In career development classes for the music
industry, students often ask, “What jobs are
there, in addition to the obvious ones such as
recording artist, songwriter, musician, or talent
manager?” Look carefully anywhere that music
or sound is heard, and you’ll discover dozens of
jobs to investigate. Any list that was developed
would be out of date within a few months, since
there are so many new opportunities developing
each as the music and entertainment industry
continue to shift to the Information Age model.
However, before we discuss a few of the jobs and
market sectors that exist, let’s look at the roles
that people play in the music industry via
broad function and let you consider which one
of these areas you may fit in most
comfortably.We’ve broken down the music
business into three broad areas:
1. 1. Creators. These are the artists, arrangers,
lyricists, directors, producers, instrument
builders, and entrepreneurs who take a tiny
idea or inspiration and create a story, a new
music-related company, product, or a song,
then mold it into something that can be shared,
valued, and monetized
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2. Technologists. These are the hardware and
software developers, network techs, sound and
video technicians, encoders, compressionists,
riggers, social media experts, concert sound crew,
instrument techs, who build, expand, and maintain
the tools, pipelines, and channel paths to allow
music and entertainment to get out to audiences
around the world.
3. Managers. These are the dealmakers,
connectors, and gatekeepers to the final work that
the Creators and Technologists have partnered
with to complete. Managers, agents, publicists,
entertainment attorneys, music publishers, tax
specialists, performing rights organizations, and
concert promoters all play a vital role in ensuring
that not only will there be an audience for new
music, but also anyone who is owed compensation
is treated fairly as prescribed by law and
convention.
No managers—no payday. And yes, a few creators and
technologists are also able to self-manage their
businesses, especially at the early stages of their
careers.
Workshop 4.1 – You’ll do this yourself and Workshop 4.2
– Bring printed results of both on Thursday, April 9.
Score your test. If you answered yes to four or more
questions in part 1, chances are you are well on your
way to a career in which you will develop or use new
musical technology. Alternately, if you answered yes to
four or more questions in part 2, you may find the
greatest success by participating in the business end of
the industry as some type of manager. If you scored
four or more in part 3, you may have the makings of a
Content Creator and should look at the next steps
available in your area if you plan to pursue that path to
continue to grow your skills.
If you scored high in two or more areas, surprise!
You may be headed for an executive position, as
many top performers have the ability to work
in multiple modes.
Don’t overthink the results of this workshop, as
many persons can thrive in more than one of
these broad categories. In fact, quite a few
managers have been known to get involved
creatively with artists (think of a producer that
handles both the creative and business aspects
of record making), and many Technologists
have gone on to become masters at deal
making as their careers have unfolded.
Not surprisingly, musicians are leading the
charge when it comes to evolving careers that
allow them to become entrpreneurs and leaders
in multiple role. Such “multi-preneurs” would
be embodied in the careers of Arnold Palmer,
Puff Daddy, Janelle Monae, or Russell
Simmons, to name just a few.
The purpose of this workshop is to start you
down the path fo self-reflection to determine
which of these broad areas are of greatest
interest to you. Knowing this as you design
your own career plan will help you weed out
career areas that require different skills or traits
than those you have developed or are willing
to learn.
That’s why it’s important to know which areas you
prefer. Today’s music industry requires some basic
level of technology facility, and an increasing value is
being placed on what are sometimes termed “soft
skills,” that is, active and careful listening, the ability
to follow and give direction clearly, and the ability to
prioritize and stay on top of assignments. Don’t fall
into the trap of believing that your strong technology
skills will be enough to make it in the industry or
conversely, that your amazing gift of gab and people
skills will eliminate the need for you to know office
productivity programs inside and out. They
won’t!And while anyone can be trained if they have
the desire to broaden their functional knowledge and
skills, past experience has shown that many people
gravitate to one of these categories a bit more than
others.
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Note where your preferences lie and refer back
to that information as you move ahead and
work through the upcoming sections of this
book.
ACTION ITEM! – Post a reflection on the
results of this workshop in your career
portfolio’s “Dear Journal.”
MUSIC INDUSTRY JOB SAFARI
A slightly deeper look at jobs that fit into the
aforementioned broad categories: Ceators,
Technologists, and Managers
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Music and Sound Careers:
Film, computer, mobile, theater, and education.
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Education career path often overlooked – without it
there would be a smaller and less savvy audience
Television and Radio, Internet and Mobile,
computer hardware and software, video game
music and sound, and theme parks.
At Disney, audio staff “engineers’ are called
“imagineers” Think of all the sounds you encounter
at theme parks. Imagineers not only create the
sounds and music, they design, install and maintain
the systems that deliver the sounds and music
 Mobile – Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, all recognize the
use of a “value-added” service such as delivering
music. Some partner with major artists to use their
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Listen to and imagine the virtual world created
in some of today’s better video games: it takes
a team of composers, designers, editors, etc. to
create, mix, and deliver what you hear and see.
