Welcome to #AskAlethea, a new series on Industry Plant dedicated to all sorts of music industry career related advice. Since launching this project earlier this year, I wanted to provide a space where I could provide my advice and insights from my music industry career journey so far. Since deciding to enter the music industry, there is so much wisdom and knowledge that I’ve gained over the years, and so much that I didn’t know before and had to learn for myself. Which leads us to our first rendition of #AskAlethea: How do I know that working in music is for me?
To be completely honest, working in the music industry is a privilege. Not everyone gets the opportunity to be in this space, and quite frankly, working in music is not for everyone. You might think that working in the music industry is this cool, glitzy job with insane perks, but you have to truly be passionate about music and know the ins and outs of the business to be successful. So many people want to work on music without knowing the scope of the industry. Even breaking into the music industry can be a challenge with its competitive nature, especially for people coming from marginalized backgrounds and who lack access to important music industry resources, connections, and experience.
That being said, if music is the one thing that sparks your true passions in tandem with your career goals, it’s obviously worth it to try to pursue it, even if the road to success might go every which way. I was fortunate enough to study Music Industry at USC, and during one of my classes, my professor Kevin Lyman gave us an assignment on Ikigai, the Japanese concept meaning “a reason for being”, akin to life purpose and fulfillment. Ikigai represents the intersection of four overlapping circles: what you love, what you are good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for, and this principle is used in finding the right career trajectory for someone. I was fortunate enough to discover my ikigai in music, and it helps me be grounded in my career goals when faced with difficulty and setbacks.
How did I come upon this realization that working in music was what I wanted to do? A bit of my backstory: growing up, I had a multitude of “dream jobs” like every other child, ranging from a ballerina, to an Olympic swimmer, to a professional actress, to a publicist (which is somewhat related to what I’m doing now), even to being a songwriter. When I was 13, I was having a conversation about music with someone I was close friends with at the time and it had somehow dawned upon me that working in the music industry was a real possibility. A lightbulb went off in my mind, opening up a cage of butterflies which has led me to where I am now in my career. From that moment out, I was devoted to doing everything in my power to make my dream of working in the music industry happen. This almost decade-long journey has led me to move across the country to attend USC, which allowed me to live out my childhood dream of living in Los Angeles and attend my dream school, and also inspired the creation of Industry Plant amongst many other internships and projects I partook in. And while the journey hasn’t always been easy, with setbacks and self-doubt, I know that this is the path I’m meant to be on.
Now everyone’s story surrounding their music industry journey is different, with various paths to get to where they want to be. From being a musician to a superfan, a concert enthusiast to a pop-culture aficionado, people working in music have a multitude of ways to realize their dream. Yet one thing unites them all: a love and unwavering passion for music. If I didn’t love music and had my entire life until now revolve around music, I wouldn’t even be pursuing this career. This dedication to working alongside the art and craft of music in whatever way possible brings the music industry together. If that sounds like you, then this is the right path to aspire to be on.
Yet loving music isn’t the only thing that sets people from working in the music industry apart. Here are some things to consider if you want to work in music, and how you would know if working in music is right for you:
You eat, sleep, breathe, live music. As stated earlier, you have to not only love music, but be passionate about it as well.
Working in music is not just some job, but the main or only industry you want to work in. The people that end up having long music industry careers are the people that are serious about working in the music industry. Not just people that “love music and concerts”, and see working at a music company as a glamorous job in one of the coolest, trendiest industries. If you can’t see or imagine yourself doing anything but music, then maybe this is the path for you if:
You’re willing to put in the work. Not all responsibilities for a music industry job are the front-line, working with artists, doing campaigns, etc. types of work. A lot of the work is not so glamorous, busywork, especially when you are starting out. No task is a task too small. And you might not be seeing the fruits of your labor right away, as delayed gratification is commonplace in the industry, whether it is for an artist’s rise to fame, moving up the industry food chain, or seeing significant financial gains.
You understand the music industry comprehensively. While not everyone has the ability to study in a music industry program, there are ways to build comprehensive background knowledge on the music industry. In fact, that is one thing that sets people apart who want to work in music: they know the ins and outs of the industry. There are so many resources for people to learn more about the framework of the music business, so I recommend All You Need to Know About the Music Business by Donald Passman. It was the first and arguably most important book I read during my music industry education, and I could not recommend the proclaimed “music industry bible” enough. (It’s even on my Top 10 Books Of The 21st Century from the New York Times)
Working in the music industry isn’t a job: it’s a lifestyle. After hearing a panelist from She Is The Music NYC Day make that statement, I reflected on those words and I had a new understanding of what it is truly like to work in music. In the music business, you typically don’t work a traditional 9-5: the after hours aspect of music, especially live events and concerts, coupled with the fact that people are consuming music 24/7 helps contribute to that lifestyle. The community aspect of working in the music industry is so important: the music industry is a small industry, and the “everyone knows everybody” saying especially pertains to you and your peers. I’ve had to sacrifice the idea of a traditional social life because I work in music, and I know this is the lifestyle I chose.
You are proactive and are willing to put yourself out there to seek out opportunities. In most music industry job descriptions, the adjective “proactive” is usually present in the types of qualities that companies are looking for in a candidate. Proactiveness in the music industry manifests itself in many ways: from taking initiative at an internship or job, to creating new opportunities to help enhance your resumé, to reaching out to people to form meaningful connections for your network. Networking is an important part to success in this industry, and by putting yourself out there, more doors are going to open up for you.
You know your “why.” When times get tough and you face challenges and setbacks, if you remember why you want to work in such a competitive industry, just focus on your “why.” If you don’t have a concrete reason for why you want to work in the music industry that is not aforementioned above, I would do some self-reflection to find that “why.” Your “why” is what keeps you going in this very competitive industry.
If you can check all of these boxes, then working in the music industry is a tangible goal that can come into fruition with hard work, dedication, and passion towards music. I hope this article provides some clarity and guidance for people that want to work in the music industry, and if there is any take away from my advice, it is that the work is worth it.
Thank you for reading the first edition of #AskAlethea - more to come in the future!
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