Music Industry Jobs|Music Business Jobs|Music Internships

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To read part one of this story, visit: How to get an internship at Fashion Rocks: Part One.

Welcome back, folks. Alright. So you’ve invested some time and energy into locating the names of music business companies affiliated with Fashion Rocks. Maybe your little list contains a few of these types of firms: record labels, band managers, booking agents, street team companies, brand ambassador firms, lighting companies, rigging companies, modeling agencies, Fortune 500 firms.

First of all, great job! Now let’s think of a few ways we might get a hold of the right person at one of these companies who can help you get in the door at the event, and perhaps lead you to your first music business internship experience!

What to do with all these names?

Your next steps

If you have individual contact names: If you’re fortunate to have found a direct contact, then quite simply, pick up the phone and give them a ring. Some folks you call will not want to speak with you, and others will be glad to hear from you. People in marketing/promotions tend to be a fairly talkative bunch by nature, so if you catch them at a good time, you’ll probably be in good shape. A couple of pointers are worth mentioning here:

1. Have at least a resume ready before you start making your calls, this way, you can send something off after touching base with your contact. Doing so makes this process faster, and also demonstrates your professionalism to the person you’re contacting.
2. Don’t sweat a cover letter too much, I find they’re fast-becoming useless for this sort of thing. If they ask for one, I would be surprised. . .if they do, however, put something short and sweet together in the body of your email to them to facilitate this request.
3. If you’re calling record companies don’t call on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, these are typically the days the promotion folks are on deadline and/or in meeting and the times when they definitely don’t have time to chat. Shore up your calls for later in the week.
4. Be honest, know the label’s artist roster and don’t sound like too much of a fan. Music industry folks love passionate music-heads, because that is what helps sell artists and records. What they are not looking for are fans that will be too busy hanging out in the green room with the drummer and not out on the street working. Keep that in mind and you’ll be in awesome shape!

If you have company names, but no individual contact names: This will be common, so don’t let it freak you out. Believe me, this is where all the fun begins! You’re going to need to pick up the phone for this to work as well. Please don’t waste your precious time writing cover letters and sending them off in vain to the black hole of HR at these firms. If you do, I’ll bet one of two things will happen.

Scenario number one: Your beautifully crafted resume will reach the HR department and after reading it Mr./Ms. anonymous HR professional will wonder. . . “hmm. . .what do I do with this?”, and promptly put it aside/throw it away and all that effort will be for naught!

Scenario number two: Your beautifully crafted resume will reach the HR department and because those in HR are so insanely overworked/underpaid your resume and cover letter are never even looked at to begin with. Either way, your dead, and again, your efforts are wasted!

So please, don’t send anything in until after you have picked up the phone and called to speak with someone. If that someone later suggests you send something in, then by all means rock that baby in there.

Okay, so you’ve got company names with no immediate contact. . .what do you do? Well, after looking up the companies phone number by either going to their corporate website, or using something like the Fortune 500 list on CNN, give ‘em a ring. When you get through to the receptionist tell her that you’re a student and you would like to speak with someone in marketing who might deal with interns. If they ask what this is regarding, just tell them the truth. Being a student you have an advantage over 99% of the people that call in asking to speak with someone. Typically the person answering the phone should put you through. These three things are pretty much what you should expect to hear after asking this question:

1. “I’ll put you through to marketing”
2. “I can’t put you through without a name”
3. “You’ll have to call HR/I can put you through to HR”

If you hear number one, you’re gold. Make sure you have your spiel together when you get through and then run with it. By the way, I ALWAYS ask for the person’s name BEFORE they transfer me to “marketing”. This way, I know how to pronounce the person’s FULL name when they pick up AND if I happen to get their voice mail, I can call again in a few days to follow up without having to go through the whole introduction again with the receptionist. Getting their full name will also allow you to follow up with an email later in the week as well.

So, if you get number one, then you’re good to go. But what if you get numbers two and three?

Dealing with objections

If fate draws you the dreaded “no name, no game” response, thank the receptionist and do some quick homework. Unfortunately some companies restrict passing you off to someone unless you know your contact’s name. I find this ridiculous, but that’s the way it goes. So what can you do at this point? First step? LinkedIn. Do a search for the company along with the title of the person you’re looking for and viola! you’re in business!

