How to start a career in music if you are not a musician?

There are many professions related to music – these are the musicians themselves, and the audio engineers in the studios, and the creators of the equipment, and DJs on the radio, and others. In this article we will tell you what to expect for those who have decided to start a career in music.

Shaya McKay, Head of Human Resource Management at the Barbara Mason Records, shared information on how to start a career in the music industry, especially if you are not a singer or a composer.

Recommendations for a quick job search in the music industry

Unfortunately, in order to achieve great results in the music industry, one talent or education is not enough. It is just a foundation of your future successful career. We would like to help others to avoid many mistakes and misunderstandings in future negotiations.

job interview

You will save a lot of time and get closer to understanding some aspects if you pay attention to our recommendations:

  1. Tidy up your social media profiles.Social networks are more important than you think. Before you submit your resume with a link to a social profile, update the information on your page. Most likely, an HR manager from a company of a potential employer will come to visit you.”Recruiters carefully look at the potential candidate’s feed and pay attention to his/her hobbies, photos, texts under publications”, – says Shaya McKay, Head of Human Resource Management at the Barbara Mason Records.Therefore, it is better to prepare in advance, read some articles about trends in the design of social network profiles, especially regarding job search: https://lpws.pro/top-12-linkedin-headline-examples-for-job-hunters/
  2. Do not leave attempts to contact employers directly. Write a competent and polite letter about yourself. Everything should be very short and solid, literally 4-5 sentences with important facts.Then start looking for where you can send it.Most companies maintain their profiles on social networks.30 million companies and employers are registered only on LinkedIn. LinkedIn is the most convenient network for job search. Looking through the LinkedIn feed of current vacancies so as not to lose sight of them, the user can save those options that he considers necessary. If you know where to find saved jobs on LinkedIn, this will simplify the process of sending letters and narrow down the number of recipients.
  3. Send emails on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. From my experience in the Barbara Mason Records, the best days to send such emails are the middle of the week and that’s why.On Monday, we are working on the most important things that we did not have time to finish before the weekend. And the next day your letter will already be somewhere very far in the list of new emails. Forget about Friday and the weekend. As a rule, these are the days of the most intensive work on current projects. Ideally, send your letters from on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday.
  4. Get yourself a calendar for sending emails to various publishers, music labels, production centers, etc. Enter all the information there: organization name, location, contact information, opening hours and time zone. If you do not receive a response from a particular organization, contact person, then after a while you need to resend the same letter.
  5. Constantly communicate and interact with the show business community. Pay great attention to any opportunity to attend an event useful to you.You should look perfect and stylish. If you are in doubt, find a stylist to help you.
  6. Humor. It is the top notch among the Americans! Humor will always bring any dialogue into the right mood and channel. Be sure to use it when communicating. Also, never in any case be offended by sarcasm or jokes in your direction. Learn to parry better.
  7. Democracy in communication. If you are sure of something, you have something to surprise, or you disagree with something, then feel free to talk about it, even if you are below the status of other participants in a business meeting.Think out loud. This is a great trait of the character, which will be very useful to you. At business meetings, do not mumble, put all your cards on the table at once, and you will see that your colleagues will do the same.
  8. Look to the future. Your future leadership is not interested in your past achievements, they are interested in their own future. Do not waste time talking about your past. Make them believe that you are their future.
music studio

9 Best Destinations for Music Lovers but not a musician

Music licensing

Music licensing is a very good source of income for every record company. Music can be used in cinema and on television, thereby the record company will earn additional profit on the finished product.Licensing has many nuances and requires professionalism.That’s why it is a great opportunity for a lawyer to apply all his/her knowledge and qualities.

Music management

If you have negotiation skills and an understanding of how and what works in the music industry, this profession is for you! Your extensive experience in organizing events and promotional campaigns will help you become a very good group manager.An additional bonus will be that you will gain many useful contacts, and use them with benefit in the future.

Music journalist

If you understand music from the inside out, music theory and know the features of the industry, this work will be perfect for you. You can write thoughtful reviews, deeply analyze artists and their work, performances and appearances in public. You can write about trends and the state of affairs in the music business, the scope for imagination is very huge.

Radio host

Radio hosts are those people who fill the gaps between songs, jingles, news, interviews and other blocks with interesting conversations on the air of a musical radio station.It is important to understand the format of radio stations and their features. The formats for presenting news, regulations, repertoire, even the moments on which the presenters focus attention in their conversations differ. It is also useful to know the key individuals and stars of specific radio station.

Music critics

In the music field, there are experts who analyze and evaluate works of musical art. The critic gives an expert assessment of musical works. Such criticism should be objective. The critic evaluates music from the point of view of its features, patterns and connection with other areas of art.

Like any business, working with music and show businessrequires scrupulousness. Take and get into the industry with a snap, on one desire “I want to work with music” will not work. For any profession related to audio, the following are important:

  1. The presence of basic skills and relevant experience, and in some cases, education.
  2. Willingness to learn and improve your knowledge and skills.
  3. Ability to communicate and make connections.
  4. Perseverance and determination.
  5. Stress resistance.
  6. Creativity.
  7. Of course, love for music.

The music industry is very complicated. But the feeling of touching something beautiful – art – reconciles many people with irregular and unpredictable work.