Careers in the music industry

futures_untold · Post by **futures_untold** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 8:55 pm

Greetings fellow DSF members

I'm helping someone to decide on an appropriate uni course related to his interest in audio technology & production. Below I have listed a few career types within the music & audio industries. Can you help me think of any others?

Studio artist
Touring artist (not exclusive with the profession listed above)
Session Musician
Band musician
Singer (Choir/opera)
Director
Songwriter

Producer
Recording engineer
Mastering engineer
Duplication engineer (Mastering & duplication of CD's & vinyl)

Live sound engineer (Live gigs, festivals, theatre & events)
TV & radio broadcasting engineer

Radio DJ
Club DJ
Private hire DJ

Promoter
Club/sound system owner
Festival organiser/events manager
Roadie

Artist Management
Copyright management (Performing Rights Society [UK])
Label owner

Sound designer (Folley sounds, sample bank collections)
Sound artiste (avant garde 'out their' stuff)
Commercials & radio jingles producer
Producer for TV shows, film & multimedia (games)
Sound engineer for film (Boom operator, field sound tech person)

Music sales (cds, mp3s & vinyl)
Sheet music sales
Music tech sales [hardware & software both web & bricks & mortar])
Instrument hire
Music gear repair (piano tuning, fixing old Moogs etc)

Hardware developer
Software Developer

Acoustic engineer (preparing audio environments with acoustic treatments [clubs, studios])
Industrial audio engineer (helping heavy industry manage sound from heavy machinery etc)

University/scientific researcher within the acoustic field
Telecoms engineer (telephony, communications devices [TV, hifi units, Voice Over Internet Protocol, satallites etc] military comms {cryptography, field devices, ECM, audio weapons R&D)
Linguistics & Philology (Involving field work for research)

Audiologist (Working in hospitals testing hearing and fitting audio devices)
Speech therapist

Music teacher
Youth arts worker

With the wide range of audio related careers available, we must further consider two influences that will affect any potential career within the audio professions.

The first is the decline of music sales. This is inpart due to changing technologies (the rise of the internet, iPods) and the current recession. How realistic is it to become a sucessful studio artist with world tours, colossal album sales and continous airplay?

The second is the lifestyle choices of the individual and gives rise to questions regarding their personal preferences.

Do they like to stay up late, travel a lot, meet lots of new people and enjoy being in a very noisy environment? Do they prefer to remain grounded within their locality, work from an office, studio or home, have regular pay checks, have to travel less and be in a quieter environment?

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Clearly, each profession needs a specific set of skills. While everyone has access to musical instruments and recording equipment (internet, cheap pc's & soundcards), not everyone has the education necessary to develop new hardware or software or to become an industrial acoustics engineer.

People in none music related fields still regularly become sucessful musicians. At the same time, people who have a degree in audio recording regularly work in other jobs to make ends meet.

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The decision about which course to do is not necessarily easy. I need to help my friend think through his career development plan. Do you know of good courses at university level that lead to solid professions? (No mickey mouse degrees, sorry). Do you know of sources of funding to access university education? (He 19 and my friend has very little money).

Any and all ideas welcome. I'm trying to get the best advice for my friend so he can make a decision based on the state of the audio industries instead of the dream of becoming the next big artist!

Discuss!

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A separate but related thread can be found here ---> http://www.dubstepforum.com/getting-int ... 03428.html

r · Post by r » Tue Mar 10, 2009 9:13 pm

Pick all the jobs you can get. It's not like you're just functioning at 1 thing. You wont survive with doing only thing (or you are really good and well known ofcourse)

try to do lots of little jobs to get your overall amount of money. Do some engineering, some gigs, help some bands out with live mixing and work in a music store for 1 day in a week.

author · Post by **author** » Tue Mar 10, 2009 9:22 pm

Marketing and within that Digital marketing which is expanding rapidly now.
Also press and PR. licensing, publishing and accounting. There's tonnes of this stuff at all of the record labels I've been doing work experience at.

I would recommend doing a an unrelated degree (sound like my Dad) that can act as a golden parachute i.e. something that you'll definitely be able to make money from at the end of it, even if it's something like town planning etc.