If this doesn’t work, then it’s back to Google! Start playing around with combinations of words that will get you the contact’s name. Things like “marketing director” plus the company name would be one such example. Alternatively, you could type “Internship Coordinator” plus the company name you’re ringing up. You’re going to have to be creative, to pull this off, but I will say that marketing folks, more than anyone are likely to have their name on the Internet somewhere, you’ll just have to track them down. If all else fails, you could call the Public Relations department. . .their contact information is almost always plastered on the website for all to see. Music Industry Directories are also another good place to look!

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These techniques can be used of course before calling the first time, but I find that a lot of times, it’s too damn time consuming to do upfront. Once you’ve got a name, pick up the phone and call again! If ugly number three rears its head, then go ahead and be put through to HR. If someone picks up (unlikely) give them your spiel. If you get voice mail, leave a message. I ALWAYS leave a message at least once. If HR doesn’t call you back, don’t worry about following up with another call. You’ve probably reached a dead-end. But, if someone does call you back, you’ll be one step closer than you want to be. If nothing pans out on the HR front, I would visit my advice in response to number two. It will get you far when doing your internship search.

Trust me, this works

When I was trying to get an internship at record labels back in the day, I sent out (literally) over 100 resumes to record labels big and small. Only a few responded back to me. The majority of responses I got were thanks, but no thanks letters from HR departments. The phone calls I received were from the Promotion Directors at the labels responsible for interns. Out of the two or three calls I received, one landed me a gig with Virgin Records. 100+ resumes and 2-3 calls=1 internship. That’s a lot of work, and way too much time on paper. The technology you have at your disposal for networking and landing the music industry internship of your dreams is remarkable. Put it to use, pick up the phone and get started. That volunteer or internship experience at Fashion Rocks awaits!!

If you think I’ve given a few good tips here, you might want to check out the Music Industry Guidebook: A clear guide to getting a job in the music business. . .fast! In minutes you’ll have ideas that you can put in motion tomorrow to get started on your dream of a career in the entertainment industry. I love being a teacher, let me share my insight with you today. Get the book today!

Good luck, I’ll see you at the meet and greet! TM

Check out our new Music Industry Jobs and Internships board at MusicIndustryJobs.com It’s FREE!

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What a record label internship might look like

Internships can be a funny beast. In one regard, you’re treated as part of the team, hanging out with the Vice President of Promotion, hanging out with your favorite bands backstage and walking around with that laminate of yours that screams “I’m with the band”. And yet, on others, back at the office (if you’re lucky) or on campus ( if you’re not as lucky, but still in like Flynn). . .you’re just the kid from the street team that hangs up posters and stickers the heck out of campus.

And, truth be told, for many of the music business internships you’ll have, the latter is more likely the role you will fill during a record label internship. Or, any internship for that matter. If you’re in radio, the same thing applies except maybe you’ll get the keys to the van. . .concert promotion you’ll get to hang out backstage and help move crates with the roadies, but good luck checking out the show. . .internships in the music industry involve more hard work than you imagine, and many times come with little real glory outside all the free cds you’ll get, and this is precisely the reason why despite all that free swag, a lot of interns drop off the planet or don’t renew their interest in internships the following term. For some, it’s just exhausting.

Using your internship as a pedestal for a music industry career

But, my bet is that if you’re a frequent reader of this page, you pretty much think that idea sucks. Great. That’s the attitude you’re going to need if you’re going to break through the cluttter. . .particularly if you’re not in a major ‘music city’.

So how do you stay on top and differentiate yourself from others in the internship program? Well, the answer lies in a mixture of booty-kissing and sincerity all rolled up in a nice little package of proper etiquette. Eh?

You see, in my experience as a record label intern at Virgin Records, management extern with the BoDeans and intern at SoundCore music and WZZO radio, I found the best way to stay on top of my game always include a gentle mixture of these three things. This was also true during my career as an academic advisor when speaking with successful students who interned as part of their Architecture program at the University of Minnesota.

These three elements: sincerity, butt-kissing (necessary, sorry) and knowing the right way to begin asking for more responsibility and a possible job after the internship (etiquette) is what got them noticed an later roles within their chosen field. Let’s take a look at them separately for a little feel as to what I’m talking about:

Sincerity

This one is simple. If you’re just a butt-kisser, only interested in greasing your boss or intern coordinator so you can get the best tickets, or the first copy of the cd, it will be so obvious to these folks that you will have already carved your own tombstone. However, if you demonstrate your passion, pick up the freebies as they come to you. . .maybe even be the last to ask. . .then you’re desire to be in music for music’s sake will be a lot more clear. I hope it’s obvious that just about everyone working in the music industry is there because they love music. It is, right? Most are musicians, many worked in radio and all of them love going to shows and getting free stuff like the rest of you.

