How to get a job a record label

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hammrough

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I was wondering if any of you have any experience working for a major or a independent label. I am going to college for business, and i am going to minor in music. I rap and i dont know if that would be a deterrent or would help me get a job. I dont know if i should go to graduate school after 4 years. I definitely want to be in the music industry and am just looking for some advice
 
It's all about building relationships. From your internship/externship to job placement
 
good product in the hands of the right people is the name of the game. all you have to do is somehow get someone powerfull to listen to your stuff. usually through networking or going viral...
 
hammrough said:
I was wondering if any of you have any experience working for a major or a independent label. I am going to college for business, and i am going to minor in music. I rap and i dont know if that would be a deterrent or would help me get a job. I dont know if i should go to graduate school after 4 years. I definitely want to be in the music industry and am just looking for some advice
Click to expand...

You need to fully define your goal and needs. Do you need financial stability? Are you looking for a 9-5? Would you be willing to work on commission? Could you work for free for 6 month's if it transitioned to minimum wage a paying position? How much are you worth in the market place? How much time and money are you willing to dedicate to outside corporate/business training to raise your value? Answer those question's honestly so that you can make an informed decision when you research job prospect's.

Are you looking to make a career of rap or is it just a passive hobby? If you want to rap..record content and market it. If you want to work at a record label do not come with a rapper's mindset, leave the beats and rhymes at home...but bring structured, well thought out idea's. Use your business school craft: research the companies you're seeking employment from, find out their company culture before you start work(strict or laid back), find out what opening's they have and what the position's will require then market yours skillset as an educated, hard working, rainmaking, business professional.

Skill's that will be needed the most include, but not limited to:
the ability to stay organized and on track with task with minimal supervision,
self starter who can follow a schedule and meet deadlines
coherent, quick, effective business communication skills,
basic level MS Office(word,excel,powerPoint,outlook) navigation ability,
basic business math,
sales skill's(creating copy, prospecting, appointment setting, negotiating and closing),
ability to work in a team based structure,
ability to lead a small team in project setting's
ability to scout and secure prospective talent
ability to work in a guided web environment(updating/monitoring social media websites)
some music proficiency and working industry knowledge
availability to work on call

Don't get caught up in the job! Learn the business. See what system's are in play. Cultivate connection's. Don't burn any bridge's, everyone is moving up or out. Parlay the skill's into a higher position elsewhere or start your own venture.

If you're looking to be a professional in the industry, finish your bachelors but get an internship, apply for a FT job once you're over 60 credit's. Go for an MBA/J.D...WHILE YOU WORK... and you will be light year's ahead of everyone. If you're looking to be a rapper/producer, you need to be in a perpetual state of creating content and marketing it...degree's or no degree's, job or no job! Don't get stuck in someone elses desk work if you really want to be in the booth!
 
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Thanks for all the advice. I like rapping but im no fool, it is not a stable job. I would like to work at a label as a career and as 9-5 job and i can rap on the side.
 
The best route as someone earlier stated is internships. One way you can land an internship is by providing the value up front. For example: approach someone in the industry with a job already completed. If they are a marketing person, create a marketing plan for all the upcoming projects the label is about to release. And present them. Show that you have passion and can do the job, that person usually gets the job.
 
i am 17 and just graduated highschool i dont think im ready to be a VP lol. thank you though. and i have a long way to go i guess. i am just going to do really good in school.
 
No prob. 17? wow. then I think this is the best post from Bloody Glove:

"You need to fully define your goal and needs. Do you need financial stability? Are you looking for a 9-5? Would you be willing to work on commission? Could you work for free for 6 month's if it transitioned to minimum wage a paying position? How much are you worth in the market place? How much time and money are you willing to dedicate to outside corporate/business training to raise your value? Answer those question's honestly so that you can make an informed decision when you research job prospect's.

Are you looking to make a career of rap or is it just a passive hobby? If you want to rap..record content and market it. If you want to work at a record label do not come with a rapper's mindset, leave the beats and rhymes at home...but bring structured, well thought out idea's. Use your business school craft: research the companies you're seeking employment from, find out their company culture before you start work(strict or laid back), find out what opening's they have and what the position's will require then market yours skillset as an educated, hard working, rainmaking, business professional.

Skill's that will be needed the most include, but not limited to:
the ability to stay organized and on track with task with minimal supervision,
self starter who can follow a schedule and meet deadlines
coherent, quick, effective business communication skills,
basic level MS Office(word,excel,powerPoint,outlook) navigation ability,
basic business math,
sales skill's(creating copy, prospecting, appointment setting, negotiating and closing),
ability to work in a team based structure,
ability to lead a small team in project setting's
ability to scout and secure prospective talent
ability to work in a guided web environment(updating/monitoring social media websites)
some music proficiency and working industry knowledge
availability to work on call

Don't get caught up in the job! Learn the business. See what system's are in play. Cultivate connection's. Don't burn any bridge's, everyone is moving up or out. Parlay the skill's into a higher position elsewhere or start your own venture.

If you're looking to be a professional in the industry, finish your bachelors but get an internship, apply for a FT job once you're over 60 credit's. Go for an MBA/J.D...WHILE YOU WORK... and you will be light year's ahead of everyone. If you're looking to be a rapper/producer, you need to be in a perpetual state of creating content and marketing it...degree's or no degree's, job or no job! Don't get stuck in someone elses desk work if you really want to be in the booth!"
 
hammrough said:
I was wondering if any of you have any experience working for a major or a independent label. I am going to college for business, and i am going to minor in music. I rap and i dont know if that would be a deterrent or would help me get a job. I dont know if i should go to graduate school after 4 years. I definitely want to be in the music industry and am just looking for some advice
Click to expand...

start looking for internships at labels closest to you NOW
 
For me I started as a A&R intern at Columbia Records. Most majors have college representative internships at many big cities across America. so you can do that while in school. Definitely stay in school and get your bachelors or masters. Because you will need that in order to successfully start a business or your own label... or you could work at a Major label as a manager or accountant or in finance or whatever direction you choose. There is more than just rap and or producing. When I interned. I learned about how a label is ran from an a&r stand point. How they choose their artists. How they promote. How they deal with unsolicited material and so on. How they choose producers. So that internship and the relationships i built helped me later on when I negotiated my own production deal.
 
Majorproducer24 said:
For me I started as a A&R intern at Columbia Records. Most majors have college representative internships at many big cities across America. so you can do that while in school. Definitely stay in school and get your bachelors or masters. Because you will need that in order to successfully start a business or your own label... or you could work at a Major label as a manager or accountant or in finance or whatever direction you choose. There is more than just rap and or producing. When I interned. I learned about how a label is ran from an a&r stand point. How they choose their artists. How they promote. How they deal with unsolicited material and so on. How they choose producers. So that internship and the relationships i built helped me later on when I negotiated my own production deal.
Click to expand...

Dope. Great advice.
 
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