case.

    What do you wish more people knew about your job?It isnt glamorous. The amount of work, time management, and stress that can go into some of these projects is something often overlooked. From pre-production, like planning a photo shoot, creating custom designs or even just trying to come up with ideas, to the fast paced turnaround in post , theres a lot more pressure than people think.

    The best thing about the job?Getting to work with artists who I look up to. Gucci Mane, Korn, and Nipsey Hussle are artists I grew up listening to and now Im working directly with them on album artwork. Its a fucking trip.

    On top of that, its not only musicians, but other creatives like photographers, illustrators, and directors. Ive had the opportunity to work with so many talented people from all over the world, many of whom I now call friends. When I get new projects, I can bring them on or vice versa. Thats when it doesnt even feel like work.

    What song or album best describes your journey in the music industry?Grinding All My Life by Nipsey Hussle.

    Music Job : Studio Sound Engineer

    As a studio sound engineer, youâll work with record producers and music artists, focusing on producing the best â and most popular â sound. This will involve setting up and operating recording equipment, adding effects, recording instruments and vocals onto tracks and mixing tracks to produce a âmasterâ track. Starting as a studio assistant and working your way up from there is the route that many people take. A related degree or college course is likely to help you to progress in this field.

    Recommended Reading: How To Get Music Off Ipod Without Itunes

    Brand / Product Management Assistant

    • The role of a Brand Manager or Product Manager working in the music industry is to help create and implement marketing campaigns to maximize the sales of music from a particular record label, artist, online music service, radio station or other music product. They will usually be employed by a large or well established record label or music company and are likely to be responsible for managing the campaigns for a specific artist, product or group of artists. For example a large record company ma

    Performer Music Industry Jobs

    How record deals work and making money in the music industry | FT Film

    Most performers have various sources of income and dont rely exclusively on performance revenue to sustain their careers .

    There generally isnt guaranteed pay as a performer , because it depends on the types of gigs you get booked for.

    But depending on your goals, there are plenty of opportunities to pursue. Here are a few types of performers:

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    Choose Your Music Career

    Make a start by thinking about where your skills lie and the type of work you want to do. If youâre a patient person whoâs trained in a musical instrument, for instance, then tutoring might suit you. If youâve got an eye and an ear for the next big band, you might want to look into A& R. Below are some of the ways you could turn your passion for music into a career.

    What Core Skills Are Particularly Important To Have As A Person Working In The Music Industry

    We did a survey of music industry leaders, and some of the key skills they felt were essential for a music career today included:

    • Communication, Interpersonal, and Problem-Solving skills. Can you problem solve and collaborate with a diverse group of creatives to achieve the intended outcome? Can you make a persuasive case for your music product or service that will get people who might support you to sit up and take notice?
    • Computer and Media Skills. Can you establish and maintain a digital presence online? Do you understand how to use audio and video in a way to best highlight you or your bands music? Do you have the focus and skill to engage and sustain an ongoing dialog with a global audience?

    For an aspiring artist or songwriter, these same computer and communication skills are necessary in addition to your musical chops.

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    Get Familiar With Graphic Design Software

    There are many different types of software available to graphic design artists to help them create aesthetically pleasing designs. It’s a good idea for aspiring artists to familiarize themselves with these software types so they can create designs that appeal to clients. There are also plenty of user guides and resources available to explain how to get started or use the different features that certain software has to offer. Though many of these tools ask users for a fee to use or join their membership club, you can download a lot of design software online or access them through a mobile application for free.

    Great Jobs For Musicians And Music Enthusiasts

    Reasons to Apply for a Music Business Internship

    When you think of careers in music, do you picture a singer, rock guitarist, DJ, or classically trained pianist? Work that involves performing definitely grabs the spotlight.

    But not all music-related jobs require musical talent. Many jobs in the music industry involve doing essential tasks behind the scenes. So even if you’re not a performer, you can get into the music industry by aligning your skills and interests with other types of music careers.

    The following list features good jobs for musicians as well as appealing jobs for people who may not have musical abilities but still want to work in this dynamic industry.

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    What Are Jobs In The Music Industry For Those With No Experience

    Jobs with no experience requirements in the music industry exist in a variety of areas. You can work as a musician, stagehand, assistant in a studio, or music promotion professional. Musicians can also provide lessons for music students. Your duties as an entry-level musician include performing, recording, and accompanying other musicians. You can also work to assist entertainment agents who manage and promote an artist. If you have technical skills, you can work as an assistant in a studio where artists record music. Finally, entry-level stagehands set up equipment for bands before concerts. If you have the right skills, you can do almost any job in the music industry without experience, as much of the work is freelance.

    The Beginning: Songwriters And The Music Publisher

    The best way to show how the music industry works is by showing them logically in a chart with the interactions of key industry players:

    How music industry works

    It all starts with a songwriter, and then the songs of the songwriter will be signed and marketed by a music publisher. This is if the songwriter is connected or affiliated with a music publisher. This is not really necessary. By laws of copyright, the songwriter or the author of the work automatically possess music publishing rights upon creation.

