Music Industry Jobs|Music Business Jobs|Music Internships

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One of the most prevalent myths you’ll ever hear about working in the recording industry, is that your likelihood of carving out a career in entertainment rests solely on who you know. In fact, this kind of talk permeates all facets of job hunting and sales to the point where, God-forbid, one might think it completely impossible to accomplish just about anything in life without some sort of inside connection.

Well, while an inside track to a gig as a recording engineer, or record promotion person might be a beautiful thing, and save you a ton of work, it is without a doubt NOT the only way to start or continue your job in the music business.

Let’s say, for example that you would like to work in a studio as a recording engineer. If your uncle’s best friend’s cousin owned a studio, then you’d be in like Flynn, right? But what if you didn’t know anyone? How would you get started sweeping up the floors of a recording studio and miking drums without knowing someone? How would you even find a studio to start your search?

Well, here is what I would do, and if you follow these few simple steps, you’re bound to have some results.

First, hop online and do some searching for where there are recording studios in your town, or nearby where you live. If you feel you’re stuck in a town with absolutely no music scene and there isn’t a studio around, then you might want to read my initial Music Myth Busting Post: “My town is too small to get a job in music.” In there you’ll see how I break apart this myth once and for all by highlighting a ton of opportunities in what is statistically the smallest town in America. It might open your eyes a bit as to what sort of career opportunities in the music industry exist in even the tiniest of towns anywhere in the world.

So, back to our dream job of working in a recording studio. . .the next ProTools master!! Okay, so your dream is probably to either run a studio someday or work with artists in the studio as a producer or some sort of tech. My guess then is that you’re already somewhat familiar with what that job entails, but if you’re not, or if you would like to learn a bit more before you start to dedicate your valuable job/internship time searching for something that you might not enjoy, you might want to pick up a copy of what are probably the two best books on what it’s like to be a record producer and work in a studio day in and day out. The two books I would recommend are: Confessions of a Record Producer, by Moses Avalon, and Producing Hit Records: Secrets from the Studio, by David Farinella. They’re both brilliant insider books on a recording career.

Once you’re sure you’re set for a career as a recording engineer, or record producer follow these steps, and watch the magic start. Heck, it’s what I’d do, at least, and you’re results are only guaranteed by the time you put into it. When I was first starting and looking for my first college internship at a record label, I sent over 100 resumes out to the labels with a cover letter stating my interest in working with them and rattling off the experience I already had working for two years as an intern at WZZO radio in Allentown, PA. ‘ZZO is no piddly-ant station, yet despite this effort, and Lord knows how much money to have each cover letter typed (yup, this was a while ago. . .), it yielded only ONE single call. Which led, however to ONE single job. Yeah! I heard back from Sony, Crysalis, EMI, Capitol and a host of other record labels that they didn’t need my help, but one label. . .Virgin. . .got back to me, and that ONE single gig (after tons of energy) was the gig that sparked my career.

I mention this because I want you to know that no amount of wishing is going to help you get that music job. . .you’ve got to take some action. And remember, it’s NOT who you know. I didn’t know a soul at Virgin, and no one at my radio station vouched for me either. It was ALL hustle.

Okay, here are the steps as I would pursue it if I were looking for a job in a recording studio today.

1. Read the aforementioned books to be sure I wanted this type of gig.
2. Create a resume that highlights at least some of the experience I’ve already got. (This can be anything. . .even a mere love of music CAN get you places if you apply it logically for whatever job you’re trying to get. . .alas, you’re much better off if you’ve been in a band, worked with a band, have a home studio, recording stuff using some sort of MacGyver set up in the woods. . .whatever. . .just demonstrate your initiative.
3. On your resume, skip the references section, and play like the big-boys and gals do. Include “testimonials” instead. These are written references from your bosses. So, instead of merely placing your boss’s name and number down, get him/her to write something say why you’re awesome, and put THAT in there!! No one your age will be doing this. . .trust me.
4. Create a personalized cover letter. My advice here, is don’t get too carried away. MOST of these will not be read, and if you spend too much time crafting great letters for 100 people, you’ll never get anything done. Try to write a cover letter that speaks as directly to the studio you’re trying to get work at, while at the same time crafting it in a way that allows you to put it in a mail merge program for maximum productivity.
5. If you’re not great at resume writing you can use any number of services out there that provide such a service. Folks like Employment 911 (who write music-specific resumes) and Resume Rabbit are good in my experience. You might also find folks who do this sort of thing locally and in-person. (In the interest of full disclosure, I do receive a commission if you happen to work with these folks.)
6. Search online using Google’s business search to find the recording studios near you. If you’re going to be a recording engineer, you’re going to have to know where the business is at. So drum up a list and create an excel sheet with all the pertinent data that you can later import into your favorite letter writing program for a mail merge.
7. Once you’ve got your list and your resume ready, stamp ‘em and send out the letters. Send them out in manageable bunches, because the most important step comes next, and you’ll want to leave enough time in your day to complete it successfully.
8. Here it is. The most important step. Pick up the phone and call the people you sent your resume to. I guarantee you most, if not all, people who send out resumes to recording studios will never do this step. Call it what you will, cold-calling. . .warm-calling. . .whatever, it’s gotta’ be done if you want to score that job. If I had done this earlier in my career, I’m sure I would have had even more success than I initially had at the time. So, please pick up the phone. . .introduce yourself, and tell them why you want to work with them. This, by the way, is the stage where you’ll want to know more about how each studio works and who they work with. . .if you know what you’re talking about when you call, you’re two steps ahead of the game.
9. Rinse, lather, repeat. Keep going. If you call and get no response. . .voice mail. . .leave a message. If you leave messages and no one ever calls you back, try putting a date when you’ll call in your cover letter. If you do that and it still doesn’t work, when you leave a message, ask if they can return your call with a good time to call them. If that doesn’t work, locate their address and show up at their door. I’m not kidding. Just go there. Again, most folks won’t do this. When I interned at ‘ZZO I dropped off my resume personally even though the person I was dropping it off for wasn’t there. Then I followed up with a phone call. In showing up and later calling, not only did I demonstrate a little chutzpa, but I also knew the receptionist’s name as well as the name of the person that just happened to cover for her when I came in for lunch. Ah, I hear you saying, “Now you knew someone!” Yup. But not at first! But with a little hustle you can do the same.