But the thing you don’t know is that, if you’re a record label rep for example, or even someone with the band. . .a manager. . .publicist. . .roadie. . .anybody, really. . .the novelty of that lifestyle wears off really fast. After the 40th time seeing your label’s band perform the same songs, tell the same jokes and party in the same way the did the previous 39 times, you’ll understand how this happens. Just as a band member how he finds out what town he’s playing in if you ever get the chance. It’s usually because they’ve been told just before the go onstage, or as I have seen many times, there is a sign with the name of the city printed on it and plastered backstage so no one forgets. Most bands and the folks with them never even get to see the towns they visit and sleep during the day time.

So keep in mind that these folks are going to want to see that you can pass muster in this regard and you’ll be in pretty good shape.

Butt-kissing

For lack of a better term, this is really about going the distance with your responsibility as an intern. It means filing your intern reports on time, being where you say you will, when you say you will and generally being responsible and available to your internship coordinator or record label rep. Because you are essentially their eyes and ears on the streets of your city, they’re going to depend on you to fill them in on what’s happening so that they can, in turn, report back to their own bosses.

It might seem at times that the music industry operates in a vacuum far removed from what is really happening on the street and with music in general, but this isn’t really the case. Those folks you’re going to be touching base on a weekly basis depend on your input, and most importantly they depend on you following through on your obligations as an intern. They don’t just send you all that swag because they like paying the postage for it. . .they want you to actually hand it out. . .hold contests at radio station and in coffee houses and then tell how awesome the event went. They’re going to want you to take pictures and promote the heck out of it so they can justify the cost to their bosses, tell their bosses how awesome you are and look good themselves in the process. It’s all about scratching backs, yes, but in reality, that’s what your job is all about.

This is the thing people don’t get about doing a job and doing it exceptionally well. Some folks think that going above and beyond the call of duty is merely kissing up. . .they’re wrong. It’s about taking pride in what you do and treating everyone with respect. If you’re the right kind of butt-kisser, then you’re on the right track.

Etiquette, or (the best way to ask for what you really want out of your internship. . .a job)

Okay, so this is where it gets tricky. Most people in the world just don’t seem to get the idea of networking. . .they say they do, but they really don’t have a clue. I’m not sure what the real issue is but it basically boils down to one thing: people are generally intimidated with the idea of helping someone find a job. It’s bizarre really. . .and I discuss this concept quite candidly as it relates to how people most likely are going about their music business job search in my book: “The Music Business Guidebook: a clear guide to getting a job in the music industry. . .fast!”

Think about it though. If you come right out and ask someone if they can help you find a job this is what most people think about:

1. You’ve placed the burden of finding you work, something that in America we all seem to think we have tremendous skills in accomplishing, (until we’re out of work, that is) on THEM! Ouch.
2. Just by asking, you’ve made their own miserable little lives more miserable because now they have to do something OTHER than just show up. Boo hoo.
3. They now have to stick their neck out for you and that by doing so, they are in essence RECOMMENDING you. Bull.

Look, none of these things are true if you happen to work for or with someone who actually ‘gets’ what networking is all about, but I’ll tell you it is true for 90% of the working population in my not-so-scientific estimation.

So how then do you get around this ridiculous nightmare. Well, one single word will work wonders for you:

“LEARN”

You, my friend are an intern, you are a sponge, made to soak up all that is good AND bad in the world of interning. You are there to learn, so learn your little pants off! Please don’t talk about “opportunity”, as in “what sort of opportunities exist after graduation”, and please, please please don’t use the dreaded “J” word. . .”job”, that is. . .unless you’re certain the person you’re speaking with loves the hell out of you. They just can’t handle it.