    There is a lot of reasons why songwriters would want to be signed by a publisher. These are the following reasons:

    1.) Music publisher have more expertise in marketing music more than the songwriter. This would allow greater opportunity compared to working both as a publisher/author at the same time.

    2.) The business side of things are complicated to learn. The music publisher can fill in this role while the songwriter can focus on the creative side of things.

    3.) The songwriter does not have a lot of contacts that could help increase the opportunity of having the song landed in big and lucrative projects. The music publisher would have a lot of contacts to make this happen.

    The music publisher will then provide songs to the rest of the industry namely:

    1.) The recording labels2.) Film production companies3.) TV production companies

    Read Also: How To Music On Apple Music

    Marketing And Street Teams

    Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash

    Reach out to artist teams on tour by messaging their teams.

    • Instagram, Twitter messaging, or email may work best to contact touring bands and let them know you want to distribute flyers in your town to promote the show.
    • Print the flyers yourself, post them up around town, and send a picture to the management team if needed. Assign your title as Street Team for Music Artist XXXXXXXX.

    Prepare For The Process

    Finding a First Career in the Music Industry Working Concerts, Festivals & Tour Management

    It’s important to understand that getting into the music industry takes time. Becoming a famous music artist requires patience, incredible talent, good business instincts and a unique personality.

    It is a competitive industry. Some of the most popular artists of all time have faced rejection from major record labels, only to find success later. It’s common for people who are waiting for their first record deal to have other jobs to support themselves while they wait for their opportunity.

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    Media Relations / Pr Manager

    • The Media Relations / PR Manager position runs the Public Relations and Media Relations arms of a company. They are responsible for maintaining the current state of the department, as well as bring in new ideas to support it’s growth. They will be the liaison between the company and it’s relationships with media outlets.

    Factory By Sugar Bytes

    Sugar Bytes Factory is a great looking plugin with powerful features, versatility, and an easy-to-use interface.

    This poly synth comes with mod-matrix and sequencers, 2×10 oscillator engines, sub-oscillator with ring modulation, noise generator with five colors, 8×10 mod matrix with 36 targets, morph fader, two states, copy/paste, sample& hold, eight-voice VA-sync, wavetable, waveguide, and fractal synthesis.

    Factory promises to deliver complex, organic sounds youve come to know and love from the best modular synthesizers. It comes with a variety of powerful features, like looping envelopes, oneshot LFOs, bipolar sequencers, Arpiculation arpeggiator / intonation, morph function for morphing multiple sounds, and more.

    In the video below, youll be able to hear the creative synth in the context of a full mix. Thats always a good way to get a sense of how a synth is going to fit into your workflow.

    So far as downsides are concerned, Factory doesnt have many. While its a bit nitpicky, some of the presets are a little hot, requiring you to drop the volume before they become usable. Thats about the only thing that you need to look out for. Otherwise, Factory is great!

    Learn more: Plugin Boutique

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    ‘i Was Looking For A Job And Then I Found A Job’: Make Your Mark On The Music Industry

    Take a look at eight popular music jobs and choose a career path that suits you.

    Networking is really important as a large part of being successful in the business side of music comes down to who you know.

    You donât need the voice of Florence or the guitar mastery of Hendrix to build your music career. Thereâs a plethora of opportunities in the industry. With plenty of passion and the motivation to gain skills and experience, you should be able to find a job that â instead of making you Morrissey-style âmiserable nowâ â will allow you to feel like youâve found your niche.

    Go To Open Mics Performances & Community Events

    Music Industry Investors and Patronage

    Unless youre in Nowheresville, USA , there should be live music events happening in your locality. Its a good idea to begin attending them and making a few connections.

    Regardless of what capacity you intend to be involved in the music industry, you must realize that there would be no industry without music.

    So, getting to know artists, hosts, venue owners and event organizers is ultimately to your benefit. If youre planning to be a musician, then the benefits should be clear this is how you improve as a musician and get gigs.

    Dont overlook or ignore events just because they are small. Realistically, youre probably not going to be able to connect with key people at stadium events. People at pubs, bars, clubs, community halls and coffeehouses are much more accessible.

    Even if all you do is engage in a bit of preliminary research by asking musicians and hosts some basic questions around what challenges theyre experiencing and what theyd like to accomplish in their careers, youll learn a lot.

    I have a friend who regularly attended singer-songwriter events in my locality of Calgary, Alberta. He was known as one of the greatest supporters of the community, hosting events and offering valuable tips to musicians who were looking to grow their careers. I dont think he ultimately made a career out of that, but he nevertheless rose to the level of an important influencer in the local market.

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    How To Find Work In The Music Industry: The Complete Guide

    Finding a job in the music industry is no easy task.

    You cant just go to a job board and apply for openings. More often than not, it comes down to the relationships youve built in the industry.

    So how can you get your foot in the door?

    Im going to show you how you can build the right relationships and make your way into the music industry.

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