Music business entry level jobs

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Hello everyone,

I seem to be posting a lot on here about finding a good job that matches my interests and such. I will be honest I've been desperate for answers on a good long-lasting job/career (I don't see the difference but the establishment does). I want to know, for all of you that music aspies out there, how did you find a entry level job in music and how should I go about looking for a stable 40 hour job?

Music things I do: DJ, learning how to produce music on ableton and already am working on 2 tracks, and I'm always listening to music and organizing my music collection.

There isn't something that fits my criteria isn't there.

I myself am also trying to find work in the music industry (I'm also a fellow Ableton user-student! Currently have 3 tracks in progress but focusing on one to finish ATM) so I'm not sure how much help I will be, but I have gotten some knowledge from job hunting obsessively as well as from my mentor (who sadly I can't take classes with anymore since I'm unemployed, some of my ASD traits have gotten worse which has limited the work I can do).

From my mentor, he's told me that usually the work you'll find depends on the area you live in. Around where I live, the job openings are super rare, and if there are any they're usually unpaid internships that require you to be in school for audio/music (something which I'm not; mostly cause I don't learn creative things well in a classroom setting). The most common ones I've seen are audio engineering internships in recording studios. There's also a Sirius XM building in the next city over which usually has full-time salaried audio/music jobs, but all the openings I've seen so far require both a degree and at least 3 years of relative experience (and yes they are entry level jobs)

One of the things I'd recommend is to start building a portfolio if you don't already have one. Work on finishing those tracks and uploading them to Soundcloud or whichever music platform you prefer, because a lot of those places will ask to see your work. And of course not just songs too, showcase anything you can do-maybe a sample of your DJing skills, applying audio engineering skills on a recording, etc.

Since I don't know your background (do you have any certificates/work experience/degrees in music or audio?) I can't exactly hypothesize how difficult it would be for you to find something that matches your description. Personally, I've decided to look into freelancing and work from home; I'm also a writer and an artist so that's going to be my starting point of skills to offer, and once I have some tracks finished and uploaded I'll start offering audio services.

Right now I'm looking into Upwork for freelancing, they have a category specifically for Ableton; I'm not super confident in my skills yet, but you seem to be, so maybe you should consider joining and see if you get any clients for work. It's not 40 hours and stable, but it's a start and adding that experience to your resume might increase your chances of landing that stable job.

Anyway, I apologize if I'm rambling about stuff you already know But I thought of giving my input since maybe it might give you some ideas or alternate options.

Might not be the best thing but I've a friend who worked their way up to being a band/act manager from being a roadie.
You gain a lot of contacts being a roadie/head roadie and if you can produce and mix stuff well then it's a great way to find a lot of work. Business cards/portfolio website are needed for this. The more media skills you have in that regard really help too.

Once you have lots of contacts you find lots of people need work done so you're always busy, but honestly be careful, the music industry is full of snakes so always watch your back and don't give anyone anything for free apart from a sample.

^ I wouldn't eliminate all possible jobs. I know it may not be your passion but working any job for now would be a more logical idea so you can fund your passion more and get better at it to become more employable in music jobs later on. Do gigs for free, build up some experience/contacts. Honestly sometimes it's not what you know but who you know. I see people getting jobs from friends/acquaintances a lot these days, especially in the music scene.

I'm a recent music college grad, I can probably help you out here! There really is no such thing as a "stable 40 hour" job as far as the music business goes, unless if you want to teach in a school/college or be a symphony musician...you probably will get some kind of benefits, but even those aren't always 40 hrs. As far as being any kind of professional musician goes, in most cases you are going to be working for yourself. (AKA, freelancer and/or small business owner!) If you don't already have an account on sites like upwork or fiverr, that's definitely a good place to start. If you haven't done this already, I would also recommend taking a few college classes on things you think you need to work on. It's hard for us neurodiverse peeps to do the whole networking thing, but networking pretty much happens on auto pilot when you have classmates that will invite you to study groups or after class hangouts!

I've been DJ'ing 25 years now. It is such a crowded field that I have gotten into music production myself. The best way to get respect is to turn off the autosync and go by ear. Learning how to produce in Ableton Live is something I am enjoying. I've been learning guitar & piano as well and have about eight songs that I am proud of.

Over the years I DJ'd and promoted as a hobby. I built a career as a Land Surveyor which went great till I melted down due to my extreme rigidity trait. I have struggled to be a top notch electronic act, but since I live in Arkansas, all I can do is open for touring acts. I am trying to turn my DJ'ing into a legit business so I can ask for money. That means handling your expenses and paying taxes. I think this will really help me. I don't think making money from music is impossible. Try working at Guitar Center or a music store that sells the gear. If you want to get into the DJ scene, find a group of people to work with. Maybe you should try to work and a sound company as a sound or light tech. It is a good way to be around stages and learn how to be on one. The right company may even have a 40/hr job to work in to. Stagework is a "pay your dues" kind of thing. Figure out what people don't like to do and do those things. Crawl under the stage, carry heavy things, and just be a big help. No matter how tired you are, keep a positive attitude. If someone is showing you how to do something, listen. Try very hard not to interject your own thoughts during a set-up as this is terribly frustrating and wastes time. Remember your thoughts and talk during load-out or at the shop. I know i'm giddy after a successful show and love to tell my stage hands how we did it.

I get paid fairly well for my lighting production. Hog, GrandMA, Avolite, and Chamsys are pretty standard. I don't know how to use those and use Chauvet Showxpress which I love. If you want to make money, learn one of the former. Try to understand dmx protocol and Artnet. Again watch and learn. The lighting director has a lot to think about, don't add to it. I have never wanted a know-it-all around, the stakes are way too high.

More than likely any big shows are being put on by someone like me. Here are a few things that I have noticed over the years. DON'T FRONT! We see through it, and like any other business we are looking for professionals. Professionals never lie or embellish their qualifications. Invest in your career by being the first to an event and the last to leave. Work on your DJ skills, but realize that there is far more to DJ'ing. Song selection is a huge one. Make sure you have 320mp3's or better. PA systems tend to reveal low bit rate songs. Even if your technical skills are good, bad sound just sounds bad. On stage, stand up straight and look at the crowd. Own the space. If you can dance, do that. If you can't dance, learn. Do whatever it takes not to zone in to the gear and be a hunchback. When practicing at home, practice standing up straight and moving around. I love drum&bass too, and I feel that it is time for a resurgence. That said, it's always been an uphill battle for this genre. Inventing yourself as a brand is tricky, and I wish I had some advice on that. I'm still figuring that out. I find that being flexible is the best way for the long haul. Work with your D&B friends and get great together. Don't forget to learn how to play to the crowd and use songs you don't necessarily like. This is absolutely necessary in a club situation. Clubs need to make a living and work very hard to have a regular crowd. Don't chase them off, ever. I suppose the dream is to be on stage in front of a packed house of adoring fans playing your favorite music. I do this every 3 months or so. This is a gift, all the rest of my time is spent paying my dues.

I wish you the best. Be humble, be yourself, be patient with yourself and others. Learn how to promote yourself too, I am horrible at that. This does not mean telling everyone how great you are in person. People hate that. Good promotion looks like other people talking about you. I spent the first half of my career always being asked to play so I never learned. Talking into the mic is also a great skill which came very late for me.