Want to find work producing music in a very competitive market? With a good bit of hustle and a good reputation, developing your name in the industry is the key. Open doors also follow the delivery of a quality product that is on time and on or under budget.
Associations and Trade Publications
Since music producers are not represented by unions, joining one or more associations is one way to obtain career guidance and learn about career opportunities. The Audio Engineering Society (www.aes.org) and the Society of Professional Audio Recording Services (www.spars.com) are two such associations.
Studying trade publications is another way to learn more about the industry and find leads to new talent. A few music industry publications are Billboard, Variety, Mix, Down Beat, and Pro Sound News.
Music Producers Need Talent
Producing music is not a solo act. To find a job, one must find talent/ artists to produce. Get your rolodex ready; it is gold, or should I say double platinum, in this industry. People with whom a producer has worked—songwriters, conductors, managers, etc.—may connect a producer with a talent.
Leads can also come from a variety of other places: independent labels, musicians that have played clubs and/or concerts, and demo recordings, to name a few. Music producers are constantly seeking new talent or endeavors.
Music School and Your Local Library
A great place to find work producing music is at the school you attended. Some of the larger record labels work with music schools by offering internships in music recording. Successful completion of such an internship produces (pun intended) extraordinary success in finding employment in the music industry. In addition to internships, most training programs offer job placement assistance for graduates.
Another method of finding work as a music producer is similar to checking the classifieds. The following steps may vary depending on location, but checking a library database may be a good way to find work. Following are the steps to searching in my region, but your local library is likely to have a similar process.
- Go to your library’s website
- Click on Databases
- Click on Career Development (or similar wording
- Click on Ferguson’s Career Guidance Center
--This will take you to a page where you will have to click on the same link again - Log in to your library’s online system using your library card and PIN
- Type “Music Producer” in the search line
- Click on the first link (Music Producers)
- Click the Find Jobs tab
- Filter, if you wish, or scroll through job postings
Working Your Way Up Producing Music
It is not uncommon for someone starting his career to take a job just to get a foot in the door while continuing to work toward his end goal. Parts of the process include:
- Making and maintaining contacts (this crucial part of the process bears repeating)
- Building a professional portfolio that showcases one’s experience (include mixed CD’s)
- Learning from talented professionals
- Using social media such as LinkedIn and Twitter to find out about job openings
- Market yourself by creating a professional web site and appealing business cards
One Grammy-winning producer began his career as a musician, moved to arranging and songwriting, then worked as both an assistant producer and staff producer before realizing his dream of becoming a music producer. Remember that no job is too small and no contact is insignificant. Be assertive and persistent when seeking talent and opportunities; the next door you walk through could be your big break!