This system does work if you put a plan into action. Case in point of hustle in action: My new pal, Justin Travis. . .graduate of the Berklee College of Music and now intern at TopSpin. A month or two ago, Justin started following my MusicBizJobs account on Twitter. And like most folks, he was just “out there” in the stream. Yet one day I saw a tweet of his where he asked for folks interested in creating a podcast with him about the goings on in the music business.

Well, heck, I didn’t know Justin from “Adam,” but, it sounded like a solid idea, so I said I was “game” if he still needed the help. He did, and I was in. Now the MusicBizWeekly podcast is a weekly occurrence, and I even dragged my long-time compatriot, Heather McDonald from Musician’s at About.com in for the fun. The best part is, though, Justin took the initiative as he saw it to literally create a name for himself. Great idea, and SO do-able these days with the simplicity of blog writing and podcasting, etc. Just creating good content can get you noticed these days. . .in the 80’s and prior to that these options were not even possibilites, so the advatange is truly yours.

What’s even better about Justin’s story though, is that when I first spoke with him he wanted to land a job in LA. A good place to be for someone looking to work in the music industry, right? Well, damn, Justin didnt’ know a soul in LA, how could he land a 3 month internship with a new media/new music firm in just a month or two, without knowing anyone? Hmmm…well, how about majoring in music business at a great school? How about interning while in school instead of drinking beer every night and failing out? How about researching the places online where he would like to work, then hustling to get his foot in the door with a resume, follow-up and an eventual interview? How about putting together a MusicBizWeekly podcast with two veteran music people to show your initiative?

Clearly, you must see where this is going, right? Correct. Justin will soon be moving to Los Angeles to start what will, no doubt, be the beginning of a great career in the entertainment industry at what was his first-choice company as far as I know: TopSpin. Awesome-ness, made real by H.U.S.T.L.E!!

Go get ‘em. It is NOT who you know. It’s ACTION that makes your dream gig possible!

See you at the meet and greet! ™

Cheers,
Doc

If you like the blog, you’ll love our email newsletter even
more. Subscribe to the Music Business Page Blog by Email today, and get your complimentary “Music Business Boot Camp” series, the introductory chapters of my Music Business Guidebook, and our 50+ page BOOK: “Tips, Tactics and other for-sure methods for getting your music career off the ground” each delivered free to your email box instantly as a courtesy just for signing up today. Don’t forget to approve the confirmation email, and please note: ONY email

subscribers will receive these extra gifts. RSS subscribers will still receive updates about the blog, email recipients will receive the extra benefits mentioned above. If it was us, we’d subscribe to both!

Sell your records. Find a gig. Learn more.

Go-getter, and future music industry super-star Justin Travis, a student at Berklee, About.com Musician’s Guide, Heather McDonald, and myself have put together a weekly podcast about what’s happening in the music business, entitled Music Biz Weekly. It’ll be an ongoing dialog about various events happening in the music business. . .that we hope will serve to not only keep you posted on what’s going on so when you’re being interviewed for your internship, or first gig as a recording engineer, promotions person or brand ambassador, you’ll know what you’re talking about!

Listen to the podcast here:

http://ow.ly/2wIg

This week we talked about these stories:

• SeeqPod Files for Bankruptcy
• Online Listening Replacing Music Acquisition
• FREE!: The Kind of Music Nobody Wants To Own
• Why Interruption is a Crappy Music Business Model

So, we’ve just uploaded the first podcast. . .you can download it to your iPod as well. Here’s the link: http://ow.ly/2wIg

Enjoy! We look forward to your comments and suggestions!

