Music Industry Universe
Job Roles in the Music Industry;
A&R Scout- a talent scout to keep up with new trends an artists represented by a record label to find artists to bring back to said record label to make a record. a large part of the job involves reading music magazines and going to gigs.
arranger- an arranger will re-write an existing song to help different bands an artists to help convey the message they were trying to convey. a popular job as an arranger would be to create a 'radio' mix, to shorten songs but with the same quality
artist manager- works on behalf of groups or artists to promote the act, they negotiate contracts, venues, tickets etc, advising career decisions and managing media relations on their behalf.
backline tech- technical support for live performances - each artist has their own tech for their instrument to manage their instrument for them - for example if a drummers snare head tears, it would be the backline tech to replace it asap.
composer - they create compositions for a variety of genres
dj's- play recorded music either live or on the radio.
engineer - manipulates sound, work in live and studio capacity. they mix sound in studios for albums along side the producer.
session musician - hired to play for tv shows/bands/with studios. have to be versatile as they can be hired for many different genres - must be able to read music, be able to walk into a studio, be given music and have to play it.
producer - organise recording music, working with performers and sound engineers.
Job Role Descriptions
A&R Scout - as an AR scout, you will be sent to Gigs to scout out the latest artists who have potential to bring back to the record company. Similar to a football scout, only people around you will cheer after a guitar solo as appose to a 35 yard goal. The ideal candidate will have a wide music choice and be happy to one day be at a heavy metal concert, the next a jazz concert.
Arranger - as a musical arranger, your job will be to re write an existing track to fit a given situation. for example an artist could approach you to re write a 6 minute track to be 3 minutes to be able to have the track played on the radio. The ideal candidate will be able to tell what message the artist was trying to convey easily and show that on the new track.
Artist Manager- the roles of a artist manager will be to guide the band or artist to success. You are responsible for the decisions of your clients, as well as negotiating contracts and finding venues for them to play at. key qualities of a manager will include having outstanding leadership skills, having a good judgement and the ability to work efficiently with a number of people.
Backline Technician - as a backline technician, your role will to be in charge of PA and sound, responsible for setting up speakers, amps, monitors, mics etc. some bands/artists may require a specialist backline tech for their instrument, working hand in hand with them to ge the best sound, its crucial to have knowledge of how to achieve certain sounds, and be able to provide the support needed efficiently.
Composer- the role of a composer is to compose tracks for something, that could be a tv show, a computer game, a film etc. Composers can also earn a large sum of money by writing for other artists, if you compose a song for an artist to perform either live or for an album, you receive a cut from the album profits. the ideal candidate will be able to be flexible with what they are writing, given the situation.
DJ- when putting yourself out there as a DJ, you can fall under three categories. you're either a radio DJ, who will play songs over a radio, but provide things such as travel and weather updates. A club DJ, you'll be expected to provide entertainment for a long time in a nightclub, or a mobile DJ, basically a travelling DJ. Ideally, a Dj, no matter what kind (other than radio) will be responsible for logging round equipment and music to different venues.
Engineer- your time as an engineer will be spent mostly in the studio, behind a mixing desk. The main role would be helping to produce different tracks and albums, often working hand in hand with the band or artist manager to fine tune the the track to how the artist/manager wants it. the candidate will also have to be practical as in the instance a microphone stand doest work, or a microphone doesn't work, you'll be responsible for fixing that issue.
Lighting Technician- this job requires advanced knowledge of how to operate different lighting rigs, and will involve working with the band to discuss where lighting effects need to be triggered, for example a flash my needed to be triggered by the drummers snare
Music Technologist - being a technologist would involve using professional devices to either compose or perform music, depending on composing or performing you wold work with artists to compose songs for them, they may give you lyrics and you would have to compose a melody for that track.
Session Musician- versatility is key as a session musician, you will be payed to either perform for an artist live, or record for an album. one session my be recording jazz, another may be heavy rock. musical reading skills must be of a high standard as you will be given sheet music and be expected to play the piece without any problems.
Producer- as a producer, you'll be in the studio most of your time. You could choose to produce for yourself, using pro tools to compose tracks for yourself, or you will work alongside artists and their managers to finalise, and record albums. Featuring on an album will result in earning a cut of those sales.
Roadie - as a roadie, you will sometimes be required to travel with the band or artist and your role would be to transport the boxes of equipment to where they need to be, that may be on stage, off the stage, for the front of house etc. setting up this equipment is not needed, as you will be working with the technologists, leaving equipment where its most efficient to set up. As well as techs, you'd work with the band to discuss where they want their equipment on stage.
Performer- your job as a performer is to work hand in hand with everyone involved to deliver content to crowds, for albums etc. Cooperation is the most important value in a performer as you will need to work with different parts of the industry without hassle, for example, working with producers to create albums, roadies to discuss where gear needs to be etc.
Sound Designer- as a sound designer, you'll end up working with artists but also end up with tv and film directors to compose sound effects and music for certain scenarios. when working with musicians, you may be asked to record sample sounds and backing tracks, working hand in hand with artists and producers.
Documentary notes;
Bus Drivers- drive for 4 ours each and alternate
Production manager - takes care of sounds, videos, lights etc on stage
tour manager - finds venues, takes care of tickets and ticket prices etc. also manages bands travel
catering - cooks for the band on tour
Music Technologist - being a technologist would involve using professional devices to either compose or perform music, depending on composing or performing you wold work with artists to compose songs for them, they may give you lyrics and you would have to compose a melody for that track.
Session Musician- versatility is key as a session musician, you will be payed to either perform for an artist live, or record for an album. one session my be recording jazz, another may be heavy rock. musical reading skills must be of a high standard as you will be given sheet music and be expected to play the piece without any problems.
Producer- as a producer, you'll be in the studio most of your time. You could choose to produce for yourself, using pro tools to compose tracks for yourself, or you will work alongside artists and their managers to finalise, and record albums. Featuring on an album will result in earning a cut of those sales.
Roadie - as a roadie, you will sometimes be required to travel with the band or artist and your role would be to transport the boxes of equipment to where they need to be, that may be on stage, off the stage, for the front of house etc. setting up this equipment is not needed, as you will be working with the technologists, leaving equipment where its most efficient to set up. As well as techs, you'd work with the band to discuss where they want their equipment on stage.
Performer- your job as a performer is to work hand in hand with everyone involved to deliver content to crowds, for albums etc. Cooperation is the most important value in a performer as you will need to work with different parts of the industry without hassle, for example, working with producers to create albums, roadies to discuss where gear needs to be etc.
Sound Designer- as a sound designer, you'll end up working with artists but also end up with tv and film directors to compose sound effects and music for certain scenarios. when working with musicians, you may be asked to record sample sounds and backing tracks, working hand in hand with artists and producers.
Documentary notes;
Bus Drivers- drive for 4 ours each and alternate
Production manager - takes care of sounds, videos, lights etc on stage
tour manager - finds venues, takes care of tickets and ticket prices etc. also manages bands travel
catering - cooks for the band on tour
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