CAREERS IN THE MUSIC BUSINESS
The music business is a multi-billion dollar industry that touches people in every corner of the world. It all starts with the songwriters and composers, without whom there would be no music. But once a song is written, there is a whole industry that supports it -- the "business" side of the music industry.
Many people in the business started out playing music or singing in chorus in their high schools just like you. Some realized that their best talents were on the business side. Still, many music industry jobs utilize one's background in music in day to day operations.
Below, we highlight some music industry jobs that you may not currently know much about. We put together a sampling of some of the kinds of jobs available: most involve both music and business.
A&R : Many years ago, "A&R" stood for "artist and repertoire," which meant that the A&R person was responsible for finding the singer and the songs, and supervising the recording session. Many A&R people still do all of those things, but producers have largely taken over the recording sessions, and A&R people are primarily responsible for finding and signing new talent and acting as the point-person at the record company for the recording process (obtaining the money, getting the record company's staff excited about the artist, and endless trouble-shooting). A common joke is that A&R stands for "airplanes and restaurants," because A&R people spend so much time in both, travelling to see new talent, and wining and dining that talent in the hope that they will sign a contract with that company.
Many A&R people are musicians or producers themselves, but just as many are not. They are usually employed because they have "good ears" (i.e., they can spot a hit when they hear it), and because they have many contacts with musicians, producers, and other tastemakers.
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ARTIST MANAGEMENT : The manager's job is to promote the artist's career in all ways and at all times. Some successful artists employ a business manager to handle financial matters and an artist manager to handle their scheduling, record company relations, etc. The manager is usually responsible for anything that will advance the artist's career, such as getting the artist a record or publishing deal, finding them a booking agent once there is sufficient demand for them to tour, and setting up product endorsements. The manager's interest in all of this is usually 15 to 25% of all of the artist's earnings, although everything is, of course, negotiable.
Artist management is a very challenging job. Essentially, all requests made of an artist are filtered through the manager. Therefore, a manager has to be a tough negotiator, always fighting for the best deals they can get for their artists.
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BOOKING AGENT : The person who makes it possible for an artist or band to perform at a club or concert venue is generally the Booking Agent. This person is responsible for establishing a relationship with a venue where live music is performed and getting the band that he or she is working with an appearance at that venue. In connection with planning a tour, a booking agent must work to plan a route that is physically and financially sensible to take. Also, agents will often secure opening slots for developing bands to give them exposure to the audiences of more established bands.
Generally, a contract is not signed with a booking agency until there is sufficient demand for the artist to tour. Even most of the smaller agencies do not sign acts that lack the financial support of a significant recording company. Booking agents take a percentage of the artist's revenue from a performance, so they mostly will work only with acts that can already draw an audience. Sometimes, an agency will sign an act that they believe in -- whom they think has the potential to eventually draw big crowds -- although taking such a big risk is rare.
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ENGINEER : The wizard in the studio who actually "gets" the sounds: twists the knobs, moves the microphones, brings in all kinds of other equipment. Being an engineer is a very challenging job that requires advanced technological knowledge and an endless supply of patience.
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ENTERTAINMENT LAWYER : Contracts between parties are ultimately what make things happen in the world of music and entertainment. Whether in terms of a multi-million dollar, 6-album record deal, or simply a signed form authorizing the use of a photograph in a magazine, entertainment lawyers are depended upon to shape the way in which business is conducted. They are responsible for protecting the rights and interests of the party they are representing, whether it be a major corporation or an unknown artist.
Many influential players in the entertainment industry have backgrounds in law. Even though they may not practice law on a daily basis, their familiarity with the legal issues that pertain to agreements between individuals and organizations is very helpful in nearly all business aspects of the entertainment industry.
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JOURNALIST (a.k.a., ROCK WRITER, MUSIC CRITIC) : If simply working in the music business seems fun, just imagine how much fun it would be to get paid for your opinions. (Okay, you don't get paid very much, but you do get a lot of free CDs.)
Every major and regional newspaper generally has a "style" or "entertainment" section that includes reviews of new releases or recent concert performances. Magazines (entertainment and even non-entertainment based) regularly include editorials and reviews about bands and celebrities. Authors of non-fiction books and biographies on music and artists also make up a significant industry. Being a writer requires, first and foremost, great communication skills, but references are drawn so often between current acts and past artists that you must also possess a broad and thorough knowledge of the music you are writing about.
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MARKETING : A broad department usually involved in many facets of the industry is marketing. Marketing is generally responsible for advertising, web presence, and researching and understanding industry trends and customer needs and wants. Marketing people also coordinate promotional events and projects to:
* publicize the image of the firm and the artists;
* draw attention to the company's involvement in industry-wide events and conferences;
* arrange beneficial partnerships with other organizations;
* increase sales, profits, brand recognition, or satisfaction.
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PRODUCT MANAGER : The "product" is whatever format contains the music or video - CD, cassette, vinyl record, DVD, video, Mini-disc, etc. - and the product manager is the person who oversees all aspects of the product's promotion once the recording process is complete. The product manager's job is basically to make sure that there is enough product in stores, to make sure that the various promotion departments are completing their duties, and to assure the artist's representatives (usually the artist's manager) that the job is being done. They are also often responsible for setting up promotions and advertising with retail chains, or such extracurricular marketing ventures as artist sponsorships with clothing lines, soft drink companies, etc.
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PROMOTION : A song doesn't just magically appear on the radio; a singer's face doesn't just magically appear in a magazine or on television; and 100 copies of a certain CD don't just magically appear in the front of a record store. Promotion -- which we've narrowed down to publicity, radio, retail, and video -- helps to make those things happen. Internet promotion is rapidly becoming a very big industry in itself.