Cheers,
D

Hi everyone, just popping in today with a quick video that’ll start your mind racing with all sorts of approaches you can use to snag your first radio job this week. No kidding, watch the vid and get movin’!

Here are the links mentioned in this video:

Clear Channel’s station search tool. Good if you know the call letters, otherwise, not so good!

Wikipedia list of seemingly every Clear Channel Station by state

Knock ‘em dead, and I’ll see you at the meet and greet!

Cheers,
Doc

Hi all,

A quick little message to let everyone know that I have re-launched MusicIndustryJobs.com. Previously it had only one page of music business job and internship listings that required quite a bit of searching on your part. To reduce the workload a bit, I’ve broken down all the job postings into a few different categories that cover music jobs in film, touring, band management, record labels, music gigs, etc. I’ve also created search categories and done the preliminary job searching for you for every state in the US, and am currently working on expanding the search listings to Europe and Asia as well. We also have a separate internship category as well.

You can apply to most jobs directly from the site. . .usually there is a link, or an email address to send a resume.

It’s a pretty sweet tool that I hope you’ll mention to any of your friends who are interested in an entertainment career. We’ve also got an RSS feed with the daily “featured job” as well.

Good luck, and Happy Hunting!

Cheers,
Doc

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

If you like the blog, you’ll love our email newsletter even more. Subscribe to the Music Business Page Blog by Email today, and get your complimentary “Music Business Boot Camp” series, the introductory chapters of my Music Business Guidebook, and our 60+ page BOOK: “Tips, Tactics and other for-sure methods for getting your music career off the ground” each delivered free to your email box instantly as a courtesy just for signing up today. Don’t forget to approve the confirmation email, and please note: ONLY email subscribers will receive these extra gifts.

RSS subscribers will still receive updates about the blog, email recipients will receive the extra benefits mentioned above. If it was us, we’d subscribe to both!

Cold calling is the life-blood of the economy, and no matter what people will tell you throughout your life, it absolutely, positively works. I use it each and every day to bring business into my firm, and it is what got me each of my initial gigs in the music industry as well. If you listened to the Tim Ferris and Derek Sivers interview below, you also learned how Derek turned a few cold calls into some big money for himself and proved how easily it can be done.

The same goes for you. Getting a job at a record label, or with a band is so much easier, when you pick up the phone. Chuck email for once, and try it out. It can make all the difference in the world. Trust me.

If you’re not sure how to go about cold calling, or has a friend or relative that could use a boost in their own cold calling efforts, you should take a look at a course my friend Wendy Weiss offers. She is among the best cold calling teachers you’ll find, and I have used her products myself to help boost my own cold calling chops. Her cold calling college live event will knock you on your butt and get you rarin’ to pick up the phone. While the copy is geared toward business people, you can apply these skills anywhere in life, career and business. Here is the scoop on her program from the Queen of Cold Calling herself!

What would happen to your business if you were able to double the number of qualified, prospects you are able to reach?

How would it affect your bottom line if you met with and/or had comprehensive telephone conversations with twice the number of qualified, decision-makers?

How would it feel to have qualified, decision-makers eager, willing and delighted to meet with you?

Join Wendy Weiss, The Queen of Cold Calling, as she discusses cold calling and how she helps entrepreneurs, business owners and sales professionals - just like you - prospect fearlessly and schedule more new business appointments in less time.

The Cold Calling Live College Starts September 30th! and details can be found here:

Cold Calling College Live

Prospecting is perhaps the most important skill that entrepreneurs, business owners and sales professionals must master to be truly successful. Let’s face it, without customers you don’t have a business, and without prospecting, you don’t have customers!

In this day and age there are certainly many avenues that one can take to reach prospects. No other avenue, however, is as powerful as the one-on-one, personal, direct connection that you can make with a prospect by having a great telephone conversation.

**Outsmart and Outsell the Competition**

On the telephone, you can instantly build rapport, gather information, show your expertise and move your sales process forward, all of this while your competition is still trying to get in the door.

Many people, however, struggle with prospecting by phone. The reality is that prospecting can be difficult, but it doesn’t need to be. The good news is that cold calling is a communication skill, and like any communication skill, it can be learned and improved upon. In working with my clients, many of them have practiced new skills and are thrilled to see their results change.

If you struggle with prospecting, you too can see amazing change and terrific improvement in your ability to connect with multiple new prospects on a personal level, and have them agree to sit down and have a further conversation with you.

The Cold Calling Live College Starts September 30th! and details can be found here:

Cold Calling College Live

The Struggle is Over

Because so many people struggle with cold calling, appointment-setting and new business development, it has become our top priority to help you get your business to where you want it to be.

That’s why we’re recommending the proven new business development strategies, tactics, techniques and tips you will learn by attending this preview call.

