Who here has a "day job" in the music industry?

[UnattendedGolfcart]

People often misconceive turning your #1 passion in life into a career as a gateway to ultimate happiness. In reality, it takes something you love and turns it into work. I spent three years as a music major and by the end of year one, my passion for music and playing the guitar had been converted into a chore. Just picking up a guitar used to stress me out because I didn't have time to play for enjoyment, I HAD to learn for the sake of my grades. And it wasn't fun. I used to sweat when I would practice because I knew if I didn't get something down, the guitar faculty would berate and yell at me. Just imagine taking an aspect of music that you love and having to do it on the clock and under intense scrutiny. You'll feel burned out pretty quickly.

This is one reason why I didn't become a music performance major at my school. I thought about how ridiculous the work would be to play music that I wasn't entirely into anyway.

I'm a Music Industry major which I think has given me a lot of knowledge on a lot of things like advertising, business, marketing, writing...all things that I would be interested in as a day job. I want to find a music-related job that isn't strictly limited to music-related skills, like being a writer and working at a position for a music magazine or Web-based site.

I want to work somewhere that has to do with music but I want it to be something just far enough away from my actual playing and composing/band-related goals that it doesn't suck the life out of my passions.

 

[Cheap]

I'm 22 and a site leader for Ricoh (glorified mailroom job with 'big' responsibilities). I don't have a college degree and I am definitely interested in going after a career in music.
I've been toying with the idea of going to school for music, but I'm not sure what direction I could take it in. Nowadays it's fairly easy to be a skype teacher and make a good amount of cash, but the consistency is pretty worrisome.

I'm at a point where I'm comfortable and really wanting to explore opportunities in that field while at the same time avoiding guitar center/sam ash. I just don't know how to go for it

 

[shaynedepugh]

I'm a graphic designer and I've always wanted to work for a record label or some other music related business. Right now I'm designing for a healthcare company, and while it pays good, there's certainly no "cool factor".

I've designed pieces for a few bands and have thought that working for a label would allow me to do that all the time. I'm sure it wouldn't be all fun and games, but at least it would be more interesting than healthcare. I also feel like a music business would be more understanding of needing time off for tour. That might not be true at all, but I'm hopeful haha.

 

[MaxOfMetal]

I think when folks see the terms "music business" and "music industry" and think it's more about the first word than the second and that's plainly not true.

It's far more business and industry than music. Music is just the product.

It's like assuming a car factory is all about driving.

Any successful entity in the music business/industry has to operate like any other company, and all that entails.

I have friends from high school who work with and for some of the bigger names on both the label side and guitar manufacturing side and they have the same complaints about "corporate culture" as my friends in insurance, healthcare, marketing, etc.

It's not "hey lets make cool guitars" or "hey lets make awesome music" it's "we're going to make guitars/music that will sell to the lowest common denominator".

I'm sure there are awesome guitar/amp/pedal companies to work for, and smaller labels that focus on just pushing great, unique music, but they're not very successful. If you live simply, want to have fun, and have a safety net, go for those, but if you want to have a family, a house, and not have to worry about paycheck, retirement, or benefits you're going to have to go for the successful businesses which are just that: business.

I could go and work at pretty much any small, crafty, hip brewery in the country.......if I want to take a 50% pay cut (if not more), ditch my pension, and just have "barely insurance" for me and my family. And for what? To sound "cooler" when someone asks what I do?

 

[geewhyell]

Bit late to the party here. But I back everything Max has said.

Sadly the only thing (most of the time) people at the top are thinking about is revenue and profit, and to be honest, they should be. A business is still a business at the end of the day, even if it's in the music industry.

I worked for one of the bigger musical instrument chains in Australasia, worked my way up to the head office over eight years as well as being a guitar tech in my own time. Literally felt like I was slaving away, being underpaid despite the amount of work I was doing for them.

I was made redundant in an effort to save their fixed costs, and at the time thought I was screwed. Ended up landing a position in a corporate office and started on an "entry level" salary there that was about 10k more than what I had peaked at back before. I vividly remember being told "look, we can only pay you x amount" and thinking to myself something along the lines of "HNNNNGGH".

Working in the stores/head office burnt me out and put me off going into stores. Still don't like going in unless I need to help a friend make a purchase. I still set up and repair guitars, but only for friends and family now as it doesn't feel like a chore for them.

This is just my take though, I understand and respect that everyone's different.

 

[Emperor Guillotine]

I'm a Music Industry major which I think has given me a lot of knowledge on a lot of things like advertising, business, marketing, writing...all things that I would be interested in as a day job. I want to find a music-related job that isn't strictly limited to music-related skills, like being a writer and working at a position for a music magazine or Web-based site.

I want to work somewhere that has to do with music but I want it to be something just far enough away from my actual playing and composing/band-related goals that it doesn't suck the life out of my passions.

Actually.........ditto.

