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FAQs
Question: How Can I Get a Job in the Music Industry?
Answer:
Ah, how to get a job in the music industry. It's the million
dollar question, really, and unfortunately, it doesn't have an
answer. Despite what some people may try to sell you (usually online
for a big price),
no one can really tell you exactly how to get a job in the business.
Sad, but true. There are, however, things to you can to INCREASE
your chances of landing your music biz dream job. Consider the
following:
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Create a Job - Many people get their start in the
music industry just by doing their own thing. Let's say you want
to be a
promoter. Don't wait around for a promotion company to hire
you. Find some local musicians, arrange a few shows for them, do
a good job promoting them and wait for your phone to start
ringing off the hook with calls from other local bands who want
the same treatment. From there, it's your choice if you want to
keep doing the indie thing or if you want to parlay your
experience into a good resume to send to a larger promotion
company. And yes, this course of action can be repeated for just
about any music career.
-
Be Flexible - Ok, so you want to be a promoter (why
break our theme?). You can't find any promotion work, and no one
in town is playing any music you can convince people to buy a
ticket to see. There is, however, a record store that needs a
product buyer for the genre of music you know the best. Go for
it. While working at the record store, you will get to know
label reps and local music scene types. These contacts could
help you get to the job you really want. Plus, any job you do in
the music industry helps you to understand the overall
functioning of the business better, which will help you whether
you end up starting your own business or getting a job with
another company.
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Internships - Internships are another great way to
learn the ropes and make contacts who can help you get a music
industry job. Some large music companies make internships
available only to college students, but don't think your chances
are over if you're not hitting the books. You can find
internships that are open to all applicants, of course, but
another method that works especially well with indie music
companies is to approach them and offer your services. Some
companies may have never thought about hiring an intern and may
let you come by and make some coffee and stuff some envelopes
just to see what it is like. Work hard, pay attention, and this
could be your big break. You can learn more about finding
internships
here.
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Job Listings - Many music industry jobs are filled
through word of mouth, but you can find out about job openings
and how to apply on company websites
Answer:
You do not need a degree to work in the music industry. That's
the short answer, however, in reality, it's not really that simple.
The answer really comes down to what music industry job you want to
get and what your goals are.
Let's look at it like this. If you plan to start your own record
label, promotions company, management firm or some other music
related business, you don't need a degree to get the job. That's not
to say a degree may not help you - after all, having a business
education, for instance, will acquaint you with things like writing
a business plan, budgeting and accounting. Further, if you are
looking for outside investment, having a decent educational
background on paper may help convince some purse string holders to
take a chance on you. However, many a thriving music business has
been started by someone who struggles to calculate a tip after a
meal but has an ear for good music.
To that end, many people who run music businesses don't require
degrees from the people they hire. What really wows them is
experience.
There are some instances in which you do need a degree to get a
job in the music industry. Of course you will need to go to law
school and pass the bar if you want to work as a lawyer in the
industry. Beyond that, some major labels require their employees to
have degrees. If that is the world you are trying to get to, then
yes, a degree is a benefit.
If you do go to school, and specifically if you decide to go to
school for a music business degree, then make sure the program is up
to par. To be worthwhile, a music business degree program has to
offer you a lot of experience outside of the classroom. If the
school doesn't have a good history of placing their students in
internships during school and jobs after graduation, stay away. Try
to find a program that incorporates student run labels and
businesses into the learning process. The best way to learn the
industry is through experience, so any degree program worth its salt
will provide you with plenty to put on your resume.
If you can't major in a music business related field, consider a
business degree. If that doesn't float your boat - and I can't blame
you - it doesn't matter so much what your degree is in as much as
what you do with your time while in school. Get involved with campus
radio. Book shows at local venues. Promote releases by musicians who
are also enrolled in your school. Do whatever you can to get hands
on industry experience, however trivial it may seem, while you're
earning your degree. Degrees are great as a fall back, but chances
are that outside experience you gather is what is really going to
open the most music industry doors for you.
Answer:
Booking and promoting concerts involves a lot of moving
parts, so it's pretty easy for confusion to enter the picture.
If you're new to playing live, just starting to cut your teeth
on the live music circuit, then that confusion can go through
the roof for a lot of reasons. In fact, this can be a tough time
for a lot of musicians, not only because the whole process is
new and more than a little intimidating, but also because
musicians at this stage are the perfect targets for getting
hustled. When you get to the stage where you're booking your own
shows, you can make better decisions if you understand the role
of everyone involved. Now, there can be some overlap in these
positions, but here is the general idea to keep in mind:
-
Promoters: On the indie circuit, the most typical
way for a promoter to work with a musician is to decide they
want to work with the musician on a show, make a deal with
the musician (or the musician's reps) and then go out and do
the work of putting on the show. That means booking the
venue, contacting the local press, marketing (running ads,
printing posters, etc, as appropriate), making sure
everything is in place for the night of the show (tickets,
sound/tech requirements, booking the opening bands, buying
the rider and so on) and then generally making sure the show
runs smoothly. When a promoter makes a deal with a musician,
the deal usually (really, should) take into account the
expenses associated with the show so that when the musician
sees the deal, they know how much they stand to make. For
instance, a promoter might offer a flat rate for a show or
they may offer a door split deal in which they pay the
musician a percentage of the ticket sales money after the
costs associated with the show are met. The real defining
thing about the deal structure is that the promoter does
assume some of the risk and makes a decision about that risk
before they decide to run with the show.
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Bookers: Sometimes, venues have someone in charge
of booking the shows for the club - but it is really very
important to not confuse these people with promoters.
SOMETIMES, venues have in-house promoters that book the
shows and fulfill the traditional role of the promoter, but
venues often have someone who just books. They may include
your name in their standing run of advertising and monthly
calendar things, but the onus for promoting the show - and
meeting the venue's financial requirements - falls on you.
They may have a bar minimum that you have to meet or they
may require a certain number of ticket pre-sales or they may
have some other financial guideline you have to satisfy. As
a musician, it is REALLY important for you to understand
these rules. Of course venues can't have losing nights all
the time, but weigh up what they're offering you versus what
they're demanding from you. Are they throwing you on a bill
with four other bands who sound nothing like you (or each
other) and requiring a huge number of "ticket pre-sales" -
which really translate into you paying hundreds to play
there? In other words, are they setting you up for some crap
gig that no one wants to come to and getting you to pay them
for the privilege? If you are acting as a promoter for your
own show, it makes sense that you would have to assure the
venue that they aren't going to lose money on the night, but
don't be too intimidated to speak up to find out what you're
getting when you book a show at that club and definitely
don't be too afraid to look for another venue who wants to
make sure you BOTH have a winning night.
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Agents: An agent books shows for you. In other
words, the agent calls the promoter, works out the deal and
brings the offer back to you with all the details ironed out
(in accordance with what you've agreed in advance, such as
"must have a stage large enough for 7 cellos" or "will only
play Albuquerque on Tuesdays.")
As you can see, your real danger zone as an up and coming
musician lies in the difference between working with a promoter
and simply booking a show with someone in charge of a venue
calendar. Make sure you understand the set-up any time you book.
And note, someone who pencils you in on a certain date,
contributes nothing in the run-up to the show and then sits at a
door collecting money and asking people what band they came to
see is NOT a promoter - pure and simple. Don't pay for services
undelivered.
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