Careers in The Music Industry
Table Of Contents
Music
What is Music
So, before getting started let’s just take a minute to pause and reflect on what music actually is. What is music? Everybody is bound to have a different answer because music is different things to different people. We would love to know what music means to you so just go to the comment section of this blog post and share your thoughts. Back to the question, Music is the arrangement of sounds to create meaning and pass on a message.
Music is not only about singing
Having fun, expressing yourself and being your unique self is what music is all about. But some people have these stereotypes in their heads, claiming music is all about singing or the performance seen on stage, but are totally unaware of those people behind the scenes that make all that possible. In fact music can exist without singing. So many elements come together to make music possible, singing being only a small portion of it. You do not necessarily need to sing to be a Musician or follow your musical dream. You can do that in so many different ways.
Music Careers
The number of career opportunities in the music industry is a huge one, the list can go on and on. But we will just highlight and talk about only a few of them:
Singer
The name is quite self-explanatory. When I hear the word the singer I immediately think of @Beyonce. Who do you think of? A singer is a person who sings or produces musical sounds using his/her voice. Singing can be done solo or as part of a group. Singing is mostly done as a hobby, for comfort, education, religious worship, and as a professional career. For success as a singer a person must be patient, dedicated and practice regularly.
Tour Manager
Well this might be quite an easy one to explain. A tour manager is responsible for everything when a musician and his/her crew is on tour. They make sure that everything runs smoothly and also ensures that everybody is at the right place at the right time. A tour manager handles everything from the transportation to the accommodation, the finances, the concert venue coordination, and the promotion of the concert.
Music Teacher/Professor
Ugh, Do I really need to explain this? Anyways, a music teacher is a person that teaches people about music and the different aspects of music such as instrument playing, music reading, music theory etc. Music teachers can work in different types of environments like schools, places of worship, community centers, public institutions and as a private tutor.
Music Journalist
I am pretty sure you have never heard of this one. A music journalist is a person that writes and journals about different music. They may write on different aspects like new releases, concert reviews, draft musician profiles, handle interviews, write about news related to music. A music journalist must always write attractive and informative pieces.
Music Photographer
Oh wow I am sure you did not know that there was a separate photography career just for music. A music photographer takes photos of music artists and bands. These photos are normally for commercial use. Magazines, album covers, merchandise etc. are places where the photos taken are used. A music photographer can either specialize in live gig/concert photography or staged professional photography.
DJ (Disc Jockey)
Have you ever wondered what @DJ Khaled does? Find out now. A DJ is a person that mixes music together to create a playlist. DJ's play their playlists/mixes at bars, parties, events, dance clubs, weddings, radio stations, digital radio stations etc. DJ's need to put into consideration the audience when making a decision on what music to play. DJ’s can also produce their own music.
Music Business Manager
I guess somebody has got to manage the money. A music business manager is a person that supervises the financial affairs of a musician. They help musicians with the advertising, marketing and business side of things. A music business manager manages all the musicians contracts, they also give advice to musicians on how to invest their finances wisely, they also help recover unpaid money.
Artist Manager
You must know what a manager is, but either ways. A musician manager basically manages an artist. Music managers develop the career of the musician, set up tours, market and brand the musician, promote the musician, give advice to the musician, and they also bag large scale opportunities for the musician. A music manager's success all depends on the success of the musician.
Publicist
A publicist is a person that handles the media and public relations of a musician. The publicist works closely with the manager to build the public image of an artist and also manage the image to ensure no damage or stain is put on it. A publicist’s work is to ensure the musician is seen and heard by the right audience.
Audio Engineer
An audio engineer is generally a person who handles audio or what people hear and how they hear it. They help to produce recordings or live performance, editing, balancing and adjusting sound sources using the methods of equalization, dynamics processing, audio effects, mixing, reproduction, and reinforcement of sounds. Audio engineers also work on the technical aspect of recording - the placing of microphones, pre-amp knobs and the setting of levels.
Mastering Engineer
A mastering engineer is simply someone who gets the music ready for distribution to the world. They sculpt and polish the spectral balance and overall dynamic of a song. They also ensure that the song will play at high quality no matter the format or medium used to play the song.
Music Producer
I think you should note that this person is the brain or the engine of any song. A music producer is a person that oversees the entire production process of a song. The producer is the project’s creative and technical leader. Depending on the project the producer may be the one to pick the artists or perform some parts with them. Some artists can also produce their songs themselves, making them the sole artist in that project. Some producers are their own engineers, operating the technology across the project: pre production, recording, mixing, and mastering.
Booking Agents
Booking Agents are responsible for securing the appearances of artists. They build relationships with concert promoters to be able to book venues for the musicians to perform. They plan and schedule tours that are sensible for the artist, find sponsors and book work such as commercials, and television appearances.
Songwriter
A songwriter is a person who writes songs. A songwriter who just writes lyrics for songs is called a lyricist. Due to the pressure of the music industry songwriting is often a task that is allocated to a number of different people. For example a person that writes lyrics might be paired with a songwriter to come up with the melodies for the song.
Entertainment Attorney
An entertainment attorney / entertainment lawyer is a person that handles all the legal affairs related to music. They protect the works of a musician from being stolen. They also negotiate contracts for their clients to ensure that the contract is the best interest of the musician. Entertainment attorneys ensure that their clients abide with all the legal laws of the entertainment industry.
Conclusion
This list is just the tip of the iceberg, there are many other careers available in the music industry; the list never ends. If you know any other career that is available in music, pls feel free to pop it in the comment section. Were you interested in any of the careers mentioned above? Pls mention to us which one in the comment section below.
If you would like to see a full list of all the music careers available, you can check out this website.