I wish I could take credit for this little nugget, but it was my own internship coordinator at WZZO radio that drilled this into my head, and trust me it does make a difference. Don’t place your boss in the headlights and cause him or her to suffer the dreaded three traits mentioned above! Be gentle with them. . .tell them you would like to ‘learn’ more about how this part of the business works, or ‘learn’ about how they got started. . always a good one. . .’learn’ about what it takes to have a long career in the music industry. . and on. . .and on. Use this word as often as it seems right without being an echo of yourself and watch it work to your advantage. Ask advice because people love giving advice, and they generally hate being asked to help someone find a job.

Now, of course, I’m over generalizing here a little bit. . .but just a little, really. You’ll have to gauge the environment of your workplace and see how people react to frankness and networking in general. If you’re in a crowd that ‘gets’ it, then you’re probably cool. If you’re planning on being a record label sales rep as in a record promotion person, or retail rep, you just might be able to throw this last part of advice in the can, because a lot of sales people, the good ones at least, know that if you’re not gonna’ ask for the job, you’re sure as heck not going to ask for the sale either.

So, as I say, it’s a delicate bundle of all three tricks. But if you watch them all closely and throw a little dash of passion in there when it’s appropriate you’ll be well on your way to a successful record label internship and quite possibly the career in entertainment you’re seeking. Cheers!

Oh, and by the way, before I start getting nailed with requests to help each of you creative music business types out there, please keep in mind that all of this applies to folks you’re already working with and who know you at least a little bit. . .I unfortunately am out of the loop on this one!!! Good luck! You can find a halfway decent listing of music business jobs and internships on our own job board. Check it out!

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There certainly is no dearth of music business news out there lately. . .what with all the junk about the music industry’s death and all, you’d think music blogs around the world would all be out looking for new gigs. Maybe writing about petrochemicals is the way to go? Hmm. . .I don’t know. . .

So with all this recent exposure It got me thinking about a few of the music bloggers out there that I like to read, or the online places in general where you could still find excellent commentary about what’s really happening in music instead of what they’re talking about on your late night news channel.

So, with no further adieu, and in no particular order, here are a few that I’m enjoying as of late!

David Beronja’s “The Nashville Feed” is a group blog with with accompanying podcast produced and hosted in Nashville. The site covers topics from music business, events and culture with a Nashville perspective. I like David’s take on a number of things, and the fact that it covers Nashville is also a big bonus for those of you who would like to pick up a job in the Nashville music scene.

Bruce Houghton’s “HypeBot” highlights the current goings on in the new music business a nice interface, some video here and there and and all around good feel with a nice simple reporting style. Bruce is also the President of Skyline Music the home of your favorite lesbian-themed Led Zeppelin rock act; Lez Zeppelin, and one of my favorites: Liquid Soul.

David Hooper is everywhere. Or at least it has seemed that way for me as someone who has been working in the music and internet industry for some time now. He has several sites worth mentioning. . .my two favorites are: Indie Musician, and Music Business Radio.

Bob Lefsetz’ Lefsetz Letter presents the most candid commentary on the music industry available today. And he has been doing it for over 20 years. Always one to pick up on new technologies, Bob’s original paper-written newsletter is now a blog, and his view from 20,000 feet is not only typically right on the mark, but entertaining and insightful as well.

So there you go. Check ‘em out, have fun and see you soon!

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So the music industry is dead, eh? Well, I guess this you’d better pack up your bags then and become a plumber. I hear there’s good money in it and all. Heck even my own family thought picking up a trade wouldn’t be a bad idea. . .and having been a wood framer and house repairer for a number of years in high school, I could probably make the transition quite well. But still. . .

Not Dead Yet

What’s really going on

Look. The music industry isn’t near death anymore than the wealth of other business going through the same sort of growing pains which accompany change, new technology and the move toward creating a lean business model. (I covered this briefly in an old blog entry about the radio industry back in February)

What is happening, I believe, is that a very vocal minority is trumpeting the demise because unfortunately they can’t see what the future holds for them, and they certainly can’t predict where the music industry is really headed. After all, these folks are human. . . and when they haven’t planned for the changes the business is currently experiencing they get worried. . .it’s perfectly natural. But it’s not the end of the world.

Gaining perspective is critical

Recently, I had an email conversation with a former history professor of mine who was always able get students to see beyond the myopic lens of today, by looking at the lessons the past has already taught us. As a result, I thought I would throw a question at him to gain a bit of perspective on all the news I have been hearing about outsourcing and off-shoring in the business press. As the owner of a company that helps other firms outsource their writing needs, I’m pleased, of course, that one aspect of this equation works to my advantage –outsourcing.