The Cold Calling Live College Starts September 30th! and details can be found here:

Register now:

Cold Calling College Live

Here’s what people are saying about ‘Cold Calling College’:

‘I recently called six companies and was able to get four solid introductory appointments on my calendar with minimal effort! If I can keep up this pace I can make more money in less time.’

–Tracy M. Brodd, Account Executive, American Identity

And isn’t that what it’s about? Making more money in less time.

You can do it too.

The Cold Calling Live College Starts September 30th! and details can be found here:

Cold Calling College Live

Don’t wait. These sessions are guaranteed to help, right

now, regardless of your sales experience or background.

The Cold Calling Live College Starts September 30th! and details can be found here:

Register now:

Cold Calling College Live

To your success!

Wendy Weiss

The Queen of Cold Calling

PS - Just for attending, you are eligible for EXCELLENT
discounts… Register (even if you can’t make it - we’ll send you a recording!)
today!

The Cold Calling Live College Starts September 30th!

Register now:

Cold Calling College Live

Image courtesy of: Self Service World

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

Last week I was having lunch with a college-aged friend of mine, and while our meandering conversation took many turns over the course of an hour, a big part of it centered on music. If you know me, you’ll know that this is a common diversion, and it’s easy to make the leap to music as I find it is a great icebreaker in any conversation. Generally speaking, even if people have nothing to talk about, they enjoy talking about music.

Even growing up, I remember music tended to define who we were in a sense. . .and it was almost the very first question you would ask in a conversation. “So, what kind of music do you like?” It was the schoolyard demographic identifier. Every click had their own tastes in music and, to a degree, you knew where you fit in, based on what folks were listening to. Of course, there were, and still are, crossover acts that hit all crowds, but it was a pretty good rule of thumb. Isn’t it funny, how that question of what kind of music you dig morphs into the: “So, what kind of work do you do?” question we all ask as we exit college and enter the working world. Ah. . .how much better it would be if we stuck to the first question. . .then followed it with: “And how is your family?” Anyway, wishful thinking. . .we’re so detached from what really matters anymore on the whole, I think.

Regardless, this conversation about music started because my friend was playing some funky tune on his iPod that I had never heard of, and so I asked who it was. . .that, in turn, led to the remaining free flow of conversation that concluded with us talking about a few friends of his who also dig music, one of whom even went to engineering school, but can’t seem to find jobs in the business and are now living at home working in retail. Eh? What a drag. So, of course, the former academic advisor and music business vet in me perked up. I asked. . .”What sort of work do they want to do?” His reply, “Not sure, but they say they just can’t get anything.”

Hmmm. . .okay folks, so it’s time for me to pull out my pedestal a bit, because this advice is critical to your success. And, if I sound like I’m preaching to you, I am. But take it with a grain of salt, because if you take my advice to heart, you’ll be thanking me later. Here goes.

First of all, not knowing what kind of job you want in the music industry is insane. There are so many books about the business, so many people talked about these days on the news and all the entertainment shows, that it’s a wonder you don’t have five or ten jobs you think you could do. Come on, really. Let’s get some focus! Second, I will never accept that there are “no jobs” in music for those first out trying. It is just NOT true. The music business is full of people who are where they are today because they have dedicated their lives to working in this business, and most, if not all of them started out as volunteers. If you’re not open to volunteering to get your feet wet, then you might as well start looking for a career elsewhere. Whether it makes sense or not, people who work in music often consider it a badge of honor to have worked for free, and with all the people willing to work for free to get started, if you’re the one out there looking for a paying gig with zero experience under your belt, who do you think they’ll hire? Even the Beatles put in extra “free” hours in Hamburg when they were getting started.

And hey, I don’t care if you live in the most podunk town on earth. There are opportunities to get your start in every town.

According to census records, Dellview, North Carolina is the smallest incorporated town in America, with only 11 residents, most of whom are related. Now that’s a small town. However, to its immediate north is a town named Cherryville, with upwards of 6,000 people. And low and behold, Cherryville has a music instrument store (McNeely Music and Sales), bars (with live bands so you can roadie, do lights/sound), The Iris Room an event/wedding reception room (can you say DJ??) , at least one record label in Almost Standing records, and all these additional music oriented businesses within a half hour of the town. It’s ridiculous really, more than even I thought I would find! Then, of course, if you’re really determined, and want to make an impression. . .only one hour from Dellview, the smallest town in the entire United States of America, is the Charlotte-Mecklenberg region where in Charlotte alone there are 705 listings just for recording studios!!!! Imagine what else is there. If you can’t get a job sweeping floors and filling pencil boxes for free with 705 options then. . .wow. . .

