YOUR GUIDE TO. Careers in Music. George Hess

Transcription

1 YOUR GUIDE TO Careers in Music George Hess

2 CHAPTER 1 Music Careers When I was young and told my parents that I intended to go to Berklee and be a famous musician, the first thing they mentioned was having something to fall back on. While I did have a reasonably successful performing career, I have to admit, there were times that I almost wished that I did have that backup plan. But in the end, music was what called me and all in all, I ve done pretty well. And you can too. In this ebook, I ll show some of the ways you can be successful in the music business. 1

3 SECTION 1 Performance 1. Concert Soloist 2. Orchestral Musician 3. Opera Singer 4. Freelance Musician 5. Club Musician 6. Conductor 7. Church Musician 8. Accompanist 9. Studio Musician 10.DJ Being a performer is the dream of many young musicians. Whether it s a pop superstar, conductor or orchestral musician, being able to playing our instruments for a living is probably the first thing that comes to mind when considering music as a profession. It can be a rewarding career, both personally and financially, but it s not an easy path. It will take hard work and probably a little luck, too. A university degree is required for most gigs, other than popular music. More importantly, you need to be able to play or sing at a very high level to have a chance at a successful career. 2

4 SECTION 2 Composition 1. School Composer 2. Film and Video Composer 3. Game Composer 4. Songwriter 5. Orchestrator 6. Copyist/Engraver 7. Music Supervisor/Editor 8. Production Library Composer 9. Jingle Composer 10. Music Director/Arranger Don t just think Beethoven. Thanks to video games and other media, being a composer is one of the fastest growing segments of the music industry. The film and video industry has long been one of the best places for composers to work and their are many jobs beyond the lead composer. Just take a look at the credits on any movie and you ll see 10 to 20 different music jobs listed. You don t necessarily need a music degree for these jobs, but it helps. But what you really need are people skills. Networking is the key to getting most of these jobs. 3

5 SECTION 3 Education 1. Primary School Teacher 2. Secondary School Teacher 3. Band Director 4. Choir Director 5. College Professor 6. Private Tuition 7. Online Teacher 8. Clinician 9. Music Librarian Most musicians will end up teaching at sometime in the lives. Whether it s your first choice or something you just fall into, teaching can be one of the most rewarding careers. It s the opportunity to change lives. There s more to teaching that just standing in front of a class pontificating. For most jobs, you ll need at least a bachelor s degree and often beyond. But, new careers in online teaching make it so anyone with the skills and knowledge to share can do so and be very successful. 4

6 SECTION 4 Audio Production 1. Recording Engineer 2. Producer 3. Mastering Engineer 4. A&R Representative 5. Live sound engineer 6. Project Studio Owner 7. Audio Director 8. Sound Designer 9. Foley Artist 10. Post Production Engineer The decline of the recording industry is real, but that doesn t mean there aren t still plenty of careers involved with recording music and sound. Top recording engineers, mastering engineers and producers are still in demand and the advances in production technology means just about anyone can set up a project studio that can produce high-quality recordings. And don t forget sound effects. Video games, films and videos all rely on digital sounds to make the productions come to life. There are some great college programs for production, but a degree isn t always required. Consider vocational programs, too. 5

7 SECTION 5 Business 1. Product Representative 2. Music Store Sales 3. Promoter 4. Concert Producer 5. Entrepreneur 6. Marketing Specialist 7. Music Licensing Specialist 8. Business Executive After all, the music industry is a business. Without the people who know how to finance, market and present shows, there would be no concerts. Musical instruments and equipment are big business, too and product reps are required by all of manufacturers. The NAMM show is still huge. Music businesses are among the most successful startups so get your thinking cap on. And of course, nothing happens without sales. Educational requirement range from self-taught to MBA. Music majors are among the more successful MBAs. 6

8 SECTION 6 Artist Support 1. Booking Agent 2. Personal Manager 3. Road Manager 4. Equipment Manager 5. Instrument technician 6. Entertainment Attorney 7. Artist Relations Rep 8. Webmaster 9. Web Content Developer Concerts don t just happen. It takes a lot of support personnel to make a successful show happen. Artists who are just starting out, might wear a lot of these hats themselves, but eventually they are going to need support so they can focus on making music. Most of these jobs require a variety of skills and knowledge. Personal managers need to know music, business, sales, have great people skills and be reliable and trustworthy. Other than for lawyers, a degree isn t necessary for most of these jobs, but on-the-job training is a must. 7

9 SECTION 7 Arts Administration 1. Arts Organization Management 2. Orchestra Management 3. School Administrator 4. Concert Hall Management 5. Music School Owner Arts management is often part of the non-profit organization. Even orchestras are mostly nonprofit. 8

10 SECTION 8 Writing 1. Publicist 2. Music Critic 3. Author 4. Artist Relations 5. Editor 6. Music Blogger 7. Periodical author If language skills are one of your fortes, consider writing. Most top performers rely on publicists and artist relations people to communicate with the press and their fans and these can be very rewarding gigs. Being a music critic can be fun, go to concerts you enjoy and write about them. You could also start out as blogger with your reviews and opinions and monetize it. There are also plenty of music-related periodicals that publish articles, reviews, interviews and editorials. You need to know how to write and often know your subject matter well for these jobs. An English degree wouldn t hurt either. 9

11 SECTION 9 Miscellaneous 1. Music Therapy 2. Streaming Music Services 3. Digital Media 4. Digital Marketing 5. Social Media Manager 6. Web Content Manager 7. Doctor Doctor? While not actually a music job, students who majored in music in college are among the highest scorers on the medical entrance exams. Another very fast growing field is music therapy. And of course, online jobs are emerging, as more and more companies rely on the Internet for marketing, communications and even for the actual product they provide. 10

12 WRAP UP As you can see there are many career paths available to those who want to be part of the music industry. It s an exciting world regardless of which side of the stage you are on. So don t worry about that fall back position. Decide what it is you want to do and go for it. For more detailed information including salary ranges, take a look at the Music Salary Guide produced by the Berklee College of Music, which was the source for much of this information. 2017, George J Hess, All Rights Reserved. xi