Off-shoring, on the other hand, had me sitting on the edge of my seat for a few days, when I learned that our colleagues in India have been stealthfully snagging some good freelance writing gigs for some time now.

Once again, my professor’s perspective was illuminating. Far from this being anything new, it has happened time and time again, going back through industrialization and beyond. Globalization, it seems, has been around since the time of Monty Python’s “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.”

The main lesson we always seem to miss when our jobs are being threatened, or the world seems to be changing at a pace with which we’re uncomfortable, is the one that is right before our eyes: it’s all happened before. None of this is really new. If we just relax a bit and ask some of the folks who have either gone through it before (aunts, uncles, grandparents) or those who have studied history (professors, writers, researchers), we’ll be able to recognize these changes for what they are; inevitable moves toward the future.

More insight from the music business pros

The same holds true for the music business. It’s not dying, its simply readjusting. . .changing with the times, and getting more lean and more productive as a result. Moses Avalon, author of “Confessions of Record Producer”, covers this topic quite succinctly in his July newsletter. In it he’s got lots of specific data related to how the music industry is actually doing well, and if you check it out, I’m certain you’ll walk away with a better feeling about where the business is headed.

In fact, examples of this sort of thing are everywhere, and this redirection of focus on emerging technologies and business ideas are what drive innovation and the success of individuals, companies and countries forward. Don’t let all this hype ruin your mood, or your passion for the music industry. As I mentioned in my post yesterday about music business degrees, this industry is indeed fickle, but it’s not going to implode any time soon. Turn off your TV and turn on your radio, that’s where your passion started anyway, right?

For a few additional stories worth looking at to calm your fears check out these articles below:

To listen to a story on NPR about the continual prediction of the death of classical music visit, “Classical Music: Not Dead Yet.”

Here’s a great article from 2003 when people were already talking about the demise of the music business. Seems like Shake It Records, is still around four years later. . .hmmm.. . . For more visit, “The Death of the Music Industry”

Technology professors and recruiters are now having to convince their students that there are still engineering jobs and IT jobs out there for them after graduation. For a look at the real story behind the biggest hype jobs around, download the pdf, “Outsourcing? Offshore? Students need to know.” from the Information Systems Education Journal. It’ a good read.

Feel better now? Rock on, Doc.

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This is a question I have received quite frequently over the years. And, despite the fact that I graduated with a degree in music with a specialization in business (read: music business degree) from Southern Illinois University, I still say that getting a music business degree is NOT a prerequisite to a career in the music industry. And I say this not only as a veteran of the music business, but also as a former academic advisor to hundreds, if not thousands of students, at the University of Minnesota.

Now don’t get me wrong. A music business degree is a wonderful thing, particularly if it is also centered around music performance, you’ll boost your musical talent which always rocks and you’ll be focusing on a discipline you’re truly passionate about. . .not a bad deal. However, I can also tell you with 100% certainty that if I wasn’t out there busting my but at internship after internship, I would have had a nice degree in the music business without a contact or resume land me a gig at Starbucks. What will make the difference in your career planning are the record label internships, the part-time radio jobs, and the disc-jockey work you do in college. It’s the brand ambassador work and the street team promoting and all the other stuff that the record industry is all about that will propel you into the music business hot-seat.

There is also one very important thing to keep in mind. The music business is an extremely fickle industry, and a good number of people who have worked in record promotion or radio to name a few, seem to be on the job hunt every few years or so. Some keep going and move from record label to artist management firm and back again for another round. Others move on entirely and rest more comfortably as music fans instead of music professionals. Want proof? Try this on for size. I’ll never forget one moment while attending a conference when the speaker asked an audience of several hundred music business types this question: “How many in this room have ever been fired?” Almost 90% of the people in the room raised their hands. It was unreal. Believe me, this business can be very shaky.

The reason I point this out is because once this happens to you (it will), and you’re laid off, or your totally burnt out on the music business you’ll start looking for another job, and you’ll discover more often than not that most folks sitting in the recruiting chair of corporate America, have absolutely no idea what to do with you. Just think of how hard it is to find anyone you know who has connections in the business. . .it’s nearly impossible, right? Now think about what it will be like when you’re out of a job, trying to change careers and have a degree in music business and a specialization in hanging out with rock bands. Trust me people don’t get it. They just can’t put their hands around it because they don’t know how it works, and what you do when your working in this field. It’s the ‘ol square peg in a round hole dilemma.