Look, it takes effort, folks. Sometimes climbing the ladder is tough, and sometimes it can be a breeze if you get lucky. Sometimes the money is good, other times, its slow in coming and often low at best. But there are plenty of other professions that have the same kind of sacrifices. Do you think doctors enjoy working 20 hour shifts and sleeping in locker rooms for a few years before they get to actually practice? How about architects? Almost ten years of schooling and apprenticeships before they even get a chance to sign off on drawings? Getting there is hard work, but for those who want it badly enough it’s all worth it. And don’t forget, it’s okay to stumble. . .you’re not always going to get it right just out of the gate, just dust yourself off and keep going.

Getting a job in the music industry, or in any business you really care about, is all about setting goals, being persistent and following-through. No one element stands alone. . .they all must work together, and they’re driven by your own desire and passion for whatever life goals you possess.

You can certainly toss each one of these elements out the window if you’re happy working in a job you don’t like that just “pays the bills,” but wouldn’t it be better if that job you had that paid the bills was also a job you loved? And, by the way, it certainly doesn’t have to be in music to be the right job for you. Maybe your life’s calling is helping people as a research librarian, or as the manager of a hotel, or owner of a nail salon. . .whatever it is, think about would make you happy, and do it. And to make sure you’re successful in your efforts, be vigilant about incorporating goals, persistence and follow-through in everything you do along the way. Do those things, know you can do it, and you’ll eventually figure out the path to success. Get a resume together, create a cover letter that opens doors, make yourself the fish they won’t want to toss back into the water. Do it now.

Please, no excuses! Get that gig!

If you like the blog, you’ll love our email newsletter even
more. Subscribe to the Music Business Page Blog by Email today, and get your complimentary “Music Business Boot Camp” series, the introductory chapters of my Music Business Guidebook, and our 50+ page BOOK: “Tips, Tactics and other for-sure methods for getting your music career off the ground” each delivered free to your email box instantly as a courtesy just for signing up today. Don’t forget to approve the confirmation email, and please note: ONY email

subscribers will receive these extra gifts. RSS subscribers will still receive updates about the blog, email recipients will receive the extra benefits mentioned above. If it was us, we’d subscribe to both!

Sell your records. Find a gig. Learn more.

One of my great interests in life is learning about cultures different from my own, and when I was just beginning to get my feet wet with knowledge about the music industry, one of my more favorite sections to read in Billboard, was the International section. If you’re at all like me, and dream of yourself mixing records and working with bands in foreign lands, then you should take a look-see at the School of Audio Engineering (SAE), the world’s first school to offer “practical audio education” as SAE refers to it.

SAE Institute, the world’s largest media arts and sciences academy, operates 46 schools on four
continents, four of which are in the good old US of A. Today we’re going to take a quick look one of SAE’s more recent campuses: SAE Atlanta. Facilities at the SAE Atlanta location were built by world-renowned studio builder Michael Cronin of Michael Cronin Acoustic Construction, and occupy a 17,500-square-foot building above the Hard Rock Cafe in downtown Atlanta. The campus has more than 20 studios and workstations, including a 5.1 surround sound mixing theater featuring a Digidesign ICON control surface and ProTools HD system, housing the most advanced professional audio and multimedia technology
systems available.

Every new student receives an Apple laptop computer, audio interface, and Pro Tools M-Powered, BIAS Peak and Logic Express software to further enhance and encourage each individual’s educational experience.

Why I like SAE for its international vibe is that it is headquartered in Byron Bay, Australia and has a network of 47 campuses all over the world, opening up opportunities for study abroad, and international connections that almost never exist in traditional engineering school environments. If you’re at all interested in working overseas in the entertainment industry, I would encourage to take a serious look at SAE by requesting information about their schools.

SAE offers diploma and full degree programs in audio, multimedia, digital filmmaking, animation and gaming. SAE is part of the SAE Technology Group, which also owns and operates leading mixing console manufacturer AMS Neve, Studios 301 (with locations in Sydney and Byron Bay, Australia, Cologne, Germany, Studios 301 is a collective group of state-of-the-art recording and mastering facilities), the Computer Graphics College and Qantm College.

They have a rolling application deadline, which means that instead of thinking you have to wait until fall to go to school, they’ll take your application now. And in my book that’s a great deal.

To learn more about any of the SAE campuses and receive your FREE information packet about the school, fill your information in their quick form on the next page, and click SUBMIT. You’re only as close to your dream as the action you take. Get started on your dream career today and lay down some thumpin’ beats at SAE Atlanta

Learn recording engineering by the beach at sunny SAE Miami

Rock out with the cats at SAE Los Angeles

Hang your hat with legendary songwriters in music city at SAE Nashville

How it works: Hi folks. Because I tend to get a lot of questions about how to get a job in the music business, and because it is difficult to craft a new response for every one I get, I’m going to start sharing a few of my more common responses here on the blog. Each time I do so, I’ll ask if I can post the message online before doing so, and if I receive your approval, as I did with today’s question, I’ll put ‘er up.

