Just out of curiosity… it seems that you never see entry-level jobs open up in the music business, but obviously there must be some. What are they, how do you get them, and where do they lead? I suspect one of the answers is “get an internship”, but I’ve actually done an unpaid internship at a record label in the past and while I learned some interesting things about working at a label, one of those things wasn’t how you actually get hired by one. Anyone know? Note: I’m more interested in this conjecturally/dreamily than for realistic personal benefit.
These days? I wouldn’t! Seriously. The music business is changing so much, I doubt the labels have the remotest idea of what the future will look like.
If someone wanted to get into the music business today, I have point them straight at the internet and tell them to make up their own role in the business - start a web site, manage some bands and get their presence on the web…
I would think promoting concerts would be another avenue. Someone still has to all the planning and organization required to put on a show.
Worked in music biz for 5 years here! Specifically, I worked for Interscope Geffen A&M Records for 4 years after undergrad. What does it take to get started? the ability to work for free, and to put up with a lot of shit.
Are you young? If you are, go to college that is near a major industry hub like LA or NYC. Anywhere else… way too hard. I went to UCR, which it about an hour away from LA. I started off with an internship, which I got through a friend-of-a-friend deal. My friend knew someone who worked for Interscope, and that’s how I got started. I ended up driving 3 hours a day (one way) M-W-F to get to my internship on time. As a music industry intern, you do a lot of bullshit- like get frozen yogurt for the boss, get musicians lunch, sit on your ass all day occasionally making a photocopy for two. Oh, did I mention you don’t get paid a single, fucking dime for your work? Sorry to burst your bubble but there are about 10 billion other kids who are willing to drive more than hour to get a specific sandwich for Snoop Dogg. But being cheerful, ethusiastic, and passionate about music helped me out - right before I graduated, I got a job offer, which I accepted.
My advice to you? Make connections and use your school resources. My school didn’t help me at all, but luckily I had a few friends to help me. Many schools in the LA/NY area have career offices to help (specifically USC and LMU, from my experience in LA). If you aren’t near major recording hub, move out to one ASAP and find a temp agency to help you
Hey sorry, I reread your OP and you said you already got an internship
Well, I hate to break the news to you, but maybe you weren’t busting your butt enough to impress them. You have no idea how many college kids have dreams of working in the music biz, so unless you do a really really really good job at your internship, you are not going to get the job offer.
From my experience, the music biz wants to hire the interns. They know what the job entails, have knowledge on how to do it, and they know that the interns will mesh will with the other people in the department. My department would get around 5 interns a quarter and most were decent, got the job done, but very very few stand out in my mind. The ones I do remember were amazing and if there wasn’t an opening in our department, we all made sure to help them get a job in another department.
What did I do to get a full time job? I kissed a lot of ass - and sadly that what it takes. I, happily, with a huge smile on my face, volunteered to do the shittiest jobs, worked the latest hours (remind you -FOR FREE!), go into every single person’s office in my department and ask if they needed help with anything. Any remote task they gave me, I made sure to do the best job possible and go over and above their expectations. They needed 5 copies of a contract? I made sure to make 10, in case they needed extra. Something needed to be mailed out? I UPS’ed it and made sure that there was tracking, confirmation, and email notifications. They needed to do their expense reports? I would create them, ship them off to accounting without them needing to tell me so, and make multiple photocopies with the receipts attached. Once you do these menial tasks, you will be trusted to take on bigger jobs. As an intern, I became responsible for booking interviews, scheduling photo shoots, and even courting a band one night to make them sign to the label (that was fun! I got a corporate credit card to do so). And once they realized I wouldn’t screw these tasks up, well, a job offer was just around the corner.
Record labels love to hire from within, or love hiring a friend-of-a-friend. Everyone in my department started out as an intern, and my boss (huge exec) started out in the mail room sorting the mail. In my time there, I never once heard of anyone getting a job there without knowing anybody else who worked there (with the exception of people like the accountants or the lawyers, but even though positions were privy to favortism.)
Was your internship at a major record label? That makes a huge deal too. If you’re working for small-time, indie label, jobs will be hard to come by. If you’re working for one of the big 4, jobs are much easier to come by and you will be exposed to other connections in the biz like music management.