So please keep this in mind when you’re picking your major. It is important that you’re happy when you’re in school, it is important to pursue your passions, and it’s equally important to be able to feed yourself and your family when your music business career takes a swipe upside the head. In all my years in the music industry I never once met another person with a degree in music. Not once. Most folks had degrees in history or some other liberal arts program. . .actually psychology was a common one if I remember correctly as well. But not one in music. Now that’s not to say you shouldn’t do it. . .just know what you’re getting into ahead of time, and always remember that it’s the internships that will move you forward anyway, not necessarily the music business degree. If you are interested in a music business degree, I’ve started a list of schools that offer a music business degree, and will add more as I come to learn about them. If you’re aware of any I should highlight, please place your comments on the blog, and I’ll pick up the leads from here.

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The running theme in just about everything I say as it relates to jobs in the music industry, or an entertainment career in general, is that it’s not as hard as it looks. The most difficult thing you’ll have to tackle if you’re going to pursue this trek is your own reticence to move forward and take a gamble — and perhaps equally as important — the necessity of working for free.

So with that in mind, let’s take a look at what sort of approach might land you a plum internship gig working for something like Fashion Rocks 2007, which will air on September 7, 2007 on CBS. Now, I’m going to assume for the sake of argument that you’ve got very little if any experience in the music industry for this experiment. Heck, you might even live in Podunk-nowheres-ville, or even live overseas which would be a real challenge! You’ll see, however, that even with these apparent limitations, landing a music industry internship really isn’t that difficult. In fact, you might find that living overseas or in the middle of nowhere might even help your chances!

Okay, so this is how I would do it:

Research your butt off!

Finding your first little crumbs

Beginning with the end goal in mind, my first step would be to check out the Fashion Rocks 2007 website. If you go there, you’ll notice that, at the moment at least, it’s pretty much worthless. Typing “Fashion Rocks 2007″ in Google turns up the site linked above, which seems to be just a placeholder from the 2006 show. Great. Well, actually, it’s not too bad, because I want to show you how the entire process works. So, we’ve reached dead-end number one. Welcome to the music industry! Now what?

My thoughts at this point are: This isn’t the first time they’ve done this show right? So let’s see if there is anything we can learn about last year’s show that might help us get an internship at this year’s award ceremony. Let’s get our search engine fingers ready. . . .

Since I’m a researcher and freelance writer by trade, I have a method of sorts for locating the information I need to find. As a result, the first technique I use when conducting research either online is to start with a narrow field. I do this by choosing the most specific terms I can think of related to my question, AND by typing those words IN QUOTES within the Google search box.

Doing so, helps me stay focused on the topic, and helps to produce the most relevant leads. Now, I love Google, and I’ve used it for this example, but you can use any search engine you find works for you. I’ll add that in my experience traveling, I sometimes find that the localized Yahoo, sites for example, sometimes produce a better range of local results, so if you’re overseas and looking to intern at a specific event or company in your country, you might wish to keep this in mind.

But we’re talking about Fashion Rocks here, right? And this award show is being held in the U.S. so let’s take a look at what sort of results we get by typing “Fashion Rocks 2006″ in quotes within Google. . .Bingo!

By keeping the search wide and NOT using quotes around our search phrase, Google gives us a whopping 2,380,000 to look through for leads. Narrowing the search down, however, by using quotes yields us a much more manageable, and relevant 841 leads to move forward. This will help tremendously when trying to land this gig in such a short period of time. After all, we’re only talking about two months or less ’till Fashion Rocks launch time! Ahhhhh!

Making your own trail

Now that you’ve got some search results, let’s take a look at a few to see where to go from here. What you’ll want to do when looking through the return results is look for about five or six sites that you think might give you more information that could lead to some mention of the people and/or companies that make Fashion Rocks hum. Remember, because you used quotes, you now know you have relevant results to look. Reason being is that by using quotes you’re finding those specific words together in a sequence, so even though you might not see an angle to what you’re searching for when the results first pop up, the words “Fashion Rocks 2006″ are in there somewhere! So look with your business hat on!

When I looked through the results, the sites listed below popped out at me immediately as good targets to further narrow my search for this internship. I have detailed below the site name and the reason why I thought it might be a good site to explore further.