Today’s question comes from a reader interested in breaking “back” into the music business after interning several years ago. He initially asked about recruiting agencies in the New York area, which I also comment about briefly. Below is the text of a few emails back and forth with the names and places of the innocent removed for the obvious reasons, and as well as some of the extraneous stuff like the ‘”thank yous” and “hellos”

What sort of questions do you have about a career in entertainment? Place them in the comments section of this post. If your questions is chosen as our next “Reader’s Question”, I’ll send you a free copy of my book: “The Music Industry Guidebook: A clear guide to getting a job in the music industry. . .fast!”

First email volley from our intrepid reader:

“I’m currently looking for a job in music marketing/promotions. Do you know of any music industry recruiters based in New York? The recruiters that I have investigated so far do not help with promotions/marketing placements.”

My initial response:

“Thanks for the note. Recruiters in the music business are mostly for entry level admin jobs, unless you’re an exec already who needs an “agent”of sorts to help you get a bigger paying job. Can I ask what sort of work you do now? Are you a college grad, or still in school? And what sort of music you’re into?”

His second reply:

“For the past eight years I have been pursuing an acting career. While I have had success, I am now searching for a more traditional means of employment. I graduated with a Marketing degree from XYZ School in 1999. I also minored in Music Merchandising. My current job is as a customer service representative for XYZ Company. I’ve been working there for about a year and a half and still act as a hobby.

During college, I interned at Mercury Records and Roadrunner Records for a year each. I have had many jobs in street promotion, bar tending, administrative work and temping to supplement my acting income.

My present goal is to work in music promotions or marketing preferably in the heavy metal and rock genre. companies like Roadrunner Records, Sirius Satellite Radio, Revolver Magazine and Metal Maniacs magazine would be ideal. A place comparable to the now defunct Concrete Marketing and Concrete Management would be great too.

There’s nothing better than promoting music to people especially at events like concerts. The look on a person’s face after hearing a great band for the first time is priceless. I feel music is the impetus to bring people together in an increasingly isolated world and I thrive to make those connections.”

My second response:

“I like to shoot straight on these things, so here’s my take. First off, you’re lucky you’re be near NYC. By your area code, I’m guessing you’re in Long Island, so you’ve really got the music business right in your backyard. A lot of folks think rock music happens in LA, my opinion has always been that it’s really out East.

You’ve also already got experience in the business which is really good and can put you ahead of the competition for gigs.

The negative in this whole thing is that because the industry turns over so frequently, as often as every two to three years, many of the people you knew at Roadrunner and Mercury, and more importantly, the people THEY knew are most likely not working in music anymore, or are doing something not related to record promotion at least. I did independent promotion myself from 97-99 and probably know some of the folks you once worked with. Do you remember any names?

Question: after your internships with the labels why did you leave the business on the record side?
(he addresses this, later saying that he went to pursue a career in acting)

You mentioned Concrete. If I recall correctly, they were an independent promotion firm and are “no longer”, like many independent promotion firms, because the rules regarding indie promotion have changed, and the labels stopped paying most indies to do promotion the way they were doing it. What that means for folks interested in promotion, is that most of the real paying gigs are back “in-house” at the labels, and the labels can be hard to break into unless you’re starting from the bottom.

That said, since you’ve already interned you might be able to step your foot back in the door again at any of the labels you’re interested in as a volunteer/intern, and once you’re in and being recognized as a contributor, ask what the realities of becoming full-time staff are if you were to stay on as a volunteer. Many places will take interns of all ages. . .they might require credit. . .which you can get cheap at local community college, but it should still work. The main thing is you’ve gotta’ be willing/able to work for free again, which sucks, but might help get you back and rolling again. There are never any guarantees, but it’s a shot.

The other way is to take a look at any outlet in your area that plays the type of music you like. If you’re into metal, look for metal shows on the air (tv or radio) or the magazines you mentioned, and try to get a part-time or intern job there. Then you’ll want to aim to be someone the labels know and need to get their music played/reviewed. Once you’re that guy, then its MUCH easier to make the transition.

It can all involve starting over in a sense, and I’ll remind you that the turnover is high at labels, particularly in promotion as its a sales job. If you’re not sellin’ you’re not stayin’ is the mentality. If you’re a great salesman, then more power to ya!

I hope this helps a bit. If I were you, I would make a list of 10 places you think you would like to work. First go in with the idea of you’re looking for work, FT or PT. If that doesn’t work, THEN go for volunteer.

Radio doesn’t pay well, neither does journalism, records does pay well, but the lasting power is short. Can’t win either way, eh? If I was independently wealthy, I would work in radio the rest of my life.

BUT, if you love it, then sometimes its worth it. I always recommend that people first think about WHY they believe they want to work in music, consider the realities of the business, then think again about how much they want it. If the pull is still there, then they’ll probably never stop dreaming about it. I’m that way in a sense too. . .most will say the bug never leaves you. Finding the happy medium is the best way. Once, I met a guy who was a major A&R guy in the 80’s and worked with Guns&Roses, and a host of Seattle bands. The band dynamics and deaths of a few notable artists in the Seattle scene whom he had known hit him hard.

