Tag: careers
Where to Find Jobs in the Music Industry
by claybutlermusic on Jun.30, 2009, under Career Building, Uncategorized
After yesterday’s post on Job Ideas in the Field of Audio and Music, I got a facebook message asking, “where do I go to find jobs in the music industry?” So, I thought I would follow up the last post with a post on just that topic!
I make a living by playing the musical field, so to speak. I’m not necessarily a jack-of-all-trades, but I am open to various income opportunities that may be available to me. To get to that point really took a shift in my mindset. When I was younger, I had no idea where to begin. I had a music degree; I had started my own business. I thought, somehow, the world would beat a path to my door simply because I was there. But nobody came knocking. After shaking off the sinking feeling of failure and depression, I decided that my approach had to change.
The biggest door-opening step for me was when I stopped thinking about potential employers needing me and wanting to throw money at me “just because I’m awesome”, and began treating my business, services, and goods as a way to meet someone else’s need. I learned quickly that people aren’t going to pay you just for being who you are; they are going to pay you for what you can do for them. If what you can do for them is meet their need, then you’re in business.
So, now, here I am trying to keep my finger on the pulse of what’s going on in my musical community. I’m constantly asking what needs are present and assessing how I can fill those needs. Keeping your focus in your client/customer/employer will help build their trust and loyalty. They’ll keep coming back, and they’ll tell others about you.
Now, let’s see how we can build those relationships. There are great online communities, job boards, and tip sites to get you started.
Taxi.com
I’ve found TAXI to be one of the most valuable opportunities, not only for getting paid for my music, but also for networking and growing in my craft. They have THE best annual music conference, which is free to members. It’s really a community atmosphere, and there are opportunities to meet great contacts everywhere you look. I can’t recommend it enough.
Studiotraxx.com
Studiotraxx is a community of session players who do remote recording sessions. Songwriters contact you to play/sing/produce/mix for their song. Then you record and send them the track in the comfort of your own studio. You can also “bid” for jobs on their job board. It’s currently free to be a member, but they do take a commission.
Gigfinder.com
Gigfinder had its beginnings as a classifieds-style job board. Now it has grown into a full-blown, vibrant community of musicians and other creative professionals. It’s a place to post employment opportunities, plug your services, and connect with other professionals.
us.music-jobs.com
Music Jobs USA is also a great community of music professionals. You can sign up as a jobseeker, employer, or as a band. They have a job board, forum, blog, and a “media center” where you can post demos.
Filmmmusic.net
The Film Music Network offers a job posting board for producers, films, production music libraries looking for music or composers. Members (and in some cases, non-members) can submit demos directly to the music seeker. It’s also a great resource for news related to the film music industry.
Entertainmentcareers.net
Entertainmentcareers.net is also job board with listings for virtually any job in the entertainment industry.
These are just a handful of options that I’ve found useful. You’ll find, though, that once you make some connections in the industry, that people’s networking circles overlap. That’s one of those really cool “small world” moments. I got hooked up a Los Angeles music supervisor/publisher over lunch at the Taxi Road Rally conference, which has started working friendship. Earlier this year, I sang a demo for a songwriter on Studiotraxx. Turns out that he’s also a writer for that same LA publisher!
Here are some great books for making money in the music business:
Feel free to comment with any questions or with your useful ideas and resources!
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Job Ideas in the Field of Audio and Music
by claybutlermusic on Jun.29, 2009, under Career Building, Uncategorized
As a first-day exercise with my Introduction to Audio class, we have a brainstorming session to determine possible careers and jobs in the field of audio and music. Although the list is rather short on the first day, we continue the exercise throughout the quarter. By the end, we have a fairly exhaustive list of career and job opportunities, some that were completely foreign to the students at the start of the class. Below are the results of that activity. Hopefully it will help any of you that may be entertaining the idea of a career in audio or music but don’t know where to start.
Music/Recording
- Music Producer
- Mixing Engineer
- Tracking Engineer
- Mastering Engineer
- Session Talent (instrumentalist/vocalist)
- Instrument Tech.
Film/TV/Video Games
- Production Music
- Foley (sound effects)
- Sound Designer
- Sound Editor
- Music Supervisor
- Voice Over Artist
- Production Recordist
- Boom Operator
- Sound Reinforcement
- Live Audio Engineer
- Sound Reinforcement
- Monitor Technician/Engineer
- Multi-Track Concert Recording
- Live DJ
- Instrument Tech.