Musical instruments and products, recording
equipment, builders of concert sound
equioment, sound recording programs,
compressors, reverbs, amplifiers, mixing
boards, headphones and microphones
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Gear that musicians use to create music. Constantly
developing music technology creates new
opportunities to develop and market new products.
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Feature film music: composer, music editor,
sound editor, music supervisor, ADR recordist,
sound effects editor
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Dozens of sound personnel working for long periods
multiple major motion pictures, also multiple small
budget films with smaller crews
Singer, songwriter, studio musician, arranger,
sound engineer, music producer
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Creatives who take ideas, emotions, and feelings and
turn them into songs and records. A certain level of
proficiency is necessary to compete in this field but it
can be learned if one has the drive, inspiration and
good instruction.
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Artist manager, publicist, music video director,
label staffer, music publisher, entertainment
attorney, music journalist, business manager,
video game project manager:
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Support team for artists, musicians, music
companies and music users. Watch your favorite
weekly TV series and make note of each “cue” you
hear. Each one required permission and license
payments, someone had to secure each and every
one before show can air
Music Editor, music librarian, orchestrator,
copyist:
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Educate, disseminate, curate, evaluate, and ensure
that music can be created in a wide array of settings.
THE 50-TO-1 RULE
Many are attracted by the more glamorous jobs
like “star”, “artist” and “producer”
Less glamorous “off stage” roles abound in far
greater numbers, hence the 50-to-1 rule.
For each of the thousands of successful recording
artists, there are up to fifty support personnel,
many in good paying, exciting, and stable careers.
Those types of careers tend to have more
longevity than the “stars” whose careers
sometimes decline rapidly
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EXAMPLE:
U2’s 2009 to 2011 U2 360º tour, according to
Billboard, employed a crew of 137 that traveled
the world with the band while an additional
120 local techs were hired in each city visited.
The resource section of this text lists two books
and a website that lists many music industry
careers: Career Opportunities in the Music
Industry (6th Edition) by Shelly Field, 100 Careers
in the Music Industry by Tanja L. Crouch, and
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www.artistshousemusic.com a music resource
website.
Field’s book details eighty job descriptions, salary
ranges, and necessary skills
Crouch’s book features first-person interviews
with a range of leading professionals discussing
what they do and how they got their start in the
industry
The website has a few thousand video interviews
with the ability search for specific topics.
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It is suggested, by the author, that by viewing
some of the numerous video interviews and
preformances, you will begin to get a better
idea of the inner workings of the multitude of
varied careers in the music business.
“Getting to know about the variety of jobs
and what kind of skills and aptitude are
required for each is one of the most important
activities you can undertake! How can you
find out if you are well suited for a job if you
don’t know what it takes to do it well?”
Note: Be sure to do Action Items and
Workshop 4.2 (all on page 29.)
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The careers you have identified in Workshop
4.2 are only a handfull of the music-related
fields that need talented newcomers to jump in
and help make a difference.
Baby Boomers (run large part of industry) who
have embraced the Digital (or Information)
Age, will continue to be successful utilizing
skills, talents, and adaptability of today’s
younger generation who are proficient with
evolving technology
By the time your read this, there will be many
new job titles created as the industry continues
to evolve as a result of new technologies
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Don’t limit your view to one or two
career paths
Do some serious investigation before you
settle on any one route
Next, we’ll look at significant trends that
are impacting the overall entertainment
business
Music-related market sectors are converging
 Taking place globally
 Result is additional careers to investigate
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EXAMPLES:
Late 1990s, Wall Street investment counselor David
Pullman started investment fund allowing the public to
buy shares of future earnings (aka “futures” – look it up
on Google) on David Bowie songs
$55 million raised on behalf of Bowie
Bowie received no royalties for ten years
Income paid off investors
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Phenomenon viewed as an anomaly at first
Bowies success resulted in more amd more artists seeking
investment funds against their future royalty stream with the
Pullman Group
Artists using this method included:
James Brown
The Isley Brothers
Ashford & Simpson
The estate of Marvin Gaye
Holland-Dozier-Holland (Motown songwriting team)
Although “futures” funding has fallen out of
favor due to the decline in sales of recorded
music: it highlights the concept that songs (or
other forms of intellectual property) can be
monetized in new and different ways.
Today’s new entertainment currency is the
control and monetization of information and
entertainment (“info-tainment”)
Recent study by International Intellectual
Property Alliance cited $1.01 Trillion valuation for
value-added services to 2012 U.S. Gross Domestic
Product – up dramatically from $885 billion in
2009.
Same study also found that U.S. copyrightrelated industries employed a total of 5.4 million
people and grew at more than twice the rate of
the annual economy from 2009 to 2012.