He’s out now and working at a college advising students on classes (another job I’ve had). What he said to me one day when I was asking him why he didn’t want to go back to music has always stuck with me. He smiled a bit, looked me in the eyes and said: “Right now, I’m just happy being a fan.” And sometimes, he’s right. You’ll have to make that call for yourself. For me, being a fan only works for a short period of time until the “itch” returns.

Let me know if there is anything else I can do for you, and good luck!”

So, I hope this helps a bit, if you’re in a similar situation. If you’re not, and just starting out, there are nuggets in here as well! Don’t forget to send in your own questions by commenting on this post for your chance to win a copy of my book.

Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that this is my advice to this one person. It should not be taken as gospel, is certainly not the only way to tackle the dilemma, nor will following my advice guarantee any success.

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One of the more enjoyable reasons for opening my email box in the morning is to read my daily Napoleon Hill Foundation quote. If you don’t know Napoleon Hill, you should check out the book many successful business people point to as the one that changed their lives, and helped place them firmly on the track toward completing their life’s goals. Hill’s “Think and Grow Rich” is a simple and direct motivational book filled with all sorts of gem’s that can help you get your rear-end off the couch, away from your PlayStation or XBox and on the phone to generate entertainment industry career prospects. I would highly recommend it.

These Napoleon Hill daily emails help me start my day off on the right foot, and today’s message I thought might be interesting to share with you for two reasons. One is that I believe it serves as an excellent reminder of one way to make yourself worthy in any job environment worthy of your creative input (they’re not always one-in-the-same!), and secondly, because of the recent entry of Topspin into a sector of the marketplace not necessarily familiar to the majority of indie bands out there.

Below is the quote I was greeted with this morning, courtesy of The Napoleon Hill Foundation:

It’s common knowledge that the person who knows the most about how to improve the productivity of any job is the person who holds that job. Why is it, then, that we are often reluctant to offer suggestions for improvement? Perhaps we’ve seen too many layoffs and reorganizations to trust the cracker-barrel wisdom that our goal should be to work ourselves out of a job-so that we can move on to a bigger and better position. Nevertheless, the old wisdom is still sound. If you find a way to do things better, faster, or cheaper, you increase your value to your employer. You will be asked to participate in planning sessions and quality circles because you’ve demonstrated that you know how to make things work more efficiently. It’s inevitable that you will be promoted, because you will become one of those exceptional employees who are too valuable to lose.

The quote of course assumes that you’re in a business that values your input, and doesn’t just pay lip-service to the idea of innovation. Unfortunately, I find lip-service is often easier than placing oneself in the eye of unforeseen obstacles. Call it human nature, or whatever you will, but I have always found the attitude to merely be representative of one characteristic: fear. The good thing is, I believe that unlike many other fields, the entertainment industry is a wee bit more open to creative input than you’ll find elsewhere.

That’s not to say that every “great” idea you have will be put into place, or that you won’t clash against people with grand egos steadfast in the belief that their creative solution is better than yours, but I do believe you’ll find more creative people willing to listen to your ideas, then toss fear aside in favor of finding what the solution to the problem at hand.

And that’s where Topspin comes in.Topspin has been working on a solution that enables indie bands to better manage and communicate with their fan bases in ways not commonly available today. The way I’m reading it at the moment, it’s a way for bands to leverage the power of enterprise-level CRM (Customer Relationship Management) solutions combined with technology-driven indie-distribution to better stay on top of their fan base, their sales and their marketing.

While Topspin is in limited release at the moment, I look forward to seeing how the product offerings from the company enable indie bands and other artists to take advantage of what the types of software tools available to other businesses, so as to craft a solution that works with the changing music industry landscape.

Topspin’s founders are helping to create a solution that aims to widen current industry bottlenecks, and while they kept it under their hat for awhile to ensure the time was right, they’re taking steps in the right direction to help create a new business, and help you and your band run your own business. You should always aim to do the same.

Napoleon Hill would be proud, eh?

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Sell your records. Find a gig. Learn more.

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These days, getting started in music has never been easier. So if you’re in high school, and want a career in entertainment, you’re possibly in the best position ever to get the experience your going to need to work in the music business someday. I’m not kidding. And the reason is, that due to advances in technology and the insane rise of street teams and product ambassador programs, the marketing of music has almost taken on a life of its own since the late 80’s when I was in college.

At that time, hardly anyone knew what the heck a campus rep was, or how to get a job as one, and it took an article in Rolling Stone magazine along with Shelly Field’s Career Opportunities in the Music Business to bring the job to light for me as well.

But that was college, and I’ll reserve some of that talk for my next post. By the way, if you haven’t already read my post “When is the best time to start looking for your first music business internship?” You’ll want to read it first, because within it you learn the simplest way to get started. If that method fails you, or if you’re looking for even more ways to get started (particularly if you’re still in high school), this post will help add more juice to your search.

