Welcome to the cool kids' club, otherwise known as the music business. It's full of awesome gigs if you can get 'em, which is why we're outlining all the things no one tells you about actuallybreaking into the industry. Ditch those "history of the biz" books and forget about signing up for pointless seminars—here's what everyone who wants to work in music needs to know.
Start locally and start now.
Are you currently working in the industry in some capacity? If the answer is no, you've fallen behind. But don't panic—it's not as overwhelming (or irreversible) as it sounds. Most people get their start working at a local venue, small label, or tiny music company, so seek out any and every opportunity that will help you get your foot in the door. Even if you're stuck in your parents' basement for the summer without a car, you can reach out to the manager of a small band you adore and offer to pitch in with their social media strategy. A (free!) helping hand paired with a positive, can-do attitude will take you far and give you a taste of what it's like to be in on the action.
Are you currently working in the industry in some capacity? If the answer is no, you've fallen behind. But don't panic—it's not as overwhelming (or irreversible) as it sounds. Most people get their start working at a local venue, small label, or tiny music company, so seek out any and every opportunity that will help you get your foot in the door. Even if you're stuck in your parents' basement for the summer without a car, you can reach out to the manager of a small band you adore and offer to pitch in with their social media strategy. A (free!) helping hand paired with a positive, can-do attitude will take you far and give you a taste of what it's like to be in on the action.
Find the power players in your community.
You may not realize it, but for every decent-sized concert that happens in your hometown or on your college campus, there's a local talent buyer in charge of the venue, a booking agent who represents the band, and a manager or two involved—and that's at the very least. So, you can probably imagine that the folks who put on shows at venues nearby know an extraordinaryamount of people. Figure out who these folks are and use them as a resource. Try to intern for them directly, help out at live shows, or even take them out for coffee to pick their brain. Odds are they're pretty freakin' cool, and if you're upfront about wanting to be schooled from their endless sea of knowledge, they're likely to help.
You may not realize it, but for every decent-sized concert that happens in your hometown or on your college campus, there's a local talent buyer in charge of the venue, a booking agent who represents the band, and a manager or two involved—and that's at the very least. So, you can probably imagine that the folks who put on shows at venues nearby know an extraordinaryamount of people. Figure out who these folks are and use them as a resource. Try to intern for them directly, help out at live shows, or even take them out for coffee to pick their brain. Odds are they're pretty freakin' cool, and if you're upfront about wanting to be schooled from their endless sea of knowledge, they're likely to help.
Forget everything your career counselor taught you.
For the music industry, it's more about hard work than flashy resumes. Killing it on a small scale is what's really going to matter when it's time to nab that dream job, so work harder than anyone else and you'll make it to the next step. More so than most other industries, the music biz is all about who you know—but not in a gross way! Step out of your comfort zone to meet awesome people who share your passion, and focus on becoming friends instead of keeping them in a mental work contact Rolodex. If it feels like networking, you're probably doing it wrong.
For the music industry, it's more about hard work than flashy resumes. Killing it on a small scale is what's really going to matter when it's time to nab that dream job, so work harder than anyone else and you'll make it to the next step. More so than most other industries, the music biz is all about who you know—but not in a gross way! Step out of your comfort zone to meet awesome people who share your passion, and focus on becoming friends instead of keeping them in a mental work contact Rolodex. If it feels like networking, you're probably doing it wrong.
When you do get your opportunity, go above and beyond—and beyond.
Real talk: When you finally get your shot to be an intern at a big company or for an important boss, you have to kill it. It's not going to be easy, but here's a little trick: Show your higher-ups that you can master an important task they didn't know they needed help with. Suggest a unique approach to incorporating an up-and-coming app into your workflow or a website the company should be paying weekly attention to—whatever you do, make it your own and make it good. That way, when it comes time for your internship to end, they'll want to keep you on board so your newfound contributions don't go away when you do.
Real talk: When you finally get your shot to be an intern at a big company or for an important boss, you have to kill it. It's not going to be easy, but here's a little trick: Show your higher-ups that you can master an important task they didn't know they needed help with. Suggest a unique approach to incorporating an up-and-coming app into your workflow or a website the company should be paying weekly attention to—whatever you do, make it your own and make it good. That way, when it comes time for your internship to end, they'll want to keep you on board so your newfound contributions don't go away when you do.
Be sure you can play the part.
From attending festivals and label meetings to tagging along to a colleague's show, you're going to end up interacting with musicians and celebrities on a personal level at some point. And hey, that's one of the perks! If you're the type that gets starstruck or clams up around famous people though, it may be time to decide if this industry is right for you. Try to desensitize yourself by remembering it's a client-business relationship on all fronts, and train your brain to react like it's no big deal when Taylor Swift whooshes past. (It's OK if you secretly want to be her BFF, so long as no one knows it.)
From attending festivals and label meetings to tagging along to a colleague's show, you're going to end up interacting with musicians and celebrities on a personal level at some point. And hey, that's one of the perks! If you're the type that gets starstruck or clams up around famous people though, it may be time to decide if this industry is right for you. Try to desensitize yourself by remembering it's a client-business relationship on all fronts, and train your brain to react like it's no big deal when Taylor Swift whooshes past. (It's OK if you secretly want to be her BFF, so long as no one knows it.)
Figure out what you enjoy, not what job title you want.
Technology changes rapidly and the music industry is constantly evolving along with it. As such, it's especially important to know what you feel passionate about and let that inform your career path. Let's put it this way: If you're dead-set on becoming a publicist at a record label, think long and hard about why. If it's because you like being hands-on with talent, you'd also fare well as a music booker at a late-night TV show or in artist relations for a site like Vevo. But if it's because you're interested in growing an emerging band into a successful career artist, you could also be happy working in-house with their management team or as a talent hunter at Spotify. Lots of the music portals we use today didn't exist a few years ago, so you can only imagine what's coming next! There are so, so, so many jobs out there, and following your laser-sharp passion will bring you directly to them.
Technology changes rapidly and the music industry is constantly evolving along with it. As such, it's especially important to know what you feel passionate about and let that inform your career path. Let's put it this way: If you're dead-set on becoming a publicist at a record label, think long and hard about why. If it's because you like being hands-on with talent, you'd also fare well as a music booker at a late-night TV show or in artist relations for a site like Vevo. But if it's because you're interested in growing an emerging band into a successful career artist, you could also be happy working in-house with their management team or as a talent hunter at Spotify. Lots of the music portals we use today didn't exist a few years ago, so you can only imagine what's coming next! There are so, so, so many jobs out there, and following your laser-sharp passion will bring you directly to them.
