How To Get An Internship In The Music Business Without Having A Single Contact

So... you desire to be in the music business? There are a batch of you out there. I cognize this because I have a music praseodymium house and every clip we set out a phone call for internes or jobs, we acquire somewhere between 100 - 250 resumes. Once upon a time, I was just like you- dying to follow my passionateness and aggressively trying to set down a occupation in the industry of my dreams. It was a demeaning and, at times, demeaning exercising so this dear immature aspirant music concern Mogul is for you. Interns are much needed in every aspect of the industry, and most of my music industry friends (myself included) started out as unpaid internes back in their twenty-four hours and we leveraged our unpaid internships into paying jobs.

If you dwell in or near New House Of York or LA, this usher will be easy to follow measure by step. But if you don't, make not fret. You will be amazed at how many little music companies are thriving in practically every metropolis and state.

Policy short letter – Due to policies, bigger companies necessitate to use only pupils enrolled in college looking to acquire credit. So, if your internship is not for credit, bank check before you acquire your bosom set on a place you may not be qualified to fill.

YOUR first LESSON

TWO words THAT APPLY TO EVERY music industry RELATED INTERNSHIP: NO PAY

I cognize you are disbursement a luck to travel to college but here is the world – 99.9% of all music concern internships are unpaid. I cognize it makes not look just but the truth is there are so many people looking to acquire started that payment is not usually offered. So if making money is on your end list, you will necessitate to acquire a 2nd occupation to feed your passionateness around music. Don't allow a small thing like money maintain you from your dream.

OK, so now that you cognize you will be working for free and probably paying your college to acquire recognition - so actually you will be paying to work – brand it something you desire to do!

STEP ONE: IDENTIFY YOUR areas OF INTEREST

Search your mind. Ask yourself what portion of the music concern make you desire to be in? Are it Marketing, Radio, Publicity, Online Marketing, Touring, or A&R? You may not cognize the reply to this inquiry yet and that is alright. You are not supposed to cognize until you acquire some experience in a peculiar area. BUT if you don't stipulate what you are looking to try, the people in complaint of hiring you will have got NO hint where you will suit or how they can suit you into their business. So having a listing of general countries of involvement is a necessity.

To acquire a workings cognition of what different parts of the music industry are available, here are two suggestions:

1. Buy All You Necessitate To Know About the Music Business by Donald Passman. This fabulous book is still after all these old age the Bible of the Music Business, and it will give you a great dislocation of the cardinal places and the general overall constitution of the industry as a whole. Just leafage through - you don't have got to read the whole thing screen to cover.

2. Bash Online research. There are infinite articles available advising instrumentalists how make undertake their ain careers. So to make your research, set yourself in the artist's place and start surfing and learning! If the articles vibrate with you and look interesting than you have got got establish a good match.

Create a listing of 3-4 countries that you can work in (if you only have 1 that's all right too!).

General Music Industry Categories

Large Record Label (i.e. Sony, Charles Dudley Warner Music, Universal, etc.)

Specify a department:

A&R

Promotions

Publicity

Marketing

Licensing

Radio Station

Specify a department:

On Air

Producer

Sales

Promotions

Marketing Firm – There are many genres within:

Street Marketing

Online Marketing

Tour Marketing

Specialty / Life Style Marketing

Small Record Label (you probably won't necessitate to stipulate department)

Promotion Firm

Management Company

Engagement Agency

Radio Promotions Company

Music Venue

Concert Promoter

Production Studio

Publication Company

Movie & television Licensing

Music Website – Good for techies or authors or designers

Music Magazine / Webzine – Good for aspirant journalists

STEP TWO: make A dream list OF companies & artists YOU LOVE

Research as much as you can in your chosen field. Again, believe like a musician. There are a million resources available for instrumentalists that listing companies that aid support them, and they all have got websites that clearly demo what they make and who their clients are.

If you love a specific set or artist, expression up whom they work with and set those companies on your listing because nil is more than electrifying and appreciated than working for your favorite people and sets (I still acquire a bang out of that and I've been working in the music industry for 14 years).

STEP THREE: rock YOUR RESUME

Next, make the most AMAZING sketch you can set together. There are many websites, books, and even your calling guidance business office at school that tin instruct you on how to make this so I'm not going to acquire into much item here. But delight attentiveness this advice:

Be Concise – one page only

Be Detailed – What did you bash at your former occupations that are listed? These should show your talents.

Be Interesting – Include personal touchings and avocations or particular interests

Tip – the music concern be givens to be a spot more than informal, so you have got got a small spot more room to play with your sketch and do your personality radiance through more than you would on a "corporate" resume.

STEP FOUR: recommendations RULE

This adjacent piece of advice is a small spot non-traditional arsenic well…I phone call the first people that have great mention letters in for interviews first!

Call an old employer, a professor, or a individual in your life who can compose you a dramatic recommendation letter. If you can inquire the individual authorship the missive to advert strengths that volition be cohesive with the job, you desire this. It will really do you stand up out.

STEP FIVE: start APPLYING

Now that you have got got your list, there are three topographic points you can go:

Straight to the companies of your dreamings that you have discovered – in these cases, they may not be advertisement for internes so you necessitate to cold phone call and inquire first if they would see accepting a sketch (be excited and state the truth that you establish out about their company and you would love to be considered). Then inquire to whom the sketch should be addressed.

Websites where employers station for internes – We usage EntertaimentCareers.net, and at any given clip there are plenty of internships available on it.