At the moment some of the more hardcore straight degrees (especially humanities like english lit) do not provide much in the way of income once you have finished sadly. Often the mickey mouse ones do a year in industry - these years in industry can be invaluable and leave you with a job as soon as you finish.

Moreover many record labels do not like graduates who have music based degree (particularly music management ones) because these kids inevitably have very different expectations to the the guy who has a bsc in biology but loves music. When I was at Ninjatune only one of about 12 employees had a music related degree and that was from that really academic from that royal music placey......the rest had psychology, sociology, art etc

Kode 9 has a PHD in Philosophy. (just stream of thought)

It's best to completely forget about becoming the next big artist unless you're gonna bring the next big genre too. Most top notch artists for example, King Cannibal and yppah still work full time, not mentioning countless others.

People like Rusko and Skream etc are not only extremely talented but they had impeccable timing and immense luck.

thinking · Post by **thinking** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 12:20 am

author wrote:Marketing and within that Digital marketing which is expanding rapidly now.
Also press and PR. licensing, publishing and accounting.

there are more people doing this stuff than most of the other jobs in the first post put together.

Publishing & licensing are massive, so is digital content management...

futures_untold · Post by **futures_untold** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 12:26 am

ThinKing wrote:
author wrote:Marketing and within that Digital marketing which is expanding rapidly now.
Also press and PR. licensing, publishing and accounting.
there are more people doing this stuff than most of the other jobs in the first post put together.

Publishing & licensing are massive, so is digital content management...

Does that mean both the job market and the actual market is saturated then??

See point in first post about iPod/internet/finacial recession hehe. Someone is clearly raking it in, otherwise the music industry would have collapsed. Said that though, Zavvi has had some struggles?

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yeah man, just had a decent conversation with the fellow in question, and he's seriously considering doing a BSC at SSR in manchester...

Anyone got any experience of them? They look pretty on it with courses that relate directly to the media industries...

Thanks

futures_untold · Post by **futures_untold** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 12:40 am

Maybe I'm chatting shit...?

I need to go make some tunes instead lol

contakt321 · Post by **contakt321** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 1:10 am

futures_untold wrote:
ThinKing wrote:
author wrote:
Does that mean both the job market and the actual market is saturated then??

See point in first post about iPod/internet/finacial recession hehe. Someone is clearly raking it in, otherwise the music industry would have collapsed.

Thanks

At least here in the states, the music industry has been saturated for a decade plus which is why it pays much less than comparable positions in say, fashion, and here in the states it's been in a state of NEAR collapse for the last several years and with the recession it stands to only get worse.

I agree with learning to wear many hats, and my experience is that a straight business degree or ANY degree is more useful than a music business degree. Things change a great deal even within the course of a year, by the time you finish a 4 year program, a good chunk of what you learned wont be relevant.

That's just my opinion though.

p3rt2k8 · Post by **p3rt2k8** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 1:28 am

what employment will i be able to get with national diploma in music tech?

I know about the Dj side of it n the production but i wanna know what else i can do.

legend4ry · Post by **legend4ry** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 2:15 am

p3rt2k8 wrote:what employment will i be able to get with national diploma in music tech?

I know about the Dj side of it n the production but i wanna know what else i can do.

National kinda gives you a outline of a lot of sides of music production..

From the business side to the studio(recording) side to making beats, theory and composing, it opens the door to a few uni courses and could probably get you a job making tea in a studio or a runner for a label or a job in HMV.. Among a few others hehe either way.. you have to start at the bottom, diploma or not, its a industry where how much clout (recognition) you have and not how many degrees you have..

p3rt2k8 · Post by **p3rt2k8** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 3:31 am

Legendary wrote:
p3rt2k8 wrote:what employment will i be able to get with national diploma in music tech?

I know about the Dj side of it n the production but i wanna know what else i can do.

National kinda gives you a outline of a lot of sides of music production..

