Whether you dream of becoming a professional musician, songwriter, producer, or music marketer, there are numerous pathways to succeed in your music career.
The music industry constantly evolves and expands to meet new demands, so it is important that emerging professionals utilise and adapt their skills to succeed in their careers. Whether you dream of becoming a professional musician, songwriter, producer, or music marketer, there are numerous pathways to succeed in your music career.
Music internships
To stand out from the crowd and demonstrate your passion to employers, work experience is essential. Becoming an intern is an effective way to develop your experience, hone your talent and gain insight into how the industry works. The majority of internships are not advertised, but you can contact companies directly and ask if they would consider offering you a position to gain experience.
Although not all internships are paid, any music-related experience is highly valued by employers and will benefit your future. Not only can a music internship be a ‘foot in the door’ for future careers, but it can also help you to feel confident about your knowledge and abilities as you reach out to potential employers later. While internships are usually short-term, they allow you time to determine whether a certain job role is suitable for you and can highlight other careers that you could pursue.
If you’re considering an internship, take a look at the shesaid.so and Musiccareers.co job portals to discover positions in any specialisation. Major companies including Universal Music Group, Dolby Laboratories, Spotify, and SoundCloud offer a range of internships across marketing, music, production, and PR and communications to suit anyone who dreams to work within the music industry.
Studying an MA at Tileyard Education can help provide an introduction to some of these companies to launch your music career, as we’re based in the world’s largest independent music community at Tileyard London, home to over 250 music businesses and 150 recording studios. More on this below.
Don’t underestimate the power of networking
Getting a job in music is a lot about who you know as much as it is about what you know (the same goes for any other industry). Get out there and speak to people in the industry, make sure people know who you are to get ahead. If you want to work within the music business and start your music career, it’s good to know that the music industry is small and there are key events in the calendar that around 60% of the industry attend each year. These are great to start off with:
Discover what you want to achieve in your music career and where you want to go. Once you’ve nailed that, look into the talks happening at these events and who you can network with. Usually speakers will stick around at the end of their talk to speak to the attendees, so this is one surefire way to build connections with people who will help you get ahead.
Also, LinkedIn is your friend! Join groups, follow and connect with people in the industry. It will highlight trending topics in the industry, and more often than not people share opportunities they come across in the music industry. Some great people for this are:
Music apprenticeships
Music apprenticeships are another form of temporary work that allows aspiring music professionals to earn qualifications, skills and abilities while you work and earn a wage. Apprenticeships appeal to aspiring musicians who prefer a more practical approach. By offering hands-on training with real-world experiences, it can be one of the most efficient ways to progress your career. It also enables you to build your network by working with and learning from experienced professionals in your field, which can be beneficial for your future.
Apprenticeships are offered by a number of major record labels including Sony, Universal Music Group and Domino Records, as well as talent agencies and PR companies, across a range of roles. Despite the temporary nature of apprenticeships, employers can offer permanent positions to apprentices that have impressed them during their position. Music apprenticeships are widely advertised across recruitment websites, but you can also find apprenticeships or websites specifically for jobs within the music industry.
To find out more and discover music apprenticeships:
Build your profile online if you’re an independent artist
Aspiring musicians can also grow their fanbase and reach a worldwide audience via numerous social media platforms, including TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. Building and maintaining a strong social media presence is imperative to present your music to new audiences and give your career the exposure it needs.
However, social media marketing can be time-consuming and you will not see improvements to your following overnight, and in a market that is highly saturated with other musicians, it cannot usually be solely relied on for exposure.
Furthermore, when utilised alone, it can be difficult to develop knowledge and insights into the music industry and the music of business. So while an online profile is important to develop a reputation and a loyal fanbase, there are other pathways that enable you to fast-track your career.
Take a look at our chat with Tileyard Education’s Head of A&R and Commercial Partnerships to discover how you can ensure you are seen by A&Rs. You can watch the entire video here.
Music education
Completing a degree can provide you with insights into your musical interests and enhance your skills to become a better musician. Not only do music degrees enable students to learn the foundations of the music industry and their specialisation, it also provides access to essential tools, knowledge and recording spaces, to amplify your skills in a professional, nurturing environment to strengthen your pathways to employment.
Supercharge your music career with a MA at Tileyard Education
Tileyard courses give you in-depth practical and theoretical knowledge and the chance to develop transferable skills, make industry contacts and find industry work placements.
Our courses are taught by the best professional songwriters, producers, practitioners, and entrepreneurs from the Tileyard Community and the wider industry. It provides the perfect combination of theoretical frameworks and real-life practical applications to various live briefs.
With access to industry-standard studios, equipment, and writing rooms, Tileyard’s exciting and diverse environment enables students to learn the fundamentals of their music specialisation in a bespoke location like no other. These benefits also extend beyond the completion of our courses, with our alumni receiving regular industry and job opportunities, live commercial briefs, and the option to pitch any commercial projects to the Tileyard Investment Fund.
Tileyard currently offers a range of one-year masters programmes including;
- MA Commercial Music Producer
- MA Commercial Music Producer (Online Blended)
- MA Commercial Songwriting and Production
- MA Commercial Songwriting and Production (Online Blended)
- MA Music Business
- MA Music Business (Online Blended)
Sign up for one of our virtual or on-campus open evenings to explore the campus, meet the team, ask questions and learn why studying at Tileyard is different.