The site: Fashion Rocks 2006 Blog Why: The obvious day to day stuff about what happened
The site: Interactive Media Awards Why: Hmm…award winners. Nice leads?!
The site: Party Line Rentals Why: Might be a business with connections to the fest
The site: SAWF News Connect Why: Lots of news about fashion and entertainment
The site: The Swag Time Blog Why: Marketing departments targets. A God-send?!

Finding the nuggets

Now that you’ve got what seem like good sites that might help you narrow down your internship search, start looking on those pages for the names of people and companies associated with the event. And remember, we’re looking for folks that work behind-the-scenes. . .while it’s great that you know Kanye West was at Fashion Rocks 2006, and he looked dashing and all, you’re not concerned about his suit, you want to work with the folks that worked with him, behind the scenes.

So search for the names of managers, representatives, agents, etc. Basically anyone who might work with the talent and who might be interested in having you come on board to help out with the show. Remember, internship opportunities don’t purely exist with the show promoters, but with EVERYONE involved as well! You can also stretch this search out to the artist’s record label, management company, booking agency, clothing representatives. . .anything really. The potential is limitless.

Think you won’t find anything?

Skeptics, pay attention. For those of you leisurely strolling through these pages seemingly finding nothing worthy and ready to throw up your hands in disgust, I would recommend looking again.

Just glancing through these pages myself while writing this post I discovered tons of angles to worth pursuing if I was looking for this type of music internship. A little tip: look for the names of companies or associations that can take you to the next step in your search, and think outside the box. Who is providing services to this event? How about manufacturers, accountants, magazines, consumer products? If you’re coming to this event without much experience, what you’re really looking for is a leaping off point to get more experience. So if handing out water bottles to models gets you in the tent so you can network with the music industry insiders you’re looking to connect with then THAT is exactly what you’re looking for with this gig!!

Take for example The Swag Time Blog. Other than listing the cool s.w.a.g (stuff we all get) that award show attendees receive just for showing up, what else is there? What information exists on that page can help you get a job? Well, how about the product names of every dang thing these artists are going to get in that little freebie bag of theirs! Each one of those products is made by a company very interested in spreading their name all over the planet by giving away *for free* (notice that word there. . .you might be working for free as well for the same mission) their fancy product. AND, each one of those products is being pushed by a marketing department somewhere in the bowels of company ‘X’ that you could be helping out come ‘game day’. What you want to do is be one of the people working to help make that happen.

Don’t forget to toss away the idea of hob-knobbing with the celebrities, you want to work in music not be an idol worshiper. . .there is a huge difference. So let’s get started! On the swag site, the swag is listed. . . .go dig up the company information that will help you accomplish this, and get to work!

Yikes. This just in. . .searching a bit more and typing “Fashion Rocks 2007″ in Google, I turned up this great press release . Tons of great lead generating info in there. I’ll also mention that there are also several different web address for the show this year. . .why, I have no idea, but they are out there. For more info try www.fashionrock07.com and www.fashionrocks2007.tv

More on how to get the names of your contacts and what to tell them when you’ve got their attention tomorrow!

To read part two of this story, visit: How to get an internship at Fashion Rocks 2007: Part Two.

If you think I’ve given a few good tips here, you might want to check out the Music Industry Guidebook: A clear guide to getting a job in the music business. . .fast! In minutes you’ll have ideas that you can put in motion tomorrow to get started on your dream of a career in the entertainment industry. I love being a teacher, let me share my insight with you today. Get the book today!

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Hey folks, after considerable thought, I’ve decided to move the blog from the hosted Wordpress spot to a more friendly html extension right here on musicbusinespage.com. If traffic continues to pick up I’ll ultimately move this over to the hosted version of Wordpress, but for now I”m using Google’s Blogger. . .at least this way when I do switch things over, the blog address will remain the same at this location.

SO! If you’re looking for the older posts you can check them out over at www.musicindustryjobs.wordpress.com. Otherwise, stick around here to see what I can churn up!

Gotta’ love that pic of Tom Jones helping us move, eh? I just read that they’ve finally released the DVD version of the “This is Tom Jones Show” which was on television in the early seventies. If you would like to see one of the best live singers in the world in his heyday, you might want to take a look see. . .this dude was famous for rocking the pants off anyone still wearing any. . .

Check back in a week!