Another Example: Hit TV series Glee
Generated hundreds of millions in ad revenue
Episodes sold successfully online
Sountrack recordings generated millions of
downloads
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Mostly cover tunes performed by cast members
Although CD sales continually drop:
New opportunities to make and share music and
entertainment continue to be invented
Industry pros finding multitude of new ways to
generate profits
Music today is found in more places and used in
more ways than in any previous generation!
42% of world’s population resides in four
growing countries:
China - population of 1.4 billion
India - population of 1.3 billion
Indonesia - population of 250 million
Brasil – population of 200 million
GeoHive projects that by 2025, Asia’s population
of 4.77 billion will represent 60% of world
population
By 2025, North America will be 5% of world
population!
Logical Assumption: “For anyone preparing for
a high level career in the music world,
addressing these populations of potential music
consumers must receive consideration!”
Most people in Asia do not speak English,
however:
They do listen to western music
They do play western video games
They do enjoy western movies
Note: “western” in the above context refers to the
western part of the world (where we live) not
George Straight music or John Wayne movies.
More interesting global facts:
The Wall Street Journal recently reported:
 68%of revenue from the $32 billion film
industry comes from overseas markets
 Iron Man 3 (released one week earlier overseas)
broke the $1 billion plateau two weeks after
initial release
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$776 million in overseas ticket sales, and
$337 million in domestic ticket sales
U.S. movies rank #1 in ticket sales in Japan and
Western Europe
Wall Street Journal also reported:
Fall
2013 foreign premier of Thor: The Dark World
earned $268 million in 12 days!
Keith
Hatschek
quote:
“Tracking
entertainment companies such as Fox,
Electronic Arts, or Sony on a global basis
leads one to a conclusion that I share with
many future-oriented business leaders:
Info-tainment has become the new gold
standard.
The same skills that apply to a career path in the
music industry will apply to electronic media and
information-age careers. Loosely described as
convergence, new media and gaming marks the
intersection of information, entertainment, and
business. It is where the latest technologies for the
Internet, computers, cable or satellite television,
broadband delivery, movies, and music converge.
Interesting Fact: UIW has a new Convergent Media department with both
undergraduate and graduate degrees. Check it out at:
http://media.uiw.edu
Job opportunities are exploding just as fast as new
companies are born and bought, as the industry
races to develop and deliver the most compelling
content to a worldwide audience hungry for
information and entertainment.
 Another form of convergence that has
dramatically changed the rules in the
entertainment industry is the rise of content
channels such as YouTube.
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Allows musicians, managers, and fans equal access
to new and/or remixed content
Music can be shared globally using desktop media
production tools
Success of Karmin, Pomplamoose, and OK Go are
examples of the new model for artists and savvy
managers that understand Internet media to build
a fan base at a fraction of the cost it would take
without such platforms.
Another example: ReverbNation, BandPage,
TuneCore, CD Baby, and DIY blog sites such as
Tumblr that provide interactive tools for artists to
expand and monetize their audience.
Video Gaming
In
2012, research firm NPD Group cited 211
million video game players in U.S.
Entertainment Software Association reported that
the average U.S. household had at least one video
game console
Americans spent over $24 billion on games,
consoles, accessories, downloads, and upgrades
Interactive Software Federation of Europe found
that 81% of region’s 95 million gamers enjoy video
games online
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There are now thousands of companies
producing video games
They all incorporate music and sound
As market has grown, so have production
standards
 Result is more people employed creating
content
Market has expanded exponentially resulting
in:
 5 different sectors: consoles, computer, tablet,
mobile, and portable – each with it’s own
audience
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Today’s games offer well-crafted musical
scores that can rival that of a feature film in
sophistication, orchestration, and playback
fidelity
Globally, video game market is expected to
remain substantial
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Example: Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 grossed more than
$1 billion during its first 15 days in late 2012
Just Dance series (home dancing video games) has
sold more than 25 million copies
Sims series has sold over 125 million copies
Is composing for the video industry right for
everyone? Hardly! But:
If you are a talented composer who is comfortable
working with computer audio and MIDI
programs, you should investigate this field
Long hours and critical deadlines can lead to
some all-nighters but financial rewards can be
quite lucrative
Staff positions at larger firms pay in the $45,000 to
$70,000 range with benefits, paid holidays, and
profit-sharing programs
Freelancers can also do well but without benefits
Not just composers are needed:
Any skill or craft that goes into the making of a
feature film is likely to be required when a new
game is on the drawing board:
 Session musicians
 Recording engineers
 Dialog editors
 Voice talent
 Computer graphics designers
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Sound effects editors
 Production assistants
 Video editors, etc.
