sarahsaturday

Dear Sarah,

I've been in love with music my whole life and I'm interested in doing something in the music business, but not sure what would be best for me. Would you know anything that would help while I'm in college? Classes, volunteer work, internships? Anything really. I would love to work for a record label or AP, even Warped Tour. How do I get there?

Submitted by: brookeagainstcity.buzznet.com

Dear Music Business Hopeful in the Year 2009,

Ten or so years ago, I would have answered this question in a totally different way. The music industry then was booming; artists were easily selling a million copies of their albums in the first week; indie labels were just starting to gain momentum; there were jobs-a-plenty and there was money to be made.

Now, however, the landscape of the music industry has become quite grim. Labels are dying off faster than anyone can keep track; bands are breaking up and musicians are getting jobs at the Home Depot to make ends meet; managers are downsizing, getting rid of their assistants and offices; booking agents are only booking two or three months in advance; and tours are being cancelled left and right. Magazines, radio stations, record stores, and venues are shutting down one by one, in quick succession. These are all signs that the end is coming for the music business as we all know it.

I don't want to discourage you; I'm just trying to prepare you. If music is your passion, and your calling, and you know for sure that you don't want to do anything else with your life, then you should go for it. But if there is any chance that you might be happy working in some other industry -- maybe one that closely parallels the music business but has a bit more security and longevity (television, film, journalism, advertising, etc) -- you should consider following one of those paths instead.

You should remain open to all kinds of options while you are in college. Take classes that will benefit you no matter what you end up doing, like business, marketing, philosophy, website development, etc. Take advantage of being around other young, educated people who have their own unique ideas and goals. Meet as many people as you can, and ask as many questions as possible while you are in college. College is the time to challenge yourself and prepare yourself for adulthood!

If there is an introductory music business class at your school, that would be a great place to start. Internships are also great ways to get your feet wet, while you can still afford to donate your time (most internships are unpaid). Internships are hard to land, but if you have a good resume and you are politely persistent, you will eventually get one. You could also join the official street teams for your favorite bands, and get involved with their online and street marketing. You might want to talk to your local promoters and venues, and offer to flyer for upcoming shows or to work at the shows. You could also talk to your local or school paper and offer to write show and record reviews for their music sections. Also: READ BOOKS! Get as many books as you can that talk about the music industry, and read them cover-to-cover. Start with All You Need To Know About the Music Business.

If you are really keeping your mind open, and trying a little bit of everything, you will quickly and naturally find yourself more inclined to want to work late nights on certain projects rather than others. You'll find yourself energized by the subject matter in some conversations and bored to tears talking about other subjects. You'll want to read ahead in your books for some classes, but find it extremely hard to make yourself even go to other classes.

And lastly, remember that sometimes the things we love the most are the things we should specifically NOT pursue as a career. You love music, and that's great, but once you see "the wizard behind the curtain," you will never be able to go back to innocently loving music the way you once did. Just because you love something, it doesn't necessarily mean you should turn that thing into a job. But if you close your eyes and all you can see is yourself at a desk late at night, with papers piled up, and your phone ringing, and hundreds of emails unanswered -- and you feel a sense of joy when you picture that -- then go for it!

If all else fails, you can always get a job as a nurse. We need more nurses in this country!  :)

Love,
Sarah