 

[Kwert]

People often misconceive turning your #1 passion in life into a career as a gateway to ultimate happiness. In reality, it takes something you love and turns it into work. I spent three years as a music major and by the end of year one, my passion for music and playing the guitar had been converted into a chore. Just picking up a guitar used to stress me out because I didn't have time to play for enjoyment, I HAD to learn for the sake of my grades. And it wasn't fun. I used to sweat when I would practice because I knew if I didn't get something down, the guitar faculty would berate and yell at me. Just imagine taking an aspect of music that you love and having to do it on the clock and under intense scrutiny. You'll feel burned out pretty quickly.

It sounds like you had a pretty terrible experience at whatever university or conservatory you went to. I've gone through an Undergrad, Master's degree and now am finishing an Artist's Diploma (all in music performance) and like any profession, it's been a mishmash of ups and downs, successes and failures, but I can tell you that the weight of the ups and successes far exceeds that of the downs and failures.

A lot of people go into music school with the illusion that it will always be fun, and like any career, that's not the case. Why shouldn't you want to turn your #1 passion into the way you make your living?

Anyway, I do make my living as a musician (a freelancing cellist), but I don't have a 9-5 job in the industry.

 

[Andromalia]

I could go and work at pretty much any small, crafty, hip brewery in the country.......if I want to take a 50% pay cut (if not more), ditch my pension, and just have "barely insurance" for me and my family. And for what? To sound "cooler" when someone asks what I do?

What does your brewery require for endorsments ? I can drink a lot and in public too.

 

[Webmaestro]

I'm a graphic designer and I've always wanted to work for a record label or some other music related business. Right now I'm designing for a healthcare company, and while it pays good, there's certainly no "cool factor".

I've designed pieces for a few bands and have thought that working for a label would allow me to do that all the time. I'm sure it wouldn't be all fun and games, but at least it would be more interesting than healthcare. I also feel like a music business would be more understanding of needing time off for tour. That might not be true at all, but I'm hopeful haha.

This is exactly what I'm talking about. I'm a Product/UI/UX Designer. I'm not saying I want a career building or playing guitars. I just want to be IN the music industry... either designing software, websites, retail experiences, etc.

I did the music school thing, and after a year of being a Jazz Guitar performance major, was ready to injure myself. I changed majors, and didn't touch a guitar for 11 years afterward. So yeah, I get that part. That's why I'm not look looking to do something literally and directly guitar-related.

 

[TelegramSam]

If I may add my two pence...

About 3-4 years ago I started working in quite an intimate little guitar store in Camden Town of London. I was the envy of all my friends, making money from "sitting about playing guitar all day". I will say this though, it can be quite a nightmare.

To cut a VERY long story short, you're essentially working hard to fulfil someone else's dream of owning a successful instrument store, and picking up peanuts along the way. As the business becomes more successful the work becomes more stressful, and eventually things you would take pleasure in (I.E. hearing about a guy's new EP) becomes infuriating, and you want each day to end as quickly as possible. We eventually opened a new place on the high street and both the store and market shop bring in a fair few customers, but this only made our job THAT more demanding, because what had started as an interesting and unique market stall turned into a pint-sized empire.

It doesn't end there either. Everything you do is never enough in any business. In my situation and I guess several others' too, even less so. Selling £500 worth of stuff in a day doesn't bring much praise, just a tip that next time that could be £600 or more. God forbid the market is quiet.

However, good things are picked up along the way, apart from money. Nice-ish discounts mean you can pick up good gear for a reasonable price (even if your boss tries to get you to pay full price). You can bond with fans of the same bands, get jamming or writing partners, hell, even the odd boyfriend/girlfriend. They aren't insanely abundant, but they can make a difficult day in the market reasonable.

Plus, it can be rewarding in other areas, you gain decent experience in retail, and other areas (at our store, we have hot drinks and cakes for customers, which gave me some starter catering experience).

This isn't necessarily meant to scare anyone off, it's just meant to warn any hopeful instrument store employee that the novelty of having a "cool" job wears thin pretty quickly.

If anyone else wants to hear some more nightmare or not-so-nightmare stories, come at my inbox. I don't wanna flood this thread with just my ugly mug.

 

[metallidude3]

If I may add my two pence...

About 3-4 years ago I started working in quite an intimate little guitar store in Camden Town of London. I was the envy of all my friends, making money from "sitting about playing guitar all day". I will say this though, it can be quite a nightmare.

To cut a VERY long story short, you're essentially working hard to fulfil someone else's dream of owning a successful instrument store, and picking up peanuts along the way. As the business becomes more successful the work becomes more stressful, and eventually things you would take pleasure in (I.E. hearing about a guy's new EP) becomes infuriating, and you want each day to end as quickly as possible. We eventually opened a new place on the high street and both the store and market shop bring in a fair few customers, but this only made our job THAT more demanding, because what had started as an interesting and unique market stall turned into a pint-sized empire.

It doesn't end there either. Everything you do is never enough in any business. In my situation and I guess several others' too, even less so. Selling £500 worth of stuff in a day doesn't bring much praise, just a tip that next time that could be £600 or more. God forbid the market is quiet.