Other Areas growing exponentially
Cricket
Wireless currently one of first mobile
phone services to offer unlimited music access
from catalog of millions of songs for flat monthly
fee
Apple’s iTunes recently passed the 25 Billion
songs sold mark (in ten year period, consumers
bought seven million songs per day!)
RIAA (Recording Industry Association of
America) 2012 statistics showed recording
industry revenue now 60% digital sources
(downloads and streaming)
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As CD sales continue to decline, more new
music distribution platforms will be developed
So-called “access” model used by Spotify,
Rhapsody, Rdio, and others represents 15%(or
$1 billion of overall $7 billion U.S. recorded
music industry)
$435 billion projected for worldwide market for
television programming services: network,
cable, satellite, streaming (Netflix, Hulu Plus,
Amazon Prime, etc.), on demand, and pay-perview.
Expanding universe of content requires new
talent to help create and produce programming
for the hundreds of channels available
Consider any media that utilizes audio, music
recording, and sound editing.
 Dozens of new opportunities being developed
each week
 Emerging market for new video programming
now being funded by Amazon, Netflix,
YouTube, and other alternatives to major
television networks and film studios
 Why? Because they see the need for content.
 Dive in and start exploring the possibilities
offered by new media!
All of the growth talked about in this chapter also
creates new opportunities in the area of
administration and protection of intellectual
property ( i.e. copyrighted material) resulting in
increased need for:
 Entertainment attorneys
 Copyright administrators
 Paralegals
Look for continued growth in this field as:
 Newer, faster, more secure technologies
emerge
 More international distribution deals where
borders and laws are difficult to enforce
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To really prepare for a career today, force
yourself to think outside the box. There’s
a great big beautiful world in the
entertainment industry for those who are
motivated to make their mark. Push
yourself to look beyond the record
company or recording studio and at least
explore the potential for what creative
and financial opportunities may exist in
these exciting new media market
segments.
Another form of entertainment is making music,
not only for the professional musician, but for the
growing demographic of Americans with leisure
time and disposable income looking for a hobby
or interest that is fulfilling, not fattening, and
enriching. Enter the music products industry.
Young music career seekers often overlook the
global music products industry, yet it provides
many opportunities for all types of music-related
careers.
Music products include:
Musical instruments, any device, object, book, or
accessory that someone might need to make,
teach, study, create, or share music.
In addition to the obvious (i.e. musical
instruments) sheet music, recording equipment,
sound systems, music education software, etc.
Besides the general public at large, customers
include the millions of Americans studying music
in schools or privately.
$6.6 billion a year industry – offers a wide range
of career opportunities
National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM)
convention – twice a year – Winter NAMM in
Anaheim and Summer NAMM in Nashville –
Gigantic convention (100,000 +) – not open to public:
All musical instrument manufacturers, recording
hardware and software companies, and other music
product ventures exhibit their latest products. Lots of
musicians attend by getting passes from music stores
they deal with. Lots of seminars and product
demonstrations by well-known musicians, clinicians,
and product specialists. Product specialists have to be
accomplished musicians because they travel across
the U.S. (and sometimes overseas) demonstrating
musical products by performing with them.
Workshop 4.3 Internet Media and Music Products
Opportunities
Do it!
Action Item: Do it!
Both are on page 37
Males have traditionally dominated the nonperformance jobs in the industry. (Women
performers have nearly always had plentiful work
options, although their treatment was often not
equitable.)
 Historically, at least 90 percent of the people
working in recording studios, concert production,
and many technical roles were male, a few women
were found behind the sound board or boom
microphone.
 That has been changing over the last twenty-five
years.
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In terms of the recording industry, there are
now more opportunities for women to work as
engineers, producers, A&R execs, technicians,
label presidents, and any position that men
have traditionally held.
Although the number of women working at
record labels has been high historically, it’s
only recently that women are common in the
top ranks.
In Hollywood, women head up some of the
largest film and recording studios
A lot of ancillary fields, such as live sound,
concert production, staging, cartage, and
rigging, are still dominated by men.
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A woman aspiring to a career in the music
industry must be aware that there are numbers of
people who have been in the industry for many
years who possess extremely chauvinstic attitudes.
A woman should be mentally prepared for that.
She has to have faith in herself, and know what
strengths she has and how she can utilize them.
The solution is to have the skills and ambition to
do the job well, and you will move ahead on your
career path.
Women artist-entrepreneurs such as Madonna,
Amanda Palmer, Janell Monae, Dolly Parton,
Beyonce, and many others have influenced or are
influencing our industry and you can do it too.
Remember when you are in a position to hire a
person to help your company, don’t ignore the
benefits of fostering a gender-diverse workforce.
The Society of Human Resource Management
reported that similar sized companies with high
levels of gender diversity averaged nearly $600
million more in revenue than companies with low
gender diversity.
It’s just such gender diversity that is a key factor
in sustaining a dynamic and future-oriented
organization