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PUBLICITY : A publicist's job is to obtain coverage for their clients in print, television, and electronic media. This is done largely in two ways: a) by developing relationships with writers, editors, and the people who choose talent for television shows, and b) by developing a "story" (or an angle) around their client that will make the client more appealing to the media. The more varied and interesting elements there are to a "story," the better: for example, Lauryn Hill not only made a great album and was a member of the very successful group the Fugees, she also chose to have children as a young woman instead of going on tour, and her "companion" is the son of reggae legend Bob Marley. Trent Reznor makes noisy, unsettling music and lives in a former funeral home. The Beastie Boys have taken a big interest in such diverse things as running their own clothing and record companies, and Buddhism. Facts like these create interest and sometimes controversy.
If there isn't an interesting story about an artist, it is the publicist's job to create one. They are responsible for treating their client like a star, or as if they are destined to be one, in the hope of creating this impression among the public. Publicists spend a lot of time on the phone, and a lot of time squiring their clients around for interviews and other meetings with media people. They will often use access to a big artist, whom a magazine or media person wants to interview, in order to obtain coverage for a smaller artist.
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PUBLISHER :The job of the music publisher is very broad and can require them to wear many hats. A publisher's main responsibilities center around administering music, and include:
* copyrighting music compositions;
* registering those compositions with royalty collection agencies;
* licensing users and collecting fees;
* protecting against infringement;
* securing uses for the music in recording, television, film, ads, and other venues;
* manufacturing and distributing sheet music;
* promoting and supporting the development of promising writers and their work and;
* keeping track of all current action in the world of potential music uses (motion pictures or television shows in production, etc.)
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RADIO : Radio is still considered the most effective way of promoting music, and radio promotion is a tough business. Although the Internet is playing a role in making radio more diverse, big stations often play much of the same music -- especially now that the same companies own so many radio stations. Usually, a radio station's music director or program director decides which songs will be played on the station, and a radio promotion person's job is to make sure that the songs and performers they have been hired to promote will be among those lucky few. Needless to say, radio promotion people want to stay on the music or program director's good side! There are hundreds of thousands of CDs released every year, and only a handful will ever get on the radio.
Generally, there are two different kinds of radio stations: commercial, which are usually the more powerful stations that sell advertising and focus on playing hits, and college/non-commercial, which do not thrive on advertising revenue, often have weaker signals, and tend to play less mainstream music.
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RECORD PRODUCER : When music is "produced" by someone, that can mean anything from they paid for the studio time, to they made the musical decisions, directed the studio staff and outside musicians, and took care of the budget. In conjunction with the recording artist, a producer is responsible for the music on the final ("master") tape, from which CDs, cassettes, and vinyl records are made. A producer's job is equal parts musical (he or she is the one who usually says, "You're playing too fast" or "You sang that part flat -- start over again") and psychological (possessing the ability to say such things in a way that will actually get the person to do them better).
In rap, R&B, and hip hop, the producer's role is often more like that of a musician. Since much of the music in these genres is generated by technology, the producer will often create the "tracks" (the music). The tracks are then mixed so that the sounds on all of the songs are at the right levels. Often times, producers will even take part in deciding which songs will appear on an album and the order in which they will appear.
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RETAIL : A general term involving people who work for or with record (CD) stores. "Retail promotion" is the job of promoting records or artists to the stores. If there are 100 copies of a new CD right next to the cash register, a retail promotion person is typically the individual who got them there. The duties of a retail promotion include:
* setting up sales and "product placement"
* making sure posters are up;
* coordinating in-store appearances, etc.
Record companies usually have their own retail promotion departments. There are also independent retail promotion companies that are hired by the record companies.
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TOUR MANAGER : When an artist takes his act on the road, one person has the responsibility of making sure everything runs smoothly. On a large scale, a tour manager can be responsible for everything involved in taking an artist and his act on the road: securing hotel accommodations for the entire band and crew, making sure everyone and everything gets to the concert venue in time for set-up and sound check, and getting the buses and equipment to the next city in one piece. On a smaller scale, a tour manager can be the person who drives the van, brings the maps, and makes sure that the artist has enough CDs to sell at the shows.
Tour managers spend an enormous amount of time on the road, in hotel rooms, and at concert venues. So, if you don't like to be away from home for long periods of time, tour management may not be for you.
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VIDEO : The biggest targets for video promotion are MTV and BET, but they reject so many videos that it is often more sensible for a video promotion person to focus on the hundreds of regional video shows around the country and the world. Similar to promotion, the job involves developing relationships with the people who decide which videos are shown. The music video industry is changing very rapidly. In recent years, the enormous cost of making eye-catching music videos has made it nearly impossible for many artists to make them, but the Internet is rapidly becoming an alternate medium on which to show videos.
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GENERAL FIELDS : Of course, the above list is not a comprehensive one. All major record labels and publishing companies have finance departments, technical support and computer departments, and legal departments. Radio stations have Program Directors and Music Directors. There are even business consultants who specialize in the music and entertainment industries.
Most of the people who work in the music industry share a common love of music and work with people who are passionate about what they do. There are countless other opportunities out there for people who want to be involved with music.
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Copyright © 2002 by Todd Brabec, Jeffrey Brabec. All Rights Reserved. Note: The figures and comments contained in this article are based upon the authors' experiences over the years with many specific situations. Ranges of fees, as well as comments, do vary based upon individual negotiations and situations. |
