A career in the music industry sounds very glamourous and exciting. It is not until you try to get into it that you realise how much hard work goes into putting an album or tour together, let alone playing on one. If the industry is not everything it seems, how do you know if music is the right career for you?
Creativity
If you are a creative person then this may sound like it is the best career to go for. After all, you will make a lot of money doing something you love, and you get to hang out with fellow rock stars, don’t you? Unfortunately, for every musician who becomes a household name, there are literally hundreds who don’t, and even if you have the talent, that may not be enough for you to hit the big time.Â
Creativity does not have to be directed towards playing music though. There are often other avenues to explore such as art creation, graphics, or song writing, which would still allow you to use your creative talents in the music industry even if these careers won’t make you famous.
Passion
If you are not passionate about what you are doing, there is not much point in doing it. This is true of any industry, but it is especially true if you want a career in music. Your career will often feel a lot less glamourous than it looks. There are late nights, a lot of travelling, and trying to get things done at a moment’s notice can all just seem like hard work. If you are not passionate about what you are doing, you will soon get sick of the music industry and switch to a career that offers you an easier life.Â
TechnicalÂ
Being technically minded rather than creative should not rule out a career in the music industry. There are a lot of technical people needed to produce music, work in studios, manage the sound or lighting on a tour, and a myriad of other things too.Â
Even if you are more creative than technical, it is a good idea to have a working knowledge of the technology around you. This means that you can understand how it works and why you are being asked to do things in a certain way. The more diverse your skills are, the more likely you are to get hired in the industry.
Good Financial Sense
It helps if you are financially savvy if you want a career in the music industry. The industry mostly consists of freelancers who get paid for the work they do. This means that you could be raking it in one minute when you get paid for several gigs at once or you receive recording royalties, but you may not get another paycheck for several months. This is not going to give you a steady income and if you don’t manage your incomings and outgoings very well then you will quickly get into difficulties. This is not the career for you if you need to earn a monthly salary.Â
Routine
If you love routine and knowing what you are expected to do every day when you go into work, then this is not the career for you. This is a fickle business where some days you could be rushed off your feet and surviving on two hours sleep per night for the week, and the next week you could have nothing to do at all.Â
You might wake up and find yourself in a different country every day with different time zones and new things to do and learn. You will come across fresh situations all the time and need to think on your feet. If reading about this total lack of routine is making your head spin, then you should consider a different career entirely.Â
Organised
Whichever part of the music industry you are working in, you will need to be well organised. You will need to be in the right place at the right time with the right equipment for the Right Career and it is not until you have begun making a lot of money that you can afford to pay other people to do the worrying for you.
If you turn up at the wrong gig on the wrong night, it is going to cost you money. It is also likely to damage your reputation and could prevent you from getting booked for other gigs. Great organisational skills are a must in this line of work.
Attention to Detail
Attention to detail should be important to you if you want a career in this industry. If you expect to put your work out to an audience, you need to make sure that it is as polished and professional as it can be, and this involves having a keen ear for detail.Â
This starts in rehearsal where you need to make sure your band sounds as tight as it can. Once you have perfected this, it is time to move into the studio. If you choose a good London recording studio such as PIRATE, they will be able to offer you sound engineers and other professionals who can make sure that your finished product is as perfect as it can be. That way you will be able to command attention from record companies and fans alike.
Patient- the Right Career
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was the music industry. It is important to be patient as your first recording (or your second or third) may not catapult you into the big time. Some music industry experts spend years trying to perfect their talents and others never get the recognition they deserve at all. Overnight sensations are very few and far between, so exercise patience and tenacity if you want to make the music industry your career.
If all this sounds like a good description of you, then this might be the right career path to take. However, you should expect it to be hard work and challenging as well as glamourous and fun.