So, as I mentioned, high schoolers, you’re in a good spot. For one, if you’re out there looking for internships in radio and with street teams as a high school kid, you’re going to make one hell of an impression on the people you’re hitting up to work for free. They’ll know that you’re dead serious about working in the music industry, and as such, will take you seriously as well. So, polish up your phone voice, and your email skills, ’cause you’re gonna’ need ‘em.

I’m going to keep this post simple and just bullet out a few things for you. First I’ll give you a bit of advice as to what not to do (this is important), and then a few places you can look for gigs. Some of the “don’ts” might seem obvious to some, but not to others, so please forgive me ahead of time.

Okay, here we go!

Don’t do these things:

1. Please don’t write emails to people using email addresses like:”wuvvylubby@whatsup.com”,
   “kornrocksass@yomamma.com”, or
   “longlivetupac@gangstawannabe.com”.

   At the very least set up a gMail account that looks like this: “firstname.lastname@gmail.com”, you’ll get much more respect and your email is not as likely to immediately end up in the spam folder.

2. Please don’t call up or write an organization where you want to intern or rep and not have a reply to the insanely obvious question of: “So, why would you like to work with us?”. If it’s a label, know the bands; if it’s a band, know the songs; if its a radio station, know the format; and if it’s a street team or product ambassador company, know the products and/or bands the company represents. Then, be prepared to let them know why you want to work for them, and how you think you can help them get the word out.
3. Please forget all those really cool shortcuts to typing words that you’ve learned from texting. At the moment, most music people, while as hip as the wanna’ be, are still older than you to be sure, and not as good at deciphering the code that you and your friends are so familiar with. Also, using real words tells them you can write, which will come in handy, because while with most of these programs you’re going to be out on the street promoting music, you will almost definitely have to do some sort of a write-up of what you accomplished so your boss can keep track of how you’re doing and report back to their boss. There’s always a “boss”, remember that. Whether you’re pushin’ carts at the local grocery store or pushin’ records.

Okay, that’s it on the “don’t” side, easy, eh? Now let’s take a look at where a high schooler hell-bent on getting a job in music can look for an internship of sorts.

If you have already tried getting in at a local radio station, and not had any luck, your next stop should be at one of the companies that runs a street team program. These guys are essentially hired by the labels to promote guerrilla marketing campaigns for the record labels and their bands in cities and towns all across America. Sometimes these firms care where you live, other times they could care less. If you’re unfortunate enough to keep running into people who think the only folks who listen to and buy music live in NYC, LA or Chicago, then you’ll need to convince them you’re town likes music too, and YOU”RE up to the challenge. I wrote a pretty good chapter in my book about how this worked out for me in my book.

Street teams are fun and easy for high schoolers because, A. you’re often out at cool “hang-out” places anyway, AND. . .B. (the biggie). . .you don’t need school credit for most if not all, street team gigs. This is a huge advantage for you. If you were in college and wanting to work for a record label, you’d need credit, and you’d have to write a paper about your work as an intern which can take a lot of time. That sucks. Not so with a street team program. Getting in is fairly easy, the workload small, and no big papers to write (save for the status reports I mentioned earlier). The best part? You get free stuff, free passes to concerts (sometimes) and the big ol’ capitalized important thing: EXPERIENCE.

Yup, experience, WITHOUT prior experience. Gotta’ love it. Here is a list of a few street team firms you might wish to check out:

ALT TERRAIN

Curlygrrlz

StreetTeam.net

Street Alliance

Street Sampling

Brand Staffing

On Point Marketing

Beloved Marketing (not as “lovey-dovey” as it sounds!)

The Michael Alan Group

GMR Marketing

Okay, so if you were unable to get any street teams to hire you, what’s next? How about these options:

1. Contact your favorite band via their website and ask to join their street team. This used to be called “the fan club” Oh, they don’t have one? Offer to create one for them, and use any book on band promotion or publicity to figure out how you would do it. The lessons are all in there!
2. Find a local band and ask to help promote them, or roadie for them. Actually, why not do both?
3. Work on the production staff for your high school’s drama club, or work the audio visual board for lectures. . .that sorta’ thing. Anything that gets you involved with sound and audio.
4. Call up the corporate headquarters of your favorite brand and ask them if they have an ambassador program. Ask around a lot. . .you might have to ask for marketing. . .tell the receptionist your a high school kid. . .as long as she knows you’re not a sales person, she’ll probably put you through without a name. Many products have such programs, and if they don’t they most likely have a creative agency or advertising agency that runs one for them. Ask for the name of that firm if this is the case.

If you’re still not having any luck, I would be surprised. These methods have worked time and time again for countless numbers of people. If you really want it, I’m sure you’ll be just as fortunate. And don’t forget to let us know where you end up!

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