From the business side to the studio(recording) side to making beats, theory and composing, it opens the door to a few uni courses and could probably get you a job making tea in a studio or a runner for a label or a job in HMV.. Among a few others hehe either way.. you have to start at the bottom, diploma or not, its a industry where how much clout (recognition) you have and not how many degrees you have..

Well im starting a music tech course in Beumont street studios 20th next month, then after that im after college to do first diploma music tech, then second then after that my plan is to get a job djing in a club in my town or summat then see were the production goes. Im doin all these courses to stay out of trouble too tho.

Been gettin into alot of it n its fucked my life up been in and out of prison since i was 17 and im 20 soon.

Bad shit...

Hopefully music will save me from goin down the drain..

rob sparx · Post by **rob sparx** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 7:39 am

Could work for a distribution company - most ppl who work there DJ and/or produce on the side.

q_steppa · Post by **q_steppa** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 7:49 am

i want to go into event management, run a business in that arena, what kind of degree do u think i should get? im going for a commerce degree for the next 3 years, and after that im thinking of going for a degree that specialises more in event management and promotion. any idea wat i should do?

futures_untold · Post by **futures_untold** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 9:46 am

q_steppa wrote:i want to go into event management, run a business in that arena, what kind of degree do u think i should get? im going for a commerce degree for the next 3 years, and after that im thinking of going for a degree that specialises more in event management and promotion. any idea wat i should do?

Do a degree in events management if you want to become an events manager!

What I've been saying to my pal is that unless he gets a music science degree, he won't be getting any interesting jobs in the audio industry.

Anyone with enough drive can learn to produce/dj these days. After that, all it takes is persistence to build a name for yourself and to start getting shows.

vaski · Post by **vaski** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 4:02 pm

bump that shit. i want this discussion to go on

Hide_One · Post by **Hide_One** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 1:03 pm

Get him to check out Salford. With Media City ( http://www.mediacityuk.co.uk/ ) planning to open in 2011, there'll (i'm hoping

) be loadsa jobs going about.
My course covers lots of areas, from physics to music tech, plus training in C++, flash and video production, its great for getting a broader view of jobs that require these skills.
Also, in the process of getting some work experience with siemens (BBC.) Have to volunteer my own time but I get a foot in the door in return.

thinking · Post by **thinking** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 6:56 pm

futures_untold wrote:What I've been saying to my pal is that unless he gets a music science degree, he won't be getting any interesting jobs in the audio industry.

that's simply not true, I know several people who are professional producers/engineers that have no formal qualifications in Music Tech at all. The only people I know who have graduated from Uni with a degree in Music Tech and have then gone on to work in music are Wedge & Gatekeeper - who both lecture now, after doing their PGCE...

If you know your shit, you will get a job in a studio, end of. It doesn't matter one bit where you learnt it.

futures_untold wrote:
ThinKing wrote:
author wrote:Marketing and within that Digital marketing which is expanding rapidly now.
Also press and PR. licensing, publishing and accounting.
there are more people doing this stuff than most of the other jobs in the first post put together.

Publishing & licensing are massive, so is digital content management...
Does that mean both the job market and the actual market is saturated then??

no, not necessarily - there are jobs about, but they tend to be filled pretty quick, and it's not that easy to find out about them. Also, the whole music industry is in a state of flux, as new business models are being dreamt up & thrashd out in order to deal with the digitalisation of media, so it's difficult for companies to know what people they need right now...

one of the main areas of growth is/will be the digital retail market - content administration for one, which is basically managing back/front-ends for digi-download portals. Places like Beatport and iTunes will have loads of people managing the content, making sure release X or artist Y has the right tunes/packages available on any given day, plus spashes to publicise releases, all tailored to fit release schedule in any given territory worldwide. Gaining experience in any area of digital music sales right now would be very useful as it will only expand exponentially from here.

