photo credit: Nicholas Gray

With all of the reality shows on television today, everyone wants to be the next big music star. You would think that singing was the only job in the music industry. It is the one job that is out in the forefront, but it is not the only job in the music industry.

With all the changes in technology, the music business has gone hi-tech. the sound is not just produced by listening to tunes on a keyboard. Music is mixed, recorded, and re-recorded to produce the best quality sound possible. Highly skilled people are needed to fill those positions.

Let’s start at the bottom and work our way up. One person who needs to be around all the time is the technician. This person’s job is to become familiar with all of the technical equipment used in a recording studio. When something breaks down, he or she is the one who everyone looks at to get the equipment back up and running in the least amount of time. This person may not be recognized as a major player in the industry, but he helps all the movers and shakers get their jobs done.

Someone has to write all those songs that the music stars sing and set them to music. These jobs belong to the songwriter and composer. Sometimes, this is one and the same person. Songwriters are a dime a dozen in this industry.

The one thing that will set them apart is their style of music and their dedication to the craft. A songwriter who has an ear for what’s interesting and can create the sound to go with it is a hot commodity. They know their way around a keyboard, synthesizer, and can maybe carry a tune.

Once a song is chosen for an artist, several other jobs come on board. Someone has to program the musical tracks so the singer can hear it as they perform the lyrics. A programmer works with the music arranger and sound mixing engineer to turn all of these sounds into one flawless recording. It’s amazing that all the singer has to do is sing a few times and the technical guys do the rest.

A studio is rated on the quality of the work they produce. For that, they need to hire the best people they can to do the job. We’ve always heard that you should find one thing that you are good at and stick with it. In the music industry, someone who can do more than one thing is an asset especially when it comes to the technical side of the business.

Now, there are some jobs that get as much attention as the musical performer. I’m speaking about the music producer. The producer is visible, but they have learned the skills that have earned them the position and the title.

A producer oversees all of the recording done in the studio. They listen to the tracks and the performers. A producer can change or adds sounds and they can also remove parts of the song that they feel are not needed. The producer is the one responsible for the final finished musical product. A music producer may have done all of the above jobs and worked their way up to being the one in charge of the entire production.

The music industry is still highly competitive, but it is easier to break into the business if you’ve got the right combination of talent, determination, and education. Each job in the music industry is important because it builds on every other job. The more you are willing to learn, the further you will go.

Singing is obviously not the only type of music job although it’s the most visible. There are many behind-the-scenes positions that require considerable talent and skill. Visit the Film and Music section of JobMonkey where you’ll learn about recording engineer jobs and other careers in music and entertainment. Lisa Jenkins is a freelance careers writer who tells her readers where the jobs are and how to get them.

photo credit: Saquan Stimpson/monstershaq2000

Don’t listen to another one of those so called music industry insiders until you read this article.I’m so sick and tired of these wannabes leaching off of talented people with real dreams of making it in the music industry. Have you heard some of the lies they tell you like, if you only had a manager, or I know some people that can get you career of the ground, or my favorite, you could be great if you only had a little bit more training. Well today is your lucky day because I’m going to give you the 3 P’s to breaking into the Music Industry.

So do you have dreams of becoming the next big in the music industry? Before you answer that question,let me tell you something, the only thing you really need, other than a little bit of talent(emphasis on little),is heart. That’s it because after I give you the 3 P’s to Breaking into the Music Industry, you will have everything you need to “Party like a Rockstar”. I want you to think of this as your foolproof plan to success, better yet, your building blocks of your career.

O.K. Guys here’s what you been reading this long for. Without further a do, Here’s your 3 P’s to Breaking into the Music Industry. They are:

1. Produce
2. Promote
3. Protect

Produce- I don’t care if you are a singer, rapper,drummer you should learn how to produce music. And I’m not talking about just playing your instrument, I mean producing CD sounding music. Don’t get scared, most of you already have some kind of music making software anyway. This is crucial to your success because it gives you control over the total sound of your music. There’s nothing worst than working on music you don’t like.

Promote- What’s the use of having all of that cool music without people knowing about it. This is where everything gets fun. This is where you go from a no body to a overnight celebrity, and this also where and when the money starts to come in.

Protect- With all of this new found glory and fame, you have to protect yourself. I never saw snakes on the plane but I can tell you that there’s snakes in the game. So I can’t stress this enough. Other than the obvious copyrighting, you need the right contract for the right job. Don’t ever enter any agreement without a contract. Don’t be a fool, you need to protect all of that hard work you put in.

Well there you have it, the 3 P’s to Breaking into the Music Industry. Now go forth and make some noise!!!

If you want to know more check out my page on http://www.squidoo.com/BreakintoMusic

photo credit: Irish Philadelphia Photo Essays

At first, the music industry was hit hard by the first file-sharing programs that allowed fans to download music without actually paying for it. The rapid downloading speeds afforded by high-speed internet and satellite broadband have made this process even easier in recent years. Although CD sales fell and some artists initially feared they would no longer be able to support themselves by making music, legal safeguards have since been put into place to prevent illegal music sharing (although of course the practice is still widespread). Despite these initial setbacks, the industry has adapted and has arguably provided the general public with infinitely more opportunities to discover and enjoy music than were available previously.

For example, websites like Pandora allow users to discover new music every day. Listeners can create personalized internet radio stations that play only certain types of songs, according to the user’s specifications. Music fans can create a station based on a song or band that they like, and the station will play songs with similar musical qualities. The website is completely legal and all music artists are paid when a user listens to their music. The service may not work properly on computers with slow internet connections, however, and satellite internet or another type of strong connection is recommended.

Fans who do not want to purchase a song online also have the option of listening to their favorite tunes using services such as YouTube. Searching the name of a popular song on YouTube inevitably produces hundreds of results-from official music videos to the home videos of talented and not-so-talented fans who have posted their own renditions online for all to see.

Of course, now there are also many ways to purchase music online. The most popular program for downloading music is probably iTunes. The iTunes Store allows fans to search and download both individual songs and entire albums, and that is just the beginning. Television shows, movies, podcasts–if you have a fast satellite internet connection, you will have access to any of these literally within seconds. You can view the most popular downloads of the week as well, which might allow you to discover new music; you can preview each song for approximately 30 seconds.

Musicians have also taken advantage of social networking sites such as MySpace to reach a wider audience of potential fans. Most singers and bands have a page on the website; this allows users to listen to songs and find information about upcoming events such as concerts.

The internet has created countless new ways for individuals to find and enjoy music. Although illegal downloading initially worried many in the music industry and continues via a number of websites, on balance the internet appears to have been a positive thing for both musicians and fans. The introduction of high-speed internet and satellite broadband have been especially great for music fans–high downloading speeds mean instant access to their favorite new songs. Many people still listen to the radio on the way to work or buy their parents CDs for the holidays, but these traditional means of discovering music are being quickly replaced by the countless new music options afforded by the internet.

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