The music industry is big, and continues to grow. Americans listen to more music than ever—32 hours a week, according to a 2018 Nielsen survey. More listeners mean not only more people making music, like musicians and songwriters, but also more people supporting those music-makers, like lawyers, producers, and business managers. The list of careers that are related to music is long and varied, including everything from architects who build the pitch-perfect venue to security guards who maintain safety at those venues.
Music is not only performed live, but is part of every television show, every movie, and every video game. The more places music is heard, the more people and jobs there are involved in the process.
A key draw for a career in the music industry is the emotional element—how music makes us feel. While we all cannot write the words or music that touch our souls, most of us can be part of the process that helps music reach the masses—driving a tour bus, setting up the stage, maintaining equipment, designing concert venues or album covers, producing/editing music videos, writing music reviews, managing musicians' careers, treating hearing loss, choreographing, engineering sound systems, repairing instruments, managing a record company, operating a camera, photographing a musical performance, raising funds to support a music tour, lawyering a contract, working in a music library, teaching music, managing entertainment properties—the list goes on and on.
Finding the path that's right for you means thinking about your own interests, skills, and talents. Important skills for working in the music industry include passion, stamina, dedication and, of course, a love of music.
It's also worth thinking about how much money you want to make. A position that requires a four-year degree will earn you more money than one requiring a two-year degree, or one requiring no post-secondary education whatsoever. All the profiles in this volume include education requirements and typical earnings. Remember, however, that how much money you make is not the entire story. Benefits, job security, where you work, and self-fulfillment are important factors as well.
The "Conversations With..." spread throughout this volume, show the variety of career paths available in the music industry, how to achieve them, and what to expect when you get there. They are interviews with real individuals working in the field at real jobs.
There are many jobs that might not seem related to the music industry, but are strongly connected. Architects, photographers, therapists, designers, audiologists, marketing specialists, and costume designers all can focus on the aspect of their job that is related to music.
Here are details about how certain careers can relate to the music industry:
Actors express ideas and portray characters in theater, film, television, and other performing arts media, which may involve singing and dancing if participating in a musical production.
Advertising and marketing managers plan programs to generate interest in products or services, and can focus on the music industry. They work with art directors, writers, and financial partners to create campaigns that encourage specific audiences to purchase music, concert tickets, and related memorabilia like posters and t-shirts.
Agents and business managers represent and promote artists and performers in dealings with employers by managing contract negotiations and other business matters.
Art directors are responsible for the visual style and images in magazines, newspapers, product packaging (including musical album artwork), and movie and television productions. They create the overall design and direct others to develop artwork and layouts.
Broadcast, sound, and video technicians set up, operate, and maintain the electrical equipment for radio programs, television broadcasts, concerts, sound recordings, and movies.
Film and video editors manipulate images that entertain or inform an audience. They arrange footage shot by camera operators and collaborate with producers and directors to create final, including musical, content.
Graphic designers create visual concepts to communicate ideas that inspire, inform, and captivate consumers. In the music industry, they develop layouts for advertisements, brochures, magazines, and album artwork.
Music librarians and library media specialists help people find information and conduct research for personal and professional use. They curate, organize, and archive information related to music in all its forms.
Music teachers in post secondary institutions teach, among other things, advanced music theory and musicology. K through 12 music teachers teach principles of music, and how to read and play music at increasing levels of difficulty.
Security guards and surveillance officers in the music industry work in nightclubs and concert venues, including large stadiums, protecting the venues against theft, vandalism, and other illegal activity, as well as the performers and audience.