If you geniunely want to work in the music industry, you have to figure out where in the machine you want to be, or perhaps where you will fit in. Think about the different stages:

Creative - producer/artist/songwriter, whether it's your own tunes or for synchs (e.g. adverts etc)

Management - of labels, artists, rosters, catalogue

Publishing - handling royalties, contracts, finding synchs/compilations for your catalogue

Production - i.e. manufacturing, design / Distribution

Promotion - PR, Marketing, Plugging

Retail - specialist buyers at large shops/chains/online

these are some of the main points in the chain between the artist and the customer - there are loads of jobs in that chain, and many people needed to make it work. I would argue that you don't need to have a degree to get any job you want, but you will need to know the right people and have the right attitude.

e.g. so you don't know the right people, so what? Find out who they are i.e. who could give you the job you want, hassle them for help/advice/jobs. Appear keen, do everything you can in your spare time for free until you get a job, or try getting an internship...

For those in the Production forum though, I suppose everyone wants to make a living from writing/performing their music. REALITY CHECK - it probably won't happen! Unless you are genuinely talented, and/or tap into something that people want to hear, you won't make music for a living. Do what you love, for yourself, and if other people want to pay you for that at some stage down the line, so much the better.

futures_untold · Post by **futures_untold** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 7:27 pm

I agree with your points, but in the case of my pal, he is very introverted. He simply isn't about to go out and start making those connections. He sits in his bedroom dreaming of buying macbook pros all day! If he obtained a BSC in Audio Engineering, anyone he approached for work in the future would have formal proof that he knows his shit!

Personally, I'm doing music for fun. If one day I make a few quid out of it or get my tunes onto a system, I'll be happy. Everything I've learnt I know from reading and experimenting, so you're correct in saying that no needs a degree to get somewhere in this industry. In fact, I arguably know more than my pal about music tech, even though he's been in several music tech courses!

For me, the absolute pinnacle of my music career would be headlining a small festival and getting on the front cover of a music magasine (I sound like a commercial tnuc haha). I don't expect it for free though, and most importantly, the music has to speak for itself!

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I think it's interesting that you feel that digital distribution is where it's at right now. I was speaking to someone in a band recently, and they only managed to cover the expenses of doing a tour through merchendise sales....

I'm not sure whether they have digital sales channels set up though... :shrug:

Sharmaji · Post by **Sharmaji** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 2:01 am

I've played/recorded/dj'd/performed/written/etc music full-tme for the last 6 years or so and in that time i've been considered probably 75% of that list. Diversify! The more you know, and the more you know about the connections between all of those job descriptions, the more you have to offer.

re: your mate who's dreaming about macbook pro's... that's fine, but to make anything happen, you've gotta get outside of your comfort zone. he can pretend to be an outgoing, socially-motivated person. But music is one business where connections, your network of folks who can vouch for you, and your reputation are EVERYTHING. this doesn't mean that its unfair (not moreso than any other situation where money is at stake off of someone else's creativity

), but...

you gotta get in the game. just being a nice, talented person who enjoys what other people are doing and can talk about it is, seriously, 80% of the non-creative part of it.

the rest is knowing precisely how to dangle a twotiming manager out of a 4th story window so that it LOOKS like yr gonna drop him before he pays up.

author · Post by **author** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 2:08 am

For me, the absolute pinnacle of my music career would be headlining a small festival and getting on the front cover of a music magasine (I sound like a commercial tnuc haha). I don't expect it for free though, and most importantly, the music has to speak for itself!

pinnacle for myself would be having my name on a vinyl, I wouldn't give a fuck whether it sold or not. And obviously it would have to be paid for by somebody else and mastered in a real mastering studios. That would be awesome, show my parents and stuff.

obri3n · Post by **obri3n** » Thu Sep 10, 2009 1:25 pm

At the minute im a... Bar Man :] But id like to work more freelance and involved in music. Ive been looking into Audio Mastering Engineering. I quite like to work alone, and with the right setup this could easily be done from home too.

Just wondering what the competition/market is like and if anyone can advise....?

Ive noticed theres a couple of guys on here that alot of you use often?

I know mastering is important, but how many people actually regularly get their work mastered by an ME? Rather than 'having a go' themselves?

Ou to you ME's now, is this your main income/day job? Is their enough custom in todays market?

I know were on a dubstep forum, but every style of music needs to be mastered, and with the help of the internet and file sending speeds now it looks kind of... 'easy' to setup?

Any help much appreciated!

Careers in the music industry

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