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The United Kingdom has always had a very active music industry and although, or maybe because, we are in recession now, it is still thriving. Many young people are attracted to the music industry and so dream about getting a career in it.

However, we are not all musically talented and only the very best get anywhere by following that path anyway, but there are other avenues to go down if you want a career in the music industry.

There is a colossal raft of support required to put musicians on the stage, television and radio, because musicians are notoriously too badly organized to get this work done on their own – particularly top level musicians who demand that the stage, the lighting, the facilities and the contracts have to be just right.

So, once a musician has proved his or her worth, somebody has to get him bookings and promote his name, get him a record deal and make certain that he is sufficiently paid. This will be the music publicist

The label manager works for the recording company and liaises between the different departments to make sure that the production and release of the artist’s CD’s are co-ordinated to the nth degree.

Management always needs assistants and the music industry is no exception. An assistant to a manager in the music industry will have standard administrative duties not dissimilar to office duties in other industries, but the papers, contracts, invoices and cheques will be regarding famous, glamorous people that everyone recognizes from the Television.

The music industry employs research analysts to track and strive to predict future trends in music tastes. These researchers are sometimes called digital research analysts. This is quite a skilled job and necessitates expertise in the industry, in markets, trends and management.

The Internet plays an ever increasing function in the marketing of music and the musicians who make it and so there are now openings for online editorial managers, whereas the career did not exist ten years ago.

The publicists and PR people also require co-ordinating on the Internet and web sites need to be built. Every band needs a Facebook and Twitter account and any other account in an online phenomenon that is up-and-coming.

There are events producers and junior events producers and senior events producers because live music creates more money than record sales since so much of that is pirated these days. Most bands could not continue without live events and most would not want to either, because performers like the limelight quite literally.

The music industry employs of cheap labour as does even government and there are internships to be had. The pay for an intern is very low and occasionally they do not get paid at all, but they gain a wealth of experience and make very helpful contacts. The most enthusiastic and hard-working interns are normally hired after their internship is over.

There are ways into the music industry that might seem quirky, but if you strive some of these avenues you will stand a better chance of procuring a job in the music industry.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on a variety of subjects, but is now involved with Bose new wave radios. If you would like to know more, please go to our website at Bose Digital Radio.

If you like music a great deal, you may be dreaming of going into some area of the music industry yourself. Doubtlessly, you will have been told that this is awfully difficult and I am not trying to insinuate that it is not, but maybe most people who are trying to get into the music industry are applying for the same jobs.

The list of jobs available in the music industry must include teachers, songwriters, doctors, therapists and many others, not only singers and musicians, so it pays to think laterally if you want to head in this direction, because traffic on the main highway is usually at a stand-still. Anyway, here is a list of other jobs in the music industry and I hope that it is of some help to you.

There are jobs with music and record businesses for staff song-writers, that is, for people who write songs for the artists who are contracted to that label. Find a couple of artists that you respect working for the same label, compose some songs for them and apply.

If you cannot find a solitary label that suits you, you could do the same job as a freelance song-writer. This way you are not restricted and can compose for all the artists that you like.

If you are good with words but not such a great musician, you could become a lyricist. A lyricist may or may not team up with a musician to create a song. Like Gilbert & Sullivan or Rogers & Hammerstein.

Jingle-writers are always in demand, at least decent ones are. Jingles need to be short but catchy. Writing jingles pays good money, but it will perhaps not make you famous outside the music industry.

A music publisher scours the market for freelance songs and buys up the copyright or license to publish those songs or to sell or license them to singers and musicians.

A music editor may work with a composer or song-writer to ensure that the timing and the cues for the musicians and singers are practicable.

Notesetters have to have a decent ear for music as their job is to write down in musical form what untrained musicians play to them. There are many, many modern musicians who cannot write a note of music but who can produce very popular songs. These songs have to be written down by someone and that someone is a notesetter.

A talent scout in the music industry has the official title of Artist & Repertoire Co-ordinator or A&R Co-ordinator for short. A step up from this rank is the A&R Administrator, who co-ordinates the co-ordinators and sets and monitors their budgets – a type of a musical accountant.

Then there are the jobs in public relations. These people usually work for record labels. They promote the artists who have signed onto a record firm’s label. There are quite a few degrees of responsibility in this department.

An agent or an relations representative, is aperson who promotes his client and finds him or her work. They check the contracts and give business advice. They are well-|known as ‘Mr. Ten Percent’ although in practice it is usually double this unless you are famous.

Campus representatives advertise records to students and promotional staffers promote wherever possible – radio stations, stores, musical directors.

Music teachers teach music to groups from pre-school through to college level. Their responsibilities differ with the age of the student and the point of the class.

A music director has the job of supervising policy in school or college or setting the entertainment for a cruise or a holiday camp, hotel or holiday complex.

Then there are organists in churches all over the country, who often double in other musical careers.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on a range of topics, but is now involved with Bose new wave radios. If you would like to know more, please visit our website at Bose Digital Radio.