Your college's calling business office (Don't number on them as your chief resource – my best internes establish me by looking online).

STEP SIX: THE GOLDEN RULES

NEVER EVER direct a sketch without a screen letter. It's totally unprofessional.

Include the NAME, ADDRESS, company NAME, and INDIVIDUAL'S name on each screen letter, and CUSTOMIZE each missive FOR THAT particular COMPANY. Yes, this volition take longer but it will also acquire you results. If it is not obvious call and politely ask!

Note: Out of the 150 sketches I just received on my last unit of ammunition of hirings, only three people set my company name on the screen missive and wrote "Dear Ms. Hyatt". And

100% of all of these letters mentioned in the first paragraph that the campaigner had first-class communicating accomplishments – and Iodine thought are you kidding me??? If you are so first-class at communicating, how come up my name was not mentioned ONCE? The letters that really irritated me and made me never desire to ran into the campaigner were the letters that said "Dear Sir" (I am a woman) or "Dear hour Dept" or even more than than gross: "Dear Hiring Committee" (I'm the lone 1 that brands determinations at my company about hiring, 25 secs on my website would larn you that).

Mention some things that associate directly to the company you are applying to – the name calling of the artists, your passionateness about what it is they do, how you became interested in music, etc.

Please for the love of sweet Supreme Being above DON'T compose any of the followers lines:

"I have got got got got got got got first-class communicating skills."

"I have loved music for as long as Iodine can remember, since the twenty-four hours I was born."

"I believe I am the perfect lucifer for your company (unless you state WHY)."

"My extended background in music…" OK, if you are under the age of 25 you DON'T have an extended background (an extended background is 10 old age or more).

DO compose the followers lines (if they are not the truth of course of study don't compose these!):

"I have been a fan of (artist's name this company plant with here) since (year/concert you attended, etc.)."

"I have always wanted to learn about (company's forte here) and a place at your company would supply me just that opportunity."

" I have (the existent #) of friends on (MySpace/Facebook/Bebo/any other cool societal networking land site here"

If you are applying to a selling or praseodymium house that affects an online space, highlight how many MySpace and/or Facebook friends you have, and if you are on other new societal networking land sites or on Second Life. This could be your aureate ticket! Everyone wishes a well-connected intern. It's a immense asset!

"I have got got already had some experience with (booking, promoting, etc), and would love to spread out on what I have already learned at (school, from volunteering etc.)."

STEP SEVEN: SEND Type A PHYSICAL transcript OF YOUR RESUME

Most of these websites give you an interface to travel through and you submit your sketch straight to them via the Internet. Definitely make this and IN addition if you can facsimile or mail in your resume, I highly urge you make this as well (remember to turn to with a specific person's name!).

STEP EIGHT: dainty EACH sketch LIKE Type A doomed PUPPY

Back to my 150 campaigners from this past calendar month – NOT ONE called to follow up to see if I had received the resume! This not only mystified me but also irritated me to no end.

So – a few years after you direct the resume, call to follow up! This is a great manner to stand up out in the crowd because NO ONE ELSE IS career – trust me, I know.

Even if the website states "don't name us, we'll name you" you should name and politely inquire if your sketch was received because 100% of everyone I cognize in the music concern is so busy that they don't have got clip to always follow up with the flood of resumes. This could be a missed chance to set down a job!

STEP NINE: astatine YOUR INTERVIEW

So, you followed my stairway and you got an interview set up? Wonderful!

If you acquire three or four interviews, travel to the 1 that you are least interested in first to sharpen your interview skills.

THE day OF – CALL first to corroborate your interview. It's professional and a great manner to stand up out.

Be 10 proceedings early (not more), and retrieve the music concern is insouciant so a three-piece lawsuit is highly discouraged. I propose concern casual.

Bring a book or a magazine in lawsuit you have got to wait.

Bring two transcripts of your resume, screen letter, and recommendation missive as well as some authorship samples (if applicable – even if it's a paper you wrote about the music business). This is interesting and it put you apart again!

Don't be afraid to inquire inquiries like What makes a typical internship embrace here? or Make you have got got got some specific undertakings I might be working on?

With most internship interviews I do, I always have to ask: Make you have any questions? And it always go forths a eldritch taste sensation in my oral cavity if they have got none – even if you inquire how many years the company is expecting internes to work and what the hours would be. At least you are establishing a dialog! I propose preparing 2-3 in-depth questions that you have got researched by looking online at this specific company and come up prepared!

Tips

The littler the company, the more than than work you will probably stop up doing and the more experience you will derive – it's just the nature of the beast.

If you don't like the individual that interviews you, DON'T take the occupation – trust your instincts!

Don't inquire if the internship will turn into a paid position. You are in complaint of being the most amazing interne that they ever had. This volition Pb to a occupation but first you have got to turn out yourself!

STEP TEN: ALWAYS FOLLOW UP!!!

Even if you HATED the interview, ALWAYS direct a give thanks you electronic mail to follow up (or better yet a CARD!) to state thanks for taking the clip to interview me! If you really enjoyed the interview, say sol and WHY. And don't be afraid to state "after meeting you Iodine am even more than convinced that I would wish to work with you!" Flattery WILL acquire you (almost everywhere).

I trust that these tips turn into a winning internship experience, and I would love to hear from you and happen out how this usher worked for you – please electronic mail me at talkback [AT] arielpublicity.com

I may even print your story!