You stood in queues for hours and then got slapped in the face and told you couldn’t sing. Life moves on and you are back in your old job and your pride is a little hurt. You had the spunk to get off your backside and make the effort to better yourself. So are you just going to sit in the corner and forget it ever happened or are you going to do something to better your life? Let’s face it, if the American Idol judges say you are not a singer then the chances are you are not cut out to be on the stage but that doesn’t means to say you can’t have a career in the music business. For every great performer we see on TV there is cadres of people behind the scenes who make it happen. They may never earn the riches of the talent at the front of the stage nevertheless there are plenty interesting and well paid jobs in the music industry.
OK, you are living in some small town in Idaho or Wyoming so what chance do you have of ever finding a job in the music business? Firstly you need to have a change in attitude. If you really do have music in your blood you need to say to yourself ‘I want a job in the music business and I am going to do whatever it takes’. If you are not living in say New York or Los Angeles then you are at a disadvantage because you need to be where there are centers of music production? Why? If you are young and don’t have a lot of talent then you are going to have to start somewhere, probably at the bottom.
Look at American Idol judge Simon Cowell’s career. He worked in England as a mail boy at EMI Records. He worked really hard and eventually got to be a music producer and today he is presumably making a fortune even though he is not singing. Think of it has anyone ever heard Simon Cowell sing?
If you are serious about getting a job in the music industry then you need to be in locations where record companies are hiring people on the lower rungs of the ladder so you need to make yourself available so that you can get picked for simply any job that gets you in the door. It doesn’t matter if it’s a clerical, cleaning or whatever the position is, you need to learn the ropes. You need to learn how the record companies do business, learn the ‘lingua franca’ of the industry and most importantly get to network with those in the music business. Make yourself indispensable at what ever low paid job you can get. Show great willingness to do whatever is asked, be prepared to work unpaid overtime and get yourself noticed.
How can you find out what jobs are available? Once jobs are posted on the internet the chances are that the employer is using the web as he cannot find anyone on a referral basis (which is the most favored way of hiring) and so now you are competing with everyone and his mother for that job. There are plenty of web sites where you can find a place to stay on the cheap in New York or Los Angeles be it the YMCA, sharing an apartment etc, the important thing is to be there. Then try thinking out of the box!
If you go into a local Kinko’s and plead yourself as a struggling new music industry star and you may be surprised what help you can get in putting together a very low cost self promotion kit. All you need is a business card with your photo on the front with your name and a job title such as “Music Aficionado" with your New York or Los Angeles address and your cell phone number. If you haven’t got a cell phone with a local number then buy a prepaid cell phone from a supermarket as it’s important to have a local area code. On the back of the business card print a short resume of your career in a small font so you can maybe squeeze in six lines of text. You need to put some ‘spin’ on these six or so lines so think about what you have done that might make you interesting to an employer. If your work experience is boring and you have only worked at Macdonald’s or for the Post Office you can still put a spin on your background by writing up anything interesting you have done outside work including your audition at American Idol. Try turning that negative experience into a positive. If you were interviewed on camera and you appeared on the American Idol program then say so and classify that as work experience.
Once you have your self promotion kit then you need to get the word out on the street that you are looking for employment. Dress in some reasonably smart clothing and arm yourself with your business cards and visit all the record companies in town. Always ask to see the HR department. Sure you will not make it past reception nine times out of ten but do make sure you leave your calling card. Take a yellow highlighter with you and highlight your name and any one line on the rear of the card. If the card gets passed around the company someone may assume that your name was highlighted because someone else was interested in your background. Then there is always a small chance that you happen to be at the right place at the right time and just then they need a junior person because someone has gone sick or left the company. Always be ready to start employment immediately if asked. You should make the rounds of these companies once per month so they get to know you. If you see employees from the company going over to a local Starbucks treat yourself to a coffee and strike up conversation with them. Ask if they know anyone who is hiring in the company and pass on your business card and make a point of frequenting that coffee shop again.
Tradeshows are another great way of getting to meet people in the music industry because executives from the record companies will often be on the booths so hand out your business card to as many people as you can. Getting into some of these tradeshows can be difficult but there are books available which can give you tips on how to get into these shows and what to do once you are inside.
So what’s keeping you? Start working on your music industry career today.
Vince Waterson spent 15 years in personnel recruitment. He is author of Skyhooks (ISBN 1-4196-1645-5) - A BOOTSTRAPPER’S GUIDE TO FINDING A JOB For 18 to 20 something year old American College students. It is published by amazon.com. Extracts from the book are available at www.jobs-book.com The author can be contacted at vwaterson@aol.com
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