- Performer/Entertainer
- On-air Personality
- Engineer (”board operator”)
- Editing and Commercial Production
- Acoustician/Acoustical Engineer
- Acoustic Treatment
- Audiologist
- Bioacoustics
- Music Therapist
- Field Recording/Archival
Leave a comment with your ideas and input. See our next post for Where to Find Jobs in the Music Industry.
Are You Doing One Thing Daily to Further Your Musical Career?
by claybutlermusic on Jun.25, 2009, under Career Building, Marketing & Promotion, Uncategorized
- Update your social media (MySpace, Facebook, Twitter)
- Give your business card to someone
- Write down an original song idea
- Write a new song
- Read an article about music
- Email your mailing list about your recent show
- Post a new blog
- Comment on another musician’s blog
- Participate in a music forum
- Take a look at other bands’ sites to see how you can imrove your own
- Call one venue or club about booking
- Give your demo to someone
- Post a flyer in your local music store
- Make a list of new songs to learn
- Start learning a new song
- Sign up for (and attend) a music conference
- Listen to a new band’s CD
- Go hear another band’s live show
- Record a short song demo
- Ask friends and family to help spread the word about your band
Be sure to comment with your ideas. Now go get ‘em!
Creative Ways to Make a Living with Music (Part 1)
by claybutlermusic on Jun.21, 2009, under Career Building, Uncategorized
I was having lunch the other day with some very good friends of mine from a quite successful band. They’re currently signed to a prominent record label and are touring all over the country. They were even up for a Grammy and a Dove this year. They stay so busy that they’re usually difficult to catch, so getting a chance to talk over lunch was a rare treat indeed. Despite all of their success, one part of the conversation in particular really struck me. I asked how things were going, to which one of the members jokingly replied, “Great. Now if we can just figure out how to make a living at it!”
Different folks measure success in different ways. There’s enjoying doing what you love to do. There’s being good at something you enjoy. And, yes, there’s monetary success. Even when it comes to money, some deem success strictly as becoming wealthy. Others, still, feel successful just by making a decent enough income to support a family by doing what they love. All of these are valid. But it doesn’t take a record deal to make a living with your music. Quite often, it’s the indie musician or band that walks away with the most money in his/her pocket, simply because there are fewer fingers in the pie. So, record deals and touring aside, here are some creative ways to earn a living with music:
Teaching Private Lessons
Although it may seem obvious, many musicians forget about the potential of taking on private students. Even doing lessons one afternoon/evening per week can bring in some nice spending money. Teaching can also be quite rewarding if you have the patience and a desire to see others learn. If you have a music stand and the extra space (for instance a corner of the living room, or an extra room in the house), you probably have all you need to teach private lessons.
Session Musician
If you have access to recording equipment and a high-speed internet connection, you probably have the capability to do remote session recording. For a guitarist, a laptop with a decent audio interface, some recording software, and a POD by Line6 (all comments from tone snobs aside) is enough to get you started. The odds are even more in your favor if you’re a vocalist–just replace the POD with a microphone. If you’re doing limited tracks, which usually you would be, there are free options available if you’re in need of recording software. Digidesign has a free version of ProTools that’s limited to eight channels. Kristal Audio Engine is an open source multi-track recording sofware. Audacity from SoundForge is also open source.
When you begin your session work, you will usually receive a guide track via an mp3 file. You will record your track, then send the instrument track back to the client. Unless you mail the client your files on a CD, a high-speed internet connection is almost a necessity. If you have FTP, you can upload the files directly to the client’s server. Otherwise, there are other great online options such as YouSendIt and ProAudioBus. A great place to get started doing remote session work is Studiotraxx.com. They have a great all-in-one system.
Here are some great options I recommend for getting equipped to do remote session recording:
Music Copyist
For musicians who have a strong understand standard musical notation and music theory, then a music copyist may be a viable opportunity. Copyists produce neat copies of a composer’s or arranger’s score from his or her original manuscripts. While this practice was once done by hand, now, with the advent of scoring software, musicians and copyists have the ability to create professional looking sheet music on their home computer. If you write songs or compose your own music, then sheet music opens up an entirely new market for your music. Here are links to some great notation software:
Continue on to Creative Ways to Make a Living with Music (Part 2)!
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