However, good things are picked up along the way, apart from money. Nice-ish discounts mean you can pick up good gear for a reasonable price (even if your boss tries to get you to pay full price). You can bond with fans of the same bands, get jamming or writing partners, hell, even the odd boyfriend/girlfriend. They aren't insanely abundant, but they can make a difficult day in the market reasonable.

Plus, it can be rewarding in other areas, you gain decent experience in retail, and other areas (at our store, we have hot drinks and cakes for customers, which gave me some starter catering experience).

This isn't necessarily meant to scare anyone off, it's just meant to warn any hopeful instrument store employee that the novelty of having a "cool" job wears thin pretty quickly.

If anyone else wants to hear some more nightmare or not-so-nightmare stories, come at my inbox. I don't wanna flood this thread with just my ugly mug.

This is pretty much dead on. I've worked "in the business" for about 10 years now, I'm 27. For the most part, I can't stand guitar players anymore. However, I have met some amazing people and absolutely made the best of friends. The new band I started, last year, would never have happened without working where I have.

I've started working at a local shop when I was 17 and left there after 5 years to go to a GC. Where I was promised room for advancement and so on. After three years and three bosses later, I realized that they were just as dry as the local shop was, if not more so, because we had double the amount of people working at the GC.

Now I work in another little local shop that I actually started taking lessons at, when I was 12. I get to do most of the things that I enjoy here. I get to repair guitars, teach lessons and sell some stuff that I know about.

While I am pretty decent at it, I only LOVE doing it some of the time. It can certainly be a drag sometimes and the customers can be overly "eccentric".

So if you're thinking about getting into it, just know that you're not going to make a ton of money but you can make a ton of connections.

 

[feraledge]

I definitely think there can be some balance, but it really comes down to expectations going into it. I managed to get by for a couple years solely doing freelance graphic design. I could have applied myself and have been set more, but I was always chasing clients for money and a lot of them had really, really bad ideas that I would have to do.
Small jobs turned into big jobs, big jobs could flake out in worse ways. Looking back on it, I was just a bit underwater, had I come up with some cash and evened out, I might have stayed on with it, but I had the chance for another job and took it.
All in all, I wasn't living high on life, but I was my own boss and didn't have to fret to do things like take off and tour or that I lived in a place where you weren't getting out via car if it snowed. But I learned from it.
There are obnoxious things about customers in every single niche. That's just a given, but there are cool ones as well. Doing something you love doesn't have to make it a chore, but if you shoot for the stars and think you can get there with less work because it's something you love, well... not going to happen like that.
There can be sweet spots though. My buddy owned a skateboard shop and I would work for him, the pay was garbage, but it was the easiest job in the world and setting up new boards tickled the lifer in me. It helped that our band used to practice there too, so it was getting paid to sell skateboards, set them up, place order, but also hang out with the tolerable locals, watch movies/skate videos, read, skate, and play a lot of guitar. At the time it supplemented my primary job fairly well and was the polar opposite in terms of stress.
If you set out modestly and don't get stars in your eyes, you can possibly hit your stride, but work is work and starting a business is never as easy as it looks.

 

[Michael_Ten]

I used to set up guitars for a fairly major guitar manufacturer and have since moved up in the ranks... I refuse to say who because I still work for them and am intently keen on keeping my profile on here purely for my enjoyment; this profile could quickly become work related if I'm not careful (as such, you won't find me voicing any biased opinions on one brand over another, besides the opinions I've formed on my own). In my spare time, I also front my own band and sub in for various other bands. So I'm in the industry both as my day job and in my spare time.

Work is work. There's always stuff you will hate about your job. I'd say I hate about 30% of the things I have to do, and I love 70%. Not much in between. Are you the kind of person who will let that 30% ruin all the other awesome stuff that comes with the job? Or can you compartmentalize well enough to deal with the bull.... and still enjoy the perks? It depends on what kind of person you are. I have days where I want to quit, and there are days where I couldn't be happier to be where I am, but I think it's this way with any job. Personally, I'd rather hate 30% of my job over hating 100%, and working in an industry related to products I have a deep and sincere passion for is better than working in an industry I give zero f*cks about. Also, working in an industry that I spend all my spare time learning and researching in gives me a serious edge over other individuals who either fell into the industry or are in the industry because they like music, but don't particularly care about the gear.

At my core, I'm a fan of awesome music, a huge gear nerd and a guitar aficionado, so working for a guitar manufacturer puts me right at home. There are a ton of areas in the music industry you could make your day job, and I feel if I were in any of these other areas (sales, audio production, business, marketing, etc.) I would enjoy my job significantly less. Also, the stuff I do with my band and my music has very little to do with my day job as a tech, so my day job doesn't end up "ruining" the other areas of the industry I'm in and often acts as sort of a reprieve from the day-to-day monotony of being around guitars 24/7. I guess you gotta honestly gauge how much you REALLY like guitars, or whatever aspect of the industry, and is your love for that area deep enough to tolerate sifting through heaps of crap for the privilege of working in the industry.

Keep in mind I haven't been grinding in the industry for 20+ years, so if you ask me how I feel then, my answer might be different, haha.